David’s Final Words are Messianic

Establish the need: How many of us would right away list 2 Samuel 23:1-7 as Messianic Prophecy when asked to list Messianic passages?

Purpose: We will consider four reasons why we know Jesus existed in history.

• David is focusing on the Messiah (v.1)
• Affirmation this is Prophetic (v.2-3a)
• The Messiah’s Righteousness (v.3b-4)
• The Basis of the Messiah’s Coming is the Davidic Covenant (v.5)
• The Messiah’s Judgment (v.6-7)

David is focusing on the Messiah (1)

The New American Standard Bible translate the first verse in the following way: “Now these are the last words of David. David the son of Jesse declares, The man who was raised on high, The anointed of the God of Jacob And the sweet psalmist of Israel, declares,” (1 Samuel 23:1)

1. These are David’s last words.
2. There are other last words of important figures in the Old Testament.[1]
3. Some of these last words predicted the Messiah such as Jacob in Genesis 49 and Moses in Deuteronomy.

However a preferred translation is the following: “The oracle of David son of Jesse the oracle of the main raised up concerning the Annointed (Messiah) of the God of Jacob the Delightful One of the songs of Israel” (1 Samuel 23:1)[2]

1. There is a textual variant issue. The translation of the word “on high” can be understood as “concerning” since the Hebrew word al with vowel changing to a qamets can be seen as understood as a preposition with the understanding of “concerning.”[3]
2. This reading of the word as “concerning” is attested in the Greek Septuagint’s translation.[4]
3. The Aramaic Targum also states this is about King Messiah.[5]

Affirmation this is Prophetic (2-3a)

Passage: ““The Spirit of the Lord spoke through me, And His word was on my tongue. 3 The God of Israel said it; The Rock of Israel spoke to me:” (v2-3a)

1. Four lines are synonymous stating that what David says are God’s Word
2. The big emphasis that what David said was the Word of God would be anticlimactic if it was just looking backwards instead of future prophecy.[6]

Within the structure of 2 Samuel, the passage in 2 Samuel 22 looks back at God establishing the kingdom while 2 Samuel looks forward in the future of God’s kingdom.[7] Of course a future Kingdom of God would include the Messiah as earlier passages in the Old Testament predicted.

The Messiah’s Righteousness (3b-4)

Seeing point 1 and 2 that this passage is Messianic, we then must consider what about the Messiah this passage reveal about the characteristics of the Messiah.

Passage: “‘He who rules over mankind righteously, Who rules in the fear of God, 4 Is like the light of the morning when the sun rises, A morning without clouds, When the fresh grass springs out of the earth From sunshine after rain.’” (2 Samuel 23:3b-4)

1. This Messiah’s righteousness is not just a relative rightouesness compared to most people but it seems absolute righteousness in light of the comparison to such a bright blazing sun.[8]
2. The Messiah’s bright righteousness described here seems to be the basis for later on in the Old Testament’s prediction of the Messiah being a bright light such as in Isaiah 9:1-2.

The Basis of the Messiah’s Coming is based upon Davidic Covenant (v.5)

The New American Standard Bible states: “Is my house not indeed so with God? For He has made an everlasting covenant with me, Properly ordered in all things, and secured; For will He not indeed make All my salvation and all my delight grow?” (v.5)= In the Hebrew there is no questions which would be indicated by an interrogative He.[9]

Another translation from Old Testament scholar Michael A. Rydelnik: “For all my salvation and all my desire but He has not made it sprout.” (v.5)[10]= In essence David is saying here the Messiah has not yet branched forth yet (sprouted).[11]

1. The passage here is David saying Him and others in his lineage will not be righteous enough= “My house is not indeed so with God”
2. Yet the hope of the Messiah is based upon God’s covenant with God: “For He has made an everlasting covenant with me, Properly ordered in all things, and secured”

The Messiah’s Judgment (6-7)

1. Passage: “But the worthless, every one of them, are like scattered thorns, Because they cannot be taken in hand; 7 Instead, the man who touches them Must be armed with iron and the shaft of a spear, And they will be completely burned with fire in their place.”” (v.6-7)
2. Seeing this passage is in a prophecy of the Messiah we note that the Messiah will judge.

[1] Dale Ralph Davis, 2 Samuel: Out of Every Adversity (Ross-Shire, UK: Christian Focus Publications, 2018), 295.

[2] Michael A. Rydelnik, “2 Samuel 23:1-7: David’s Last Words” in The Moody Handbook of Messianic Prophecy (Chicago, Illinois: Moody Publishers, 2018), 401.

[3] Michael A. Rydelnik, “2 Samuel 23:1-7: David’s Last Words” in The Moody Handbook of Messianic Prophecy (Chicago, Illinois: Moody Publishers, 2018), 401.

[4] Michael A. Rydelnik, “2 Samuel 23:1-7: David’s Last Words” in The Moody Handbook of Messianic Prophecy (Chicago, Illinois: Moody Publishers, 2018), 402.

[5] Michael A. Rydelnik, “2 Samuel 23:1-7: David’s Last Words” in The Moody Handbook of Messianic Prophecy (Chicago, Illinois: Moody Publishers, 2018), 402.

[6] Dale Ralph Davis, 2 Samuel: Out of Every Adversity (Ross-Shire, UK: Christian Focus Publications, 2018), 299.

[7] Dale Ralph Davis, 2 Samuel: Out of Every Adversity (Ross-Shire, UK: Christian Focus Publications, 2018), 295-96.

[8] Michael A. Rydelnik, “2 Samuel 23:1-7: David’s Last Words” in The Moody Handbook of Messianic Prophecy (Chicago, Illinois: Moody Publishers, 2018), 403.

[9] Michael A. Rydelnik, “2 Samuel 23:1-7: David’s Last Words” in The Moody Handbook of Messianic Prophecy (Chicago, Illinois: Moody Publishers, 2018), 405.

[10] Michael A. Rydelnik, “2 Samuel 23:1-7: David’s Last Words” in The Moody Handbook of Messianic Prophecy (Chicago, Illinois: Moody Publishers, 2018), 405.

[11] Michael A. Rydelnik, “2 Samuel 23:1-7: David’s Last Words” in The Moody Handbook of Messianic Prophecy (Chicago, Illinois: Moody Publishers, 2018), 406.

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