Sunday, September 28, 2008

A summary of David's life

Lessons from David- 2 Samuel 23-24

It is the end of the book, and the writer records David's last words in ch 23 as a summary of his reign and role as king:

- He was a poor man anointed and exalted by God (1).
- God's Spirit spoke through him (2)- we see this in the Psalms and in his godly leadership.
- He ruled in righteousness and fear of God (3), and this points towards Jesus, the ultimate Ruler of righteousness.
- God made an 'everlasting covenant' with him, to keep his house in the lineage for the throne- again this points towards Jesus as David's son and heir.
- David was confident that God would save him and answer his prayers (5). This confidence came from his persistent trust and faith in God throughout his life.
- David avoided evil in his life and always disassociated himself with evil men (6-7).

The added descriptions of David's 'mighty men' further emphasise that this was a blessed time in Israel's history. God had raised up a leader after His own heart, and had given Israel victory over their enemies through miracles and the great courage and strength of those who fought for David. Dai Hankey's book 'The Hard Corps' is an inspiring read based on these heroes who are often overlooked.

The incident of David numbering the army perhaps occurs at the end so that we do not idolise him- he did make mistakes, and his imperfections shown how much we need Jesus, our perfect King.

The account of the plague sent by God, the way He stopped it at the threshing-floor of Araumah, and the way David built an altar there and worshipped the Lord, all point towards God's incredible grace and mercy, rather than David being an inherently 'worthy' person.

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