Lesson 20:
Profiles in Courage
(2 Samuel 23) Introduction
In my last message, I told you about my friend, Karl Lind, who is waiting to be with the Lord. I called Karl this past week to tell him that my wife and I were thinking about him and remembering him in our prayers. I also told him I had used him in the introduction to my sermon, and then we reminisced about the “good old days” when Bible Baptist Church was just beginning and we met in a funeral parlor. I mentioned that as a boy, I was always looking around, wondering where all the bodies were. “That’s nothing,” Karl responded, “Martha (Karl’s wife) used to teach a Sunday school class across the hall from the embalming room. Every time the class met, they could smell the embalming fluid.”
Actually, a little whiff of embalming fluid might do us all some good from time to time, reminding us of our mortality. As my wife and I traveled up the East Coast recently, we saw a number of quaint little churches, many of which had an adjoining cemetery. It’s too bad this isn’t so in a big city like Dallas any longer, because death and the gospel ought to be closely linked. Every time we go to church, we should be reminded of the inevitability of death, and every time we attend a funeral, we should consider death in the light of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Joe Bayly, now deceased, wrote a book entitled The View From a Hearse, an excellent book on the Christian and dying. When it was reprinted, the book was given a new title; I believe it is now titled, The Last Thing We Ever Talk About. I like the first title better, because I think we all should view life from the vantage-point of a hearse. Men and women nearing the time of their death usually have a very different set of priorities. I saw a film in which Malcolm Muggeridge was standing in the cemetery at the family burial place. As I recall his words, Muggeridge said something like: “I am standing here where my family is buried, knowing that it will not be long before I join them. I must say that when I look back on my life from this vantage point, I realize that many of the things I most dreaded in my younger days, I now prize as having played a very significant and profitable role in my life. Conversely, the things I thought were most needful, I have found to be the least significant and beneficial to me.”
Many are those who in their golden years look back on their earlier years in retrospect and see things differently. David is among that smaller group of individuals who in his golden years sees things not only in terms of his past, but also in terms of his eternal hope.1 David’s psalm in the first seven verses of 2 Samuel 23, is a kind of “view from a hearse.”2 We are told this is the last of David’s recorded words (verse 1). As David nears the time of his death, he looks back upon his life and forward to his eternal hope.
This psalm in the early part of 2 Samuel 23 may seem detached from and unrelated to the remainder of the chapter, which names and honors those mighty heroes who significantly contributed to David’s success. In fact, I believe the two sections of the chapter are very much related, as we shall soon see. For the moment, let me simply say that the entire chapter is about greatness. In verses 1-7, we see what it is that makes a great king. In verses 8-39, two sets of great men are named, the “three” and the “thirty.” In the process of describing their heroic conduct, we are told what made these men great in the eyes of God.
We draw very near to the conclusion of 2 Samuel (which in the Hebrew Bible is really just “Samuel,” since 1 and 2 Samuel were one book); indeed chapters 21-24 are a unit, an epilogue the author uses as his conclusion. Let us learn what makes great men of God. Let us listen and learn what the author has been trying to teach us throughout the entire book.
David’s Song of Salvation
(23:1-7)3
1 Now these are the last words of David. David the son of Jesse declares, The man who was raised on high declares, The anointed of the God of Jacob, And the sweet psalmist of Israel, 2 “The Spirit of the LORD spoke by me, And His word was on my tongue. 3 “The God of Israel said, The Rock of Israel spoke to me, 'He who rules over men righteously, Who rules in the fear of God, 4 Is as the light of the morning when the sun rises, A morning without clouds, When the tender grass springs out of the earth, Through sunshine after rain.’ 5 “Truly is not my house so with God? For He has made an everlasting covenant with me, Ordered in all things, and secured; For all my salvation and all my desire,4 Will He not indeed make it grow? 6 “But the worthless, every one of them will be thrust away like thorns, Because they cannot be taken in hand; 7 But the man who touches them Must be armed with iron and the shaft of a spear, And they will be completely burned with fire in their place.”
As verse 1 indicates, the words of this psalm are David’s last words, not last in the sense that he spoke these words and died,5 never speaking another, but perhaps in the sense that these were his recorded words in the form of a psalm. I am personally inclined to follow the punctuation of the NASB, which starts the quotation marks at verse 2, rather than verse 1. If I understand the translators (and, more importantly, the text) the author of 2 Samuel supplies verse 1 as an introduction. It is not David who refers to himself in such elevated terms (“the man who was raised on high;” “the sweet psalmist of Israel”), but the writer. David was all that verse 1 claims him to be, but it is not David reminding us of this fact, at least as I read the text.
From his humble beginnings as the youngest son of Jesse, a man of no great standing in Israel, David is raised on high by God. David is the “anointed one,” the king, who is the offspring of Jacob, or Israel. On the one hand, being the descendant of Jacob was nothing to brag about either, but this notation does link David with the Abrahamic Covenant (Genesis 12:1-3, etc.) and with the promise to Jacob that through his son Judah, the Messiah (anointed one) would come (Genesis 49:8-10).
David’s recorded words begin then at verse 2. David begins by underscoring the fact that his words are not merely his own, but that they convey the very word of God, spoken to him and through him. David attributes his words to the Holy Spirit, who spoke through David. This is consistent with what the New Testament says about David and the other Old Testament authors:
10 As to this salvation, the prophets who prophesied of the grace that would come to you made careful searches and inquiries, 11 seeking to know what person or time the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating as He predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow. 12 It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves, but you, in these things which now have been announced to you through those who preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven -- things into which angels long to look (1 Peter 1:10-12).
20 But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one's own interpretation, 21 for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God (2 Peter 1:20-21).
16 “Brethren, the Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit foretold by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus” (Acts 1:16).
And so the following words of David are the very words of God, not in a way that is different from the rest of the inspired Scriptures, but in a way that sees these words, like all the other inspired words of Scripture, as a word from God. God spoke to David about what constitutes a righteous rule for a king. God’s king is one who should rule over men righteously. This righteous rule is the outgrowth of a healthy and appropriate fear of God (verse 3). Heathen kings think primarily in terms of being over others; God’s king thinks in terms of being under God. This is something which is clearly evident in the ultimate king, our Lord Jesus Christ:
30 “I can do nothing on My own initiative. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is just, because I do not seek My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me” (John 5:30).
6 Now Jesus started on His way with them; and when He was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends, saying to Him, “Lord, do not trouble Yourself further, for I am not worthy for You to come under my roof; 7 for this reason I did not even consider myself worthy to come to You, but just say the word, and my servant will be healed. 8 “For I also am a man placed under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to this one, 'Go!' and he goes, and to another, 'Come!' and he comes, and to my slave, 'Do this!' and he does it.” 9 Now when Jesus heard this, He marveled at him, and turned and said to the crowd that was following Him, “I say to you, not even in Israel have I found such great faith” (Luke 7:6-9, emphasis mine).
Put in biblical terms, God’s king is spoken of as God’s son (see 2 Samuel 7:14; Psalm 2:7), not in the sense of being the offspring of God, but in the sense of being subject to the Father.
The outworking of a righteous reign is the blessing of the people. The reign of a wicked king is troublesome to the kingdom:
Like a roaring lion and a rushing bear Is a wicked ruler over a poor people (Proverbs 28:15).
When the righteous increase, the people rejoice, But when a wicked man rules, people groan (Proverbs 29:2).
Thus, we see the emphasis in Scripture of the necessity for kings to rule righteously:
10 A divine decision is in the lips of the king; His mouth should not err in judgment.11 A just balance and scales belong to the LORD; All the weights of the bag are His concern.12 It is an abomination for kings to commit wicked acts, For a throne is established on righteousness.13 Righteous lips are the delight of kings, And he who speaks right is loved (Proverbs 16:10-1).
8 A king who sits on the throne of justice Disperses all evil with his eyes (Proverbs 20:8).
26 A wise king winnows the wicked, And drives the threshing wheel over them.27 The spirit of man is the lamp of the LORD, Searching all the innermost parts of his being.28 Loyalty and truth preserve the king, And he upholds his throne by righteousness (Proverbs 20:26-28).
David describes this same truth poetically (also). He likens the rule of a righteous king to the illumination brought about by the rising sun on a cloudless morning (v. 4a). He further likens a righteous reign to the life-giving rains, followed by the life-giving warmth of the sun which causes the grass to spring forth (v. 4b). Righteous leadership inspires and enables productivity; wickedness stifles and suppresses it. Have we not witnessed this in those peoples oppressed by communism in recent times?
At verse 5, the subject turns to David and to his house (his dynasty). The KJV and the NKJV render the first line of the verse opposite to that of the other versions:
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 (KJV).
“Although my house is not so with God, Yet He has made with me an everlasting covenant, Ordered in all things and secure. For this is all my salvation and all my desire; Will He not make it increase? (NKJV).
Compare the rendering of the NIV, NAB, and NRS versions:
“Is not my house right with God?Has he not made with me an everlasting covenant,Arranged and secured in every part?Will he not bring to fruition my salvationAnd grant me my every desire? (NIV)
“Truly is not my house so with God? For He has made an everlasting covenant with me, Ordered in all things, and secured; For all my salvation and all my desire, Will He not indeed make it grow? (NAB).
Is not my house like this with God? For he has made with me an everlasting covenant, Ordered in all things and secure. Will he not cause to prosper all my help and my desire? (NRS)
The translators had a choice to make. The translators of the King James Versions (old and new) chose to render the first line in the negative; the others rendered it positively. Either way, the sense of David’s words is clear. In the first instance, David would be stressing his unworthiness, along with his house, in contrast with God’s grace in making the Davidic Covenant with him and with his descendants: “Neither I nor my descendants deserve this, but God has made an everlasting covenant with me, a covenant which assures a perpetual reign of righteousness.” In the second instance, David would still be emphasizing God’s grace to him and through him: “Is it not the case that God has, in fact, made my reign and those of my descendants after me righteous, based upon His covenant with me?”
The end result is that David confidently speaks of a reign of righteousness for his house. This is not due to David’s merits or self-righteousness, but rather to the grace of God, assured through His covenant with David (2 Samuel 7:14). Based upon God’s covenant with him, David is assured of an eternal reign of righteousness, signed, sealed, and delivered6 in the covenant of God as fulfilled (ultimately and permanently) in the person of Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ.7 This is David’s ultimate salvation and desire, brought about by God, the author and finisher of all salvation. David’s song of salvation is centered in God, from whom, and through whom, and unto whom are all things.
Notice how this psalm impacts Solomon, as seen in his psalm:
1 {A Psalm of Solomon.} Give the king Your judgments, O God, And Your righteousness to the king's son. 2 May he judge Your people with righteousness And Your afflicted with justice. 3 Let the mountains bring peace to the people, And the hills, in righteousness. 4 May he vindicate the afflicted of the people, Save the children of the needy And crush the oppressor. 5 Let them fear You while the sun endures, And as long as the moon, throughout all generations. 6 May he come down like rain upon the mown grass, Like showers that water the earth. 7 In his days may the righteous flourish, And abundance of peace till the moon is no more (Psalm 72:1-7).
Notice how later Old Testament writers pick up on the words of this psalm as they speak of its fulfillment in Christ:
1 Then a shoot will spring from the stem of Jesse, And a branch from his roots will bear fruit. 2 The Spirit of the LORD will rest on Him, The spirit of wisdom and understanding, The spirit of counsel and strength, The spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD. 3 And He will delight in the fear of the LORD, And He will not judge by what His eyes see, Nor make a decision by what His ears hear; 4 But with righteousness He will judge the poor, And decide with fairness for the afflicted of the earth; And He will strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, And with the breath of His lips He will slay the wicked. 5 Also righteousness will be the belt about His loins, And faithfulness the belt about His waist (Isaiah 11:1-5).
1 “For behold, the day is coming, burning like a furnace; and all the arrogant and every evildoer will be chaff; and the day that is coming will set them ablaze,” says the LORD of hosts, “so that it will leave them neither root nor branch.” 2 “But for you who fear My name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings; and you will go forth and skip about like calves from the stall (Malachi 4:1-2).
David is no Universalist, thinking that the blessings of which he has written are for all mankind. The salvation of which he has written are his desire, his delight. Not all men find their hope and trust in God and in His salvation. Consequently, at the close of his song of salvation, David turns his attention to the fate of the wicked, of those who reject God’s salvation through the Messiah, God’s anointed. The imagery of verses 6 and 7 follows closely that of verse 4, only in contrast. When the righteous King of Israel (Jesus Christ) comes to rule the earth, His kingdom causes the righteous to flourish, as the rain and sun cause the grass to sprout and grow. But the wicked are not likened to grass; they are compared to thorns. Thorns are not valued, harvested, and stored up for future use. Thorns are dealt with at arm’s reach. The one who handles thorns does not take them in hand, lest he be injured by the thorns. He uses a metal blade to cut the thorns and to burn them in place.
This may be a good place to reflect on what David has written here. The message of the Bible is not a promise of salvation and eternal life for all men. It is the offer of salvation to all men. But apart from divine intervention, the wicked will invariably reject this offer. And because they do, they are condemned to destruction by fire. To put it bluntly and biblically, the wicked are condemned to hell:
4 Then I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was given to them. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received the mark on their forehead and on their hand; and they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. 5 The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were completed. This is the first resurrection. . . 11 Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them. 12 And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds. 13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds. 14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. 15 And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:4-5, 11-15).
The good news of the gospel, offering salvation to all men, cannot be proclaimed in truth without the corresponding warning of eternal judgment from which men must be saved. David’s psalm of salvation looks forward in time to the coming of the Great King, the “Son of David,” the Lord Jesus Christ, whose coming spells salvation for the righteous (in Christ) and judgment for the wicked (apart from Christ). Ultimately, David’s “salvation” is not military, or physical, but spiritual.
Before moving on, allow me to suggest several implications and applications of what we have just read. First, righteousness should be reflected in those whom God has appointed as leaders. Righteousness is rooted in Christ’s work, not our own, but it is reflected in our concern for the poor and the needy, and our response to the wicked. How often parents deal positively with their children, but ignore or refuse to deal with their sin. The Bible requires us to abhor evil and to cling to what is good (Romans 12:9). Righteousness is reflected positively and negatively. To ignore one dimension or the other is to fail to practice righteousness as God requires it of His leaders.
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