Today we are at the end of 2nd Samuel – just to clarify, I want to give a quick note about the structure of these books. Back in January we looked at Hannah’s prayer and discussed how her song really gives an outline for these books. We said that the point of these books is: God will raise up and God will put down based on adherence to the Deuteronomic covenant.
From this idea you can see how the books fall into an outline:
- God prospers faithful Hannah/ Hinders Unfaithful Eli (1 Sam. 1-3)
- God hinders unfaithful Israel (1 Sam. 4-6)
- God prospers “faithful” Saul (1 Sam. 7-15)
- God hinders unfaithful Saul (1 Sam. 16-2 Sam. 1)
- God prospers faithful David (2 Sam. 2-9)
- God hinders unfaithful David (2 Sam. 10-20)
Now, chapters 21 through 24 of 2nd Samuel don’t really fit into this outline anywhere. In fact, they are not in chronological order with the rest of the books – these chapters seem to be appendices which record events and writings that fit in various places throughout David’s reign.
John MacAruthur notes in his Bible Commentary,
“There is striking literary arrangement of the sections in this division of the book. The first and last sections (21:1-14; 24:1-25) are narratives that describe two occurrences of the Lord’s anger against Israel. The second and fifth sections (21:15-22; 23:8-39) are descriptions of David’s warriors. The third and fourth sections (22:1-51; 23:1-7) record two of David’s songs.”
Today we are going to spend a little time looking at David’s song in 2 Samuel 22, which is almost identical to Psalm 18. The themes in this song go hand in hand with Hannah’s prayer in 1 Samuel 2, providing the other “bookend” for this section of Scripture. Notice how these two chapters mirror one another:
- “The LORD is my rock my fortress and my deliverer;” (2 Samuel 22:2)
- “There is no one holy like the LORD; there is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God.” (1 Samuel 2:2)
- “…my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation. He is my stronghold, my refuge and my savior— from violent men you save me.” (2 Samuel 22:3)
- “My heart rejoices in the LORD; in the LORD my horn is lifted high. My mouth boasts over my enemies, for I delight in your deliverance.” (1 Samuel 2:1)
- “You save the humble, but your eyes are on the haughty to bring them low.” (2 Samuel 22:28)
- “Do not keep talking so proudly or let your mouth speak such arrogance, for the LORD is a God who knows, and by him deeds are weighed.” (1 Samuel 2:3)
- “He gives his king great victories; he shows unfailing kindness to his anointed, to David and his descendants forever.” (2 Samuel 22:51)
- “He will give strength to his king and exalt the horn of his anointed.” (1 Samuel 2:10)
It is interesting that those last two verses both speak of a king who is God’s anointed(both singular). To quote MacArthur once again:
“These terms are singular and, thus, do not seem to refer to David and his descendants. Rather, they refer to the promised “seed,” the Messiah of 7:12 [the Davidic covenant.] The deliverance and ultimate triumph of David foreshadow that of the coming Messiah. At the end of his life, David looked back in faith at God’s promises and forward in hope to their fulfillment in the coming of a future king, the “anointed one.”
Before we get to personal application, just a quick note for those who have recently joined our studies. The promise of this “seed” is something we’ve been following since the beginning of our studies in Genesis. For a catch-up crash course, check out the following posts:
The Power of His Word – The initial promise in Genesis 3 and why it is trustworthy!
Redemption Unfolding – The first salvation experience! Adam and Eve trusted the promise of the coming Seed as their only way back into relationship with God!
The Battle Begins – the unfolding battle between the “seed” of the woman and the “seed” of Satan. The search for “THE Seed” continues!
The Cuddly Animals are not the Point of Noah’s Ark! – the continued search for the Seed revealed in Noah’s name!
Next Step in God’s Master Plan: Abraham – The Abrahamic Covenant, telling us that the Seed would come from the line of Abraham
The Lesson of Mount Moriah – God’s command to Abraham to sacrifice Isaac was really an issue of faith in the promises of the coming Seed!
Joseph, Judah, and the God of Mercy – God’s merciful restoration of Judah, and information that the Seed would come through Judah’s line!
What’s the deal with the talking donkey? The Seed promise reiterated by Baalam – God is faithful even when His people are not!
More clues about the Seed – The Davidic covenant, telling us that the Seed would come from the line of David.
Now, back to David. I love that phrase in MacArthur’s quote that, “At the end of his life, David looked back in faith at God’s promises and forward in hope to their fulfillment…” David definitely did not have a flawless life, as we studied in David’s Great Demise. However, at the end of His life, He is praising God for His justice and believes that God will be faithful to His promises. He started well, had a rocky “middle,” and ends in trust and faith.
When speaking of finishing well, I often think of Jacob’s statement in Genesis 45:15, “the God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who has been my shepherd all my life to this day…” Jacob was a great example of a guy who most definitely did not have all his ducks-in-a-row, spiritually speaking, for the majority of his life! And yet, he looked back and realized that God had shepherded him all his life to that very day.
None of us will be flawless. We will all look back on our lives and have areas of regret or failure, small or large. But when we are faithless, He is faithful. He is our shepherd throughout all our lives! I imagine that even as David surely deeply regretted his choices earlier in life, He reveled in the faithfulness of His God who loved him enough to pursue him, discipline him, and lovingly bring him back to Himself.
I have heard too many women say or imply that God cannot use them because they are broken, flawed vessels. Their sin has been too deep, their lives are too far gone, their chances were wasted. Friends, this is not true!
Do our actions have consequences? Absolutely, and David’s story is a sobering reminder of this. But God is able to redeem and work through the darkest of nights in our lives. When we are faithless, He is faithful! May God grant us the eyes to look back at our lives and see His hand of mercy and grace, look forward at the future and believe Him to be faithful to His promises, and leave a legacy of faith based on His faithfulness, not ours.
For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his love for those who fear him;
as far as the east is from the west,
so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
As a father has compassion on his children,
so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him;
for he knows how we are formed,
he remembers that we are dust.
Psalm 103:11-14
