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CHAPTER 23 (ESV)
1 Now these are the last words of David:
The oracle of David, the son of Jesse,
the oracle of the man who was raised on high,
the anointed of the God of Jacob,
the sweet psalmist of Israel:
2 “The Spirit of the Lord speaks by me;
his word is on my tongue.
3 The God of Israel has spoken;
the Rock of Israel has said to me:
When one rules justly over men,
ruling in the fear of God,
4 he dawns on them like the morning light,
like the sun shining forth on a cloudless morning,
like rain that makes grass to sprout from the earth.
5 “For does not my house stand so with God?
For he has made with me an everlasting covenant,
ordered in all things and secure.
For will he not cause to prosper
all my help and my desire?
6 But worthless men are all like thorns that are thrown away,
for they cannot be taken with the hand;
7 but the man who touches them
arms himself with iron and the shaft of a spear,
and they are utterly consumed with fire.”
REFLECTION:
- David’s last words praised God. More importantly, they show the basis on which David felt secure. “Has he not made with me an everlasting covenant, arranged and secured in every part? Will he not bring to fruition my salvation and grant me my every desire?”
- Nearing the end of his life, David had the assurance of the promises God had made to him, he was certain of his own salvation and of a future after death.
- David’s confidence reminds us that for the believer, death is not the end of existence, but the doorway to a glorious future. And David’s last words could be a model for what we might say at our own death.
PRAYER:
Meditate v5, using different versions to get a better understanding. Am I confident enough to say these words as David did? Talk to God about this.
