Over the years, I've heard some
very encouraging gospel messages preached. on the last words of
David. I've quoted from it many times,
but I don't believe I've ever preached from the passage. And
this morning I want to endeavor to preach on David's last words
and do my best to put the emphasis on where I believe God intended
for them to be. So I want you to pay close attention
to the words the Holy Spirit uses concerning David. I want
you to see who David was, or better said, what David was.
I want you to clearly see what His only hope of redemption was,
or correctly said, who His only hope of redemption was. So turn
with me to 2 Samuel chapter 23. 2 Samuel chapter 23. 2 Samuel 23 verse 1 starts this
way. Now these be the last words of
David. These were David's last words.
This was David's last testimony. I think there's something special
about the last words that someone says to you before they leave
this world, especially if they know that they're dying. If a
man or woman dies suddenly, their last words won't necessarily
have a deep meaning. However, if someone is on their
deathbed, as David was, and has had time to reflect upon their
life, usually their last words will more than likely shed some
expression or give some evidence to some things that they've learned
in this life. Usually they will say or share
something that has been particularly a revelation to them. I think you know what I mean.
When my father died, one of the things that he wanted to make
sure that I understood was the brevity of life. My parents lived
across the street from a grade school, and every day as my dad
lay there, he heard those children outside playing. And he told
me, he said, son, it seems as though it was just yesterday
that I was the age of those children outside playing. And at that
time, my father was nearly 80 years old when he died. And I
never forgot that. I still often think about my
dad's words and about how right he was concerning the shortness
of this life, the brevity of this life. My dad was trying
to let me in on something that he at the time of his death fully
realized. And I believe that's the case
with David. To all who heard or read his
last words, he wanted to impart what he felt to be a crucial
and a necessary revelation that God had shown him. The last words
of a man who was declared by God to be a man after God's own
heart ought to be especially meaningful and important to us. Why? Because I want to be on
the mind and heart of God. I believe that it's extremely
needful and even critical for us to see how the Holy Spirit
refers to David. In verse one, he says, now these
be the last words of David, David, the son of Jesse. Not these be
the last words of the King of Israel. Not these be the last
words from a famous giant killer, not the battle secrets of a mighty
warrior, but the last words from the son of Jesse. The Holy Spirit
is letting us know that David was just a man. He was flesh
and blood just like you and me. He had a human father and a human
mother. He was a mere mortal just like
us. He was a man of flesh, just like
us, and just like us, in his flesh dwelt no good thing. I
think we have a tendency to put the popular characters of the
Bible up on a pedestal, and we think somehow or another they
lived above what we're able to live, but they were men and women
just like us. David was a fallen son of Adam.
You could trace his lineage right back to Adam, the same as you
could ours. These be the last words of David,
the son of Jesse. He was the shepherd boy who tended
his father's sheep. Do you remember when God told
Samuel to go to the house of Jesse? Let's look at that occasion. Hold your place here and turn
back to 1 Samuel chapter 16. This is worth looking at. 1 Samuel
chapter 16. Look at verse one. And the Lord
said unto Samuel, how long wilt thou mourn for Saul, seeing I
have rejected him from reigning over Israel? It was God that
rejected Saul. He said, fill thine horn with
oil, and go, I will send thee to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for
I have provided me a king among his sons. Who provided this king?
God said, I provided this king among his sons. And Samuel said,
how can I go? If Saul hear it, he'll kill me.
And the Lord said, take a heifer with thee, and say, I am come
to sacrifice to the Lord. And call Jesse to the sacrifice,
and I will show thee what thou shalt do. And thou shalt anoint
unto me him whom I name unto thee. Boy, it's pretty obvious
here who's in control. Verse four, and Samuel did that
which the Lord spake and came to Bethlehem. And the elders
of the town trembled at his coming and said, comest thou peaceably?
Many times, no, most of the time, when the prophet of God came
to a place, it wasn't a pleasant thing. But Samuel said in verse
five, peaceably I am come to sacrifice unto the Lord. sanctify
yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice. And he sanctified
Jesse and his sons and called them to the sacrifice. And it
came to pass when they were come that he looked upon Eliab and
said, surely the Lord's anointed is before him. But the Lord said
unto Samuel, look not on his countenance or on the height
of his stature because I have refused him. For the Lord seeth
not as a man seeth, for man looketh on the outward appearance, but
the Lord looketh on the heart. And Jesse called Abinadab and
made him pass before Samuel, and he said, neither hath the
Lord chosen this. Then Jesse made Shammal to pass
by, and he said, neither hath the Lord chosen this. And Jesse
made seven of his sons to pass before Samuel. And Samuel said
unto Jesse, the Lord hath not chosen these. And Samuel said
unto Jesse, are here all thy children? And he said, there
remaineth yet the youngest. And behold, he keepeth the sheep.
And Samuel said unto Jesse, Send and fetch him, for we will now
sit down till he come hither. And he sent, and he brought him,
and now he, speaking of David, was ruddy, and withal of a beautiful
countenance, and goodly to look to." The NIV version here says
that he was glowing with health. You've seen people with a good
complexion and all, they just look healthy. He's glowing with
health, had a fine appearance, handsome features. And I can't
help but to think how in so many ways, as I believe we'll see,
that David was a type of Christ. And I'm reminded of how Christ
is described in the Song of Solomon chapter five. It says, my beloved
is white and ruddy, the cheapest among 10,000. His head is as
the most fine gold, his locks are bushy and black as a raven.
His eyes are as the eyes of a dove by the river's waters, washed
with milk and fitly said. His cheeks are as a bed of spices,
as sweet flowers, his lips like lilies dropping sweet-smelling
myrrh. Read on, verse 12, and the Lord
said, arise, anoint him, for this is he. And verse 13, then
Samuel took the horn of oil and anointing him in the midst of
his brethren. And the spirit of the Lord came
upon David from that day forward. Now, these are the last words
of David, the son of Jesse, not King David, not your majesty,
David, just David, the son of Jesse. And I think of that verse
in Matthew that we're all very familiar with. Thou shalt call
his name Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sin. At the name of Jesus, every knee
should bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to
the glory of God the Father. Now turn back with me to 2 Samuel
23. In verse one, we see how the
type here continues. Secondly, I would have you notice
what the Holy Spirit says concerning David. It says that David was
raised up on high. David, the son of Jesse, and
the man who was raised up on high. Now, we just read the account,
but God told Samuel, this is he. This is He. God anointed
David in the midst of his brethren. That's a very good picture of
the type. Who raised David up? God did. We just read the story. David
didn't raise himself up. Just like Noah, David found grace
in the eyes of the Lord. David was highly favored of God. David was the object of God's
grace. David was raised from spiritual
death to spiritual life. David was raised from the dunghill
to the throne. A beggar became a prince by the
power of God. That's what I want you to see.
A shepherd boy became king because of the omnipotent hand of God,
willed and purposed. How many sons did Jesse have?
Counting David, he had eight. Seven sons passed before Samuel. Samuel said, the Lord not chosen
this. When David passed before him, God said, anoint him for
this is he. Now the question is, who made
the difference? Did David make the difference?
No, God made David to differ. God raised David up on high in
the midst of his brethren. Isn't that what God did to Christ
or for Christ? Acts 2.22 says, for Moses truly
said unto the fathers, a prophet shall the Lord your God raise
up unto you of your brethren. And Christ was not only raised
up and exalted by God to have power over all flesh, but He
should give eternal life to as many as God gave Him. God also
raised Christ from the dead and set Him at His own right hand,
far above all principality and power and might. and dominion
Ephesians 1 20 and 22. God hath put all things under
Christ's feet and gave him to be head over all things to the
church which is his body the fullness of him that filleth
all and in all. Verse 1 David the son of Jesse
said and the man who was raised up on high God raised him And
what a picture that is of Christ. The anointed of the God of Jacob. That's the third thing. David
was anointed of God. David was the anointed of the
God of Jacob. And what a type of Christ he
is. Now the word anointed in the Greek means Christ. He was
God's anointed. And the word anointed in the
Hebrew means Messiah. So we see the picture. Now listen,
David was a prophet and a king, but he wasn't a priest. He couldn't
offer a sacrifice. Samuel was a prophet and a priest,
but he wasn't a king. He didn't rule and he didn't
reign. Saul tried to be all three and God killed him. Well, what's
your point? There's only one who fits the
bill of prophet, priest, and king, and that's the Lord Jesus
Christ. Now hear me, child of God, as
our prophet, Christ reveals God to us. He is the Word of God. Jesus Christ has the right to
speak for God. He has the right to reveal God's
will. As our priest, he offered the
sacrifice of himself for our sin. And we read, if any man
sin, we have an advocate with the Father. He is Jesus Christ
the righteous. As my high priest, he has the
right to represent me before God. He has the right to be our
mediator, the go-between God and ourselves. As our king, he
has the authority to rule and to reign over his people. As
our king, he rules and he judges. Do you see that Christ is all
and in all? He's all that I need. He's all
that God requires. And in the New Testament alone,
the Kingdom of God, that phrase, the Kingdom of God, occurs over
69 times. But let me tell you, there is
no Kingdom without a King. Christ is King. God's going to
reveal to His elect who is this blessed and only potentate, the
King of kings and the Lord of lords. Do you see Christ as your
prophet, priest, and king? For the Lord your God is God
of gods and the Lord of lords, a great God, a mighty and a terrible,
which regardeth not persons, nor taketh reward. Deuteronomy
chapter 10. Fourth thing, David, the son
of Jesse, look at it with me, the man who was raised up on
high, the anointed of the God of Jacob, is the sweet psalmist
of Israel. You know, most of the psalms
were written by David. He put them to music. He played
a lute or a harp. He sang praises unto the Lord.
We read the psalms, but David sung them. When I read and consider
the Psalms, like Psalm 51 for example, that is as close to
praying and truly praising God as I ever get. Oh, I encourage
you to read the Psalms and read them often. David said, and I
can so relate to this, he said, have mercy upon me. Oh God, according
to thy loving kindness, according unto the multitude of thy tender
mercies, blot out my transgressions. Oh, I'm telling you, I read that.
That's what my heart feels. Lord, have mercy on me according
to not what I deserve, but according to your loving kindness, according
to the multitudes of your tender mercy. Wash me throughly from
mine iniquity. Oh, I want God to wash me. Wash
me clean. Cleanse me from my sin. For I
acknowledge my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me.
Can you relate to that? Against thee and thee only have
I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight. Create in me a
clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast
me not away from thy presence. Don't give me what I deserve.
Take not thy Holy Spirit from me. Restore me into the joy of
thy salvation, and uphold thee with thy free spirit, the sweet
psalmist of the Lord. Look at verse two. The Spirit
of the Lord spake by me, and his word was in my tongue. The
God of Israel said, the rock of Israel spake to me, he that
ruleth over men must be just ruling in the fear of God. Now
I'm telling you that the Holy Spirit here is directing our
attention away from David and pointing us to the Lord Jesus
Christ. As our prophet, God said, hear
ye him. This is my beloved son, we better
hear him. He's our prophet. Peter said,
Lord, where else would we go? Thou hast the words to eternal
life. Where else would we go? God's
Spirit spoke by Him. God the Father made Him a just
God and a Savior. He's the Rock of Ages in whom
the sinner finds refuge. And notice here also we see the
blessed Trinity, one God and three persons. The sweet psalmist
of Israel said, the Spirit of the Lord spake by me. That's
speaking of the Holy Spirit. The God of Israel said, referring
to God the Father. The rock of Israel spake to me,
speaking of Christ, who is the Word of God. And I would remind
you, friends, that salvation involves the work of all three
persons in the Godhead. The Father elects and He chooses
the chosen and saved sinner. The Son redeems and satisfies
God's holy law and justice. And the Holy Spirit regenerates
and makes the sinner a new creature in Christ. And verse 3 speaks
of Christ. This is no political slogan. I've heard political parties
actually quote this verse. They say, he that ruleth over
men must be just, ruling in the fear of God. First of all, the
problem with that is no man born of Adam, no woman born of Adam
is just in their own standing. Only Christ is the just one. I heard someone recently say,
there's just one just one. That's so true. Only Christ truly
rules in the fear of God. Fear here means a reverential
respect. Only Christ truly and reverently
respects God. No fallen man can do so. The
Jews practically worshipped David. They called the Messiah the son
of David. Christ said, how say the scribes
that Christ is the son of David? There's no salvation in David.
That's what the Holy Spirit is teaching us here. Christ said,
if David called him Lord, how is he his son? The Holy Spirit
here is pointing us to the Lord Jesus Christ. This is a book
about Him from beginning to end. Christ is the just one. Verse
3, he that ruleth, he that reigns, he that governs and has dominion. That's what that word ruleth
means. Over men must be just, must be right. Christ is the
one who made a way for God to remain just and at the same time
justify the ungodly. And truly the Lord Jesus Christ
is a just God and a Savior. He's both just and justifier
of him that believes in Jesus. And such a ruler that rules in
righteousness and in the fear of God. can only be the Lord
Jesus Christ. Now look at verse 4. And He shall
be as the light of the morning when the sun riseth, even a morning
without clouds as the tender grass springing out of the earth
by clear shining after rain. Is not Jesus Christ the light?
He's the light of the world, the scripture says. He's the
true light that came in the world. And men love darkness rather
than light. Boy, that shows us our dead state
before God. Yet Christ is the light of the
world. He that follows him shall not walk in darkness, but shall
have the light of life. David said in one place, the
Lord is my light and my salvation. Now, how do I know that I've
been given light? Well, I've been given light as
to how God can be both just and still justify me. I've been given
light to know that Christ is my life. He's the light and the
life. My life is found in Him. Child
of God, is your life found in Him? His perfect life is now
my life. I'm crucified with Christ, Paul
said. Nevertheless, I live. Yet not
I, but Christ liveth in me. And the life which I now live
in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved
me and gave himself for me. Christ is the light that rises
even in the morning without clouds, the verse says. Who is without
clouds but the Lord Jesus Christ? Everything that I do is clouded
by sin. Everything. I see through a glass
darkly and dimly. Why? Because my sight is clouded
with sin. The beloved John wrote, in Christ
was life, and the life was the light of men. And isn't that
what the Holy Spirit is referring to here in the last part of verse
4? The life and the light of saved
men and women. He says, as the tender grass
springeth forth out of the earth by clear shining after rain.
Peter had said, for all flesh is grass, and all the glory of
man is as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the
flower therefore falleth away. But the redeemed child of God
is like new grass. It springs forth out of the fertile
soil of God's Word, in and by and through Christ, clear shining
light of revelation being rained upon with the water of life.
Now listen, this is what I wanted you to see. The Holy Spirit is
letting us know at the end of a believer's life, they're not
gonna trust in anyone or anything but the Lord Jesus Christ. That's
exactly what David tells us in his last words. Look at it with
me, verse five. He said, although my house be
not so with God, yet he hath made with me an everlasting covenant,
ordered in all things insure, For this is all my salvation
and all my desire, although he make it not to grow." First here
we have somewhat a word of distress. David said, although my house
be not so with God. The word although here means
in spite of the fact. In spite of the fact that my
house be not so with God. Oh, that's such a distressful
thought. David said, my house is not right
with God. He's talking about his family.
He's talking about the ones that he loves dearly. Many of them
did not know or love God. Oh, I can so relate to that.
I have children who do not know God. They don't know the Lord.
They don't have an interest in the things of Christ. I've got
family, aunts, uncles, brothers and sisters-in-law, friends and
acquaintances that are not in a right standing with God Almighty. Although my house be not so with
God. All of us have someone that's
not right with God. I think about what the Apostle
Paul said is heartbreaking. He said, I could wish myself
accursed from Christ for my brethren according to the flesh. You know
what I mean. Those of you who know Christ,
your heart breaks that those whom you love don't have a saving
knowledge of He who is Lord of all. David's family was plagued
by adultery, murder, even incest. David knew his children weren't
saved just because he was. He knew his loved ones didn't
love God just because he did. Your faith in Christ does not
guarantee the salvation of your family. Christ came unto His
own and His own received Him not. Salvation doesn't come through
a bloodline. Sinners are born not of blood,
nor of the will of the flesh, nor the will of man, but of God.
I can't will those whom I love into the family of God, and neither
can you. I can't will myself to trust
Christ, much less anyone else. Oh, we can take this thought
of a house even a bit further. A house is a dwelling place.
This body of ours is our temporary dwelling place, even though this
house, this body be not so with God. Oh, I'm telling you, I haven't
arrived. I haven't attained. And David
said, although my house be not so with God, yet. One old writer
said that wherever there's an although, there's always a yet. Yet He hath made with me an everlasting
covenant." And what a word of comfort is found here in the
Gospel of Christ. Yet He, God, hath made with me
an everlasting covenant. Not a covenant where if you do
this, God will do that. No. That's a works covenant. The covenant I'm talking about
is an everlasting covenant. It's a covenant that Christ made
with God. It's a covenant that God made
with us only in Christ. It was Christ who became flesh. It was Christ who kept the law.
It was Christ who worked out a perfect righteousness for me.
It was Christ who appeased God's holy justice. It was Christ who
died to pay the wages of sin. It was Christ who was raised
for my justification. It was Christ who ascended as
my high priest. It's Christ who now makes intercession
for me. And here we have a word of security. The everlasting covenant, notice
this, is ordered in all things ensured. There are no loose ends. God ordered it in all things. It's sure. It's for certain.
Oh, isn't that a comfort to know? If God ordered it, then it's
for sure. And men talk about assurance.
There's nothing that gives me more assurance than that. That's
where you find real assurance. This everlasting covenant is
ordered by God. The everlasting covenant is sure
because of that. Where do you find assurance?
In your feelings? No assurance there. Do you find
assurance in your experience? No, sir. David found assurance
in God's purpose. The mercies of God, friends,
are not left to chance. They're ordered of God and sure. And what a word of satisfaction
we find here. David says, this is all my salvation. If Christ left anything undone,
there's no hope for me. I have no time for redemption
that does not redeem. If Christ died for some who will
still wind up in hell, let me ask you sincerely, what kind
of salvation is that? What kind of Savior would Christ
be? He'd be a failure. No satisfaction found in such
nonsense. The everlasting covenant of God
that God ordered, this everlasting covenant that He made sure is
all my salvation. It's all of it. All my salvation
is in the covenant that God made with Christ. We saw in our last
Genesis study when Judah became a surety for Benjamin, Benjamin
had no say in the matter. Why? Because it was a covenant
between His father Jacob and Jacob's son Judah. And friends,
we have no say in this everlasting covenant. It's a covenant made
between God the Father and God the Son. That's it. This is all
my salvation. There's nothing to be done by
me. I have no say in the matter. Some might say, well, you have
to believe. Who gives us faith? We're saved by grace through
faith. And neither the grace or the faith is of ourselves.
Both are the gift of God. Paul says, not of works, lest
any man should boast. God is not going to share His
glory with another. What did Paul say in the very
next verse? He said, we are His workmanship,
in Ephesians 2. Whose workmanship? We're God's
workmanship. We're created in Christ Jesus
under good works, which God hath before ordained. Do you see the
salvations of the Lord? What did we have to do with it?
Nothing. For at that time we were without
Christ. We were aliens from the commonwealth
of Israel. We were strangers from the covenants
of promise, having no hope. without God in this world. We
were far off and we were made, and I how? By the blood of Christ. By the everlasting blood bought
covenant. He's our peace who makes both
one. He broke down the middle wall
of partition between us and God. And that's why this everlasting
covenant is all my salvation. It couldn't be accomplished any
other way. And this is not only all my salvation. David said,
this is all my desire. You know what? I don't want it
any other way. I don't want it any other way.
It's all my desire. Nothing else gives me hope. We
just quoted it. Apart from Christ, I'm without
hope. Being without Christ and without
God, I'm without hope. And then I would have you notice
how David ends his last words. Although my house be not so with
God, yet he hath made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered
in all things and sure, for this is all my salvation and all my
desire, although he make it not to grow. Now what does that mean? The end of my life is rapidly
approaching. Next week I'll be 62. I don't
know how long I'll live, but I'm telling you, just like my
father, it seems like only yesterday I was a young child and now,
truly, this life is like a vapor. It appears for a little while
and then fades away. And I'm going to be honest with
you. I sure don't feel as though I've grown. I feel even more sinful now than
when I first began. I don't feel as though I've grown
better. Do you? I don't. And that's what I believe that
David meant here. He didn't feel as though he had
grown. David didn't feel as though he
had grown in grace and in the knowledge of the Lord, but he
had. He had. You know, I'm so glad that David
ended his last words this way. Because even in that statement,
I find great hope. It's not how I feel that saves
me. It's Christ my Savior who does.
May God enable you and I to trust in Him and Him alone. Amen.