Title: In His Old Age…
Text: I Kings 1:1-4 and 2:1-12
Thesis: There are life lessons to be learned from observing King David’s aging and dying.
Introduction
Andy Rooney once said, “It’s paradoxical that the idea of living a long life appeals to everyone, but the idea of getting old doesn’t appeal to anyone.”
I read a quote from George Bernard Shaw to the effect that, “You don’t stop laughing when you grow old; you grow old when you stop laughing.” I think there is something to that…
Though I know aging is not all it is cracked up to be, I do enjoy some of the humor that goes with the territory.
At the conclusion of his annual physical, an elderly man commented to his doctor that he was no longer able to help around the house like he used to and then asked, “In plain English Doc, what’s wrong with me?
The doctor said, “Well, in plain English, you are lazy!”
“Ok,” said the man, “can you give me the medical term so I can tell my wife?”
An elderly lady was overheard telling her friend about having recently joined an aerobics class for seniors at the local fitness center. “And how did it go?” asked her friend.
“Well,” she said, “I twisted, turned, jumped up and down, and perspired for half an hour, but by the time I got my leotard on, the class was ended.”
Though we may be able to find humor in aging, there comes a time when it isn’t funny anymore.
That is where we find King David this morning. He is old and it isn’t funny.
I. Human Frailty, I Kings 1:1-4
King David was now very old, and no matter how many blankets covered him, he could not keep warm… I Kings 1:1-4 (Ecclesiastes 12:1-5)
David, who was once a handsome young lad. In I Samuel 16:12 he is described as dark and handsome, with beautiful eyes. After Samuel had anointed David to be the king to replace Saul the Scripture says, “The Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David from that day on.”
David went on to kill Goliath, Philistine warrior, with a well-placed stone flung from his slingshot to the giant’s forehead. When the Israelite army returned home after defeating the Philistine army the women of the towns along the way came out to meet King Saul. They sang and danced for joy with tambourines and cymbals. And this was their song: “Saul has killed his thousands and David his ten thousands.” I Samuel 18:6-7
Saul was not happy and David then spent years in exile avoiding the wrath of the still reigning King Saul. And then following Saul’s death David assumed the throne.
And now, many years later, we find ourselves at I Kings 1. The once vigorous King is a prematurely frail, feeble and perhaps a bit addled 70 year-old man. Reading on from 1:5 we see that not only was David dealing with failing health, he no longer had a firm grip on his kingdom.
Just this week we learned the former President Jimmy Carter’s liver cancer has spread to other parts of his body. Over the years we have watched him actively involved in Habitat for Humanity. He became and continues to be a global statesman who is able and willing to go and do what diplomats cannot. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002. Now 90 years old, he is still going to work every day.
In contrast to a very vigorous 90 year old, in our text we find the 70 year old King David described as very old and no matter how many blankets covered him, he could not keep warm.
Application: What does this mean for us?
1. Aging is inevitable. You may be young today but you will not always be young. David experienced it. His son Solomon knew it was inevitable.
Before he became the very old man who could not get warm no matter how many blankets they piled on him he wrote Ecclesiastes 12, “Don’t let the excitement of youth cause you to forget your creator… before you grow old and say, ‘Life is not pleasant anymore.’ Remember him before the light of the sun, moon and stars is dim to your old eyes and rain clouds continue to darken the sky. Remember him before your legs start to tremble; and before your shoulders stoop. Remember him before your remaining teeth stop grinding; and before your eyes see dimly. Remember him before the door of life’s opportunities is closed and the sound of work fades. Remember him before you become fearful of falling and worry about danger in the streets; before your hair turns white and you drag yourself along without energy like a dying grasshopper. Remember him before you near the grave when the mourners will weep at your funeral.”
2. Remember God before it’s too late. Remember that a relationship with God through Jesus Christ is best established before it is too late. John wrote, “The person who has Christ has life and the person who does not, does not have life. These things are written so that you may know that you have eternal life.” I John 5:11-13 Take care of there and then, here and now!
In I Kings 2 we find the aging and frail King David on his deathbed, so to speak.
II. Human Finality, I Kings 2:1-12
As the time of King David’s death approached, he gave this charge to his son Solomon. II Kings 2:1
Then David died and was buried with his ancestors in the City of David. David had reigned over Israel for 40 years. And Solomon became king and sat upon the throne of David… I Kings 2:1-12
I watched an interesting TED Talk recently. Matthew O’Reilly, a first-responder, critical care EMT shared his experiences in those instances where death was imminent… where the patient was so wounded that there was no hope. They were going to die. He said those victims sometimes ask, “Am I dying?”
He told of his desire to be of comfort to the dying and his fear of being truthful for fear that they would then die in terror, in fear, grasping for those last moments of life.” He recalled being called to a motorcycle accident where, upon assessing the situation, knew there was nothing he could do. The man asked, “Am I going to die?” and Matthew O’Reilly answered him honestly. He said the man laid back and showed no terror at all. “As I looked into his eyes, I saw an inner peace and acceptance.”
He told of subsequent incidents where he could not save a badly injured person and honestly answered the “am I going to die” question, the victims almost always displayed a sense of calmness and acceptance…
He found that they frequently expressed regret and hoped for forgiveness and they wanted to be remembered.
Knowing his death was imminent David had a chat with Solomon. This death-bed conversation unfolded in two parts:
A. The counsel of a saint, I Kings 2: 2-5 and 7
I am going where everyone on earth must someday go. Take courage and be a man, observe the requirements of the Lord your God and follow his ways. I Kings 2:2-4
And then he added in verse 7, be kind to the sons of Brazillai, for they took care of me when I fled from your brother Absalom.
The essence of the conversation was this: I am going to die. Take courage and be a man. Observe the law and follow God in all your ways. And if you do this you will enjoy the blessing of God. And remember to be kind to those who showed me kindness.
The second piece of counsel takes a less flattering turn.
B. The counsel of a sinner, I Kings 2:5-6 and 8-9
“Do not let Joab grow old and go to his grave in peace.” I Kings 2:5-6
“…arrange a bloody death for Shemei.” I Kings 2:8-9
It seems so totally contradictory for a godly person to on one hand offer good and godly counsel and then order deadly, getting even, settle-the-score counsel for his living enemies. Jesus’s teaching in the Sermon on the Mount urging us to turn the other cheek and loving and praying for our enemies is better counsel.
Then this piece of the story ends with verse 12 where David had died and was buried with his ancestors after having reigned for 40 years.
Application: What does this mean for us?
1. Death is inevitable. We are all going to sleep with our ancestors. It’s a good thing to accept our mortality and even embrace the inevitability of death. As Christians we do not sorrow as those who have no hope. For Christians, to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. As Christians we believe that the transition from life to death is like taking a step from here and now into then and there.
2. We are both saint and sinner. We might also remember that we are both saints and sinners. We have the ability to die leaving a spiritual legacy to our loved ones and others. “Take courage. Me a good and godly man or woman. Be a devoted follower of Jesus.”
3. Leave a legacy of kindness and forgiveness. And as for the sinner in us… rather than leave a legacy of bitterness and anger, leave a legacy of kindness and compassion and forgiveness toward others.
Conclusion
In a recent (2015) interview in GQ magazine, actor Nick Nolte shares that growing older has been a painful experience. When asked "When was the last time you cried?"
Nolte said: Today. I cry every day. … I cry when I try to get out of bed, because I'm in my 70s and my body hurts... Once my joints are moving, I'm all right, but those are my first tears in the morning, wondering if the pain is going to get worse or get better …
At my age, a lot of your friends start dying, and that'll always bring on a good cry. Last summer, it was [screenwriter and director] Paul Mazursky. He had internal organ failure. … His wake was classic. I saw faces I hadn't seen in years. Mel Brooks. Richard Dreyfuss, who I hadn't seen since we filmed Down and Out in Beverly Hills. It was a great wake, but then you can't help but think about your own funeral and what that might be like. (Davy Rothbart, "The GQ+A: Nick Nolte Cries Every Day, Thinks About His Own Funeral" GQ, 1-28-15)
Nick Nolte is obviously at a point in life where he is thinking about death. He is grieving his own human frailty and that his moment of human finality will one day arrive. I have no criticism of Nick Nolte or of how anyone deals with his or her mortality. But it seems to me that the final words of King David, to his son Solomon are fitting words to guide us in living into life and death.
This is what he said: “Take courage and be a man. Observe the requirements of the Lord your God, and follow all his ways...”
