David's Last Words: Accountability to God (2 Samuel 23)

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David's Last Words Accountability to God (2
Samuel 23)
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Davids Last Words

• Last will and testament of king David
• Last words - worthy to be in a special manner
  remarked and remembered
• He could have presented us with plenty in every
  aspect of life
• Poverty and Wealth
• Love and Hate
• Righteousness and Weakness
• Repentance and Chastisement
• He lived as a prophet, a king, a judge, a man of
  war, a psalmist, a husband, a father, a shepherd
  of a few sheep, as well as a king.

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Davids Last Words

• His final speech was very concise
• He gave an account for his life with God
• He ended it with the names of his mighty men and
  their works
• Most prominent attributes of the prophet David,
  was making use of all the energies within his
  hands.
• This is the role of every true spiritual leader
• not to be self-centered, but to motivate others
  to work, with no individualism, or selfishness.

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Davids Last Words

• 2 Samuel 23
• 1- David, the sweet psalmist of Israel 1 - 2
• 2- Ruling in the fear of God 3 - 4
• 3- Entering into an everlasting covenant 5
• 4- The perdition of the sons of Bilaal 6 - 7
• 5- Davids mighty men 8 - 39

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David, the sweet psalmist of Israel

• 1 Now these are the last words of
  David.      Thus says David the son of Jesse
        Thus says the man raised up on high,
        The anointed of the God of Jacob,
        And the sweet psalmist of Israel

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David, the sweet psalmist of Israel

• Thus says David the son of Jesse
• He would not forget his origin and his status
• the youngest son, a shepherd
• not acknowledged even among his own family
• Thus says the man raised up on high
• He was unknown to men, but known to God the Most
  High
• The anointed of the God of Jacob
• His mission and work was assigned by god.
• He is the anointed by the God of Jacob

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David, the sweet psalmist of Israel

• The sweet psalmist of Israel
• He was sweet in his psalms
• praises, thanksgivings and prayers,
• inspired by the Holy Spirit, for the Church to
  live, and to sing in its prayers.
• Davids life in its wholeness came as a spiritual
  guitar, on whose strings the Spirit of the Lord
  played

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David, the sweet psalmist of Israel

• He wrote the psalms, set the tunes, appointed
  both the singers and the instruments of music
• The singing of psalms is a sweet rite, to those
  that delight in praising God.
• Davids greatest honor a psalmist
• Through the prayers, of David the psalmist
  (Lobsh of the First Hos)

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David, the sweet psalmist of Israel

• David demonstrates three aspects in his
  personality
• 1- His humble origin as the son of Jesse
• Thus says David the son of Jesse
• so as not to feel exalted, or haughty

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David, the sweet psalmist of Israel

• 2- His anointment for the ministry of Gods
  people
• The anointed of the God of Jacob
• God anointed him for the sake of Gods people
  for the edification of the congregation
• 3- He has a pious mission
• The sweet psalmist of Israel
• To lift the people up to the heavenly life, of
  continual praise.

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Ruling in the fear of God

• 3 The God of Israel said,      The Rock of
  Israel spoke to me       He who rules over men
  must be just,       Ruling in the fear of God.
•  4 And he shall be like the light of the morning
  when the sun rises,      A morning without
  clouds,       Like the tender grass springing
  out of the earth,       By clear shining after
  rain.

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Ruling in the fear of God

• And he shall be like the light of the morning
  when the sun rises
• He was granted authority through his fear of God
• God gave him enlightenment, to give light like a
  shining sun in the morning after hours of
  darkness
• His strength, greatness, and fruition, are a gift
  from
• Sun of righteousness (the Lord Christ),
• and the divine rain (The Holy Spirit),
• No believer will enjoy the shining of the Sun of
  righteousness in him, nor the fruits of the
  Spirit (the rain), unless he enjoys the fear of
  God.

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Ruling in the fear of God

• Fear of God is the paternal rod, that guides us
  on our way, until we reach the spiritual paradise
  of goodness after which, fear will then leave us
  and turn back. The paradise is the love of God.
• Repentance is the ship fear is its skipper
  and love is the divine harbor. Thus fear would
  bring us to the ship of repentance cross with us
  over the sea of dirt of this life and lead us to
  the divine harbor, which is love.(St. (Mar)
  Isaac the Syrian)

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Ruling in the fear of God

• Fear of children (love)
• Love of children who care not to hurt the
  feelings of their parents
• Fear of a laborer
• Anxiety that he may lose the reward or the
  wages
• Fear of slaves from their masters
• Dread of punishment
• By union with our Lord Jesus Christ, we enjoy the
  fear of children fear of God
• I do not fear God, because I love Him (St.
  Antony the Great)

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Entering into an everlasting covenant

• 5 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?

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Entering into an everlasting covenant

• The goal of men of the Old Testament was to enjoy
  a covenant with God
• Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Israelites
• This everlasting covenant that was realized
  through the blood of Christ
• By its worthiness, man became a dwelling place
  and a sanctuary for God.

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Entering into an everlasting covenant

• Although my house is not so with God
• David felt his unworthiness to enjoy that
  everlasting covenant with God
• His house - his parents and brothers and his
  children in particular - do not walk with the
  fear of God.
• David's heart was concerned for his children,
  that they might be right with God, faithful to
  him and zealous for him.
• He foresaw it would not be so when he was gone

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Entering into an everlasting covenant

• Although my house is not so with God
• Accountability to God
• For ourselves
• So then each of us shall give account of himself
  to God (Rom 1412)
• For our service
• Shepherd the flock of God which is among you,
  serving as overseers, not by compulsion but
  willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly
  nor as being lords over those entrusted to you,
  but being examples to the flock (1 Pet 52-3)

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Entering into an everlasting covenant

• Accountability to God
• For our service - faithfulness
• Let a man so consider us, as servants of Christ
  and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover it
  is required in stewards that one be found
  faithful. (1 Cor 41-2)
• Now if anyone builds on this foundation with
  gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw,
  each ones work will become clear for the Day
  will declare it, because it will be revealed by
  fire and the fire will test each ones work, of
  what sort it is. If anyones work which he has
  built on it endures, he will receive a reward. If
  anyones work is burned, he will suffer loss but
  he himself will be saved, yet so as through
  fire. (1 Cor 312-15)

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Entering into an everlasting covenant

• Accountability to God Hezekiah the King
• In those days Hezekiah was sick and near death.
  And Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, went to
  him and said to him, Thus says the LORD Set
  your house in order, for you shall die and not
  live. Then Hezekiah turned his face toward the
  wall, and prayed to the LORD, and said, Remember
  now, O LORD, I pray, how I have walked before You
  in truth and with a loyal heart, and have done
  what is good in Your sight. And Hezekiah wept
  bitterly. (Isaiah 38)

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Entering into an everlasting covenant

• Yet He has made with me an everlasting covenant
• Comfort through the covenant, even within
  troubles
• We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not
  crushed we are perplexed, but not in despair
  persecuted, but not forsaken struck down, but
  not destroyed (2 Cor 48-9)
• The divine covenant is a free divine gift by
  grace, not worthiness
• God has made a covenant of grace with us in Jesus
  Christ

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Entering into an everlasting covenant

• Everlasting covenant, Ordered in all things and
  secure. For this is all my salvation and all my
  desire
• 1-Everlasting Eternal
• 2-Ordered To manifest the glory of God
• 3-Secure The promised mercies are sure on the
  performance of the conditions
• 4- For our Salvation
• 5- Our desire

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Perdition of the sons of Bilaal

• 6 But the sons of Bilaal shall all be as thorns
  thrust away, because they cannot be taken with
  hands.
•  7 But the man who touches them must be armed
  with iron and the shaft of a spear, And they
  shall be utterly burned with fire in their place.

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Perdition of the sons of Bilaal

• David had fear that any of his descendants, would
  become a son of Bilaal (Baal)
• Neither his relationship to David, nor his
  position as a ruler over the people of God, will
  intercede for him
• He will be thrust away as uselessthorns, to be
  burned with fire

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Perdition of the sons of Bilaal

• They are rejected, abandoned
• they cannot be managed or dealt with by a wise
  and faithful reproof, but must be restrained by
  law and the sword of justice
• Those in authority must use their power for the
  punishing and suppressing of wickedness

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Perdition of the sons of Bilaal

• Commandment to the kings, rulers, and all those
  of authority, to be alert, lest they become
  chastised and removed.
• St. Jerome
• The city of the Lord is the Church of the
  saints, the congregation of the righteous
• The wicked of the world (sons of Bilaal) are to
  be uprooted.

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Davids mighty men of war

• If David, refers to the Lord Christ his mighty
  men, likewise, refer to the men of faith
  affiliated to the Lord Christ.
• Their names were mentioned for the following
  reasons

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Davids mighty men of war

• 1- To be mentioned in the Holy Book, is
  considered as the greatest of rewards
• Wherever this gospel is preached in the whole
  world, what this woman has done will also be told
  as a memorial to her (Matthew 26 13)
• ... But rather rejoice because your names are
  written in heaven (Luke 10 20).

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Davids mighty men of war

• 2- This list is considered as glory to David
  himself, who trained them on strife and conquest
  ...
• Every victory and conquest we get, is to the
  account of our true king,
• The scholar Origen He is the One who calls us
  to strive, and He is the One who works striving
  in us He presents the crown to us, and accepts
  it in us ! And on the contrary, every failure and
  slothfulness in our life, will become a cause for
  blasphemy on Him.

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Davids mighty men of war

• 3- This list is considered glory and honor to the
  mighty men concerned, who strove with David, to
  establish his reign
• At the same time, it is considered as an
  invitation for men along the ages, to have the
  Son of David reign over their hearts, and to
  have His kingdom established in them.

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Davids mighty men of war

• 4- Mentioning their names, is not based only on
  their military excellence but that, and their
  courage went had in hand with their faith.
• The name of Joab -- Davids highest commander
  -- is not on this list
• His persistent evil actions, emerging from his
  hate and envy having killed Abner and Amasa, and
  dared to talk indecently to David, his king.
• Glory of Children of God is based on their works
  and faith.

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Davids Last Words

• In his last words, David remembers
• His humble origin as the son of Jesse
• His anointment for the ministry of Gods people
• His mission The sweet psalmist of Israel
• He was granted authority through his fear of God
• He gave an account of his life
• His house is not set properly with God
• His unworthiness to enjoy that everlasting
  covenant with God
• His Comfort in Gods grace
• His warning against the sons of Balaal
• He remembers and honors those who labored with
  him.