2nd Samuel 21&22

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2^nd Samuel 21:15-22

“Moreover the Philistines had yet war again with Israel; and David went down, and his servants with him, and fought against the Philistines: and David waxed faint. 16 And Ishbibenob, which was of the sons of the giant, the weight of whose spear weighed three hundred shekels of brass in weight, he being girded with new sword, thought to have slain David. 17 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. 18 And it came to pass after this, that there was again a battle with the Philistines at Gob: then Sibbechai the Hushathite slew Saph, which was of the sons of the giant. 19 And there was again a battle in Gob with the Philistines, where Elhanan the son of Jaareoregim, a Bethlehemite, slew the brother of Goliath the Gittite, the staff of whose spear was like a weaver’s beam. 20 And there was yet a battle in Gath, where was a man of great stature, that had on every hand six fingers, and every foot six toes, four and twenty in number; and he also was born to the giant. 21 And when he defied Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimeah the brother of David slew him. 22 These four were born to the giant in Gath, and fell by the hand of David, and by the hand of his servants.”

Introduction

[Audio version: https://resources.ccphilly.org/detail.asp?TopicID=&Teaching=WED678]

“We kind of left off in a strange place here, in the end of these memoirs, looking back to the earlier years in David’s life. And then all of a sudden we get to verse 15, it kind of reflects to some of the things that took place that aren’t recorded elsewhere in the later years of his life, it says “Moreover the Philistines had yet war again with Israel; and David went down, and his servants with him, and fought against the Philistines: and David waxed faint.” (verse 15) It seems probably in his later years, David was a warrior, David in his earlier years we never read that of him, so it seems this is a picture you’ll see later in his years, David in this battle with the Philistines now is warn out, he waxed faint. “And Ishbibenob, which was of the sons of the giant, the weight of whose spear weighed three hundred shekels of brass in weight, he being girded with new sword, thought to have slain David.” (verse 16) Somebody laughed, you wouldn’t laugh if you saw him. You’d say ‘Good to meet you Mr. Ishbibenob.’ “300 shekels of brass,” probably about ten pounds at the head of his spear, “he being girded with a new sword,” now in the King James the word sword there is in italics, not in the Hebrew, “a new kind” is what it insinuates, one of the authors I read said “it’s a new kind of armour for slings.” It seems that knowing what happened to Goliath, who was from Gath, that Ishbibenob shows up on the battle field against Israel with some type of a helmet with a plate that came down between his eyes where he knew where stones were wont to go in Israel in those days. And so he had a new armour to face David and the children of Israel, not wanting to get caught between the eyes like Goliath. So he’s this giant, Ishbibenob, the head of his spear weighs 10lbs, it’s like getting hit with a frozen turkey with a point on it. He’s girded with some new type of armour, and he thought to have slain David, he wanted to come, face and beat David. “But Abishai the son of Zeruiah succoured him,” or drew him out to the battle, “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.” (verse 18) Now this is Abishai, Joab’s brother, you read about this group, what a group of boys they must have been, Abishai, then there was one of them that died, then Joab, imagine raising this crew. You look at them as men and think ‘What were they like when they were kids, they must have been slugging each other, clubbing each other, kicking each other.’ And Abishai goes out by himself and kills Ishbibenob with the sword, he 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.” David, you’re the lamp of the nation, you’re the reason, you’re the one who taught us to be giant fighters in the first place, we watched you as a kid go out there and knock out Goliath, you’re the one who inspired all of us, you’re the one who drew the nation together, you were the one who gathered us when we were malcontents, and made an army out of us. You’re the reason God’s blessing the nation, you’re the reason that we stand where we stand, you’re the light of the nation, David, no more of this battling, you’re not going to go out, you can go with us to battlefield, you can stand in the background and just watch us, this is not going to happen anymore.’ “And it came to pass after this, that there was again a battle with the Philistines at Gob: then Sibbechai the Hushathite slew Saph, which was of the sons of the giant.” (verse 18) If you’re going to fight a giant, that’s a great place to fight a giant I guess, at Gob. So much easier than Ishbibenob, Saph, the battle probably went faster, easier to take your guy down if you could pronounce his name that fast. “And there was again a battle in Gob with the Philistines, where Elhanan the son of Jaareoregim,” now that’s way too many vowels for a language with only consonants as far as I’m concerned, Jaareoregim, “a Bethlehemite, slew the brother of Goliath the Gittite, the staff of whose spear was like a weaver’s beam.” (verse 19) Now in italics it says “the brother of Goliath,” it’s not an accurate translation if your translation says “he slew Goliath,” the King James inserts here he “slew the brother of Goliath,” which is from 1^st Chronicles, where the history says ‘There was war again with the Philistines, and Elhanan the son of Jaareoregim slew Lami the brother of Goliath the Gittite with a spear staff.’ So it clearly tells us here that this giant was Goliath’s brother, and his name was Lami. Can you imagine that, that’s worse than a boy name Sue, a giant named Lami. Here’s this guy waking up in the morning going ‘Roar! Oh Lami’s up, wonder what he wants for breakfast,’ so you feed him some Englishmen. His name was Lami, it’s so interesting. “And there was yet a battle in Gath, where was a man of great stature, that had on every hand six fingers, and every foot six toes, four and twenty in number; and he also was born to the giant.” (verse 20) and in case you’re wondering, the Holy Spirit makes it clear, yes that’s right, 24 in number, just to make sure you understand that. Now I know this was a strange sight, six fingers on each hand, and six toes on each foot. Kathy and I, when we lived in Portland, Oregon, 1975 and ’76, no, no, she would shoot me, ’78, we were married then, we had a friend named Dan Zimmerman, great guy, and he had six toes on each foot, and he would always wear sandals. Now you don’t appreciate this, [laughter], I’ll tell you why you don’t appreciate this, because you’ve looked at five toes your entire life. And you just look down, you take it for granted, you have to understand how that sets in your mind. Because when you would look at his foot, it looked like 70 toes, as soon as you looked at it, it looked like a piano, like something was wrong. You can’t understand and you take for granted that five toes are ingrained in your mind, and as soon as you would glance down, you would know that something huge is wrong there. You’re thinking ‘Here’s a guy, you’re looking at him staring at his feet, and what’s wrong with him, why does he wear sandals, never should have done that.’ So I can’t imagine, here are giant toes on this guy’s foot, six toes on each foot and six fingers, it doesn’t say if he had a thumb on each side, or two little fingers, just very strange, one of the sons of the giants, the Holy Spirit just wants us to know, yup, 24 he says here, that’s right. “And when he defied Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimeah the brother of David slew him.” (verse 21) this is then David’s nephew. “These four were born to the giant in Gath, and fell by the hand of David, and by the hand of his servants.” (verse 22) now it’s Rephaim, it can be “of the giants” in Gath, or it can be “to the giant” which would make them Goliath’s four brothers. It tells us clearly that Lami was one of his brothers. We know David, back in chapter 17, when he went to fight Goliath, it says he went down to the Brook of Elah and he gathered five smooth stones. And evidently he knew that was for Goliath and one for each of his four brothers, who must have had some reputation [and they’ve been waiting for revenge, obviously]. Interesting, there’s a, if you guys get World Magazine, there’s a great group of guys, they’ve done security for us, Five Stones Intelligence, intelligence agency, they work around the world and have great guys. But they took their name from the five stones that David took from the Brook of Elah, so interesting picture.

2^nd Samuel 22:1-51

A Song of David

“And David spake unto the LORD the words of this song in the day that the LORD had delivered him out of the hand of all his enemies, and out of the hand of Saul: 2 and he said, The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; 3 the God of my rock; in him will I trust: he is my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower, and my refuge, my saviour; thou savest me from violence. 4 I will call on the LORD, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies. 5 When the waves of death compassed me, the floods of ungodly men made me afraid; 6 the sorrows of hell compassed me about; the snares of death prevented me; 7 in my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried to my God: and he did hear my voice out of his temple, and my cry did enter into his ears. 8 Then the earth shook and trembled; the foundations of heaven moved and shook, because he was wroth. 9 There went up a smoke out of his nostrils, and fire out of his mouth devoured: coals were kindled by it. 10 He bowed the heavens also, and came down; and darkness was under his feet. 11 And he rode upon a cherub, and did fly: and he was seen upon the wings of the wind. 12 And he made darkness pavilions round about him, dark waters, and thick clouds of the skies. 13 Through the brightness before him were coals of fire kindled. 14 The LORD thundered from heaven, and the most High uttered his voice. 15 And he sent out arrows, and scattered them; lightning, and discomfited them. 16 And the channels of the sea appeared, the foundations of the world were discovered, at the rebuking of the LORD, at the blast of the breath of his nostrils. 17 He sent from above, he took me; he drew me out of many waters; 18 he delivered me from my strong enemy, and from them that hated me: for they were too strong for me. 19 They prevented me in the day of my calamity: but the LORD was my stay. 20 He brought me forth also into a large place: he delivered me, because he delighted in me. 21 The LORD rewarded me according to my righteousness: according to the cleanness of my hands hath he recompensed me. 22 For I have kept the ways of the LORD, and have not wickedly departed from my God. 23 For all his judgments were before me: and as for his statutes, I did not depart from them. 24 I was also upright before him, and have kept myself from mine iniquity. 25 Therefore the LORD hath recompensed me according to my righteousness; according to my cleanness in his eye sight. 26 With the merciful thou wilt shew thyself merciful, and with the upright thou wilt shew thyself upright. 27 With the pure thou wilt shew thyself pure; and with the froward thou wilt shew thyself unsavoury. 28 And the afflicted people thou wilt save: but thine eyes are upon the haughty, that thou mayest bring them down. 29 For thou art my lamp, O LORD: and the LORD will lighten my darkness. 30 For by thee I have run through a troop: by my God have I leaped over a wall. 31 As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the LORD is tried: he is a buckler to all them that trust in him. 32 For who is God, save the LORD? and who is a rock, save our God? 33 God is my strength and power: and he maketh my way perfect. 34 He maketh my feet like hinds’ feet: and setteth me upon my high places. 35 He teacheth my hands to war; so that a bow of steel is broken by mine arms. 36 Thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation: and thy gentleness hath made me great. 37 Thou hast enlarged my steps under me; so that my feet did not slip. 38 I have pursued mine enemies, and destroyed them; and turned not again until I had consumed them. 39 And I have consumed them, and wounded them, that they could not arise: yea, they are fallen under my feet. 40 For thou hast girded me with strength to battle: them that rose up against me hast thou subdued under me. 41 Thou hast also given me the necks of mine enemies, that I might destroy them that hate me. 42 They looked, but there was none to save; even unto the LORD, but he answered them not. 43 Then did I beat them as small as the dust of the earth, I did stamp them as the mire of the street, and did spread them abroad. 44 Thou also hast delivered me from the strivings of my people, thou hast kept me to be head of the heathen: a people which I knew not shall serve me. 45 Strangers shall submit themselves unto me: as soon as they hear, they shall be obedient unto me. 46 Strangers shall fade away, and they shall be afraid out of their close places. 47 The LORD liveth; and blessed be my rock; and exalted be the God of the rock of my salvation. 48 It is God that avengeth me, and bringeth down the people under me, 49 and that bringeth me forth from mine enemies: thou also hast lifted me up on high above them that rose up against me: thou hast delivered me from the violent man. 50 Therefore I will give thanks unto thee, O LORD, among the heathen, and I will sing praises unto thy name. 51 He is the tower of salvation for his king: and sheweth mercy to his anointed, unto David, and to his seed for evermore.”

Introduction: Why David Says “I Will Love Thee, O My LORD”

“Now, chapter 22. As we come here, we come to a very interesting passage of Scripture, because it is Psalm 18, it’s in the Bible twice. And if it’s in there twice, the whole length of it, and it’s in there and it’s repeated, then there’s a witness in that for us, two or more witnesses. If God writes something this long out twice and lays it before us, he has something he wants to say to us, there’s something that this should speak to us. So we find this record, these 50 verses, in Israel’s history book in 2^nd Samuel, and we find them in Israel’s hymnal. It seems that they were first written here, and we can tell when we read through this, it’s of an earlier period, in fact in Psalm 18, if you want to turn there, you don’t have to. In Psalm 18 the introduction to the Psalm there says “To the chief musician, a Psalm of David, the servant of the LORD, who spoke unto the LORD the words of this song in the day the LORD delivered him from the hand of all of his enemies, and from the hand of Saul” and here it says, in chapter 22, verse 1, “And David spake unto the LORD the words of this song in the day that the LORD had delivered him out of the hand of all his enemies, and out of the hand of Saul:” There are several little editing processes that take place in the Psalm itself, just a few miniscule things. It’s identical besides that. It seems that when David wanted to place it into the hymnal of Israel and give it to the priests, he edited a few things to let the meter flow differently. But one of the remarkable things, look, as we go into the Psalm you’re going to hear the heart of this man, but here in Psalm 18 you’ll notice the first thing he says here in verse 2, is he said “The LORD is my rock,” but back in Psalm 18, he puts in this first verse, he says “I will love thee, O LORD, my strength,” and then he begins “The LORD is my rock,” he starts “I will love thee, O LORD, my strength,” and he writes that later in his life. We’re going to listen to the song, the song is after probably 2^nd Samuel chapter 7, 8, after he’s delivered from Saul, he’s delivered from his enemies, he’s finally been established as king of Israel, but it is before Bathsheba, it’s before he falls, it’s before he makes major mistakes. And it seems that he edited the Psalm and put it in Israel’s hymnal later in his life, with the bigger picture in mind. And he begins by saying ‘I love thee, I will love thee O LORD my strength.’ That word “love,” it’s the only place in the Hebrew Bible that form of the word “love” is used, it is never used of a man’s love to God anywhere in the Hebrew Bible, there are other forms of it, it is always used as God’s love to man. And we know how great God’s love is to us, that he would give his only Son, even in ancient Israel God’s love was a phenomenon even to the ancient rabbis. When asked ‘Why does God love us? what is the reason?’ they would simply say ‘God loves us because he loves us,’ they had no reason, they knew how great his Covenant love was. And the only place in the Bible we find this word used of a man, is there in the first verse of Psalm 18 where David says “I will love thee O LORD my strength,” and then he begins, he said ‘The LORD is my rock.” Now, it is a word that speaks of deep, deep feeling. It is not just a theological or a theoretical word. It is not a word theory, it’s a word when you sit alone with someone, and their presence overwhelms you, and you look into their face and say ‘I love you,’ and it’s wrought with great passion and deep, deep feelings. And no wonder God says David was a man after his own heart. He will challenge Solomon and say ‘You’re heart is not perfect towards me, like the heart of your father David.’ He committed adultery, he committed murder, but at this point by the time he edits this song, understanding to a greater degree than maybe anyone in the Old Testament, on a personal level, God’s grace, his Covenant, he says ‘I love you.’ And he said, verse 2 here, back where we are, and I’m going to read a few verses here, take notice of “my, my, my, my” he said “and he said, The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; the God of my rock; in him will I trust: he is my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower, and my refuge, my saviour; thou savest me from violence.” (verses 2-3) No wonder when he re-edited he said ‘I will love you, O LORD my strength,’ how could he go into this verse without saying that? Look, again, throughout here, my dad was Catholic, my mom was Lutheran, I grew up in the church, church was something I tried to understand as a kid, I don’t know if I really wanted to understand. God was theoretical, even as a kid, I knew God was there, I was kind of afraid, I thought he was up there with lightning bolts waiting for me to mess up with something. But I wasn’t saved. But it’s so much different, I hope tonight you can say ‘He’s my shield, he’s my rock, he’s my Saviour, he’s my deliverer,’ because all the rest of it you can throw out the window, everything else of religion you can throw under the bus. The only thing that matters is that you can say ‘He’s mine, he’s my Saviour and my Lord, and my buckler, and my shield, my Shepherd, my King, my Friend, my Father.’ This is remarkable for Old Testament perceptions of God.

How The LORD Saves David, And Us, From Our Enemies

Verse 4, “I will call on the LORD, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies.” It’s not just plaque stuff to David, a plaque on his chariot. “When the waves of death compassed me, the floods of ungodly men made me afraid;” thank you David, for your honesty, ‘I was afraid,’ “The sorrows of hell” I would say those are sorrows, wouldn’t you? “compassed me about; the snares of death prevented me;” ‘they went in front of me,’ “in my distress” well I would say the waves of death, the sorrows of hell, the snares of death, those are distressful, I’d say that, “I called upon the LORD, and cried to my God:” there it is, that’s what matters, “my God,” “and he did hear my voice out of his temple, and my cry did enter into his ears.” (verses 4-7), as does ours. The Temple hadn’t been built yet. You know David, coming around, he said ‘there was never a pain that I wanted to be loosed from that God didn’t want me loosed greater. There was never a time that I loved him that he didn’t love me with greater depth, there was never a time when my heart was broken, that his heart was not more broken about my broken heartedness.’ He’s going to tell us that in all of these things, God drew him close, every one of these things was under the government of God, to allow him, in the Old Testament, without a New Testament, without the insight that we have, to come to where he could lift his head to God, and say ‘I love you so deeply that my heart is broken.’ “and he did hear my voice out of his temple, and my cry did enter into his ears.” and look, this is in context of Saul, and all of his enemies, “Then the earth shook and trembled; the foundations of heaven moved and shook, because he was wroth. There went up a smoke out of his nostrils, and fire out of his mouth devoured: coals were kindled by it. He bowed the heavens also, and came down; and darkness was under his feet. 11 And he rode upon a cherub, and did fly: and he was seen upon the wings of the wind. 12 And he made darkness pavilions round about him, dark waters, and thick clouds of the skies. 13 Through the brightness before him were coals of fire kindled. 14 The LORD thundered from heaven, and the most High uttered his voice. 15 And he sent out arrows, and scattered them; lightning, and discomfited them. 16 And the channels of the sea appeared, the foundations of the world were discovered, at the rebuking of the LORD, at the blast of the breath of his nostrils.” (verses 8-16) David, reflecting some of the parting of the Red Sea, the Jordan River, just talking about in the days of Samuel, remember Israel fled to Samuel, they cried, and the Philistines came, and I forget the numbers, the numbers were staggering, surrounded them, and Samuel calmly, without any fear, takes a sucking lamb, and he goes to the top of the mountain, and he sacrifices the sucking lamb, and he cries out to God, and it says that thunder and lightning came, it says the ground shook, the enemies were discomfited, and they were destroyed, all Samuel did was offer that lamb, understanding deeply that God in his plan of redemption had a Saviour, a Messiah, One that would come, that Israel could enter into his presence, not on their own merit, but because God had a plan, and it says the enemies were driven away, they were discomfited. David seeing something like Elisha’s servant at Dothan when Elisha said ‘LORD, open his eyes,’ and he saw the chariots of fire surrounding the puny enemies of the north that had come down to Dothan. We don’t know, but David expresses deeply ‘God moved in such powerful ways in my life.’ He moved in such powerful ways, David was a man who sought after God, he didn’t seek after man when he had a need, didn’t run there, he ran in this direction, he fell on his knees, he cried out to God. And as this is happening, those ungodly men, back in verse 5, “When the waves of death compassed me, the floods of ungodly men made me afraid” well as the blast of God’s nostrils comes and the ground starts to shake and the heavens start to stoop down, all of a sudden these guys are getting smaller and smaller, these ungodly men, becoming littler and littler, like ‘Honey, I Shrunk The Kids,” that’s what’s happening to them here. And then he said, now by the way, much of this is in our very near future, you and I, ‘the Trump[pet] of God, the voice of the archangel, the Lord himself descending with a shout’ “He sent from above, he took me; he drew me out of many waters; he delivered me from my strong enemy, and from them that hated me: for they were too strong for me. They prevented me” they went before me “in the day of my calamity: but the LORD was my stay.” (verses 17-19) he’s the one that brought stability, he grounded me, he was everything that I needed.

How God Delights In David, As He Does In Us

“He brought me forth also into a large place: he delivered me, because he delighted in me.” (verse 20) listen, ‘He delivered me because he delighted in me,’ “The LORD rewarded me according to my righteousness: according to the cleanness of my hands hath he recompensed me.” (verse 21) Now by the way, you listen to that, and immediately it sounds kind of legalistic, you have to understand in the mind of every Jew, the Book of Deuteronomy clearly told them, ‘If you keep my ordinances I’ll bless you, if you walk in my ways I’ll do this.’ David, and I believe without a haughty spirit, speaking of the early years in his life, he loved God, he served God, he gave himself to God, he said “he delighted in me…The LORD rewarded me according to my righteousness: according to the cleanness of my hands hath he recompensed me.” he refused to lift his sword against Saul and so forth. Isn’t it interesting, “he delighted in me” whatever David knew of that, it was enough for him to step in front of a lion, take him by the beard and slayed him as a kid. It was enough for him to kill a bear that came after the flock, it was enough for him at 17, 18 years old to face Goliath of Gath. He delighted in me, easy to say. Look guys, there’s something about all of that, when I sit alone with him, and I know it’s the same with you, I pray, and I have devotional things I like, but there are times when his presence is overwhelming, when I’m saying ‘Father,’ and it has very much the sense of ‘Dad, Abba.’ I feel like, I remember watching my boys when they were little, how I delighted in those little boys, my grandson now, and sometimes I feel that way in his presence, I feel like he loves me, he has to because the Bible says he has to, but he likes me, he doesn’t just love me, he likes me, that’s pretty phenomenal, he likes me. David said here ‘He delighted in me, his God, Jehovah,’ that stoops down with the breath of his nostrils, he parts the sea, lays bare the foundations of the earth, and discomfits his enemies, that’s God, David says, he likes me, that’s a good friend to have in the day of calamity, he delights in me. He edits the Psalm so it says ‘I love you with all of my heart, the deepest feeling I possess, he delighteth in me.’ “I have kept the ways of the LORD, and have not wickedly departed from my God. For all his judgments were before me: and as for his statutes, I did not depart from them.” [by the way, his statutes are the part of God’s laws that modify and break down fine the Ten Commandments, and they also include the Holy Days recorded in Leviticus 23, and the dietary laws in Leviticus 11] “I was also upright before him, and have kept myself from mine iniquity.” (verses 22-24) Now this is before Bathsheba. “Therefore the LORD hath recompensed me according to my righteousness; according to my cleanness in his eye sight.” (verse 25) He’s going to write later “Before thee and thee only have I sinned, and done this great evil in thy sight.” How his songs would change. But here he’s writing as a younger man, “With the merciful thou wilt shew thyself merciful, and with the upright man thou wilt shew thyself upright.” very much Jewish thought, “With the pure thou wilt shew thyself pure; and with the froward [proud] thou wilt shew thyself unsavoury. And the afflicted people thou wilt save: but thine eyes are upon the haughty, that thou mayest bring them down. For thou art my lamp, O LORD: and the LORD will lighten my darkness.” (verses 26-28) ‘LORD, you’re the light of my life, O LORD.’ Not physical darkness, David is talking about something else, you will be a light unto my darkness, your Word is a lamp unto my feet, a light unto my path. In Ephesians Paul tells us, ‘Anything that doth make manifest is light, when God would minister to our hearts.’ So he’s not talking about physical darkness. “For by thee I have run through a troop: by my God have I leaped over a wall.” (verse 30) “As for God, his way is perfect;” now listen, we don’t always take hold on that, I don’t. I can ‘Why God? Why are you doing this? God, why are you doing that if you love me? If I’d have done this would you have done that? and is it because I did this, I need to go back and fix this, why are you doing this God? it’s not good for your reputation, I’m your pastor, people will wonder if you did this to me, this is not good,’ and we Why him. David says, when I wrote this after 20 years of being dogged by Saul, 20 years of my life gone out the window, losing my wife, losing Jonathan my best friend, he’s dead, losing my mentor, Samuel, losing and losing and losing, and being dogged, and being driven, and he says ‘Your ways are perfect.’ That’s sad, because I see people, they come through an experience, sometimes a month, sometimes a year, and they’re bitter for the rest of their lives, they are so bitter. This is a 20 year trial that David went through, I hate to put those concepts together, 20 year and trial, I’m good with 15 minute trials, some days. And he says here, “As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the LORD is tried: he is a buckler to all them that trust in him.” (verse 31) “is tried:” the idea is “refined,” it comes out pure. That’s what he’s realized as he’s gone through all these things, that the Word of God is dependable, is tried. “he is a buckler to all them that trust in him.” “For who is God, save the LORD? and who is a rock, save our God?” (verse 32) King James says “save” “except” I like that idea. Who is God except the LORD? that’s the only God there is, there is no other god, except Jehovah God. These other gods we hear about today, that are not Yahweh-God, they have other names, people worship them, they are not the same God. Who is God except Jehovah? he says, there isn’t any other god. And who is a rock, except our God, none of the rest of them. “God is my strength and power: and he maketh my way perfect. He maketh my feet like hinds’ feet: and setteth me upon my high places.” (verses 33-34) You know, those of you who have been to Israel with us, when we go to Engedi, you know sometimes you see the Ibex come down, huge beautiful horns. One of the times we were there, you kind of see them up on the crags, and everybody’s using their zoom lens, and then on the way out there’s like three of them standing five foot away from us, looking at us like ‘What’s wrong you guys?’ huge, beautiful animals, they’re walking on the side of these cracks on the side of the cliff, it’s just unbelievable. And he says here that ‘the LORD setteth me upon my high places,’ your high places may not be mine. Yours will differ from mine. And I want to tell you something about those high places, they’re lonely, they’re lonely. Because each of us have our valley, each of us have our struggle with ungodly men, each of us have these trials that David had been through, each of us feel at times like God has forsaken us, each of us find ourselves in circumstances where we’re afraid. And then for each of us we have our own high places, when we stand there. And sometimes we’re excited, we try to tell other people, and we’re like ‘Come on, wake up,’ and they can’t step into it fully with us, because it’s your high place, it’s for you and Jesus. And there are some high places, I believe, that are not to be shared, there are places of intimacy. There are some places between us and Jesus, at times in our walk, that are for no one else, there are those places like David, those are the places we say ‘God, I feel your presence, you delight in me, I love you so deeply,’ those are our high places as individuals, ‘he setteth my feet on high places.’ “He teacheth my hands to war; so that a bow of steel is broken by mine arms.” (verse 35) there’s no steel then, “the bow of bronze” in the Hebrew, “is broken,” it isn’t broken, it is pulled or drawn. Even the most difficult bow of bronze he says, he teaches me that I might draw back on the string by my arms. [World War II equivalent would be loading the 16-inch guns of a battleship, getting ready to fire it.] “Thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation: and thy gentleness hath made me great.” (verse 36) one of my favourite verses in the Bible, not the blasting of his nostrils, not the parting of the sea, not making the sun stand still in the Valley of Aijalon, not parting the Red Sea, but his gentleness, David says, hath made me great. Man, isn’t that true in our lives? His gentleness, I am glad that he is slow to anger, or I’d have been crushed long ago. I’m so glad, you know, God reminds me when people frustrate me, happens once every ten years, and I say ‘Lord, you’ve been so slow with me, take your time with them, slow as you want to be, Lord, because I’m so thankful you’ve been slow with me, it is your gentleness that has raised me up, has been affective in my life, as it is in all of our lives.’ “Thou hast enlarged thy steps under me; so that my feet did not slip. I have pursued mine enemies, and destroyed them; and turned not again until I had consumed them. And I have consumed them, and wounded them, that they could not arise: yea, they are fallen under my feet.” the reason why, not because David did it himself, he refused to touch Saul, “For thou hast girded me with strength to battle: them that rose up against me hast thou subdued under me. Thou hast also given me the necks of mine enemies, that I might destroy them that hate me. They looked, but there was none to save; even unto the LORD, but he answered them not. Then did I beat them as small as the dust of the earth, I did stamp them as the mire of the street, and did spread them abroad. Thou also hast delivered me from the strivings of my own people, thou hast kept me to be head of the heathen: a people which I knew not shall serve me.” (verses 37-44) at this point David is ruling over the surrounding nations, the Cherethites and so forth, those of Gath that had come to be David’s Special Guard and so forth. “Strangers shall submit themselves unto me: as soon as they hear, they shall be obedient unto me. Strangers shall fade away, and they shall be afraid out of their close places.” (verses 45-46) Now look, in all of these, David is reflecting his greater Son, you know, Psalm 22 he says ‘My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?’ you know, stepping into the Spirit and speaking in behalf of Christ, here no doubt hearing those things reflected in here, “people which I knew not shall serve me…Strangers shall submit themselves unto me: as soon as they hear, they shall be obedient unto me. Strangers shall fade away, and they shall be afraid out of their close places.” He ends, and he’s back to verse 2 again, “The LORD liveth; and blessed be my rock; and exalted be the God of the rock of my salvation. It is God that avengeth me, and bringeth down the people under me, and that bringeth me forth from mine enemies: thou also hast lifted me up on high above them that rose up against me: thou hast delivered me from the violent man. Therefore I will give thanks unto thee, O LORD, among the heathen, and I will sing praises unto thy name. He is the tower of salvation for his king: and sheweth mercy to his anointed, unto David, and to his seed for evermore.” (verses 47-51) again, not bitter, 20 years out the window, David is not bitter. “and to his seed” as Nathan had prophecied “for evermore.”

2^nd Samuel 23:1-7

‘This Is The Last Thing That I Have To Say’

Now, “These be the last words,” we’ll look at seven verses here, let me read through them, “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, 2 The Spirit of the LORD spake by me, and his word was in my tongue. 3 The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spake to me,” and it seems like here, it seems where the song may begin, “He that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God. 4 And he shall be as the light of the morning,” no doubt he’s seeing the Messiah, we’ll see, “when the sun riseth, even the morning without clouds; as the tender grass springing out of the earth by clear shining after rain. 5 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. 6 But the sons of Belial shall be all of them as thorns thrust away, because they cannot be taken with hands: 7 but the man that shall touch them must be fenced with iron and the staff of a spear; and they shall be utterly burned with fire in the same place.” and we don’t want to go to that “place,” wherever that place is. Now this is very interesting. Listen, now it says “These be the last words of David.” I’m always interested in last words. I’m always interested, I love 2^nd Timothy, it’s Paul’s swan song, and there is so much depth and so much tenderness, and I mean, the things that are in there just constantly blow my mind, I love the Book, I love to take note of it in the Scripture, the last things, Jacob prophecying over his sons in Genesis chapter 49, so incredible in Genesis. Now look, these are not the last words we hear from David, chronologically, as we follow, before he dies he’s going to give instruction to his son Solomon in regards to Joab and Shimei. That’s not what it’s saying here, this is the last song, this is the last inspired thing that comes from the man. This is a very, very unusual set of verses, these seven verses. Listen to what he says here, “These be the last words of David. David the son of Jesse” take note “said,” that’s a very important word, “and the man who was raised up on high, the anointed of the God of Jacob, and the sweet psalmist of Israel, said,” very interesting, those two words “said,” can be translated “saith” or “he hath declared,” they’re used between 253 times, if you include all the times it says “declared,” maybe a little over 300 times, “of the LORD,” “Thus saith the LORD,” throughout the entire Old Testament. They are only used of men three times, Balaam, I believe it’s used of him twice, once to curse the children of Israel, and it says the Spirit of God came on him, and “he said,” a declaration of God was made through his mouth against his will. It’s used once of Lemuel in Proverbs chapter 30, and the other two times it’s right here in this verse. What he’s saying is this, look, verse 2 helps us understand, and we have the trinity [what I call the triunity of God] brought before us here, we have the Spirit, the God, the Rock, listen, just think of what he’s saying here, “The Spirit of the LORD spake by me,” that’s a verbal inspiration, he’s putting something before us so powerful here, he’s saying “The Spirit of the LORD” he recognized it “spake by me,” listen, “and his word was in my tongue.” “The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spake to me,” and he gives us then the words. So you back up, and look, “these be the last words” so important, what a legacy this guy leaves. What a legacy, he is an inspirer of men, for 3,000 years we’ve been singing his songs [for a Bible hymnal using the actual Psalms of David, see https://www.hwalibrary.com/cgi-bin/get/hwa.cgi?action=hymnal]. For 3,000 years people with broken hearts, people who have sinned and fallen away from God, people who have lost their way, for 3,000 years his songs have touched the world, far more than what he did on the throne when he was there, far more than any other thing, than any giant that he slew, than any mistake that he made. Listen to how he signs off ‘These are the last words of David, the son of Jesse,’ imagine what’s happening in Israel, imagine the angels that are gathered around, this is the prince of Israel, the king of the nation, the nation’s greatest poet and warrior, he’s a Prophet, he’s a giant-slayer, he’s a saint, he says ‘I’m the son of Jesse, I was born in obscurity, if it wasn’t for God nobody would ever have known me.’ David, David, that wasn’t a common name in Israel, the first Daveed in the Bible was him, before him we have no record that there’s a Daveed in the Bible [spelled phonetically for pronunciation]. Because of him David means what it means when we hear the name, what God’s done in his life. ‘The son of Jesse declared,’ this is something God, ‘the Spirit of the LORD is speaking by me, his Word is in my tongue, the God of Israel is saying something, the Rock of Israel’s saying something.’ Listen, that’s also important to us tonight, ‘the man who was raised up on high, born in obscurity, the son of Jesse, “the anointed of God” I don’t know if he’s thinking of Samuel pouring out that horn of oil, still at this late point in his life, “the anointed of the God of Jacob,” the conniver of Israel, Jacob, “the sweet psalmist of Israel, said,” isn’t that amazing? he doesn’t say ‘the king of Israel, said, the giant slayer said, the head of the greatest army this nation has ever seen, said,’ he says “the sweet psalmist of Israel, said,” this is what he has to say. I’m astounded as I look at that. He’s making a declaration, he’s found the LORD is his strength in his weakness, he’s found that the LORD is his peace in his unrest, the LORD is his security in trouble, the LORD is his light in darkness, the LORD is his victory in defeat, the LORD is his salvation in sin. He has something to say to us directly from God. He’s making a declaration here, from the Spirit, from God, from the Rock, the trinity [triunity], and he says this, “He that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God.” (verse 3b) It’s too bad that’s not written around the capital building, around every capital building in every capital in the world. It will be, because there’s only One that’s just, and that’s not David. “He that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God.” as this brilliant light is bursting upon him, he says, “And he shall be as the light of the morning, when the sun riseth, even the morning without clouds; as the tender grass springing out of the earth by clear shining after rain.” (verses 3b-4) one of those mornings where the clouds have been blown away by the storm and the wind and you wake up and the sky is bluer than blue, it’s just spectacular, you look in the Spring the tender herbs coming out of the earth, have a glistening lining on them, like a clear shining after the rains, that’s the Kingdom, I can see it, it’s in front of me. And here you have this old man, please understand, who hasn’t probably picked up his harp for many years, and this old wrinkled hand picks up the lyre again, he says ‘you have to understand what I’m seeing. I see him, the one whose just, who will rule over men, he’s like the light of the morning when the sun rises [cf. Revelation 1:13-18], like a morning without clouds, like the tender grass that springs out of the earth, with that clear shining after the rain.’ This old wrinkled hand picks up the lyre again, and he says ‘This is the last thing that I have to say,’ this is the last thing that came from David. And he says specifically it was directly spoken through me by God. Wonderful, because tonight you and I can be ruled over by one who is just, who wants to struggle with our lives. He wants to rule over us, when there’s so many other things that would beckon our hearts, but he’s the one whose just, he’s the one who would rule over us, he’s the one whose offering the Kingdom that is glistening, that is clean. Well we say ‘Lord, but you don’t understand my loneliness, I know I should be shouldn’t be in this relationship,’ no, no, we have the chance this evening to be ruled over by one whose just, we have a great opportunity, the completion of his Word, the infilling of the Holy Spirit. He loves us, and he’s offering us a Kingdom, and he’s paid for it in the blood of his own Son, and he’s placed it before you and I more clearly, and you know, we are closer to seeing the reality of this than any generation that’s ever lived. [As of 2023 the Russian Federation has been at war with the Ukraine for over a year, which is causing a re-armament in Europe not seen since WWII, which is going to lead to a European superpower United States of Europe, World War III, and the 2^nd coming of Jesus Christ to stop the genocide (see https://unityinchrist.com/prophecies/2ndcoming_4.htm ).] How close right now tonight is there a Kingdom that’s glistening, how close right now is it coming for us, this one that David now with these ancient hands picking up the harp again. “And he shall be as the light of the morning, when the sun riseth, even the morning without clouds; as the tender grass springing out of the earth by clear shining after rain.” (verses 3b-4)

He has initiated and offered an everlasting covenant to all of us, ordered in all things, and sure

And listen to what he says here, he says, “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.” (verse 5) David says ‘It hasn’t happened in my lifetime, it’s not happening here, it’s something I see on the horizon.’ He said God made a promise to him about the Davidic kingdom, about his throne, but he says it’s not happening now, he says “Although my house be not so” we come through this life, we come through this pilgrimage, we come through it with heartache, you know, he just said ‘wicked men made me afraid,’ you listen to all of the things he had been through, and he says at the end of his life, there’s something glistening, that’s shining so bright that all of this other stuff doesn’t mean anything. He said, you have to let it come, he said this is directly spoken in my mouth, in my heart, through my being, it’s being put to the page, it’s being sent to other generations, this is directly from God, his Kingdom is coming, and it’s shining, and it’s clean, and it’s glistening, and it’s like a morning without clouds, it’s like a morning when the sun is brilliant and the skies are blue. And yet he says right now in my experience, although he doesn’t make it to become a reality. We all have those although’s don’t we? We call them “buts” today, ‘Ya, Lord I know, but,’ David had ‘Although’s” he was a greater poet than we are, we have “buts.” “Although my house be not so with God; yet” we all better have those too, “yet” because our “yet’s” are in contrast to our sorrows, listen, “yet he hath made with me an everlasting covenant,” David said ‘It’s not my idea, I didn’t initiate it, I showed up here, I was a Hippie out in the fields singing songs and playing my guitar with the sheep, had seven older brothers, my dad didn’t even consider me one of the kids when Samuel came to the house,’ ‘Do you have sons?’ ‘Ya I got these, and then I got this thing out in the field.’ ‘I walked in, this old guy with a beard poured a bunch of oil on my head, he said ‘He’s the one who made the covenant with me, I never pursued it, never made it happen myself, I made my mistakes in life, he said ‘he hath made with me an everlasting covenant, with me.’ If you can’t say with me, look, when we end tonight, I’m going to give you a chance to pray and ask Christ to be your Saviour, you have to be able to say ‘He hath made with me,’ not with the guy next to you, not with church, not with any denomination, not with Christianity, you have to be able to say ‘He hath made with me an everlasting covenant, with me’ or it’s not real, with me. Because when you die, it’s just going to be you, it’s just going to be me then. Nobody else. You and him, the one whose made an everlasting covenant with you. He’s the one whose done it, he says he’s made it with me, he said. Listen, he’s made with me an everlasting covenant, and because it’s everlasting it’s ours tonight, also, it’s an everlasting covenant. “ordered in all things, and sure:” you think there’s order in the universe? in this covenant there’s order, and what God says is going to happen is going to happen. What he offers to us, he said it is “ordered in all things,” please listen, “and sure:” People always say ‘How can I be sure? Well I want to believe that God loves me, how can I be sure?’ David said, ‘Listen, I’m making a declaration, the Spirit of God is talking through me, he’s putting words in my mouth, the God of Israel has something to say, the Rock has something to say to us, he has initiated and offered an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things, and sure,’ that’s how you can be sure. What is sure in this world? That’s gotta be good news. It’s the Good News of Jesus Christ, but it ought to be good news. What’s good news now, what’s sure? Your health?--that could change pretty quick, your wealth?--I think they’re taking care of that to make sure that’s not sure. You’re not even sure you can get shrimp without oil [petroleum] these days. What’s sure in this life, your friends? your home? What is it for us to have something that’s sure? It’s sure, listen to me, you don’t have any excuses tonight if you don’t know Christ. This is an adulterer whose telling us that God’s forgiveness in the context of his everlasting covenant is sure, this is a murderer whose telling us that God’s love in his everlasting covenant is sure, it’s sure. You can bet your life on it. He says it is sure. And he said, “for this is all my salvation, and all my desire,” he would say ‘Who on earth have I but thee?’ ‘I’m not seeing it now’ he says, ‘but I know it’s all real.’

The Wicked Are Going To Be Gathered & Burned--They’re Only Tough To Handle In This Present World

He says, “But the sons of Belial shall be all of them as thorns thrust away, because they cannot be taken with hands:” (verse 6) he says they cannot be taken with the hands, he’s saying ‘I’m not saying there’s not injustice, I’m not saying this world isn’t filled with unjust men, and they’re hard to handle.’ They’re hard to handle for you, they’re hard to handle for me [some are women]. Asaph in Psalm 73, he said ‘I know that the God of Israel is good, but when I looked around, when I saw righteous men suffering, I saw wicked men prospering, I realized I was standing in a slippery place, and my feet had well nigh slipped.’ And David says right here, ‘I see this coming Kingdom, it’s certain, it’s sure, it’s ordered, it’s dependable, it’s in the framework of an everlasting covenant, it’s all my desire, but it’s not a reality today’ he says, but I can see it, it’s close enough. If he could see it, we should be able to see it. Then he said, look, the world’s filled with sons of the devil, sons of Belial, and he said, they’re difficult to handle, they’re like thorns, you can’t handle them, he says, what are you going to do with those that are in power that are corrupt today? What are you going to do, watch television and drink Maalox so you don’t get an ulcer, what are you going to do with all that? It says he’s going to deal with that. He says they’re going to be taken away, they can’t be handled with the hands, “But the man that shall touch them must be fenced with iron and the staff of a spear; and they shall be utterly burned with fire in the same place.” (verse 7) and that’s a place we read about in the Bible. Look, he is not discouraging anyone whose a sinner and anyone whose wicked from coming to this God whose made a covenant, because he, David, himself was a murderer and an adulterer. You know, David, if you read through these passages, not me, this text is saying ‘these words are from God, these words are directly from the Holy Spirit, these words are directly from the Rock of Israel, he that rules over men must be just, ruling in the fear of the LORD,’ and David says I know there’s only one right way for government to be, and he says ‘I looked up and I had to grab my heart, because my fingers were tender, they weren’t calloused anymore, but I had to play, and I said I saw him,’ he said, ‘he shall be like the light of the morning, when the sun rises, even a morning without clouds, he said, like the tender herbs springing out of the earth with a clear shining after the rain,’ he said, ‘I saw the Kingdom.’ And he said, ‘Although my house be not so,’ he said, ‘the circumstance I’m in presently isn’t at all like that.’ And he says, ‘and yet, he’s the one whose made the covenant, he’s made it with me.’ Can you say that tonight?--to be in a covenant with God that he initiated, you don’t deserve it. He made it with you. And that everlasting covenant is ordered, it is sure, had nothing to do with your performance, David was an adulterer and murderer. It had to do with the fact that David, instead of looking to his own righteousness, he looked to the LORD. He said ‘Sacrifice and offering thou hast not desired,’ and there was no sacrifice for adultery and murder, it was the death sentence. He said ‘A broken and contrite spirit thou wilt not despise.’ He said, ‘wicked men are going to be gathered and burned, they’re only tough to handle in this world, and in this temporary existence.’ He said in God’s Kingdom there’s no place for them, they’re going to go to their place. He’s not saying to anybody here tonight you can’t get saved, you can’t come to God. No, this is the chief of sinners, as Paul called himself in the New Testament, saying, ‘Man, the door is open, I love this God, all that he’s done in my life, all that he’s done for me, that he would put his very Word in my mouth, that he would speak through me, that he would allow me to draw close to him, that he would open my eyes and allow me to see his Kingdom,’ and I know that tonight if he’s drawing you, you can see that in your own heart, you can see that in your own heart. And listen, for all of us that are believers, an unbelieving world is tough to handle, they are not going to understand the things you get excited about when you try to talk to them about Jesus Christ. When he comes into your life, and he moves your feet to your high places, you have to understand they’re not everybody else’s high places, and you’re going to see things there and your heart is going to resonate, you’re going to want to scream YAHOO!!! You’re going be the guy in the middle of the Walmart saying ‘Praise the Lord!!!’ with everybody looking at ya. You know, he does that. And David’s saying ‘It was the last thing, at the end of my life…’ [transcript of a connective expository sermon on 2^nd Samuel 21:15-22, 2^nd Samuel 22:1-51 and 2^nd Samuel 23:1-7, given by Pastor Joe Focht, Calvary Chapel of Philadelphia, 13500 Philmont Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19116]