2 Samuel 23:1-7 (p. 226) March 16, 2014
Introduction:
As I shared with you last week...God’s people, the Israelites were never designed by God to have a King...or maybe I should say, a king other than God. The nation of Israel was designed to be a Theocracy not a monarchy.
The problem...People have a tendency to look around themselves for answers instead of up towards God. And even though God had provided judges and leaders like Samuel to remind the Israelites of their covenant relationship with Jehovah God, they began to look around themselves, to other nations and instead of wanting to remain distinct, unique and one of a kind, the Israelites said,
”WE WANT A KING LIKE ALL THE OTHER NATIONS WE SEE AROUND US.”
And God tried to warn them
1 SAMUEL 8:10-21 (p. 190)
God will let you eat the fruit from the tree...God will let you choose a King over Him...God will let you turn aside and go your own way...as an individual and as a nation.
However, there will be consequences...death, governmental enslavery exchanging the truth of God for a lie and God eventually giving you over to a depraved mindset.
All this happens under Saul, Israel’s first king. And I genuinely believe all this is happening in America.
But God is amazingly merciful. He constantly calls His people back. His response is “I’ll take you back” again, and again, and again.
At the end of Saul’s life Israel is in deep trouble. Saul has turned away from God, disobedient, even seeking answers from the occult. Israel’s sons have been conscripted for war, daughters are made palace slaves, taxes are levied, and the Philistines have put them under their thumbs (very big thumbs). Israel is weak, afraid and under attack. Ring any bells???
And this is when we meet David, son of Jesse.
I. THE SHEPHERD WHO WOULD BECOME WARRIOR AND KING
God has a way of choosing the weak, the shameful and the foolish...over the strong, honorable and wise.
So, at the end of King Saul’s reign, God sends the anointing prophet Samuel to the house of a man named Jesse. Jesse has 8 sons when Samuel shows up he sees Jesse’s oldest “Eliab” and says, “Surely the Lord’s anointed stands here before the Lord.” (1 Samuel 16:8) But God tells Samuel one of the most important truths about His heart and wisdom.
1 SAMUEL 16:7 (p. 196)
Loose paraphrase...”What’s inside a person is more important than what’s on the outside.” The exact opposite of how our culture operates!!!
Then Jesse introduces Samuel to 7 of his 8 sons...”But the Lord has not chosen any of them.” Samuel asks Jesse...is this all of them and Jesse says, “No, there’s still the youngest, but he’s out tending sheep.” (1 Samuel 16:10-11)
Go get Him!
1 SAMUEL 16:12-13 (p. 196)
Why did God choose David? The only answer I have is David was nothing...the youngest...the shepherd...an afterthought for his father.
And God operates like that over and over and over again...Abraham...100 years old...Sarah, barren...Samuel’s mom...Hannah...barren...Rahab, Ruth, Joseph, Peter, James, John, Mary, Joseph. Why? To show:
Salvation begins with God, not us. Repentance starts with God’s intervention...not our wisdom. Can you say “no.” Absolutely. There was more than 3,000 there when Peter preached on Pentecost.
But Romans 9 tells us “God will have mercy on whom He has mercy..and He will have compassion on whom He has compassion. It does not, therefore, depend on human desire, or effort, but on God’s mercy.” (Romans 9:15-16)
[I am living proof that God’s mercy is not fair. And we don’t like things that aren’t fair, we don’t like someone being paid the same for working for an hour as much as the person who worked for 12. God doesn’t care if we like it or not. He will chose to call the 17 year old pothead rebel to repent because...it’s His mercy to use as He chooses. He will call the arrogant, legalistic Pharisee...the violent, hateful, judgmental...worldly, successful, mean, if he chooses.
What do both of us do when we realize His unlimited grace and patience. “Fall on our faces in thanksgiving...realize we are exhibits on the courtroom of grace...and never forget we are the worst sinners that have ever lived!]
That’s why the redeemed, arrogant, violent blasphemer wrote: “For this very reason I was shown mercy, so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example.” (1 Timothy 1:16)
It’s why he would write to the Corinthians:
1 CORINTHIANS 1:25-29 (p. 793)
Why did God choose David above Eliab...because He’s wiser...because He’s stronger...because He’ll give mercy on whom He chooses to. It’s not how the world operates or thinks. God’s ways blow the world’s ways out of the water!
That’s how a shepherd boy becomes a warrior and king. And, it’s the same truth for a 17 year old high school dropout.
If you remember, David is anointed King before King Saul’s death. And the most famous story concerning David is found shortly after his anointing. King Saul and the Israelite army are encamped on one side of a valley, and the Philistine army are encamped on the other. David has entered King Saul’s service as “an armor bearer.” He carries the King’s stuff.
And, every day, for 40 days the Philistine champion Goliath comes forward and says, “choose a man, have him come out and fight me...If I win you become our slaves...If you win we become your slaves.”
The problem...Goliath’s like 9 feet tall...his spear head weighs 25 lbs. He’s one bad dude! King Saul’s certainly not stepping forward...and no one else likes the odds.
You know the story...David says he’ll fight. He gets 5 smooth stones from a creek...(someone asked me why he got 5, and I like Bob Russell’s answer: “Goliath had 4 brothers!” LOL) King Saul’s armor doesn’t feel right, so David...the shepherd...steps out as warrior. “Anointed King” and says “This day the Lord will deliver you into my hands.” You come with a spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty.”
And David ran toward him...took a stone, slung it and the stone smashed the Philistine in the forehead and put him down. David cut off Goliath’s head with Goliath’s own sword...when the Philistines saw what happened they turned tail and ran...and the Israelites took off after them...and plundered their camp. I LOVE THIS STORY.
It wasn’t the slingshot or rock that killed Goliath and gave David the victory...it was the Lord Almighty, and David’s faith.
David has a lot to write in his obituary, but I promise you these things are a “Giant” part.
“David, son of Jesse, exalted by the Most High...the man anointed by God...the heir of Israel’s songs.” (2 Samuel 23:1)
David would become a great warrior, the great slayer who Israel would sing about. Saul has killed his 1,000s but David has killed his 10,000s (Saul wasn’t real crazy about this tune).
David became Israel’s greatest King even to today Jews wear his star. He was so far from perfect...like all men “power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”
He would commit adultery with Bathsheba...one of his soldier’s wives...and then have Uriah her husband killed to cover a pregnancy. His life has great victories and great sin. It’s ups and downs. Just like ours, and the consequences of sin causes the death of “this baby conceived by Bathsheba”...rebellion in his home and family including another son’s death named Absolom. As a man of blood, God will not allow him to build His temple, even though he is the “singer of songs.”
And yet, even with all the struggles, the sins, the humanness of his soul...Acts 13:22 says “God testified according to David, “I have found David, son of Jesse, to be a man after my own heart.”
Here’s what I’ll end with concerning David’s obituary, his last words...how you can discover the truth about his heart.
II. DAVID’S FINAL WORDS FOCUS ON HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD
2 SAMUEL 23:1-7 (p.202)
David’s last words...His obituary...spoken from his own lips.
Ironically Goliath and the military conquests are barley even alluded to...
But the Spirit of the Lord, God’s Word, and righteousness did its importance in leadership, worship, the everlasting covenant, salvation, These are the last thoughts and words of a redeemed shepherd who remember had exalted and saved him.
There have been some favorite last words recorded for us.
The famous actress Joan Crawford said to her two nurses who were softly praying for her because they noticed she was dying, “DON’T YOU DARE ASK GOD TO HELP ME.”
James French a convicted murderer, right before his execution in the electric chair in 1966 looked at the reporters and said “How’s this for tomorrow’s headlines...French fries!”
But he might have been copying the final words of George Apple a convicted murderer who was executed on the electric chair in 1928 who said, “Well gentleman you’re about to see a baked apple!”
Most of us don’t have the luxury to know if we’ll have the opportunity to say those...very last words. Disease, dementia, suddenness might take that opportunity away.
David knew his final words were important but he also knew the words of his life mattered a lot as well. Whether he spoke them or sang them. Here’s what I thought:
“Today we write part of our life’s story...What words we put on the page are important.”
Jesus said much the same thing: Matthew 12:36 “I tell you that EVERYONE will have to give account on the day of judgment for empty words they have spoken.”
CONCLUSION:
[Empty? VOID...VACANT...The point is what do your words do for people? Fill them up or...empty them out? David’s last words, his obituary...Focus on “The Spirit of God” speaking through him...in words and song...Words that bring light after rain.]
[Did you know that after Abraham Lincoln was assassinated at Ford’s Theater they made a list of his possessions...what he had on him when he died. He was carrying: 2 pair of glasses, a small velvet eye glass cleaner, an ivory pocket knife, a large handkerchief with A. Lincoln stitched in red, a tiny pencil, a brass button, a fancy watch fob, and a brown wallet with a confederate $50 bill...and 8 newspaper clippings he’d cut out...all praising his courage and leadership.}
I wonder how many times he read those clippings in the darkness and rain of war and slavery?
I promise you, when our lives are over and our obituaries are written...people will remember if we have spoken words of encouragement and hope...they will have saved those clippings in their hearts.
Let’s pray!
