“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,” (2Samuel 23:1)
2 Samuel was probably written by the prophet Nathan or Gad and chronicles David’s reign and the Davidic Covenant. Bible scholars conclude that Samuel could not have written the book because Samuel died in 1 Samuel. “Now the acts of David the king, first and last, behold, they are written in the book of Samuel the seer, and in the book of Nathan the prophet, and in the book of Gad the seer,” (1Chronicles 29:29)
David is described in three ways. One is the “man who was raised up on high.” David was the least esteemed in his family. The youngest of eight sons, he tended the sheep. He was so disregarded that when the prophet Samuel asked David’s father, Jesse, to present his sons, he didn’t include David. But God knows the coming and goings of everyone and considers their heart. And God made David the sheepherder and slighted member of the family, a great person. “Now therefore so shalt thou say unto My servant David, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, I took thee from the sheepcote, from following the sheep, to be ruler over My people, over Israel: And I was with thee whithersoever thou wentest, and have cut off all thine enemies out of thy sight, and have made thee a great name, like unto the name of the great men that are in the earth.” (2Samuel 7:8-9)
In the loneliness of the pastures caring for the sheep, David learned to depend on the LORD. He sang songs to the Lord and communed with God. He learned of God’s faithfulness and goodness. He learned to listen to the LORD and many spiritual principles that guided him and helped him through all the troubles he had in his life. That time alone with the LORD is essential in knowing God and learning from Him. In the rest times of our life, we may feel that we are wasting time and that nothing is happening. But just as David learned from the LORD in his time alone, times of rest are times we should cherish as God’s way of allowing us to learn from Him. Contemplating on our life’s ups and downs and placing them in perspective to the Word of God will allow us to draw near, to repent and to marvel at His miracles. It allows us to see God’s faithfulness and God’s hand in all. It is quiet instruction for a bigger challenge, as David found out.
Another description of David is the “anointed of the God of Jacob.” Samuel anointed David. God doesn’t see men in the natural. And Samuel waited on the Lord to anoint the one God had chosen. (1Samuel 16:12-13) “I have found David My servant; with My holy oil have I anointed him:” (Psalms 89:20) Psalms 89 was written by Ethan the Ezrahite who had been a boy in David’s court and Heman the Ezrahite who was considered a wise man during Solomon’s reign. Psalms 89 was written about David, but many of the verses are prophetic and speak of the Messiah. It also tells of God’s covenant with David of his eternal kingdom. “His seed also will I make to endure for ever, and his throne as the days of heaven.” (Psalms 89:29) It foretells of the Messiah coming from David’s descendants. It tells about the eternal reign of Jesus, Who is God. Only deity can reign forever. Man can only rule on the earth through the will of God.
The last description of David is the “sweet psalmist of Israel.” David wrote 73 of the 150 psalms. He poured out his thoughts and feelings in his psalms. Through them we learn of his closeness to, his dependance on and his trust in the LORD in the good times and in the difficult times. Paul understood the importance of having that close relationship with the Lord in his exhortation to pray always, without ceasing and to sing and give thanks always to the Lord. “Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;” (Ephesians 5:19-20) If you listen to the Holy Spirit, He sings songs in your heart of praise, thanksgiving and worship to the Lord. I’m sure you’ve had a song in your soul that won’t leave you. It’s the Holy Spirit singing that song. David had the gift of inventing songs. That’s a special gift that some have. But to the rest of us, the Holy Spirit brings to our soul songs that we’ve heard and maybe have forgotten that He wants us to sing. Join Him in singing to the Lord.
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