David Embodies God’s Justice (07/08/2012)

Background Scripture: 2 Samuel 22:1 – 23:7; 1 Chronicles 18:14 Lesson Passage: 2 Samuel 23:1 –7; 1 Chronicles 18:14 David embodies God’s justice. What does that really mean? What does it mean to embody anything? In a highly spiritual sense, the word “embody” means to personify or incarnate. It literally means to take that which is spiritual and to make it physical or concrete. It is to give physical expression to something that is otherwise imperceptible or not capable of being perceived. For David—or anyone for that matter—to embody a characteristic that is of God is truly phenomenal. This can only happen when a person has experienced and come to know God in a way that they can reflect a part of God’s glory to others. The background scripture shows that this is indeed the case with David. Chapter 22 of 2 Samuel is a psalm that David wrote in praise of God for the great deliverance God had provided him. David’s life reflects that God had truly delivered him out of some tough situations. But God didn’t stop there. He went further and elevated David to be king over all of God’s people and other nations were made to serve David as well. David had much to be thankful for and as a result, he expressed his thanksgiving in the form of praise. His praise described the attributes of God that were seen through His mighty works. David related God’s faithfulness to him in the language of the covenant that God made with Israel during the time of Moses. David embraced his blessings because he could see that they resulted from his being obedient to God’s covenant. Love for God can only be expressed through obedience to Him. David declared that this was indeed the case with him. Although David declared his obedience to God as being in line with God’s requirement of him, he did not take credit for any deliverance. When he was delivered, he acknowledged that it was only because of God’s grace. David spent many years on the run from King Saul but he did not attribute his own cunningness to his survivor. He hid in the caves and rocks of the mountain sides but he understood that his true protection came from the Rock that is above all, that is God. His psalm was a celebration of God preserving his life. As we turn our attention to the final words that David uttered, we again see that he speaks of God’s covenant. Here, it is much more personal. He does not speak of God’s covenant with Israel but God’s covenant with him. This covenant was relayed to David by the prophet of God named Nathan. Nathan informed David that God was going to establish a covenant with him that would last into eternity. Yes, even after David’s death, God’s covenant would be in effect because of His relationship with David. God was going to establish David’s throne to be an everlasting throne. God would place David’s descendant on the throne and no power in Heaven or in earth would be able to overthrow him. This knowledge provided security for David well beyond the grave. For such an unmerited gift, David’s proper response was to embody God’s justice while he sat on the throne so that others would see the reflected glory David had experienced. Robert C. Hudson June 26, 2012