This evening we are returning to 2 Samuel 23 tonight. And I will be reading verses 1-7. Now these are the last words of David. David the son of Jesse declares, the man who is raised on high declares, the anointed of the God of Jacob, and the sweet psalmist of Israel. The Spirit of the Lord spoke by me, and his word was on my tongue. The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spoke to me, he who rules over men righteously who rules in the fear of God is as the light of the morning when the sun rises, a morning without clouds, when the tender grass springs out of the earth, through sunshine after rain. Truly is not my house so with God? For he has made an everlasting covenant with me, ordered in all things, and secured For all my salvation and all my desire will he not indeed make it grow? But the worthless, every one of them, will be thrust away like thorns, because they cannot be taken in hand. But the man who touches them must be armed with iron and the shaft of a spear, and they will be completely burned with fire in their place. Let us pray and ask God's blessing. Lord, we thank you this evening for your holy word, your word of truth. And now, Lord, cause this word to dwell in our hearts that we might live by your truth. In Jesus' name, amen. As we draw ever closer to the end of 2 Samuel, we encounter the last words of David that may seem obvious and normal to us without any drama or controversy. But as we would page ahead to the book of 1 Kings, we discover a significant charge that David gave to his son and successor Solomon. This charge happened shortly before David died and took place chronologically late in David's life. So what are we to make of our passage here tonight? Are these David's last words or not? My answer to this little riddle is yes and no. No, these are not the very last utterances of David prior to his death. those are found in 1 Kings. But yes, these are David's last words in terms of his official statements. This is David's swan song, his final official declaration as the Lord's anointed, as the King of Israel. So as we saw last week in David's summary song, he is now pointing forward. He is not living in the past, not relishing his own achievements, but instead he directs our attention to someone who is yet to come. And so tonight as we look at this brief passage, I want to start with God's spokesman. Then we're going to examine the righteous king, and then finally the everlasting covenant. As David prepares to deliver these last words, there are several descriptions that are given to commemorate the speaker. And it begins with the simple fact that David was the son of Jesse. Jesse was something of a local hero in Bethlehem. He was a successful farmer who had a large family. His sons were rugged and handsome, not to mention their courage in serving in the army. Jesse also had a pedigree of sorts. He was the grandson of Ruth and Boaz. But in the bigger picture of Israelite society, Jesse was not really famous. He was an ordinary person, a common man. David had humble beginnings, and David was not ashamed of his humble beginnings. After all, he had come from the pasture where he had shepherded Jesse's flocks. He is just an ordinary man descended from an ordinary father. The second thing that is said is that David was the man who was raised on high. He didn't climb the ladder through his own efforts, but instead God reached down and picked David up. The Lord raised David to become the great man that he was, and David was very conscious of God's grace in elevating him to prominence. I think these are two great qualities to pair in a person. He knows where he came from, and he understands how he attained greatness, that it was all of God's grace. When people forget where they came from and how they attained the position that they end up in, they tend to become proud. They congratulate themselves. They think that because of their wonderful qualities, they have somehow achieved what they have experienced. But David maintains that grounded sense of humility. I am just the son of Jesse, and if there's anything good about me, it's because the Lord has done it. He has elevated me. Well, along these very same lines, it is pointed out here that David was the anointed of the God of Jacob. He was the Messiah, the Anointed One, the Christ of God. And this means that David was specifically set apart by God for service And then he was filled with God's Spirit. This goes back to the very beginning of David's experience and journey. When he was a very young man, he was overlooked, and when Samuel came to examine the sons of Jesse, David wasn't even brought forward. But eventually the Lord did pick him out and set him apart. And as Samuel the priest anointed David with oil, it is the picture of the Spirit being poured out on David. And so he is set apart for service, he is filled with the Spirit of God. For the Lord's anointed had power from on high for the work that he was called to do. This is what being the Christ, the Messiah, the Anointed One is all about. It's not a meaningless position, it's not a position for its own purpose, but rather it's a position in order to do a work, an assignment, a task. The fourth and final identifier that we find here is that David was the sweet psalmist of Israel. He was the one who penned so many of the inspired songs used by God's people in worship. And this is a tremendous achievement. He was an artist. Really, as you look over David's life, you see that he was many different things. He was a great warrior. He was an accomplished king. He was the one who built Jerusalem. He was a great administrator over his kingdom. He was a spiritual leader among the people, just to name a few. But I think among his greatest and most enduring accomplishment was his composition of such a large number of psalms. And certainly the Church of the Ages is deeply indebted to the sweet singer of Israel for his contributions to our worship. In this capacity, David now speaks. He is the Lord's anointed, the sweet psalmist of Israel. And as he opens his mouth for these last words, he claims to be God's spokesman. He says, the Spirit of the Lord spoke by me and His word was on my tongue. Not only is he speaking God's word, not only is God's word on his tongue, But he is actually receiving that word. He is hearing the message God wants him to proclaim. And so the God of Israel talks to him. The Rock of Israel spoke to him. And again, in four different ways, David is acknowledging here that God spoke to him and through him. These words, and especially here we think of the Psalms, are God breathed. David composed these Psalms under inspiration. The Holy Spirit guided and directed David's mouth so that David spoke forth the very words of God. That means that David's utterances, both here and throughout the book of Psalms, are profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work." So as we look into this Psalter especially, we see these words which are so profitable. They teach us what to believe, what to think. They reprove us. They show us our sin. They correct us. They show us what we should do instead. And they train us positively in righteous living. So that if we use the Psalms as they are given to us, we as the people of God will be adequate, equipped for every good work. Now I know that many of you love the Psalms. Many of you love to sing the Psalms. Many of you use the Psalms in your daily devotions. And you are to be commended and encouraged for that. Now every chapter, every verse of every book of the Bible is valuable. We don't discount those. But there is a reason that the church historically has gravitated to the Psalms. because they're so valuable for our walk with Christ, our spiritual lives. So all of this reminds us that we must take David's words very seriously because they are God's own words. They're not just the ideas of a king who lived 3,000 years ago. These are the words of God And again, as we know, this is true for all of scripture. All of it is inspired by God. All of it is useful to us. Well, having heard the introduction of the speaker and knowing something of the significance of his message, we now look at what the God of Israel said to David. What did the Lord, the Rock of Israel, tell to his spokesman? In verse 3 we can overhear the Lord's instructions to him. He who rules over men righteously, who rules in the fear of God, is as the light of the morning when the sun arises, a morning without clouds, when the tender grass springs out of the earth, through sunshine after rain. So this is really a declaration of the rule of the righteous king. The king who rules in the fear of God. This king is first identified and then he is described by analogy. This great king is one who rules over men righteously. He possesses God-given authority, and he uses it to govern society. There are men who are under his authority, and he understands his assignment to oversee them. He is really a shepherd over a flock, responsible for the care, the feeding, the safety of his sheep. Although we tend to think of shepherding as primarily an ecclesiastical metaphor, it also has reference to civil rulers during the Old Testament era. And so the kings of Israel were rightly shepherds, just as the priests and the prophets also shepherded God's people. His rule over these men is always done in the fear of God. As the king, he knows that one day he will answer to God for how he has administered and conducted his kingdom. The people under him are not his private personal possession. No, they are God's people. They belong to God and God has assigned him to rule over them. Moreover, God will demand an account for how that rule has been exercised. So when you have a ruler who is conscious of God's all-seeing eye, who knows that he will need to give account one day, Well, then he will be motivated to rule righteously. Now, once again, we're very familiar with most of these terms, but I think it's good to remember what righteousness is all about. It's easy to use that term without really considering its meaning and import. My professor, Dr. Knox Chamblin, used to tell us in seminary that righteousness is both active and relational. And what Dr. Chamblin meant was that righteousness is something you do and it is done in relation to other people. Righteousness is not an abstract quality. But it really is a very practical way of treating people. To put it in common terms, righteousness is when you treat people right. You do right by them, particularly and especially as right is defined by God and His commandments. And so you don't lord it over people. but instead you humbly serve them. You treat them in the way that you would want and expect to be treated yourself. When a God-fearing king is conscious of his duty to God, then he will tend to treat people in the right way. And again, that's according to God's own word. This righteous king is next described by several analogies that are drawn from the natural world. He is like the light of the morning when the sun rises. One thing that I love to do is to see the sunrise when we camp at Coler Andre State Park, especially in the summertime. So sometimes we'll get up early and we'll head down to the beach just to watch the sun rise over the horizon. And it is so beautiful. It is so peaceful to watch. It's especially true on a morning without clouds. If the sky is overcast, then we know that the sunrise will be quite muted But if there is a clear blue sky, that sunrise is all the more glorious. And this is what this godly, righteous King is like. Like a brilliant, beautiful sunrise on a clear, cloudless day. He is also like tender grass that springs up out of the earth. These shoots of grass are fresh and green, and they are beautiful to behold. They are also sweet and nourishing to any animals that might be grazing nearby. And again, it's like tender grass springing up after a gentle rain with the bright sunshine illuminating it. These different vignettes from the natural world are all peaceful, beautiful things. Things that calm our hearts and warm our affections. And that is really what a righteous king is like. He doesn't frustrate us. He doesn't stir up turmoil. He is not doing things that are dangerous or menacing or threatening. He is just governing with wisdom, with godliness, with restraint, and it is so beautiful, so peaceful, so delightful. Well, having seen this righteous King in His beauty, we must now ask the obvious interpretive question, who is David talking about here? Is he speaking about himself? And that is certainly possible, for he was the Lord's anointed king. He had served in that capacity for 40 years. But as I said last Sunday about the previous chapter, is it really likely that David is boasting and bragging about himself in these final statements about his own life? I still believe that David was far too modest for that. He's not strutting around saying, look at how great I have been. Instead, it seems to me much more likely that David is really pointing people to the ultimate fulfillment of the righteous kingship to the Lord Jesus Christ, King of kings and Lord of lords. While these things may be relatively true about King David, they are absolutely true of King Jesus. And it's far more fitting for David to point people to the true King and Head of the Church, rather than seeking to steal his glory for himself in these waning days of his reign. Well, this Christological interpretation which I've offered is really only bolstered by what follows in verses 5 through 7, the rest of our passage. Using words that are reminiscent of the Davidic covenants back in 2 Samuel 7, David here celebrates the everlasting covenant which the Lord has made with him and with his household. God had promised to build David a house, not an earthly, physical, material house, a spiritual house. He would establish David's household, and he would put David's sons, David's descendants, upon the throne of Israel. These covenant arrangements were ordered in all things and secure according to the king. It was certain to happen. It could not be prevented. In other words, it could not not happen. We know that the promises of the Davidic covenant find their final and ultimate fulfillment in the kingship of the Lord Jesus Christ. So when you bring together what David says in verses 3 and 4 about this righteous King, and then what he says in 5-7 about the everlasting covenant, you blend those together and it certainly seems to be talking about Christ. And this means that King Jesus is the covenant keeper. He does all that needs to be done He secures everything, all of the blessings and benefits by his own covenantal faithfulness. For this reason, David's righteous desires and David's salvation will grow and continue to expand. Because King Jesus does everything for his people that is needful. Jesus meets our desires, and He saves us to the uttermost. He is everything to us, and He pours out His grace, His favor, and His goodness upon us. Jesus is our most tender and faithful friend. He is our constant guardian and keeper He is the one who carries us through this world and brings us to our eternal home, so that we can be with Him forever and ever in the new heavens and the new earth. And when we see Jesus in His covenant-keeping abilities and progress, we see Him in all of these beautiful ways. He is like the sunrise on a morning where there's no clouds in sight. He is like that tender green grass shooting up out of the earth that's been doused with an evening rain but is now glistening in the morning sun. We look upon Him and our hearts are drawn to Him and we say, that is so beautiful. He is so worthy. I love him with all my heart, with all my inmost being." King Jesus is also a covenant keeper in his just judgments upon the wicked and worthless ones. Those who have refused his grace, those who have rejected his favor, they will be dealt with in justice and in judgment. And in the final verses of this section, they are compared to thorns that must be gathered carefully to be burned in the fire. They cannot be taken in hand without protection. Down in my bottom garden, I've got some boysenberry vines that have thorns on them. Very sharp thorns. Now I've got some nice thornless ones that give me no trouble, but this other variety has thorns. And so knowing that Roger Wagner was coming, I thought, I am going to try and snip one of those thorny shoots and see if I can root it and give it to him when he's here. But I knew if I try and just grab that thing with my hands, I will regret that. And even with a nice thick leather glove on my hand, I had to be careful because those thorns can pierce through and they can hurt. And that's what he's saying these wicked ones are like. You cannot take them in hand without some protection. The man who tackles these thorny people must be armed with iron and the shaft of a spear. Now you can almost see this in your own mind. Here you have a warrior and he's got a nice long spear with an iron point on it. And he takes his spear and he kind of pulls the thorns together. He won't grab them with his hand, but he kind of gets them into a bundle and then he lights them on fire and they burn up. And so you've got to have protection and be able to carry this out in order to pull off justice. This is what will become of those worthless fools who have rejected the mercy offered by the King of Glory. Jesus will deal with them in wisdom and justice, and He will punish them. He will destroy them. And in this way, King Jesus keeps His word as a covenant keeper both in saving His own people and in destroying all of his and our enemies." So as David finishes his final words, he is really encouraging and urging us to look unto his descendant, our Lord Jesus Christ. To look in faith and to have hope in the righteous King who reigns in glory and goodness. But David also warns us that if we refuse him who culls us from heaven, we will find ourselves gathered into a great pile and burned up like so many thorn bushes, consumed by the flame until there is nothing left. And so just as we saw this morning with Jesus' words, now here we see David saying, Choose ye this day whom you will serve. Will you put your faith and trust and hope in the Son of God? Will you follow the righteous King, King Jesus, and live your life unto Him for His glory? Will you associate with Him? Or will you instead avoid Him and be ashamed of Him? and run the great risk of your eternal destruction. Let's pray together. Father, we thank you for David, for his life, for his ministry, especially in writing the Psalms. And we thank you, too, for these last words pointing us to our Savior, pointing us to the righteous rule of King Jesus. Lord, give us hearts of faith that embrace and love and follow our Savior, keep us, Lord, from abandoning Him or being ashamed of Him. For this we pray in Jesus' name, Amen.