David’s Final Words

Next Sunday will be the last in our series on 2 Samuel. 2 Samuel 22 is a song of David that is almost identical to Psalm 18. David, of course, wrote many of the psalms, but this one was probably one he wrote near the end of his life. Then 2 Samuel 23 is prefaced with this statement: "These are the last words of David: 'The inspired utterance of David son of Jesse, the utterance of the man exalted by the Most High, the man anointed by the God of Jacob, the hero of Israel’s songs,’” (2 Samuel 23:1, NIV) There’s a lot to say about these few words. The word for this “utterance” is normally reserved for messages from God. This is why the translators have chosen to add the word “inspired.” David spoke God’s word for his people. He was “anointed,” which means he was set apart for a specific purpose. It makes me wonder what I would want my final message to be? If I knew I had one more sermon to preach, what would I say? If I knew I had only a limited amount of time to speak, who would I want to send a message to? What about you? How would you answer those questions?

Speaking of sending messages, I want to remind you how important our prayers are. God has asked us to bring to him our concerns and cares. When we see troubling time—either far away or closer to home—are we more inclined to stew about it, or to take it to God? Prayer is an important way that we draw near to God.

Remember that next Sunday North Danvers will be responsible for the ice cream social at the Danvers Town Band Concert. Already this morning there are people here diligently working in preparation for this. I hope to see you there! And I hope to see you at our worship service Sunday as well. It’s encouraging to gather together at the very beginning of our week.

God bless ,Brian

Scripture readings for next Sunday

2 Samuel 22—How would you summarize David’s message in this song?

John 17—What stands out to you in Jesus’ prayer?

2 Samuel 23—What would you want your last words to be?

Why those words?2 Timothy 4—How are Paul’s final words similar to and different from David’s?