Title: All My Assurance
Text: 2 Samuel 23: 1-5
Date: May 23, 2010
Place: SGBC, PNJ
Since I knew we would have our time together yesterday, I had my sermon prepared already. But Tuesday I got the news that a faithful preacher of the gospel had died--Brother Scott Richardson. Then I received some other news that has caused my heart to break for my brethren. So I woke a bit more early this morning with this scripture on my heart. I pray this may be of comfort to you who are suffering even now. King David--the man after God's own heart--is dying. These are his last words.
2 Samuel 23: 1: Now these be the last words of David.
We see Christ even in these descriptions of David
David the son of Jesse said,--Our Lord Jesus, is the Root of Jesse, called the Son of David and David's Lord.
and the man who was raised up on high, the anointed of the God of Jacob,--God took David from tending his father's sheep and anointed him and made him a king over Israel. God the Father anointed Christ Jesus, he is raised to a glorious high throne, the throne of David over spiritual Israel, the government which has no end--he is the great Shepherd of his sheep
and the sweet psalmist of Israel,--David's psalms are sweet because they sing of our glorious Redeemer
2 Samuel 23: 1: 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, 2: The Spirit of the LORD spake BY me, and HIS word was in my tongue. 3: The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spake TO me,
Notice the three in One here.
· The God of Israel is God the Father
· The Rock of Israel is Christ Jesus the Son of God
· The Spirit of the LORD is the Holy Spirit.
Notice David says the Spirit of the LORD spoke BY me--that is the divinely inspired gospel to us. And "the God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spoke TO ME"--that is what God the Father and the Christ Jesus the Rock confirmed in David's own soul for his assurance. What a blessing! To have the Father and Son speak to us for own benefit and the Holy Ghost speak by us for the benefit of our brethren. This is what the triune God spoke by David and to David:
2 Samuel 23: 3: The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spake TO me, he that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God. 4: And he shall be as the light of the morning, when the sun riseth, even a morning without clouds; as the tender grass springing out of the earth by clear shining after rain.
David ruled as justly as a man can. But this is a description, especially of David's Lord and of his government. He is a Just God and a Savior, just and the Justifier of all who believe. Christ Jesus is the "light of the world', the "sun of righteousness."
2 Samuel 23: 5: Although my house be not so with God; yet he hath made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things, and sure: for this is all my salvation, and all my desire, although he make it not to grow.
Proposition: The hope of the believer is the God of everlasting covenant grace. This 5th verse will be our focus and we will divide it by phrase.
I. ALTHOUGH MY HOUSE BE NOT SO WITH GOD
In our immediate family, most of us have dear children, some perhaps even a spouse that do not know and worship God. Your heart mourns for them.
In our extended families we have brothers and sisters and other relatives who simply do not believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. Often they bring great calamities upon themselves and those around them. And our hearts mourn for them.
David looked over his house and he saw clouds from morning till evening.
Consider the clouds that hung over David's house
· Michal--David's wife was forced from him to another man--then when David got her back she ridiculed David, despising him in her heart because of his zeal for the Lord.
· Amnon, David's son, raped his sister Tamar, David's daughter
· Abasalom, David's son then killed Amnon, his son.
· Abaslom fled to Geshur and David mourned for his son for three years.
· Abaslom's horse went under an oak and he got hung by the neck, and while he was struggling Joab shot him in the heart and he died.
2 Samuel 18: 33: And the king was much moved, and went up to the chamber over the gate, and wept: and as he went, thus he said, O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! would God I had died for thee, O Absalom, my son, my son!
In himself, David could find no comfort because of his own sin.
· So many men had died at his sword
· He numbered Israel and over 70,000 men died because of it.
· He had committed adultery and sent Uriah into battle where he was killed
Application: Our God teaches us through these most difficult days that we simply will not find any hope or comfort in this world, not even in our dearest loved ones. Oh, that we might learn to "cease from man" and flee to the Rock of Israel. The Rock said,
John 16:33: These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.
David said, Although my house be not so with God
II. YET,…[How thankful we are for that word "Yet"] HE HATH MADE WITH ME AN EVERLASTING COVENANT.
A covenant of free, unchanging grace (Ps 89: 1-4; 19-37)
The covenant God made with David is the covenant between God the Father and his Son, Christ Jesus. It was David's mercy for Christ's sake.
Luke 1: 31: And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. 32: He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: 33: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.
Acts 13: 34: And as concerning that he raised him up from the dead, now no more to return to corruption, he said on this wise, I will give you the sure mercies of David.
This covenant is everlasting--it is eternal, the blessings given to us are spiritual, eternal blessings.
Jeremiah 3: 20: Thus saith the LORD; If ye can break my covenant of the day, and my covenant of the night, and that there should not be day and night in their season; 21: Then may also my covenant be broken with David my servant, that he should not have a son to reign upon his throne; and with the Levites the priests, my ministers. 22: As the host of heaven cannot be numbered, neither the sand of the sea measured: so will I multiply the seed of David my servant, and the Levites that minister unto me.
Ephesians 1: 3-12 : God the Father stood upon the Rock--he first trusted Christ-- before any sinner ever did and because the covenant has been in his Son from everlasting…
This covenant is ordered and sure.
Have you noticed that everything God requires, God provides.
· Perfect righteousness--Christ is the Lord our Righteousness
· Perfection of holiness--Christ the Lord is the beauty of holiness for his people
· Perfect fidelity to God--Christ is the Author and Finisher of our faith
· From before the foundation of the world Christ Jesus was made the Surety of this covenant. He is the Savior, Sanctifier and Mediator of all those given him by the Father in this everlasting covenant--ordered and sure!
· All that the Father chose, the Son redeemed and the Spirit calls and keeps--ordered and sure!
Isaiah 42:4: He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till he have set judgment in the earth: and the isles shall wait for his law.
Isaiah 46: 9 Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, 10: Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure: 11: Calling a ravenous bird from the east, the man that executeth my counsel from a far country: yea, I have spoken it, I will also bring it to pass; I have purposed it, I will also do it.
III. V5. FOR THIS IS ALL MY SALVATION
Shortly before he died, John Newton said, "My memory is nearly gone, but I remember two things: that I am a great sinner and that Christ is a great Saviour."
David looked at the state of his house he found no hope in those things. Oh, but when he thought on that Sure word from the covenant God of glory he said, "This is all my salvation."
Psalm 62: 1: «To the chief Musician, to Jeduthun, A Psalm of David.» Truly my soul waiteth upon God: from him cometh my salvation. 2: He only is my rock and my salvation; he is my defence; I shall not be greatly moved.
My Rock--my firm, immovable foundation is Christ
My salvation--everything God requires of me, Christ is
My defense--he is a wall of fire around you, believer--he leads us and he is our rear-ward--when Satan buffets, when our house seems to be falling down around us, when the most violent storms approach--I SHALL NOT BE GREATLY MOVED!
IV. THIS IS ALL MY DESIRE
The word means "delight and assurance". All the sin that troubled David so…he could find no delight and assurance in his own flesh. But this is his hope:
Ps 73:25: Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee. 26: My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever.
Psalm 119: 81: My soul fainteth for thy salvation: but I hope in thy word.
God is satisfied in his Son. Are you satisfied in his Son? Is he all your desire, all your delight and assurance?
V. (v5) ALTHOUGH HE MAKE IT NOT TO GROW
He had spoken of his house before. He had spoken of the tender grass springing forth. He says here that although, he maketh not my house to be as the tender grass springing out of the earth by clear shining after rain, although it be hard to see with natural eye how God would preserve my house and how Christ, the tender plant, would spring forth, the branch of the LORD, beautiful and glorious"
Still,
· He hath made with me an everlasting covenant
· Ordered in all things, and sure
· This is all my salvation
· And all my desire.
Application: (Turn to Is 55: 1-4)
Beloved, when our hearts are heavy by the tribulation in this world, by the troubles in our own house, when your flesh and your heart faileth, when your soul fainteth, come back to this everlasting, sure, ordered covenant word, and find your assurance in Christ…
I John 3: 2: Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
And to you who have never confessed Christ, MAY God cause to hear him effectually now. (Read Is 55: 1-4--think on these sure mercies of David!)
Amen!