Hey Bible readers, I'm Tara Lee Cobble and I'm your host for the Bible Recap. Today we approach the end of David's life, so we're beginning to take a look back at all the many ways God has worked in his life through all the ups and downs. David's doing this too in song form. His song in chapter 22 bears a lot of similarity to Psalm 18, which we read on day 109. So here's a reminder of what we talked about on that day. This song is a testament to the goodness of God through all of David's trials. He makes a lot of claims about his righteousness here, but if we look closely, we see that he describes his righteousness as being a gift from God. It is God who makes his way blameless. He continues to point to God as the source of all these good things. God is the one who equips him, delivers him, and protects him. David recognizes that this all starts with God. He is the source of all the good things we have and offer back to him. The heading of chapter 23 in my Bible says, The Last Words of David. But don't worry, there's still more of David yet to come in this book as well as in a couple other books. He's not dead yet. David begins by identifying himself humbly as the son of Jesse. And then he identifies the ways that God has exalted the lowly by raising him up and anointing him. Not only that, but God speaks to him and through him, and he serves as a prophet to Israel, not just a king. God is like sunlight and rain bringing life and light to David as he rules by the fear of God in stark contrast to Saul, who ruled by the fear of man. God made a covenant with David, and he continues to deal with David according to that covenant. It hasn't changed, and everything that has transpired in David's life has been a fixed part of God's precise, unshakable plan. In verse 6, he refers to worthless men, which can be translated men of Belial or sons of the devil. He says they're like thorns that will be burned up. Then we close the chapter by recounting David's mighty men and a few of their exploits and victories. One of those that we've read about before but that we didn't discuss was the incident where David happened to mention how he wanted some water from back home while his hometown happened to be surrounded by the Philistines. David's men were so loyal to him that three of them risked their lives to go get him water that he casually referenced, but when they bring it back to him, he pours it on the ground. Not because he's ungrateful, but because he wants to make a point that their lives are more valuable than water or any of his fleeting desires. This may seem disrespectful to them, but by doing this, he actually shows them loyalty in return. But then, of course, at the very end of the list, we see the name of a man he was not loyal to, Uriah, Bathsheba's husband. The introduction to Psalm 57 mentions that David wrote this when he fled from Saul in the cave. There are a few times in this reading plan when things get out of chronological order and it always feels a little weird to me, but maybe it's just part of the reflection over David's life, I don't know. Regardless, we know this story, so it shouldn't owe any of us off, hopefully. A lot of David's life has involved crying out to God for help, and he has seen God deliver him in the most unlikely of circumstances. By paying attention to God's consistent deliverance, he has grown to trust God over time. So when he encounters new trials or new lions or new enemies, his response is to praise God and expect God to deliver him. He may ask, how long, oh Lord, from time to time, but he always seems to trust that there's an answer. He knows that regardless what happens, or even what is currently happening, God is working in it all to fulfill his purpose. In verse two, he says it like this, I cry out to God most high, to God who fulfills his purpose for me. How comforting is it to be reminded that God is at work on our behalf and that his plans for us can't be thwarted because he is the God most high? In verse seven, David says, my heart is steadfast, oh God, my heart is steadfast. And even though David has had moments of wandering, this is still an overall true statement about his heart toward God. What was your God shot today? There was something unique about God that we haven't seen described much elsewhere in our reading, at least not with the kind of poetry David used today. It was in 2 Samuel 22, 36 in David's song. David said, your gentleness made me great. God's gentleness doesn't get a lot of press, but David said it directly corresponds to what has made him fruitful in life. David has been the recipient of God's gentleness, particularly in the way God showed him mercy in the midst of his sins, and David has also displayed God's gentleness. He didn't lord his power or position over others. He spared Saul's life. He cared for Mephibosheth. He pardoned his enemies. This is what meekness looks like. Meekness is not the absence of strength, it's strength under control. And it manifests in David as gentleness. For God himself to display that kind of thing is remarkable and noteworthy. God is gentle with us, and he's where the joy is. Are you looking for a community to dive deep into scripture with? Maybe you want a bit more than the daily readings we offer through the Bible Recap. I may be biased, but I think you should join a D-group. D-group is different from the Bible Recap, but lots of people do both. In D-group, we do four studies a year and we open our groups to new members every six weeks. Our studies focus on diving deep into one specific book of the Bible, and we'd love for you to join us, either in person or online, and we have D-groups for women and men. For more info, check out the show notes to see a promo video or visit mydgroup.org. Or click the link in the show notes.
