David’s last words

David’s last words

SIBKL, Pastor Chew, 12-11-11

As he lay on his bed dying, David’s last words were all about finishing well. If we were just given 15,20 or 50 words before our last gasp of breath, what would we say? What you say then tells us what you value. Some famous last words are as follows:-

Edward Abbey, a famous American owner: “No comment.”

John Quincey Adams, ex US President “This is the last of earth. I am content”.

Alexander the Great (when asked who would succeed him). “The strongest”

Pope Alexander VI “Okay, okay, I’ll come, but just give me a moment”.

Archimedes “Don’t disturb my equation”.

P.T.Barnum “How were the circus receipts in Madison Square Gardens?”

Steve Jobs “Oh wow, oh wow, oh wow!”

Mother Theresa “I love you, Jesus, I really love you”

King David was so great a king of that every other king of Israel and Judah was benchmarked against him. Hence, it is especially important to study his last words:-

“ ¹ These are the last words of David: “The inspired utterance of David son of Jesse, the utterance of the man exalted by the Most High,
the man anointed by the God of Jacob, the hero of Israel’s songs: ² “The Spirit of the LORD spoke through me; his word was on my tongue.³ The God of Israel spoke,   the Rock of Israel said to me: ‘When one rules over people in righteousness, when he rules in the fear of God,⁴ he is like the light of morning at sunrise on a cloudless morning, like the brightness after rain that brings grass from the earth.’

 ⁵“If my house were not right with God, surely he would not have made with me an everlasting covenant, arranged and secured in every part; surely he would not bring to fruition my salvation and grant me my every desire. ⁶ But evil men are all to be cast aside like thorns, which are not gathered with the hand. ⁷ Whoever touches thorns uses a tool of iron or the shaft of a spear; they are burned up where they lie.” 2 Samuel 23:1-7

The first verse speaks about David’s credentials. David introduced himself as the son of Jesse. He was a common man, like you and me. Yet he described himself as a man exalted by the Most High, anointed by the God of Jacob and the hero of Israels’ songs. Credentials are what you say you are. Credibility on the other hand is what others perceive as to whether what you say is true or not. Vs.2-4 speak of David’s credibility. God spoke of David that he was one who ruled over people in righteousness, in the fear of God and compared him to the light of morning at sunrise on a cloudless morning and the brightness after rain.

Does your credentials match your credibility? Does what you say match with what others say about you? What does God say?

Most important in David’s last words were his three questions.

The first question was in vs.5 “Is not my house right with God?”. In his book “Finishing well”, David Wong wrote “Going up is optional but going down is mandatory. We don’t want to perish when we come to a close”. The KJV translation of vs.5 is in fact more accurate:- “Is not my house not with God?” Hence, it should read “although my house be not so with God yet….” David was acknowledging that his house was not right with God. As he lay dying, and looked at his sons and wives, he would have realized that his house was in turmoil. One son had raped his sister. Another had killed his brother. The same had risen up in rebellion against his own father and had been killed. Still another tried to make himself king at the expense of his brother. How many of us can guarantee we will have time to make it right? David gasped “My house is not right with God.”. If our house is not right with God, it is a poor way to end. As a father, parent, husband and spiritual father of many children, I want my house to be right with God. Husbands, how are your relationships with your wives? Do you keep secrets from each others? At some funerals, rubbish that even spouses don’t know about comes out. How do we want our children to remember us? If we could, there are so many things we could unsay or undo as parents. Now is the time to make amends, to love wife, husband, children. In today’s world, where absentee fathering is common, we have to make time to spend with our children. Reconcile, model, pray! Are some relationships irreconcilable? Don’t give up, Pray!

In Sabah, an old man was preaching when his face suddenly turned blue because he suffered a heart attach. As he breathed his last, he turned to his wife and said “Darling, I want to thank you for being my best friend. For sharing your life with me, I want to thank you.”.

The second question in vs.5 “Has he not made with me an everlasting covenant, arranged and secure in every part?” As he spoke his last words, David remembered the covenant God made with him. In 2 Samuel 7, David voiced his desire to Nathan to build a house for the Lord. The Lord told David that he would not be the one to build the temple, but because of his desire, the Lord would build David’s house and establish a kingdom through his offspring that would last forever.

Everyone of us who believes in Jesus entered into a covenant with God the day we accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Every time we partake of the bread and the wine, we renew the covenant. In Deuteronomy 28:1-14, we see God’s desire to bless us in every way. However, there are two sides. God gives us His blessings but we must obey. If we don’t obey, like the man who partakes of the Holy Communion without examining himself and discerning the body of the Lord, we eat and drink  judgment on ourselves.

The third question is most intriguing. “Will he not bring forth my salvation and grant my every desire?” The Hebrew phrase here literally means “As tender gum grows from the earth after it rains, will He not make it grow?” It is like saying “Lord, the life that you gave to me. Have I produced more life? Has my salvation borne fruit?” Has my salvation been fruitful? Thank You, Lord, for saving me. Do we take God for granted?  Do we waste opportunities to witness? How have we used our resources?

The three questions are literally about finishing well. Is my family right with God. We need to put it right while we still have the time. Are we walking in obedience to the laws of God?  Make sure the new life invested in you is reproduced. Let your salvation be fruitful. Don’t waste time doing useless things. At the 9-11 memorial, there are the names of 2,859 people who died 10 years ago. It was an ordinary day on 11 September 2001, when people got up and went to work, when the terrorists hijacked the first plane.