“Last Words”
2 Samuel
23:1-7
November 22, 2009
This Sunday marks the occasion of the last
words we speak before the new church year is upon us.
Last words close the book on what was, and brace the community as it
launches toward its future. Casting our minds
across the library of the Bible, we recall how authors employed the literary vehicle of
quoting the “last words” of many tribal saints and leaders. Linking these personalities together casts a deep
and wide vision of the world God calls into being.
Please listen for how the
Spirit is addressing us through the last words of David from God’s word found on page
542 of the Old Testament section of your pew Bibles from Second Samuel chapter
twenty-three verses one through seven…
Now these are the last words of David:
The oracle of David, son of Jesse,
the oracle of the man whom God exalted,
the anointed of the God of Jacob, the favorite
of the Strong One of Israel:
2The spirit of the Lord speaks
through me,
his word is upon my tongue.
3The God of Israel has spoken,
the Rock of Israel has said to me:
One who rules over people justly,
ruling in the fear of God,
4is like the light of morning,
like the sun rising on a cloudless morning,
gleaming from the rain on the grassy land.
5Is not my house like this with
God?
For he has made with me an everlasting
covenant,
ordered in all things and secure.
Will he not cause to prosper
all my help and my desire?
6But the godless are all like
thorns that are thrown away;
for they cannot be picked up with the hand;
7to touch them one uses an iron bar
or the shaft of a spear.
And they are entirely consumed in fire on the
spot.
This
is God’s word to us…
Last words have a special
weight that other words do not. Last words are
given particular significance simply because they are last words. Think of the last words that are spoken at a
graveside; or the last words that are said to a child when dropping her off at college; or
the last words of a loved one who has been visiting from out of town before taking his
leave. People attend to last words.
Consider for a moment then,
the last words of several familiar historical figures.
On Benjamin Franklin’s tombstone appear these words: “The body of
B. Franklin, Printer, like the cover of an old book its contents turn out and stript of
its letter & Guilding lies here. Food for
worms, for it will as he believed appear once more in a new and more elegant Edition
corrected and improved by the Author.”
Or what about Thomas
Jefferson’s tomb which is notable for what he omits: “Here was buried Thomas
Jefferson Author of the American Declaration of Independence of the Statute of Virginia
for Religious Freedom and Father of the University of Virginia.”
And then there are Sir
Winston Churchill’s eternal last words: “I am ready to meet my maker whether my
Maker is prepared for the ordeal of meeting me is another matter.”
All three of these men;
Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and Winston Churchill are well known to us, but we
get an even deeper glimpse into the heart of each man through the last words that they
wished for us to remember them by. With
Benjamin Franklin it’s his sense of humor and everlasting ability to make wisdom fun. In the case of Thomas Jefferson we see how ahead of
his time he was in that he didn’t include something as fleeting as the presidency in
his last words. And then there is Winston
Churchill, who like Benjamin Franklin, wanted to share his quick wit eternally.
Historical figures are not
the only ones who pass on lasting wisdom through last words; the Bible is full of such
gems. Throughout both the Old and New
Testaments there are many such last words; speeches and oracles that we can turn to. In fact there are too many to cover in one Sunday
morning sermon, so instead, let’s listen in to just a few from several people with
whom you are no doubt familiar.
First, in Deuteronomy
chapter 33 after Moses appoints Joshua as his successor and is not far removed from the
grave himself, Moses walks among the tribes of Israel giving a blessing to each. And then to the whole gathered assembly of Israel
he says, “Happy are you, O Israel! Who is
like you, a people saved by the LORD, the shield of your help, and the sword of your
triumph! Your enemies shall come fawning to
you, and you shall tread on their backs” (v. 29).
After leading the people out
of bondage in Egypt, after enduring the forty long years of Exodus, as they were perched
on the highlands of Moab looking over the much sought after Promised Land to which he was
not permitted to enter; Moses blessed the people and reminded them of God’s blessing
which rested securely upon them. Moses’
last words are a blessing and a promise that if the people walk in the ways of God then
they will overcome whatever adversities they encounter.
Even in the face of what must have been his own disappointment Moses did not
allow his own failures to color the hope of Israel, but instead showered upon them
heavenly blessings.
Without knowing what the
outcome of the conquest would be, Moses passes on flexible and reusable last words. These good last words that Moses offers to the
people are words that they can come back to again and again no matter what they may face. They are words of parting that remind Israel of the
eternal presence and promises of God.
Of course, Moses’ last
words of promise are not the only last words of power and authority found in Holy
Scripture. We might also remember the
significance of Jesus’ last words. Much
like Moses’ extended blessings offered to the tribes and people of Israel; nearly all
of the last quarter of John’s gospel is taken up with Jesus’ words of comfort
and preparation for his impending arrest, crucifixion and death.
Knowing that his disciples
are not quite prepared to be leaderless Jesus tells them, “I have said these things
to you while I am still with you. But the
Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything
and remind you of all that I have said to you. Peace
I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do
not give to you as the world gives. Do not let
your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid” (John 14:25-27).
Jesus does not simply find
another leader for his band of followers as did Moses in appointing Joshua, instead Jesus
introduces his disciples to the promise and presence of the Holy Spirit. Jesus passes on to his disciples an incorruptible
authority who will empower their ministry through the trials to come from crucifixion to
resurrection to ascension to the establishment of the early church. These words that Jesus shares with his disciples
about the Holy Spirit are often heard at funerals. They
are last words that point us to the comfort and assurance of God’s continuing
presence and the promise that we will forever abide in the peace of God.
The apostle Paul builds on
these promises every time he writes to the fledgling churches of the first century. Regardless of the location of the church to which
he is writing, Paul concludes each of his letters with final instructions, things he has
probably said many times before but don’t hurt saying again. They are last words shared much in the same way as
a mother who reminds her son of the way to behave at school on their way to the bus each
day. And then Paul closes with a benediction—a
closing prayer that reminds the people of what God is like and why that matters in their
lives.
The last words of the second letter to the church at Corinth
are pretty typical as far as Paul’s last words go when he writes; “The grace of
the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with all
of you” (2 Cor. 13:13). Following
the model of both Moses and Jesus, Paul can hardly say goodbye to his churches without
reminding them that they are never alone. That
no matter what is going on within their community of faith or within the society in which
they find themselves that the grace, love, and fellowship of God remains with them no
matter what.
Throughout the broad arc of
the Bible we hear of how parting leaders make sure the people understand that just because
they may be departing does not mean God’s presence and promises depart as well. It is within this line of thinking that we hear
King David’s last words, which at first might sound like a song of triumph when he
intones, “The spirit of the LORD speaks through me,
[God’s] word is upon my tongue.
One
who rules over people justly, ruling in the fear of God, is like the morning, like the sun
rising on a cloudless morning, gleaming from the rain on the grassy land” (2 Sam. 23:2, 3b-4).
What at first may sound like
boastful self-congratulation are actually words that describe what it is like to live
within the blessings of God Almighty. Celebrating
our accomplishments, when we acknowledge that they flow from God’s grace and love are
more than appropriate. And that is indeed what
David does for those who hear him in his final psalm to the people Israel. He celebrates what has been accomplished in God’s
name during his reign and then proceeds to remind the people once again of what it will
mean for them to live within the blessings of God.
In David’s parting
psalm he assures them of what their life with God will be like if only they follow the
promises of God when he sings, “Is not my house like this with God? For [God] has made with me an everlasting covenant,
ordered in all things and secure. Will [God]
not cause to prosper all my help and desire?” (2 Sam. 23:5).
Moses, Jesus, Paul, and
David all remind us through their last words that there is no other way in which we should
part from one another, be it temporarily or eternally.
In all our partings we make them within the blessings of God to one another
and when we do so we pass something of God’s love and grace, God’s enduring
promises on to one another. And with those
blessings received we are able to bring about many wonderful things in God’s name
whether they are the mundane weekly activities to which we prepare ourselves are the more
extraordinary leap we take from this life to the next.
For no matter how we say
“good bye” we must never forget that this common phrase of parting has its
origins in a more profound farewell; meaning, “God be with you.” That we might have a deeper understanding of how
last words impact the lives of others is especially important as we move into a time of
year when we have the opportunity to greet and spend time with family and friends with
whom we have been separated for some time. As
we enjoy the time we spend with one another may our times of farewell be just as
meaningful. May all of our partings be filled
with blessings, opportunities to pass on the enduring promises of God.
On this Christ the King—Reign
of Christ—Sunday we are reminded through the various last words of the Bible that
Jesus’ kingship is not like that of the kings of old or the monarchs of today. Instead, living under the Reign of Christ is to
trust in the presence of God our Father, Son and Holy Spirit who is made manifest in our
lives through the peace of God; the grace, love, and fellowship of God; and the enduring
promises of God which we find in Holy Scripture which point us to the Body of Christ found
among those whom we call: Children of God.
Amen.
Biblical Affirmation of Faith—Colossians
1:15-20
Jesus Christ is the image of the invisible
God,
the firstborn of all creation;
in him all things in heaven and on earth were
created,
things visible and invisible.
All things have been created through him and
for him.
He himself is before all things,
and in him all things hold
together.
He is head of the body, the church;
he is the beginning,
the firstborn of the dead,
so that he might come to
have first place in everything.
For in him all the fullness of God was pleased
to dwell,
and through him God was
pleased to reconcile all things,
whether on earth or in
heaven,
by making peace through the
blood of the cross.
