Not much else could be said about the decease of this godly man, except for one more Bible paragraph. "Now these be the last words of David. David the son of Jesse said, and the man who was raised up on high, the anointed of the God of Jacob, and the sweet psalmist of Israel, said, Although my house be not so with God; yet he hath made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things, and sure: for this is all my salvation, and all my desire, although he make it not to grow." 2nd Samuel 23:1-5 is just precious!

The Lord willing, we are going to study David's last words!

What he said is so practical, so very true-to-life!

David died victoriously, but not totally without grief!

Sin, especially that big one, had taken its toll!

What an adventure lies ahead!

I began to get interested in David's parting words when an old Preacher, long since in Heaven, left a literary heritage to us Christians!

He called his notes "Sunsets On The Hebrew Mountains." It's an analysis of seventeen "death scenes" from Scripture! I'm telling you, some of them are powerful!

Were it not for Psalm 116:15 we would have no idea why the Bible gives us such details about so many dying saints! "Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints."

Preacher MacDuff talks about the deaths of godly men like Abraham, Jacob, Joshua, Samuel, Simeon, John the Baptist and Stephen. Then he includes some rather grievous ones, Eli's death for example.

The ungodly are not ignored either! For example, Hiel, the man who buried his two sons as he rebuilt the cursed city of Jericho!

Ladies too! Lot's wife  died tragically. And on the positive side, the widow lady of Nain who lost her son one day, lost him temporarily that is! Until Jesus passed by! Now that was a death scene that got interrupted!

But to me, as I concentrated on those seventeen chapters, those Bible Texts really, David's was the most prominent!

Come back tomorrow and we shall begin our study. By the way, have an open Bible in your hand!

                                                                                   --- Dr. Mike Bagwell

LESSON 2, VERSE 1:

The last words of King David are recorded in 2nd Samuel 23. Really the opening part of Verse 1 and all of Verse 5 give us a pretty full account of the situation. But all the Verses, 1-5, are significant.

Let me show you what I mean.  Here's the "abbreviated" account: "Now these be the last words of David. David the son of Jesse said ... Although my house be not so with God; yet he hath made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things, and sure: for this is all my salvation, and all my desire, although he make it not to grow." Again, this is part of Verse 1 and all of Verse 5.

But this brief statement, true as it is, omits a good bit of inspired material. Here's it all: "Now these be the last words of David. David the son of Jesse said, and the man who was raised up on high, the anointed of the God of Jacob, and the sweet psalmist of Israel, said, the Spirit of the LORD spake by me, and his word was in my tongue. The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spake to me, He that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God. And he shall be as the light of the morning, when the sun riseth, even a morning without clouds; as the tender grass springing out of the earth by clear shining after rain. Although my house be not so with God; yet he hath made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things, and sure: for this is all my salvation, and all my desire, although he make it not to grow." 2nd Samuel 23:1-5 in its entirety.

Eventually in this Bible Study Series, we're going to cover it completely, the Lord willing, every verse.

Today let's center on Verse 1. It literally ends with a comma! "Now these be the last words of David. David the son of Jesse said, and the man who was raised up on high, the anointed of the God of Jacob, and the sweet psalmist of Israel, said, "

The name David means "beloved." David's Father's name, Jesse, means "I exist." Although there is some doubt about that last meaning. Some scholars just list the definition of Jesse as "unknown."

Next David is given three titles. Given them by God we presume. They appear here without any sign of displeasure. God has inspired this account. David here is "the man who was raised up on high, the anointed of the God of Jacob, and the sweet psalmist of Israel."

The clause "raised up on high" accents David's lowly past in contrast to his current status as King of all Israel! The verb "qum" or "raised up" means "established" nearly 30 times in the King James Bible. God brought him from the sheep-fold to the Throne-room! This is not a proud statement, but an acknowledgement of God's blessings!

Then "anointed," which is "mashiyach" in Hebrew, is an indication of what Samuel did to David, recognizing His Kingship. Oil was ceremonially poured forth upon his head. When God anoints a man, the "oil" of the Holy Spirit is meant! The "God of Jacob" is the God Who changes lives, transforming Jacob" the "crook" or "supplanter" into Jacob or "Israel," princed or ruled by God. "Elohiym" is God's Name here. Again David's prominence is attributed to God's Grace!

Thirdly, David is "the sweet psalmist of Israel." This is the only place in the Bible where this exact term is used. According to Amos 6:5 David even "invented" instruments of music! "Sweet," in Hebrew "naiym," means pleasant, lovely, or delightful. "Psalmist" is a technical term, "zamiyr," in which human fingers are pictured "plucking" the strings of an instrument. Nearly half the Bible's Psalms are attributed to David. The man had a song in his heart!

For a man near death, King David still has a good clear mind!

When I am about to die, I hope thoughts of God's Goodness and Grace and Mercy come rolling my way too!

David here enumerated a trinity of blessings!

From a Triune God no less!

Today let each of us rehearse and enumerate some of our God-sent blessings! Then thank our Heavenly Father for each of them!

One does not have to be dying to do that.

                                                                            --- Dr. Mike Bagwell

There being three blessings mentioned, one can't help but wonder if the Trinity might be inferred here. If so, the "God of Jacob" no doubt indicates God the Father. While the God who lifts one up "on high" might be a reference to Jesus, the ascended Jesus! He too has been uplifted, given a Name which is above every Name! Then, by elimination, the "singing" part belongs to the Holy Spirit, Who always brings with Him joy!

LESSON 3, VERSE 2:

It's one of the best statements about "Inspiration" that you will read, especially in the Old Testament!

The words flow from the lips of King David, a dying King David too!

"The Spirit of the LORD spake by me, and his word was in my tongue." 2nd Samuel 23:2

This awesome claim is situated in a context where David has been the topic of conversation. "Now these be the last words of David. David the son of Jesse said, and the man who was raised up on high, the anointed of the God of Jacob, and the sweet psalmist of Israel, said ...." 2nd Samuel 23:1

One might could say that David is now giving his "testimony." And he begins it with a claim of inspiration!

Yes, when David "sang," in other words when he wrote the Psalms, really the Lord was speaking through him!

The Hebrew noun "spirit" is spelled "ruach" and means "wind, breath or air" as well as "spirit." This is basically the same meaning as "pneuma," the New Testament word for "spirit!" Different languages, Hebrew and Greek, yet the same meaning!

The "Breath" of God, the Third Person of the Triune Godhead, very God of very God ... thus is the Spirit of Whom David speaks here.

"LORD" in our Text is "Jehovah" God. The eternal One, ever existing in His Own Power! He is the great "I am That I am" of Exodus 3:14.

The verb "spake" is "dabar" and means "to tell, talk, say, pronounce, utter, and even command." Some grammarians believe "dabar" emphasizes the act of speaking, even more than the content of those words. The important thing for David at the moment is to establish that the words he spoke, Biblically spoke, where motivated and chosen by God!

This is the essence of the idea of the "Inspiration of Scripture!"

David's words again, "The Spirit of the LORD spake by me, and his word was in my tongue."

The singular noun "word" is unusual, almost rare in Scripture. Occurring only 38 total times, "millah" means "speech or utterance," but  in this sense, "poetically speaking!" In fact, other than here in our Text today I can only find the verb in the Poetic section of the Old Testament. Especially Job, but also Psalms and Proverbs. Do remember that David is the inspired Poet of the Bible, one of them anyway. He has just called himself the "sweet Psalmist of Israel!"

Then the word "tongue" appears. "Lashon" has a verbal heritage that literally means "to lick," one of the functions of that part of the human body, a body created by God. Then the verb came to mean "wagging," as one does when he speaks. It can have negative as well as positive implications in the Bible, depending on the context. Anything from "babbler" in Ecclesiastes 10:11 to an "inspired speaker" here in 2nd Samuel 23:2.

What David says here is as direct a claim for the Divine Authorship of Old Testament Scriptures as is 2nd Timothy 3:16, from the lips of Paul the Apostle!

David, "The Spirit of the LORD spake by me, and his word was in my tongue."

Paul, "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness."

Let's thank God today that we have a Divine Book of Wisdom, the Holy Bible! From God Himself ... through a select group of men, "holy men of God," said Peter ... to us!

Amen!

                                                                            --- Dr. Mike Bagwell

LESSON 4, VERSE 3:

In 2nd Samuel 23:3 King David first talks about God, then himself. That's the right order, anyway!

"The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spake to me, He that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God."

Here known by two Names, the Lord is depicted as Teacher of Israel. In this context He's the Instructor in political matters too, giving the qualifications for a national leader! For a King, we would say President!

The Title "God of Israel," especially when combined with "Lord God of Israel" is found 203 times in the Bible! "God" here is spelled "elohiym," with "el" meaning power or strength! Beautifully, it is believed that "El" is derived ultimately from a verb meaning "to twist," something, braiding it into a mighty entity. Here's the same thought, Ecclesiastes 4:12: "A threefold cord is not quickly broken." One cannot help but see hints of the Trinity in this thought! Plus, the ending of the Name "Elohiym" is definitely plural! We worship One God, but manifest triunely, Father and Son and Holy Spirit!

So, when fused together, "God of Israel" literally means "the Strong One who prevails!"

Then God is seen as the "Rock of Israel." This exact Name is used nowhere else in the Bible, although God is often Biblically called our "Rock." Here's Psalm 95:1, for example: "O come, let us sing unto the LORD: let us make a joyful noise to the Rock of our salvation." The root verb behind "rock" is one that means "to confine," picturing a Rock as a place of safety and protection in the time of storm or danger!

God certainly is Possessor of other Rock-like qualities too, like stability and ubiquity and timelessness! "Tzsur" is first found in Scripture in Exodus 17:6, the Rock from which water freely flowed, life-giving water! The smitten Rock, That is!

King David is here very careful to establish the Source of His comments. They come directly from God!

Yes!

"The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spake to me ...."

Now for the Lesson God wishes to impart. "He that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God." Here are the first two traits expected of a godly King. The implication is that David, throughout his long reign, basically modeled these. He, being human of course, indeed had lapses. But overall, he was a godly man.

The verb "ruleth" is "mashal" in Hebrew, "to reign or to have dominion." Four times in the Old Testament it carries the idea of "governing." Mankind needs leadership! Without it, people are like wandering sheep, shepherdless!

The adjective "just" is spelled "tzsaddiyq." It means "lawful or righteous," usually in a legal sense.  Its root means "to be right." In fact, God has never been wrong! And His earthly King is to, best as possible, follow in these same steps! Also, as you know, "just" eventually comes to mean a person who has been "saved" by God's Grace! It's wonderful when a Nation's leader is godly and just!

The "fear of God" is another expression found often in the Bible. Eight times in this exact form, "fear of God." It means something like reverence, awe at the very thought of the Lord God Almighty! His Essence, particularly His tri-unity and power!

What a Verse to be studying as several Nations of earth have either just completed or currently are pursuing the choice of their next President!

One of the indications that God is judging a nation is the decline in the character and quality of those available for leadership! "For, behold, the Lord, the LORD of hosts, doth take away from Jerusalem and from Judah ... the mighty man, and the man of war, the judge, and the prophet, and the prudent, and the ancient, the captain of fifty, and the honourable man, and the counsellor, and the cunning artificer, and the eloquent orator."

Wise leaders are now gone, as a result of the Nation's blatant rebellion and impenitence! 

God continues in Isaiah 3, "And I will give children to be their princes, and babes shall rule over them. And the people shall be oppressed, every one by another, and every one by his neighbour: the child shall behave himself proudly against the ancient, and the base against the honourable." Obviously, incompetent leadership follows!

Then, a little later in the very same chapter, "As for my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them. O my people, they which lead thee cause thee to err, and destroy the way of thy paths."

Read it America!

And weep!

                                                                        --- Dr. Mike Bagwell

LESSON 5, VERSE 4:

King David is giving us an exposition about leadership, an inspired exposition too! The leader of a nation, a godly nation, should be several things, namely: "He that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God. And he shall be as the light of the morning, when the sun riseth, even a morning without clouds; as the tender grass springing out of the earth by clear shining after rain." 2nd Samuel 23:3-4

Notice the two "word pictures" he used for the right kind of leader. The "early morning" is one. And the "tender grass" is the other. And he shall be as the light of the morning, when the sun riseth, even a morning without clouds; as the tender grass springing out of the earth by clear shining after rain."

First, like the dawn, a righteous President or Senator or Governor is considered a "light" to his people! Living in a dark world, blighted by sin, we need "light!" In 2nd Samuel 21:17, not very far from our Text here today, King David is called just that, the "light" of Israel! Their godly Leader! "But Abishai the son of Zeruiah succoured him, and smote the Philistine, and killed him. Then the men of David sware unto him, saying, Thou shalt go no more out with us to battle, that thou quench not the light of Israel."

On a far deeper level, listen to our Lord. "Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life." John 8:12

Of course "morning" is only that, bright and shiny, because of the sun! The sun, which is a picture or type of the Lord Jesus Christ! Listen to Malachi, "But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in His wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall."

As God the Son hung on that old rugged Cross dying, no wonder the sun refused to shine! "Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour." Matthew 27:45

The "morning" to which David compares himself is not only sun drenched, but cloudless! Nothing hindering the light of day! No obstructions! We used to sing a hymn named, "The Unclouded Day." Anyone remember it? Whatever happened to old songs like that?

I fear many world leaders now prefer darkness to light! And you know why. "And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil." That's Jesus preaching again in John 3:19.

Incidentally, the meaning here is not confined to a governmental leader alone. One's Pastor could be in focus as well, a spiritual leader. Those men, God-called and Spirit-filled and Bible-preaching, are veritable sources of spiritual light. At least as it's reflected from the Sun, the Son of God!

Then King David immediately says leaders, the right kind, are like "tender grass." Exactly, "as the tender grass springing out of the earth by clear shining after rain."

This noun, "deshe" in Hebrew, means any kind of young vegetation, green in color! It's vibrant! It's alive! And it's growing! It's lovely too! Isn't it touching to see the detail in Mark's account of the feeding of the thousands. "And Jesus commanded them to make all sit down by companies upon the green grass." Green grass is a sure sign that an eyewitness was present at that great miracle, even noticing color, among many other details.

But how does that grass grow? Because of two things, rain and (once again) sunshine!  That "rain" is a picture of something, the "preaching of God's Word!" Listen to God speak through Moses in Deuteronomy 32:2. "My doctrine shall drop as the rain, my speech shall distil as the dew, as the small rain upon the tender herb, and as the showers upon the grass: because I will publish the name of the LORD: ascribe ye greatness unto our God."

Raining God's Word!

That's what happens when real Spirit-empowered Preaching takes place!

And such Preaching produces, by the Power of God, grass! Lots of it! Healthy grass! Growing grass! Grass to feed and nourish God's creatures!

The "clear shining" is a gift from the sun! Light again, warmth too! Sunlight does things for growing plants that we do not yet fully understand. But this much we do know, such light sustains life itself!

Our precious Pastors, the qualified ones, are to be like this, growing day by day like the grass! Growing in the Lord! Growing in the Word! Growing  in their effectiveness! Growing in godly beauty!

And it appears that David here is drawing his illustrations from another place in Scripture, Psalm 72, where also the subject is "The Godly King!" Preachers, what a lesson this is for us all! Get your illustrations, not from some store-bought manual, but from the Word of God! By so doing you will be accomplishing two results. One is amplifying your message, the goal of every illustration anyway. The other, further familiarizing your people with the Bible! Yes, teaching God's Word!

Good things!

Who would have ever thought to look for the Bible qualifications for a leader in 2nd Samuel?

What a Book we study!

                                                                               --- Dr. Mike Bagwell

LESSON 6, VERSE 5:

These are literally the last words King David ever spoke!

Read them with me. "Now these be the last words of David. David the son of Jesse said ...." They are found in 2nd Samuel 23:1-5.

The most personal aspect of David's parting testimony is really found in verse five. "Although my house be not so with God; yet He hath made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things, and sure: for this is all my salvation, and all my desire, although He make it not to grow."

This speech deserves careful study.

It is indeed bittersweet!

Yes, more sweet than bitter, because of the marvelous Grace of God! But bitter because of sin and its consequences!

This whole construction, in Hebrew, is framed by the words "kiy lo." They are pronounced "kee" and then "low." They are translated "although" and "not" in the King James Bible. Watch! They will now be capitalized and underlined. They are easily seen in English as well! "Although my house be not so with God; yet He hath made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things, and sure: for this is all my salvation, and all my desire, although He make it not to grow."

All that was said to emphasize this. The Holy Spirit has bracketed this verse with two identical literary markers! This is often His way of showing us that a Verse or Paragraph or even a Book of Scripture is a whole and complete and perfect unit! This device is often called "inclusio" by Bible teachers today. Something identical at both the start and finish of a God-ordained Text!

So, we can be sure today that we are dealing with a complete thought of Scripture. David's dying testimony should be, and is, very powerful!

Now to the opening words. There David regrets, "Although my house be not so with God."

The noun house is "baiyth" in Hebrew and means of course a person's home, the structure in which he or she dwells. But it also can mean a man's household. His very sons and grandsons and descendents for generations! That's the meaning it carries here. By saying "my house" King David is referring to his children, sons and daughters. Including any Grandchildren by then!

Sadly, David's children had not all followed God! Nor walked even in the steps of their father, a "man after God's Own heart!" See Acts 13:22 for these words applied to David.

David apparently died knowing that he had failed as a parent!

His son Amnon was a rapist!

He later was murdered by one of his brothers!

David's daughter Tamar was both beautiful ... and the object of a half-brother's lust, leading to the rape I just mentioned!

Absalom, another boy, was the murderer! He later was the traitor who sought to kill his own father in an attempted takeover of the Throne!

And these facts do not include the bloodshed that followed David's death. One son, Adonijah, wanted to be King after David! So much so that he too was willing to ignore his father's wishes and kill Solomon, the King designate! He eventually had to be put to death!

And even when son Solomon did finally reign in his father's stead, he did not live righteously! "And Solomon had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines: and his wives turned away his heart."  Also, "For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the LORD his God, as was the heart of David his father."

David's family did not walk with God!

Part of this waywardness is no doubt due to David's own sins! Especially his escapade with Bathsheba! That alone constituted lust, adultery, lying and then murder!

"Be sure your sin will find you out." Numbers 32:23

"Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap." Galatians 6:7

Dying honestly! That's what King David did!

He knows he is "saved," a term most often used in New Testament days.

No doubt about that!

But, sadly, his family did not live like it!

Brothers and Sisters reading here today. Let us resolve like Joshua did, "As for me and my house, we will serve the LORD." Joshua 24:15

Or live like Abraham, having his testimony. God said of the Patriarch in Genesis 18:19, "For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him." Wow!

Plus, "Fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord." Ephesians 6:4

May God so use our children that they bring us no regrets when we lay dying!

Tomorrow, Lord willing, onward to a brighter topic! Still in 2nd Samuel 23:5 of course. Come join us, with an open Bible in your hand!

                                                                                --- Dr. Mike Bagwell

LESSON 7, VERSE 5:

The dying words of King David nearly rival those of the great Apostle Paul! And that's saying a lot, comparing an Old Testament King to a New Testament Apostle!

Listen, "Yet God hath made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things, and sure: for this is all my salvation, and all my desire." 2nd Samuel 23:5

David just assured us that he was saved!

The verb "made" here is spelled "sum" and means "appointed or ordained!" Salvation is not some casual "buddy-buddy" relationship. It is a Divine Encounter with Almighty God!

The noun "covenant," spelled "beriyth," means an "agreement, alliance, pledge, or league." Its root verb, "barah," means "to eat." To institute such a covenant God would have required blood! An innocent animal slain! Cut into pieces too! Fellowship around that table!

Salvation is such a covenant as well!

Notice the adjective "everlasting" also. "Olam" means something that is of such long duration that it reaches the "vanishing point" of one's eyesight! Both to the right hand and to the left! In other words, eternal!

Here's one such covenant God made with King David, "And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever." 2nd Samuel 7:16 has God speaking to David.

Here's another, but in reverse: "Shew Thy marvellous lovingkindness, O Thou that savest by Thy right hand them which put their trust in Thee. Keep me as the apple of the eye, hide me under the shadow of Thy wings. As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness." Psalm 17:15, David to the Lord!

Such covenants, including Salvation by the Grace of God, are "ordered." The verb "arak" means "to set in array, to prepare, to ordain!" God does everything "decently and in order." I was convicted of my sins by the Holy Spirit of God! He then drew me to the Saviour! I repented. Jesus, upon the acceptance of my faith, saved me! Ever since then He has been teaching and assisting me to better live for Him! And one day, maybe soon, He's coming back again!

An "ordered" salvation!

But this Covenant is also "sure." The verb "shamar" means "protected, secure, guarded," that kind of idea. My salvation also is safe, safe in Jesus! He, God's "Polished Shaft" according to Isaiah, can scatter the enemy!

The noun "salvation" is "yesha," meaning one's "deliverance, safety, rescue, or victory!" David is hanging all his hope for eternity on this one plan of salvation. In Jesus! No One Else will suffice! If Jesus is not the Answer, David is in trouble!

Then comes the word "desire." In Hebrew "chephetzs" means "pleasure, delight," or even "favor!" The greatest thrill of King David's long life was knowing God!

Knowing that his hope was sure!

We would say today, Knowing Jesus!

What assurance God gave His man!

God wants us to know our state before Him, before Jesus!

As clearly as 1st John 5:13, "These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God."

Amen!

                                                                         --- Dr. Mike Bagwell

LESSON 8, VERSE 5:

The final words of King David are filled with wisdom!

And warning too!

In them we see a man sure of his salvation!

And also grieved over the consequences of sin!

Listen, "Now these be the last words of David. Although my house be not so with God; yet he hath made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things, and sure: for this is all my salvation, and all my desire, although he make it not to grow." 2nd Samuel 23:1 and 5

Normally I print Scripture in the color blue. But this time I shall use two colors. The red shows negativity in David's testimony. The blue, peaceful and positive assurance.

"Although my house be not so with God; yet he hath made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things, and sure: for this is all my salvation, and all my desire, although he make it not to grow."

The first clause, here all red at the Verse's beginning, is spoken lamenting the fact that sin had ravaged David's family, his whole "house."

The intervening blue print shouts victory as loudly as any Old Testament Text possibly could! Salvation from God!

The final red clause, again acknowledging the side-effects of sin, is sad indeed.

Not let's examine it, our precise Text for today, "Although he make it not to grow."

With these words David ceases momentarily to look ahead at God's great slate of Blessings. Instead the King looks around at his current family situation. Among his children are victims of incest and rape, sex maniacs, murderers, traitors and insurrectionists!

Not much hope for spiritual "growth" there!

David is a realist, no "false" hope here!

The verb "make to grow" is "tzsmach" in Hebrew, "to sprout, spring up, bud" as a little plant in freshly prepared soil in the Springtime.

The immediate future is bleak!

Even Solomon at that point apparently did not look too outstanding. In fact, with his ultimate 700 wives and 300 concubines, his future laxity confirmed David's hesitancy, as we now know.

But why such tragedy in David's family?

Why so much bloodshed?

Why did the sword never leave David's house?

God answers that one, via Nathan the Prophet. "Now therefore the sword shall never depart from thine house; because thou hast despised me, and hast taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife." 2nd Samuel 12:10

David, to his dying day, paid for his sins, especially the Bathsheba one!

Was he forgiven?

Yes.

Did the scars remain?

Yes.

But, oh, as if to prove the overriding Grace of God, read this promise. Here comes the Messiah, our Lord Jesus Christ, some future day "growing" up out of the stock of David! "For He shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground." Isaiah 53:2 here prophesies the Birth of Jesus, a Virgin Birth!

Then again, "And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: and the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD; and shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the LORD."  Isaiah 11:1-3

Truly Paul was right! "But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound." Romans 5:20

Praise the Lord!

What a balanced Text we've been studying!

Joy and victory in Jesus, plenty of it! For example, "The Lord God hath made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things, and sure: for this is all my salvation, and all my desire."

Grief and heartache over past sins, "Although my house be not so with God" and "Although he make it not to grow."

Herein is encouragement ... and warning!

Take heed, dear Christian friends!

                                                                          --- Dr. Mike Bagwell

LESSON 9, CONCLUSION:

I do not by any means wish to negate any of the promises of God! Certainly not those He made to King David!

In fact, no one could do such a thing anyway!

David in our Text sees no immediate encouragement from his family.

Yet he passionately believed God's Promise for future generations!

Here's what the Bible says. God is talking to King David. "And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever. I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men: but my mercy shall not depart away from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before thee. And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever. According to all these words, and according to all this vision, so did Nathan speak unto David." 2nd Samuel 7:12-17

So, for generations, Davidic Kings sat on the Throne of Israel!

Now, there is none.

But one day, one glorious day, Another is coming!

The Lord Jesus!

"Jesus Christ, the son of David," as Matthew 1:1 calls Him!

Zechariah 14 records it this way. "Then shall the LORD go forth ... and his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives. And it shall be in that day ... the LORD shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one."

Jesus, on the Throne of David!

Yes, King Solomon was a disappointment spiritually, but the "Greater than Solomon" will fulfill all God's Promises, completely!

He is Faithful and True!

                                                                                --- Dr. Mike Bagwell

DYING GRACEFULLY, WHAT AN EXAMPLE KING DAVID HAS LEFT US! BOTH NEGATIVELY AND POSITIVELY THIS IS SO.