David in His Last Day
Our faith is ultimately evaluated by how we finish our last day. Even if someone was passionate and served diligently 20 years ago, if on the last day he/she was found not believing or straying from the Word, it would be hard to say that he/she truly lived as a believer. On the contrary, even if someone did not live with fervent or dedicated faith over 20 years, if they lived with unwavering belief, that person would be considered someone of genuine faith.
2 Samuel 23:1-7 contains the last words of King David. Verse 1 reveals how God evaluated David on his last day. Let us reflect on what kind of man of faith David was at the end of his life, and use this as an opportunity to examine our own faith.
- A Hero Raised by the Most High
2 Samuel 23:1 Now these are the last words of David, David the son of Jesse declares, And the man who was raised on high declares, The anointed of the God of Jacob, And the sweet psalmist of Israel.
NASB translates this as “the man who was raised on high,” while the NIV states “the man exalted by the Most High.”
Who was David originally? (1 Samuel 17:12)
- David was from Bethlehem
Bethlehem was familiar to us because Jesus was born there, it was a small and insignificant town and not well-known. Without Jesus, it might have been forgotten altogether.
- David was a descendant of Ephrath
Among those who lived in Bethlehem, David was a descendant of the Ephrath clan, which, according to Micah 5:2, was a small and insignificant clan within Israel.
- David was the youngest son of Jesse
When Prophet Samuel went to anoint a king from among Jesse’s sons, Jesse presented all his sons except David, who was left to tend the sheep. This suggests that even Jesse did not consider David important enough to be present at such a significant event.
1 Sam 16:10-11 10 So Jesse had seven of his sons pass before Samuel. But Samuel said to Jesse, “The Lord has not chosen these.” 11 Then Samuel said to Jesse, “Are these all the boys?” And he said, “The youngest is still left, but behold, he is tending the sheep.” So Samuel said to Jesse, “Send word and bring him; for we will not take our places at the table until he comes here.”
In summary, David was from an insignificant town, a small clan, and even his family saw him as unimportant, yet God raised him up.
God made David a king, granted him victory in battles, and included him in the genealogy of Jesus Christ (2 Sam 7:8-9; Matthew 1:1).
Dear believers, before we came to Jesus, we were like David in his humble state-sinners deserving of wrath and destruction. But God, through His Word, found us and gave us the blessing of becoming His children (John 1:12-13).
You may feel that your life, like David’s is unnoticed and insignificant, but through faith in Jesus Christ, I believe God will lift you up, I pray in the name of the Lord that you, too, will be called someone raised by the Most High.
- David, the Anointed One
2 Samuel 23:1 These are the last words of David: ”The oracle of David son of Jesse, the oracle of the man exalted by the Most High, the man anointed by the God of Jacob, Israel’s singer of songs.”
At the end of his life, David was recognized as one anointed by God.
- The mission of the anointed one
In the Bible, three types of people were anointed: kings, prophets, and priests. David, though not officially a prophet or priest, functioned in all three roles:- he prayed to God, received answers from Him, and ruled according to God’s Word.
Apostle Peter tells us that all believers are given the mission of being a royal priesthood and proclaiming God’s great work (1 Peter 2:9). Therefore, we are all anointed by God. I pray that we will faithfully fulfill this mission and be recognized by God as His anointed ones at the end of our lives.
- Those who receive the Holy Spirit
In Scripture, receiving the Holy Spirit is often described as being anointed (Luke 4:18; Acts 10:38). It is essential to receive the Holy Spirit.
We need to receive the Holy Spirit and become a dwelling place for God (Luke 1:35). We need to receive the Holy Spirit to become a dwelling place for God. We need the Holy Spirit to be freed from the law of sin and death (Romans 8:2).
We need to receive the Holy Spirit to be guided into all truth (Jhn 16:13; 1 Jhn 2:27). May all of you be anointed with the Holy Spirit and live a life full of His presence, in the name of the Lord. Amen.
Conclusion:
David was a man of praise (2 Sam 23:1). God loves our praise. Our senior pastor once said that when we praise God, He rejoices and dances (Psalm 22:3). From the time David was anointed by Samuel, he continuously praised God. Out of the 150 Psalms, 73 were written by David.
What does praise mean? Is it just singing or music? No. Praise is first an expression of gratitude and wonder. Second, praise is prayer with melody. Thus, our time of praise should be a time of thanksgiving and prayer. Starting next year, we will hold a Praise and Prayer Night every three months on Wednesday, I encourage you to pray for this and attend, as we will use that time to deeply dwell in worship, give thanks, and pray.
Because praise is more than just emotional expression-it is a form of prayer:- 1 Sam 16:23 records that when David praised God, the evil spirit tormenting Saul would leave him.
Are you facing challenges? Are there problems in your household? Are you so overwhelmed that you can’t even pray? Then praise. I believe that praise will rise to God as a prayer with melody. I believe that this praise will become powerful, and that it will work to save you from your difficulties.
The Lord's Covenant Church Malaysia 