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How King David Would Want To Be Remembered
by Cate Russell-Cole There is a simple answer to this question - David would want his life to do one thing:point the way to God. Unlike his son, Absalom, King David never built a monument to himself. [2 Samuel 18:18 despite 2 Samuel 14:27] He never asked that the temple be named after him, or for Solomon to have a plaque installed on the wall with his name on it. He did not leave behind golden, ostentatiouspalaces, as his son Solomon did [1 Kings 10:21]; neither did he build himself an impressive funerary monument as the Egyptian kings did. Instead, this is what we hear David saying in his old age. "My life is an example to many, because You have been my strength and protection. That is why I can never stop praising You; I declare Your glory all day long... But I will keep on hoping for Your help; I will praise You more and more. I will tell everyone about Your righteousness. All day long I will proclaim Your saving power, though I am not skilled with words. I will praise Your mighty deeds, O Sovereign LORD. I will tell everyone that You alone are just. O God, You have taught me from my earliest childhood, and I constantly tell others about the wonderful things You do. Now that I am old and grey, do not abandon me, O God. Let me proclaim Your power to this new generation, Your mighty miracles to all who come after me. Your righteousness, O God, reaches to the highest heavens. You have done such wonderful things. Who can compare with You, O God? You have allowed me to suffer much hardship, but You will restore me to life again and lift me up from the depths of the earth. You will restore me to even greater honour and comfort me once again. Then I will praise You with music on the harp, because You are faithful to your promises, O my God. I will sing praises to You with a lyre, O Holy One of Israel. I will shout for joy and sing Your praises, for You have ransomed me. I will tell about Your righteous deeds all day long, for everyone who tried to hurt me has been shamed and humiliated." Psalm 71:7-8, then 14-24 In his last words (below), David focusses not on his military prowess, or his leadership achievements, instead he states the blessing that the Lord has bestowed upon him.** This is typical of David. When hetalked about his achievements, it was always alongside what God had done; and despite the extensive suffering and loss he had been through, there was no bitterness, complaint, or resentment present. David's Last Words These are the last words of David: David, the son of Jesse, speaks: David, the man who was raised up so high, David, the man anointed by the God of Jacob, David, the sweet psalmist of Isra'el. "The Spirit of the LORD speaks through me; His words are upon my tongue. The God of Israel spoke. The Rock of Israel said to me: 'The one who rules righteously, who rules in the fear of God, is like the light of morning at sunrise, like a morning without clouds, like the gleaming of the sun on new grass after rain.' "Is it not my family God has chosen? Yes, He has made an everlasting covenant with me. His agreement is arranged and guaranteed in every detail. He will ensure my safety and success. But the godless are like thorns to be thrown away, for they tear the hand that touches them. One must use iron tools to chop them down; they will be totally consumed by fire." 1 Samuel 23 In 2 Samuel 22, he gives a greater list of what has happened in his life, and note that the glory always goes back to God. For example: "The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my saviour; my God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety. He is my refuge, my Saviour, the One who saves me from violence. I called on the LORD, who is worthy of praise, and He saved me from my enemies." Notes: **If it seems egotistical in some ways, remember that David lived in a shame/honour culture, where a king who has been shamed is discredited and thrown out of office by his people, so culturally, it is necessary to state how he is honourable and honoured. However, David wrote much more extolling the glory of the Lord. Please see my master list of verses which demonstrate David's humility.https://www.facebook.com/notes/from-despair-to-deliverance/verses-which-demonstrate-davids-humility/1213522105331651 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ For more information on King David, please have a meander through the King David Project Facebook page, our web site and our blog, "Masada Rain." The blog houses many useful resources on studying, David plus bits and pieces of information which don't neatly fit into article form. Please ignore dates and use the search feature to find what you want. The web site has resources on David's family tree, life and the Psalms. All content is creative commons and non-profit. Sharing of the project's work would be deeply appreciated. Masada Rain Blog: https://masadarain.wordpress.com The project web site: http://cateartios.wix.com/kingdavidproject Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/fromdespairtodeliverance "From Despair to Deliverance: the King David Project," is a non-profit ministry, that seeks to make the life of King David easy to understand and relevant, so that believers gain inspiration and comfort from the life of King David. The project is run by Cate Russell-Cole, a Christian writer from Brisbane, Australia. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ This article by Cate Russell-Cole is under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0) Written in Australian English. Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com |