DAVID’S DYING DECLARATION
A dying declaration is significant because it reflects the soul of a man laid bare. As he faces death and the prospect of ending his earthly abode, he has nothing more to gain or lose here and no reason to lie. And so what he says is as true a reflection of the person as it will ever be. As we analyze King David’s last words founds in 2Samuel 23:1-7, three principles that were intrinsic to him become evident.
These are the last words of David: The inspired utterance of David son of Jesse,………
1. Fear of God to bring productivity:
When one rules over people in righteousness, when he rules in the fear of God,he is like the light of morning at sunriseon a cloudless morning, like the brightness after rain that brings grass from the earth.
For David, the fear of God undergirded all he did. The more authority and power you experience on earth, the more difficult it is to submit to another. For David, despite being a powerful king, who experienced unprecedented success in his campaigns for Israel and expanded the nation to reach its zenith, to submit to God in total obedience till the very end of his life was remarkable. His success neither got to his head nor came to possess him. And when a person is able to dissociate himself from the earthly trophies that come his way, the output produced is one of freshness and healing, like the morning sun and the green grass. Such a person makes an impact on those around and becomes a source of joy rather than the drag that most people end up being.
2. Covenant with God to guarantee abundance:
If my house were not right with God, surely he would not have made with me an everlasting covenant, arranged and secured in every part; surely he would not bring to fruition my salvation and grant me my every desire.
Life is one of getting into covenants with people and institutions. Marriage is a covenant, so is accepting a job. People stick with or move from one covenant to another with the hope of ensuring one’s life here on earth and making one’s lot better. However people all but ignore the most important covenant with God, one’s maker. Because life is transient and one has to return to God, is it not foolish to ignore the covenant with God? This covenant starts with entering into a relationship with God, which is possible only when one’s sins are removed through Christ. David recognized the importance of being right with God and having a relationship with God, which in turn was his greatest confidence for this life and the one to come.
3. Judgment of God to ensure justice:
But evil men are all to be cast aside like thorns, which are not gathered with the hand. Whoever touches thorns uses a tool of iron or the shaft of a spear; they are burned up where they lie.
Right from the incident of battling Goliath as a mere boy, David lived his life and carried out his campaigns as a representative of God’s judgment. He understood that God judges all people and holds them accountable for their actions and he was no exception. If judgment of God were not to exist, much of life would be in vain, because there is injustice on earth that often baffles us. However, it is good recognize that God will judge all people and the measuring stick starts with the willingness to accept Christ as one’s savior. Those who stick with Christ will find themselves on the right side of God both here on this earth and in the eternal life to come.
By making God the foundation of his life, David enjoyed unprecedented success here on earth, ensured honor for many generations to follow and ground himself securely in eternity. We could do the same.
