Verses 1-7
The Final Oracle Of David (2 Samuel 23:1-7 ).
We are told that these are ‘the last words of David’ (i.e. his last official words in the light of approaching death). The last words of a man were seen as having special importance, compare Genesis 49:1; Genesis 49:33; Deuteronomy 33:1, and were seen as prophetic of the future.
The pattern of the opening words here is partially based on two oracles of Balaam in Numbers 24:3-4; Numbers 24:15-17, demonstrating David’s close awareness of the ancient tradition. It is worth making a direct comparison with Numbers 24:15-17 a.
Numbers 24:15-17 a David’s Last Words And he took up his utterance and said And these are the last words of David’ “Oracle of Balaam, the son of Beor, “Oracle of David, the son of Jesse, And oracle of the man whose eye was closed And oracle of the man who was raised on high He says who hears the word of God The anointed one of the God of Jacob And knows the knowledge of the Most High The delightful one in Israel’s songs of praise Who sees the vision of the Almighty The Spirit of YHWH spoke by me Falling down and having his eyes open And his word was on my tongue I see him, but not now The God of Israel said to me I behold him, but not near, The Rock of Israel spoke There will come forth a star out of Jacob A Ruler over men, a righteous one And a sceptre shall rise out of Israel A Ruler in the fear of God It will be noted that while the words are in the main considerably different, the ideas and pattern behind them are remarkably similar, given that one was speaking as a pagan prophet in a trance, and the other as a prophet of YHWH under inspiration. Thus the one sought to foster mysteriousness, while the other could speak with the confident certainty of one who knew God. But both lead up to the idea of the Coming King (the Messiah). And we should note that it is this declaration that the whole book of Samuel has been leading up to, as is made clear in the original oracular utterance in 2:10, where we read, ‘YHWH will judge (rule over) the ends of the earth, and He will give strength to His king, and exalt the horn of His Anointed’. It is the book of preparation for the Messiah.
David then goes on to describe the Coming King in terms of the rain and sun producing fruitfulness, an idea taken up by Solomon in Psalms 72:6; Psalms 72:17 concerning the righteous king. Fruitfulness from rain and sun were regularly indicative of the coming new age of righteousness (Isaiah 32:15-17; Isaiah 44:3-4; Isaiah 45:8; Isaiah 55:10-13; Isaiah 59:19; Isaiah 60:1-3; compare Matthew 5:45; Matthew 13:43; Matthew 17:2).
Analysis.
a David is the one raised on high, the anointed one, the delightful singer of Israel’s praise (2 Samuel 23:1).
b YHWH has spoken of a coming king who will rule righteously in the fear of God (2 Samuel 23:2-3).
c His coming will be like the glorious rising of the sun after rain producing fruitfulness and blessing (2 Samuel 23:4).
b YHWH has made with David a sure and certain everlasting covenant which fulfils all his desire and brings salvation (2 Samuel 23:5).
a This is all in contrast with what will happen to the unworthy who will be like thorns which cannot be taken in the hand and can only be touched with a long spear, and will finally be burned with fire (2 Samuel 23:6-7).
Note that in ‘a’ David is exalted to Heaven, the chosen of God, the inspired one, while in the parallel the unworthy are like thorns and thistles, and doomed to the fire. In ‘b’ the coming of the everlasting king is described, and in the parallel the emphasis is on the sure and certain everlasting covenant which will bring salvation and blessing. Centrally in ‘c’ His coming is announced in glorious terms.
‘ Now these are the last words of David.
“Oracle of David the son of Jesse,
And oracle of the man who was raised on high,
The anointed one of the God of Jacob,
And the delightful singer of Israel’ praise.”.
What a contrast there is between David in ecstasy in the presence of the living God and Balaam involved in the spirit world. ‘Raised on high -- anointed -- delightful singer of Israel’s praise’ contrasts with ‘the man whose eye was closed -- falling down and having his eyes open -- seeing Him, but not now, beholding Him but not near’ (Numbers 24:15; Numbers 24:17). The first is the glorious reality, the second is but the shadow.
“These are the last words of David.” The last words of a prophetic man were seen as of telling importance and as predictive of the future. What he said would come about. And here David was undoubtedly claiming special inspiration by God’s Spirit. The word ‘oracle’ (neum) is itself indicative of ‘the inspiration of God as He speaks to men’, and the idea is repeated twice so as to guarantee that it is a sound witness. And while it is the oracle of the mere son of Jesse, it is the oracle of the one whom God has raised up and exalted, the one whom God has anointed and set apart for Himself, the one whom God has chosen as the instrument of the praise of the whole of Israel.
“ The Spirit of YHWH spoke by me,
“And his word was on my tongue.
The God of Israel said to me,
The Rock of Israel spoke,
‘One who rules over men, a righteous one,
Who rules in the fear of God’.”
And David’s emphasis is on the wonderful message that he has to proclaim. What he has to speak of arises because the Spirit of YHWH is speaking through him, and His word is on his tongue. For his words are the words of the God and Rock of Israel (the firm and sure foundation on which the certainty of the everlasting covenant is based). And what is the Spirit declaring? He is declaring the coming of a Ruler Who will rule righteously as the Righteous One, a Ruler Who will rule in the fear of God (compare Isaiah 11:1-4).
In one sense this was partly to be fulfilled in the first part of Solomon’s reign. David’s hope and the people’s hope may well have been that Solomon would be the one (we have the same ambivalence between Solomon and the Coming King in 7:8-17). But Solomon deteriorated, as did all who came after him, even Hezekiah and Josiah, and all therefore failed to be its true fulfilment, something anticipated in 2 Samuel 7:14-15 with the assurance that it would not annul the coming of the everlasting kingdom. Thus would the promise be carried into the future as Israel began to look for the coming of the Messiah, The One Who would truly be righteous and rule righteously and Who would rule everlastingly in the fear of God (Isaiah 9:6-7; Isaiah 11:1-4; Jeremiah 23:5; Jeremiah 33:15; Ezekiel 37:22-28). And finally Jesus Christ did come as the Righteous One (Acts 7:52), and He established God’s Kingly Rule on earth for all who follow Him, the Kingly Rule of light as opposed to the tyranny of darkness (Colossians 1:13), which is like a colony of Heaven on earth (Philippians 3:20), a Kingly Rule (basileia) which will lead to a final culmination in His Kingly Rule above (Matthew 13:43). Note how this parallels the words of Balaam concerning the star that would arise out of Jacob, and the sceptre which would arise out of Israel who would establish his people (Numbers 24:17).
“As the light of the morning when the sun rises,
A morning without clouds,
The tender grass from the earth,
Through clear shining after rain.
And this Coming One will arise like the brilliance of the rising sun as it bathes the earth with light. He will introduce a glorious morning beneath a cloudless sky, with no clouds present to dull its glory. It will be like the arrival of new shoots springing into life as a result, first of the activity of the rain and then of the shining sun, as the sun’s clear brilliance draws life out of the earth following the rain (Isaiah 32:15-17; Isaiah 44:3-4; Isaiah 45:8; Isaiah 55:10-13; Isaiah 59:19; Isaiah 60:1-3; compare Matthew 5:45; Matthew 13:43; Matthew 17:2).
The word for ‘clear shining’ is an interesting one, for it is always reserved in Scripture in order to describe ‘heavenly’ things. It is only ever used either of the sun and the moon themselves, shining in the heavens, or alternatively of the shining brilliance of the coming activity of God. For examples of the latter see 2 Samuel 22:30; Isaiah 4:5; Isaiah 60:3; Ezekiel 1:4; Ezekiel 1:27-28; Ezekiel 10:4; and contrast Amos 5:20. Note also Matthew 13:43; Matthew 17:2.
Truly my house is not so with God,
(or ‘Is not my house truly so with God?’)
Yet he has made with me an everlasting covenant,
Ordered in all things, and sure,
For it is all my salvation, and all desire,
Although he does not make it to grow.
(Or ‘Does he not surely make it to grow?’)
But David is aware that his own house is not like this with God, something that he has cause to know as he looks back on his own behaviour, and the behaviour of Amnon and Absalom. ‘Truly,’ he says, ‘my house is not so with God’. And that is why his house appears to be diminishing rather than growing, ‘although He does not make it to grow’, as one son dies after the other. Nevertheless he recognises that in all his undeserving, and the undeserving of his house, God has made with him an everlasting covenant, an ordered and sure covenant, which will ensure the bringing about of the salvation that he desires, the salvation that is to result from his house, and will fulfil the strong desires of both his heart and of God’s heart (2 Samuel 7:8-17).
Alternatively some see the statements in respect to his house as being a question (there were no punctuation marks in Hebrew). In this case he is exalting in what God is aiming to do through his house.
“But the ungodly will be all of them as thorns to be thrust away,
Because they cannot be taken with the hand,
But the man who touches them must be armed with iron and the staff of a spear,
And they will be utterly burned with fire at their dwelling.”
David closes his last words with a reference to ‘the worthless’ (belial = ‘worthlessness’, they are worthlessness personified), typifying the ungodly. In contrast with the glory of the Coming One they are like thorns which should be thrust away as they are rooted up by the use of implements, lest they cause the hands to bleed. Like thorns they cannot be taken in the hand, but can only be touched by a man fully equipped to deal with them. For the man who would touch them must do it with tools of iron or the staff of a spear, or else he will come away bearing the marks of the thorns. So the worthless will be rooted up, and their final destiny, instead of enjoying the glory of the everlasting kingdom (Matthew 13:43), is to be burned with fire (compare Matthew 13:30; Matthew 13:42; Matthew 13:50; John 15:6; Hebrews 6:8) in the place where they have revealed their worthlessness.
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