2 Samuel 23

Well, good morning Saylorville! If you brought a copy of Scripture with you this morning, you can find 2 Samuel, chapter 23, 2 Samuel, chapter 23 as we close the casket, so to speak, on the life of David. We’re doing his funeral service. In fact, the title of this message is Eulogizing  David.

I was thinking about that song we just got done singing. There’s no power. There’s no power in darkness left. There’s that little refrain in there. All I could think of as we sang that was that line from Jesus in Luke chapter 22 where he said to Judas just before he went out to betray him, he said:

Luke 22:53b, “This is your hour and the power of darkness.”

Have you ever read that? There was power in darkness in that moment, but no more! Amen? — because Christ is risen!

So, let me just begin by asking you, do you like going to funerals? That’s kind of a dumb question, isn’t it? But you know, God tells us it’s a good thing for us to go to funerals. In fact, Solomon said:

[Ecclesiastes 7:2] “It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting (or partying) for that is the end of all men; and the living will take it to heart.”

That’s the reason why you ought to go to a funeral from time to time. It just gives your perspective, doesn’t it? — Because you’re going to be there, lying in state, or in ashes, or however you choose to do it. Most… No, never mind.  I don’t want to go there right now. Someday, OK? I mean, a lot of you are going to be attending a funeral next Friday… Good Friday?

I have to tell you, some time ago our pastor, Curt De Graaff, came to me… came to our office, set up an appointment, came in… and he came in to set up his entire funeral service. He asked me to be the one who would conduct it. I was just overwhelmed with the incredible detail that he had laid into it and that he would honor… I would be so honored to be able to get… I’m not going to divulge those details to you, but… to be honored to hear this, and the incredible reflection that he had poured into this. And by the way, he wants you to know he’s fine. He’s not sick or anything. He’s not making plans to check out… just yet. He’s just getting ahead of the game. He didn’t exactly hand me his obituary. That would be weird.

But what if I asked you to write yours up? What if every one of you were tasked to write up your own obit… would you? — could you? And what if after you wrote it up, I then submitted it to the people who really know you to do all the editing. How much of it would be left?

So David… we’re attending David’s funeral. And by the way, most obituaries are written by somebody else. Are they not? We’re imagining being at David’s funeral this morning as we close up this final installment in our series, David Who Captured the Heart of God. And because he kind of wrote his own obituary… sort of. But… and so, this is the funeral service right here, and we’ve lined up several testimonies of those who were used, both dead and alive to shape the life of David as if they’re going to be giving testimonies. And, by the way, we’ve asked them to keep it to five minutes or less. Nobody wants a two hour funeral! But, by the way, here’s the statement that he died. It’s actually in 1 Kings 2 where it says in verse 10:

1 Kings 2:10-11

10 “Then David slept with his fathers and was buried in the city of David .

11 And the time that David reigned over Israel was forty years. He reigned seven years in Hebron and thirty-three years in Jerusalem.”

And just like that… he’s gone. He only lived to be 70. In chapter 23 of Second Samuel, David’s life is coming to an end. In fact, we’re told right out of the shoot, these are the last words of David. And so let’s read them. The first seven verses… It says:

2 Samuel 23:1-7

1 “Now these are the last words of David: The oracle of David, the son of Jesse,

the oracle of the man who was raised on high, the anointed of the God of Jacob, the sweet psalmist of Israel:

2 “The Spirit of the LORD speaks by me; his word is on my tongue.

3 The God of Israel has spoken; the Rock of Israel has said to me: When one rules justly over men, ruling in the fear of God,

4 he dawns on them like the morning light, like the sun shining forth on a cloudless morning, like rain that makes grass to sprout from the earth.

5 “For does not my house stand so with God? For he has made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things and secure. For will he not cause to prosper all my help and my desire?

6 But worthless men are all like thorns that are thrown away, for they cannot be taken with the hand;

7 but the man who touches them arms himself with iron and the shaft of a spear, and they are utterly consumed with fire.”

So there’s David’s own obit, so to speak. But we have a funeral service, and we have testimonies as we often do at funeral services. And we couldn’t let… we couldn’t have everybody give testimonies, but let’s just imagine some of the characters who might testify at his funeral… like, how about his brothers? Imagine his brother standing up here, all those brothers of his who, you know, were circumvented for David? You know, I can just imagine one of them saying, ‘Well, he used to be a little mommy’s boy, a little rug rat. And I think he was like the favorite.’ Can you imagine the playing the favorites there?

By the way, I come from a family of 9… I mean 11, but nine kids. I was number 8 out of 9. I had five brothers. And when my Dad died here, less than 20 years ago, we all 9 of us gathered in the order of our birth around the casket, with the casket door open, with our hands on top of it like this ready to shut it at the same time. And we’re looking at our dad lying in state, and, you know, all of us remember growing up my dad had the coolest wedding ring of all time. My Mom had given him a wedding ring that had a ruby right in the middle of it, a couple of diamonds on the side. I can remember sitting on my dad’s lap and just sort of playing with his wedding ring. We all loved it, and we all kind of wanted it. I know I did. And so we’re all up there together and we say a little prayer and we just very quietly just shut the casket together. My little brother right next to me, I look over… the ring was on his finger! I thought, what’s the deal? Why did he get it? He’s the runt of the litter! But in reality, he deserved it.

I can imagine after that, maybe, during the funeral, the old sage, Samuel the prophet, would come on up and he would say, ‘I saw the strength of God in him on the day that I anointed him.’ —  Something like that. And then up would come Jonathan, his friend, much older than David, Jonathan would come up. He’d say, ‘You know, from the moment he took a giant down we were like brothers, you know, separated at birth from the same mother.’ Maybe the 600 would come up. You know, there were 600 men whose families he kept in caves for nearly a decade! They traveled. They fought with them. They might come up… Can you imagine 600 up here? ‘I mean, he took care of us. The provisions were always there because of David.’ But just as we’re starting to get a toothache, all the sweet things they’re saying, up comes Saul. Saul comes to the platform and he doesn’t give a long testimony. He just looks up and goes, ‘Missed him by that much!’ Then maybe Absalom… can you imagine that? — his son Absalom coming up. Absalom would say, ‘I despised my dad! And when I went after him, he got to me before I could get to him. He left me hanging!’ And don’t let me get started on the women in his life. Maybe Abigail. Maybe Abigail would come up here. Abigail might come up here and say, ‘You know, my husband died of a heart attack, or David would have killed him! But, you know, I happen to be one of his eight wives and he did give me a son, Daniel, so that’s pretty cool.’ But then after that, maybe Bathsheba, who we just heard about at length, would come up and say, ‘Well, he did kill my husband! — But he also gave me a son who would be the next king of Israel, Solomon.’ Then last but not least, the Lord God, Himself, comes to the platform and says, ‘Despite all his wrongs, David was a man after My heart.’

[Acts 13:22, “David was a man after My heart.”]

And so, as we close the casket on this series of David, we do so looking at his own obituary, David’s obituary. And I want you to note that it was very typical. And I want you to think about this in the light of your own pending death… because it is pending whether you like it or not… It was typical. It just says, “David,” he says, “… son of Jesse.”

This would remind us of the time that Solomon, not Solomon, but Samuel went to the home and anointed him. He was anointed three times. This would be the first of them. But there’s nothing much said, just, “… son of Jesse,” which is very typical of an obituary, right? They’re kind of black and white. Do you ever notice that? Not a lot of flair to an obituary. In fact, even in Jesus’ genealogy, it says in Matthew 1:

Matthew 1:5b, “… Obed the father of Jesse, and Jesse the father of David the King.”

There’s something very humbling about an obituary. And we’re all staring one in the face someday. You know that, right? They’re very typical. You get the name. You get the family. You get the children, the survivors. You get the grave, and the date, and the dash, and the death. That’s it.

You ever walk around a graveyard? I know it sounds  kind of morbid, doesn’t it? It would do you some good to walk around a graveyard sometime. And just look at the graves. Look at the years they lived. Look at the information on the gravestones, and remind yourself that’s where you’re going to be… Like the graveyard in England that says, “Pause my friend…” right on the stone…

“Pause my friend as you walk by. As you are now, so once was I. As I am now, so you will be. Prepare my friend to follow me.”

Some wag walking by, took out a piece of paper and wrote…

“To follow you, is not my intent… until I know which way you went!”

(audience laughing)

If you visited my wife Marilyn’s first husband’s grave, you’d see that her name is right there on there. There’s no dash next to her name… just her birth date, but here’s her [first] husband. That’s where she will lie. That’s where she’s going to be buried someday. And if you see my first wife’s grave, there’s a little testimony there, but otherwise just the general information.  Very humbling! Very typical.

And David’s obituary is, as well. And it’s also very spiritual. You notice what he called himself here:

[2 Samuel 23:1b] “… the anointed of the God of Jacob.”

The word “anointed…” the Hebrew word is where we get the word “Messiah.” And David was a Messiah type of Jesus, of Christ. David was anointed with power, we’re told. We’ll see that in a moment. Jesus was anointed with power. Acts chapter 10 tells us in chapter 10 verse 38… it says this:

Acts 10:38, “… how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with (say it) power.  He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.”

David was anointed as King over all Israel. That’s recorded in 2 Samuel 5. And Jesus was anointed in preparation of His death. And I have that here somewhere. I think we have it up here, Matthew chapter 26 in verse 12. Remember the woman in Bethany that anointed him with the oil, the expensive oil? — and Jesus says to his disciples:

Matthew 26:12, “”In pouring this ointment on My body, she has done it to prepare Me (for what?) for burial.”

Anointing. God still anoints today. Did you know that? In fact, everyone who has a relationship with God, according to 1 John chapter 2 has the anointing of the Holy Spirit. But how do you know if a man of God has been anointed? How do you know it? Is it his knowledge? Knowledge is important, but it’s not just knowledge. Is it his charisma? I mean, nobody wants a dead preacher. Amen? But is it his eloquence? We want somebody who can put words together, right? Instead of going, ‘Oh… whatever.’ We want somebody who can articulate themselves. But that’s not what we’re talking about. Is it his good looks? I mean, that’s going to go out the door. Thanks for not saying, ‘Amen,’ but it went out the door a long time ago. Samuel said it best when he was staring down the faces of all those brothers and Jesse and company and said:

[1 Samuel 16:7b] ‘… man looks at the outward appearance, but God looks at the heart.‘

Amen? And it’s an anointing. The answer to what you look for in a man of God is the anointing of God, the evident power of God in his life. And this is why we’re told when Samuel anointed David in 1 Samuel, chapter 16, verse 13, Yes!

1 Samuel 16:13, “Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers. And the Spirit of the LORD rushed upon David from that day forward…”

It was evident. It was evident. Later on, the Apostle Paul said to the Corinthians, He said:

[1 Corinthians 2:1-4] ‘… My brothers, when I came to you I did not come to you with excellency of speech or of knowledge declaring to you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know anything among you, except Jesus Christ and Him (what?) crucified. I was with you in weakness, and fear, and much trembling, and my speech and my preaching were not with excellency of speech or wisdom of man, but in demonstration of the Spirit and power.‘

That’s what made others believe the anointing of God was on the Apostle Paul, of course on David, as well. Is it on you? Is it evident that God has anointed you? — Because if anyone’s in Christ, there a what? They’re anointed! They’re a new creation. Old things have passed away, all things become new. [2 Corinthians 5:17] And God’s anointing extra… If God’s power, His calling is upon you, do not deny it. Obey it. Follow it, because some of you, some of you are called of God to step out in faith… like David as a boy. Well, let’s get on with it.

His obituary is: typical, it’s spiritual, it’s humble. I mean, look at what he says at the end of verse 1. He describes himself as, ‘the GREAT KING of ALL ISRAEL!’ Is that what he says? He calls himself:

[2 Samuel 23:1b] “… the sweet psalmist of Israel:“

If you have an NIV, it says “hero.” That’s not a good word. That shouldn’t be in there. It’s just, “… the sweet psalmist of Israel.”  And this sort of harkens us back to his boyhood when he would play the harp for Saul. Remember Saul would be overpowered by an evil spirit. David would play the harp and it would flee from him? It also alludes to the 90 plus Psalms that David wrote… but it’s very, very humble! David, for all of his exploits, identifies himself in his own obituary as “the sweet psalmist of Israel.”

John Newton, who gave us Amazing Grace, was also a pastor for many years. He wrote his own obituary and etched it on his gravestone… had it etched, at least. And if you went there, you have to go to the backside. You don’t really– there isn’t a whole lot of room between the backside and the hedge behind it. So you can only see it from the side of you. Here’s a look at it if you can read it. This is what he had written on his gravestone. It reads:

“John Newton Clerk, (Clerk. Not pastor, not theologian, not author of Amazing Grace… Clerk) once an infidel and libertine, a servant of slaves in Africa was by the rich mercy of our LORD and SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST preserved, restored, pardoned and appointed to preach the faith he had long labored to destroy.” Written by John Newton on his tombstone

THAT is a humble testimony. Amen? Humble.

So is David’s, but it was also Word-centered. His obituary is Word-centered. Again, verse two, he says:

[2 Samuel 23:2] “The Spirit of the LORD speaks by me; (The word) His word, is on my tongue.”

I talked to someone not long ago who had left their church they were in to come to this church. And they didn’t leave because they disliked the people. They didn’t leave because they disliked the pastor. They left because the church that they went to had left its Word-centered origins… And you should, too.

I remember Adrian Rogers once saying he was asked the question, “What should we do if our pastor doesn’t preach the gospel?” He said, “I’d fill that place with your absence.”

I’d do the same.

I’ll never forget the couple that came here several years ago. They came here and I was meeting them for the first time. I said, “What church are you from?” “Well, we’re from…” and they said it very delightfully the name of the church. I said, “Oh, did you not like your church?” “Oh, no! We loved our church.” “Oh, okay. Didn’t like the pastor?” “Oh no, wonderful pastor! Loved our pastor.” I said, “Okay. Does he preach the Word?” “No! That’s why we’re here!“ Well, that explained it. It wasn’t a personal thing. It was a theological thing… and a good reason. Amen?

Just the other day, the elders of our church… I was finishing up my reading in the Old Testament. I was camping in Malachi. And Malachi chapter 2 and verse 7 says this. It says:

Malachi 2:7, “For the lips of a priest should guard knowledge, and people should seek instruction from his mouth, for he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts.”

Don’t you want that in your pastors? I sent that to our pastors, because God doesn’t call His anointed men out to just preach themselves, to preach their own personal feelings, their own frustrations, political opinions, or cultural wins, whichever way they’re blowing, they’re called to preach the WORD! — In season… out of season, reproved, rebuke, exhort, with all long suffering, and doctrine. So says the word of God. [2 Timothy 4:2]

[2 Samuel 23:2b] And David says, “His word is on my tongue.”

And that’s what you should be looking for. David very humbly reminds his people that he was a Word-centered man. His obituary also has a blessing connected to it. Verses 3 and following again he says,

2 Samuel 23:3-4

3 “The God of Israel is spoken; the Rock of Israel has said to me: “When one rules justly over men, ruling in the fear of God,

4 he dawns on them like the morning light, like the sun shining forth on a cloudless morning, like rain that makes grass to sprout from the earth.”

Can you relate to that, farmers? We’ve got like 4 farmers in the whole place, but I thought I’d ask anyway. I mean, Israel was an agrarian culture. The land was their life, and land… crops need sunshine and rain in balance. And David, without being braggadocious, is insinuating from his obituary the godly leadership that he brought, and with it it brought joy, it brought comfort, it brought peace, and it brought blessing. And while some of you, you know the life of David, ‘… and there’s the man of war, a man of blood, and that’s why you couldn’t build the temple…’ Oh, be quiet! — because he brought peace to Israel. I mean, peace is the one thing that has alluded Israel to this very day. 2 Samuel chapter 7, verse 1 says:

2 Samuel 7:1, ‘… they rested from all their enemies.‘

Do you realize what a relief it would bring to Israel today if they could rest from all their enemies? I mean, just the other day, Israel’s UN ambassador in the UN assembly with his cell phone, played a recording of the siren over either Tel Aviv or Jerusalem, which they’re… the people of Israel hear every single day, and they have 15 seconds to get into a shelter! He says, “What if they have three kids? Which one are they gonna grab?” They would like nothing more than to have peace. And David brought that for his time, and he reminds them of such. His reign brought peace to a land so elusive of peace to this day. Is it any wonder that the greater David, our Lord Jesus, is called the “Prince of Peace?” So he brought blessing.

And then finally, his obituary is prophetic. And verses 5 through 7, he says:

2 Samuel 23:5

5 “For does not my house stand so with God? For He has made with me an everlasting covenant, (That should remind you of 2 Samuel 7) ordered in all things and secure. For will He not cause to prosper all my help and my desire?”

In his last words, David reminds his people that he had been given, and through his lineage, an everlasting covenant of kingship. Nathan, the prophet, who called him out for his sin against Bathsheba, was also the one who reminded him before that, that God had anointed him, and through his line was an everlasting kingship. You remember? We looked at that. Let’s show it to you again:

2 Samuel 7: 12-13 and 16

12 When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, (which is about to take place in David’s life) I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom.

13 He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.

16 And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before Me. Your throne shall be established forever.’” Hallelujah!

And it’s the basis of this text, the basis of this Davidic covenant, which we saw a few months ago, that Jesus is called 14 times in the Gospels, the Son of David, the Son of David. And on this very day that we celebrate Palm Sunday, it was this day he rode into Jerusalem on that donkey with crowds thronging about laying down their garments and singing, and the kids singing, with their crying out with a deafening sound. “HOSANNA to the Son of David!” “Hosanna!” What does that even mean? — Hosanna. You know what it means? It literally means “Lord, save me… now!“ That’s what it means. “Lord, save me now.” That’s what they were crying out.

And that’s what some of you need to do right now. From your heart, because of your sin, and because of your brokenness, and because of your separation from God, you need to cry out, I don’t care if you’re young or you’re old. ‘Hosanna, Lord, save me now!’ Paul would write later on, ‘Now is the accepted time. Now is the day of salvation.’ [2 Corinthians 6:2b] And if you refuse to do that, David says in the last two verses:

2 Samuel 23:6, ‘You will remain worthless, thorns to be thrown into the fire and consumed.’

So again, on this Palm Sunday, the first one, when Jesus rode into Jerusalem, the worthless people were there. They heard the children calling, “Hosanna!” — and they literally said to Jesus, ‘You’ve gotta stop this. Do you see what they’re doing? Do you see what they’re crying? Do you see that they’re praising you?’ And you remember what Jesus said in Luke’s Gospel? ‘Yeah… Well, if they keep quiet, the stones along the road will burst in tears because there’s coming a day when all Creation will give the glory to God through his Son, Jesus Christ.’ [Luke 19:40 NLT]

His [David’s] last words… What a life! It was great! It was courageous. It was passionate, and yes, it was sinful… like yours and mine. It was broken… like yours and mine. But it was also grateful... I trust like yours and mine. David, the man who captured the heart of God.

There’s a gallery in Florence, Italy. And in that gallery stands one of the greatest works of the Renaissance… 17 feet tall! In fact, it’s called the giant. Six and a half tons. In 1464, a couple of artists were commissioned to take this gigantic hunk of marble and carve out of it an image of David. But they gave up on it. After just a couple of years, ’cause they said the marble was crappy. It was no good. It was really low quality marble. So it literally laid on its side for almost 40 years. until a young upstart, 26 years old, Michelangelo came along and said, ‘I can do it. I can finish it.’ — And in two years, in two years, this is what he gave us; “David.” When they brought him to the cathedral, this almost six and a half tons worth of marble, the idea was to put it up on the top of the dome. But it took so much energy, hoisting it to the cathedral, they had no way to hoist it to the top of the dome, so they kept it at eye level. And I’m really glad that they did, because just about 15, 16 years ago, a replica was put up on the dome, and here it is. Can you You even see it? It’s an absolute replica of “David.” But I’m glad they were unable to get the original up there, because they could look at David at eye level. 17 foot… kind of hard to look at eye level, but you get what I’m saying. Because if they had accomplished getting that up there in 1504, then we would not be able appreciate the power, the beauty, the exact anatomical look, the stare of David like you can like this. And if you think about it, the greater David, the Lord Jesus Christ, he WAS up on the dome, so to speak! Amen? He was in heaven and He came down to our level. And John says:

[1 John 1:1] ‘That which we have seen, we’ve touched, we’ve heard, handled with our own hands, the Word of Life.‘ And he says in his Gospel:

[John 1:14] ‘The Word became flesh, came down from the dome, moved into our neighborhood, and we beheld His glory.’

Have you beheld His glory? — the glory as the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth? Some of you need to sing right now from your hearts, ‘Hosanna, Lord, save me now! I believe that Christ came for me, loved me, died for me, rose again for me. He IS the greater David! I want Him as my Savior.‘ Would you make that commitment today? Some of you need to do it. Let’s bow for word of prayer.

Our Father in heaven, as we close the casket on the life of David, we thank You for this story. We thank You for this man that we’re more like than the greater David, whether we’re courageous, passionate, strong, or just weak and sinful, and we struggle, so many of us struggle in so many ways. So did David. And we need a greater David than David. We need Jesus. And Lord, I thank You that He came down to our level so that we could see Him, we could believe in Him, we could trust Him who took our sins upon Himself and died on the cross for us, and rose again. And I do pray right now, and I’m asking you, all of you, as your heads are bowed and your eyes are closed, and you’re thinking about this right now, would you just, from your heart of hearts, would you acknowledge, ’cause many of you need to do this, that you’re not saved. You’ve not been delivered, and you want… you’re sorry, you are sorry for your sins, and you do want to believe in Jesus. And from your heart, would you just tell God that? And even just say from your, ‘Hosanna, Hosanna, Lord save me now!’ And He will! We pray these things in the greater David’s name, even the Lord, Jesus’. Amen. Let’s stand. [Music]