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To the book of 2 Samuel, 2 Samuel 
chapter 22. 2 Samuel chapter 22, our focus 
will be verses 21 to 25, but I'll read beginning in verse 
one to verse 25. So 2 Samuel chapter 22. Then 
David spoke to the Lord the words of this song on the day when 
the Lord had delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and 
from the hand of Saul. And he said, the Lord is my rock 
and my fortress and my deliverer. the God of my strength and whom 
I will trust, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold 
and my refuge. My Savior, you save me from violence. I will call upon the Lord, who 
is worthy to be praised. So shall I be saved from my enemies. 
When the waves of death surrounded me, the floods of ungodliness 
made me afraid, the sorrows of Sheol surrounded me, the snares 
of death confronted me. In my distress I called upon 
the Lord and cried out to my God. He heard my voice from his 
temple and my cry entered his ears. Then the earth shook and 
trembled. The foundations of heaven quaked 
and were shaken. Because he was angry, smoke went 
up from his nostrils and devouring fire from his mouth. Coals were 
kindled by it. He bowed the heavens also and 
came down with darkness under his feet. He rode upon a cherub 
and flew, and he was seen upon the wings of the wind. He made 
darkness, canopies around him, dark waters and thick clouds 
of the skies. From the brightness before him, 
coals of fire were kindled. The Lord thundered from heaven, 
and the Most High uttered his voice. He sent out arrows and 
scattered them, lightning bolts, and he vanquished them. Then 
the channels of the sea were seen, the foundations of the 
world were uncovered at the rebuke of the Lord, at the blast of 
the breath of his nostrils. He sent from above, He took me, 
He drew me out of many waters. He delivered me from my strong 
enemy, from those who hated me, for they were too strong for 
me. They confronted me in the day of my calamity, but the Lord 
was my support. He also brought me out into a 
broad place. He delivered me because He delighted 
in me. The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness, according 
to the cleanness of my hands he has recompensed me. For I 
have kept the ways of the Lord and have not wickedly departed 
from my God. For all his judgments were before 
me, and as for his statutes I did not depart from them. I was also 
blameless before him, and I kept myself from my iniquity. Therefore, 
the Lord has recompensed me according to my righteousness, according 
to my cleanness in his eyes. Amen. Well, let us pray. Our 
gracious God and Holy Father, we thank you for this beautiful 
day. We thank you that the heavens declare your righteousness, your 
glory, and your majesty. We thank you that in Providence 
we see that you govern all your creatures and all their actions. 
We thank you for that empty tomb and redemption, the manifestation 
of your grace and your love and your mercy. We thank you for 
justification by faith alone. We thank you for the forgiveness 
of sins that we have and for the righteousness of Christ imputed 
to us and received by faith alone. God, forgive us now for all of 
our sins and unrighteousness and guide us by the Holy Spirit, 
the one whom the Lord Jesus sends, so that he can teach us and and 
guide us into all truth. We rejoice in that. We rejoice 
that we're not orphans in this present evil age, but the Lord 
Christ comes to us by the Spirit. We ask now that you be glorified, 
honored, and praised, and we ask in Jesus' name, amen. Well, 
I wanted to focus on the righteousness of David specifically in verses 
21 to 25. If you remember, the Lord refers 
to David as a man after my own heart. In 1 Samuel 13, 14, at 
the announcement that he's going to take the kingdom away from 
Saul, and give it to a man after his own heart. David here says 
twice, the Lord rewarded him according to his righteousness. 
Notice in 21a, and then again in verse 25, therefore the Lord 
has recompensed me according to my righteousness, according 
to my cleanness in his eyes. Now this could obviously present 
a bit of a challenge, which I hope to deal with in just a couple 
of minutes, because as we know, David was not a perfect man. David was not without sin. David, in fact, actually committed 
some pretty grievous sins in his life as a man of God, as 
a king in Israel. Now, in terms of the location 
of this particular prayer or this particular Psalm, because 
it's essentially Psalm 18 as well. There's a few differences 
in wording. The Psalm was likely sung by 
David during his life, and here we see it was sung at the end 
of his life. It was prepared for the chief 
musician, delivered over to him, and of course now is in the Psalter 
for us to sing and for us to rehearse the mercies of God. 
But in terms of 2 Samuel 22, it's in a larger context. Basically what you have in the 
book of 2 Samuel is the commencement of David's reign at Hebron in 
chapters 1 to 4. You have the consolidation of 
David's reign over all Israel in chapters 5 to 10. You then 
have the consequence of David's sin in chapters 11 to 20. And then finally, the close of 
David's reign in chapters 21 to 24. So that's just the lay 
of the land with reference to the book as a whole. So let's 
look now at the righteousness of King David under three considerations. First, the deliverance of David. I just want to glance at verses 
1 to 20. Secondly, the righteousness of 
David in verse 21. And then we'll investigate, thirdly, 
the theology of David in verses 22 to 25. But with reference 
to the deliverance, notice that's how the psalm begins. Chapter 
22, verses 1 to 20, describes the deliverance of David wrought 
by God. So we see the object of his praise 
in verses 1 to 4, that's God. the desperation of his condition 
in verses 5 to 7, the manner of his deliverance in verses 
8 to 20, the faithfulness of his life in verses 21 to 31, 
and then finally the invincibility of God's kingdom in verses 32 
to 51. So he comes at the end of his reign, at the end of his 
life, and he sings praise to God, and he remembers the great 
distress and the hardship that he had. And he doesn't ascribe 
his victory, he doesn't ascribe his triumph to his own ability. He doesn't say, God's given me 
a great mind for wisdom, he's given me military savvy, he's 
given me ability to command and lead men, he's given me executive 
power so that I can call armies to being, and that I can go out 
and decimate the Philistines. all glory is given to God. The 
deliverance is ascribed specifically to God. David always understood 
that it was God in his life that brought deliverance, that brought 
victory, that brought triumph. Now, secondly, note the righteousness 
of David. He says in verse 21, the Lord 
rewarded me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of 
my hands, he has recompensed me. So I wanna look at this statement 
in light of his sin. Now, I would suggest that we 
oftentimes reflect upon the two benchmark sins that David committed. We know that he committed adultery 
with Bathsheba in 2 Samuel 11 at verses 1 to 5. You remember 
the story, he goes into her and then she becomes pregnant by 
him. And of course, he wants to cover 
that up. He wants to make it seem that she was impregnated 
by her husband Uriah. So he issues orders to Joab to 
bring Uriah home. He then tells Uriah to go lay 
with his wife, but Uriah the Hittite has more integrity in 
2 Samuel 11 than the reigning king of Israel. Almost said England. She had more integrity than him, 
too. So Uriah the Hittite did not 
lay with his wife. So David invites him back to 
the palace, buys him with alcohol, gets him drunk, and then encourages 
him to go and lay with his wife. Of course, Uriah rebuts that, 
or refutes that. He's not going to do it. So then 
David gives word to Joab to take Uriah, put him in the hottest 
part of the battle, and make sure that he dies. And then he 
gives that letter to Uriah the Hittite to deliver, hand deliver, 
to Joab himself. It's a very sad and pathetic 
situation in the life of Israel's king. So he commits adultery, 
and then instead of coming clean, he covers that adultery with 
the act of murder. Well, as I said, from thence 
on, after receiving forgiveness from God, we see that nevertheless, 
the sword would not depart from his house. We have that instance 
in the book of 2 Samuel, specifically in chapter 13, where you have 
Amnon basically rape his sister Tamar. And when that comes to 
fruition, Absalom is incensed. He's outraged and he wants to 
exact vengeance. David knows of it as well, but 
David doesn't respond. If you look back to 2 Samuel 
chapter 13, again, probably a lesser known sin of David, but certainly 
a grievous one. The failure to act in his family. Notice in 2 Samuel chapter 13, 
specifically at verse 19. Then Tamar put ashes on her head 
and tore her robe of many colors that was on her and laid her 
hand on her head and went away crying bitterly. And Absalom, 
her brother, said to her, has Amnon your brother been with 
you? But now hold your peace, my sister. 
He is your brother. Do not take this thing to heart. 
So Tamar remained desolate in her brother Absalom's house. 
But when King David heard of all these things, He was very 
angry. That's just not a legitimate 
response. Now, certainly anger is a legitimate 
response. Righteous anger is not condemned 
by the Lord. And if ever there was an instance 
where one would have a righteous anger, it would be when something 
like this obtained in his own household. But his anger didn't 
move him to activity. His anger didn't motivate him 
to engage in his primary rule, which was as a magistrate. In 
fact, Dale Ralph Davis makes the observation. He says, of 
course, legions of expositors say that David found himself 
a prisoner of his own folly. After all, how could he call 
Amnon to account when he himself had violated Bathsheba and eliminated 
her husband in chapters 11 and 12? Hardly a solid basis for 
exercising moral authority. He goes on to say, and yet such 
an argument does not negate David's responsibility. He holds nevertheless 
the office of a magistrate, one might say, both in his kingdom 
and in his family. As both father and king, he is 
charged with maintaining justice, whether he is personally compromised 
or not. Lord David, you're supposed to 
do what you're supposed to do, notwithstanding your particular 
background in this area. Now, of course, moral authority 
is always excellent. Of course, a man with integrity 
is always to be preferred. But a man who doesn't act or 
fails to act when there's this kind of conduct going on in his 
house is a man who's showing himself sinful before God. Davis 
goes on to say, one may understand David's failure to act, one may 
not. However, excuse it. So Amnon 
remains an unpunished felon, Tamar languishes his damaged 
goods, and Absalom becomes a seething vigilante. So when we look at 
just these brief sections of 2 Samuel, we'll notice that David 
was not a perfect man. He was not a sinless man. So 
that when he says, the Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness, 
according to the cleanness of my hands, he has recompensed 
me. You can understand the challenge. Somebody reflects on chapters 
11, 12, 13, and then following. And then they come to a passage 
like this and they scratch their head and say, wait a minute. 
Is murder and adultery and failure to act in terms of executing 
justice in your own family, is that not sin? Does that not engage 
a breach of righteousness? So there's an attempt made to 
reconcile this statement with his sinfulness. Some suggest 
David didn't compose the song. Others suggest that the song 
was composed prior to the events in 2 Samuel chapter 11. Others 
posit that the song was added by a later editor. Now, we are 
Bible-believing Christians. We confess the inspiration, the 
infallibility, and the inerrancy of God's holy word. We confess 
in chapter 1 of our confession that God in providence ensured 
that what the prophets and the apostles wrote have come down 
to us through God's graciousness and mercy. So those suggestions 
or those particular alternatives are simply unacceptable. So then 
let's move on to the theology of David in verses 22 to 25. 
How do we explain this? How do we understand this? How 
do we make heads or tails out of what appears to be a conundrum? 
Well, you can turn to the book of Romans in Romans chapter 4. 
So I want to first give you the example of David, and then the 
theology of David, and then the experience of David under this 
head, the theology of David. We must first look at the example 
of David. Cam just mentioned that James 
invokes both Abraham and Rahab, as a demonstration of his doctrine 
that we are saved by faith alone, but that faith, excuse me, is 
not alone, but is always and ever accompanied by all other 
saving graces. So that James essentially says, 
whether you're a patriarch or a prostitute, God's ways are 
always the same. You're saved by grace through 
faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, then that leads inevitably to 
sanctification. In Abraham's case, it's seen 
when he takes Isaac up to Mount Moriah to sacrifice him. In Rahab's 
case, it is demonstrated by her hiding of the spies. She had 
faith in the living God. Well, Paul invokes two examples 
when he's arguing for the doctrine of justification by faith alone, 
and those men are Abraham and David. So note the example of 
Abraham, specifically in verses one to four. Abraham's background 
was as an idolater. You see that in Joshua chapter 
24, specifically at verses two and three. Before God called 
Abram out of Ur of the Chaldeans, we see that he was engaged, just 
like his fathers and grandfathers, in the act of idolatry. So God 
didn't set his affection or love upon Abraham because he was a 
good little Reformed Baptist. Rather, God set his love and 
affection on him before the foundation of the world, and in turn, or 
in time rather, he's affectionately called by God, representative 
by that coming out of Ur of the Chaldeans, by that justification 
by faith alone. So then notice the patriarch's 
righteousness. There's first a negative statement. 
He says, for if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to 
boast about, but not before God. That's a problem with justification 
by words. Boasting, arrogance, pride, and 
judgmentalism. Remember the parable that Jesus 
taught in Luke chapter 18. Those who thought they were righteous 
in themselves, what did they do? They despised others. How 
does Jesus illustrate that? By telling about two men who 
went to the temple to pray. One was a Pharisee, the hero 
of the story. The other was a publican, the 
wretched one in the story. We see that the Pharisee prays 
thus with himself. Thank you, God, that I'm such 
a great guy. Thank you that I'm so religious. Thank you that 
I'm so pious. Thank you that I'm just so upstanding 
and outright holy. And then the publican couldn't 
even look up into heaven. He beats his breast and he says, 
God, be merciful to me, the sinner. Who went to their house justified? 
It wasn't the hero of the story, it was the nasty rotten publican. 
So when it comes to justification by works, you can always expect 
by way of a byproduct a self or a congratulatory spirit. pride 
and arrogance, and then a judgmentalism of others. Because after all, 
if you think your righteousness is good enough to merit with 
God, then everybody else around you is just a pathetic slob and 
they need to get their act together. So the apostle tells us in a 
negative way, for if Abraham was justified by works, he has 
something to boast about. But he then rejects that Abraham 
was justified by works when he says, but not before God. In 
other words on that day of judgment Abraham doesn't get congratulations 
Abraham doesn't get to pat himself upon the back God Most High doesn't 
share his glory with Abraham, but not before God and then notice 
the positive statement So there's a negative in verse 2 and then 
a positive in verse 3 for what does the scripture say? Abraham 
believed God and it was accounted to him for righteousness Not 
a him who works the wages are not counted as grace, but as 
debt So here we have a reference to Genesis 15. Genesis 15 is 
a very simple statement that gets the ball rolling in terms 
of justification by faith alone. And he believed in the Lord and 
he accounted it to him for righteousness. Again, think about James. How 
does James illustrate that Abraham had a true and saving faith? 
He goes to Moriah. He goes to the presentation of 
Isaac in obedience to Yahweh. And James concludes that demonstrates 
the faith that he had in Genesis chapter 15. The Roman Catholic 
reading of James 2 or the Federal Vision or the New Perspective 
on Paul is absolutely incorrect. 11-2 in our confession gets it 
precisely right. We're justified by faith alone. But that faith is not alone, 
but it's always accompanied by all other saving graces. Justification 
inevitably leads to sanctification. So Genesis 15 is the foundation 
for Genesis chapter 22. Abraham does what he does because 
he's been justified freely by God's grace. And then of course 
the implication there is verse four, not a hymn of works, the 
wages are not counted as grace, but as debt. So he makes this 
known that no one ever has been saved by their works. No one 
ever has been saved by a mingling of their faith and works, but 
it's by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. He then 
invokes the example of David. Notice in verse five, Paul talks 
about imputation. For those of you who perhaps 
listened to Cam's prayer, or my prayer, sorry, that sounded 
pretty negative and awful. It's late. It's pretty humid 
today, too. But I think we both worked in 
justification. I didn't do it, you know, other 
than to praise God for the doctrine. What is justification? Justification 
is an act of God's free grace wherein He pardons all our transgressions 
and accepts us as righteous in His sight only for the righteousness 
of Christ imputed to us and received by faith alone. So you've got 
this forgiveness of sins. We need that. We need to be clean. Foul lie to the fountain fly. Wash me, Savior, or I die. But we also need a righteousness 
that avails with God. And that's the glory of the gospel. 
It's the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. In Him we have every 
spiritual blessing, forgiveness of sins, and a righteous garment. were clothed in his blood or 
cleansed in his blood and clothed in his righteousness. So Paul 
deals with that here specifically in the case of David. But to 
him who does not work but believes on him who justifies the undaunted. Notice that. Justifies the ungodly. Paul knows that David wasn't 
a man without sin. David knows that David wasn't 
a man without sin. We should all know that David 
wasn't a man without sin. But notice that last bit there, 
or the second part, justifies the ungodly. He doesn't justify 
the godly because the godly are already godly. He justifies sinners. Guilty, vile, helpless, we. Spotless lamb of God was he. Full atonement, can it be? Hallelujah, 
what a savior. So God, when he comes to deal 
with our sinful race, does the justifying of those who are ungodly. Now notice, he goes on. His faith 
is accounted for righteousness, just like Abraham. So if we ask 
the question, how did the Old Testament saints enter into heaven? 
They were cleansed in the blood of Jesus and they were clothed 
in his precious righteousness. It was the same way for Old Covenant 
saints. They looked forward to, we look 
backwards in history, to the same Christ who was lifted on 
that cross, died, was raised again, and now ascended on high. So his faith is accounted for 
righteousness. And then he appeals to David's 
writing. Notice in verse six, just as 
David also describes the blessedness of the man to whom God imputes 
righteousness apart from works. Which again, incidentally, in 
the new perspective on Paul, if you don't know what that means, 
that's okay. Probably better that you don't know what that 
means. The old perspective on Paul is much to be preferred. 
But in their theology, especially in T. Wright, he mocks the concept 
of the imputed righteousness of Jesus. He said, what are we 
supposed to assume, that there's some courtroom, and there's this 
gas that's the righteousness, and then it's imputed to us? 
This doctrine of the imputation of Christ's righteousness is 
all over scripture. And this is one of those particular 
places. Look at what he's talking about. 
Just as David also describes the blessedness of the man to 
whom God imputes righteousness apart from works. If we don't 
have an imputed righteousness, if we don't have the forgiveness 
of sins, there's no heaven for us. There's no everlasting life 
for us. There is hell, there is damnation, 
and there is condemnation in the age to come. And so as he 
rehearses David, he now appeals to Psalm 32, where David writes, 
blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven and whose 
sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the 
Lord shall not impute sin. John Murray says what David spoke 
of in terms of the non-imputation and forgiveness of sin, Paul 
interprets more positively as the imputation of righteousness. 
not changing David's psalm, but he is rather relating David's 
psalm to the argument at hand. In other words, sinners look 
back at chapter 3, specifically in the book of Romans, where 
he summarizes what he starts in Romans chapter 1 at verse 
18. In 3.9, he says, what then? Are 
we better than they? Not at all. For we have previously 
charged both Jews and Greeks that they are all under sin. 
And then he gives this katina of Old Testament passages that 
underscore the reality of the universality of condemnation 
for all men everywhere because of their transgression against 
God. And in verse 19, he says, now we know that whatever the 
law says, it says to those who are under the law, that every 
mouth may be stopped and all the world may become guilty before 
God. And now he's going to bring the 
crowning nail to bang into this particular argument. Therefore, 
by the deeds of the law, no flesh will be justified in his sight. 
For by the law is the knowledge of sin. So he shifts direction 
now. So in Romans 1.18, he says, but 
the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness 
and unrighteousness of men. He makes that point in 1.19 to 
3.20. And then you see this contrast in verse 21, but now. the righteousness of God apart 
from the law is revealed. You've got wrath revealed, Romans 
1.18. You've got the problem explained, 
Romans 1.18 to 3.20. And then you've got the remedy 
given by our blessed God. But now the righteousness of 
God is revealed from, rather the righteousness of God apart 
from the law is revealed. So when he comes now to deal 
with the doctrine of justification, He deals with the forgiveness 
of sins, but he deals with the imputation of righteousness. 
Now, secondly, the specific theology of David. If you go back to our 
Psalm in 2 Samuel 22, I would suggest first, David recognized 
his own sin. In the very section where he 
is highlighting his righteousness, he emphasizes that he's a sinner. He doesn't say, I am perfect. He doesn't say, I've never commit 
sin. He doesn't say what's predicated 
of our Lord, that he's wholly harmless and undefiled. Notice 
in verse 24, I was also blameless before him and I kept myself 
from my iniquity. Jesus didn't have iniquity, but 
David does. And David knows that, David understands 
that, and especially when you turn to Psalm 51, and you see 
David's Psalm of repentance after having been found out for his 
sin with Bathsheba and Uriah, when Nathan the prophet comes 
to him and upbraids him, what does David do? David owns it, 
David confesses it, David finds atonement with God, and then 
David writes a psalm to celebrate the grace of God. Not to celebrate 
his own goodness, or his own perfection, or his own ability. So David understood his own sin. I would suggest, secondly, that 
David understood blood atonement. Look at 2 Samuel chapter 12. 
2 Samuel chapter 12, after Nathan rebukes him, after Nathan delivers 
the thou art the man, David says very simply in verse 13, so David 
said to Nathan, I have sinned against the Lord. As I've said 
before, people often think that, you know, he got off pretty easy 
there, that's all you got to do. Notice what he doesn't do. Well, it was Bathsheba's fault. 
She shouldn't have been bathing in that place at night. She should have been clothed. 
He doesn't blame God, the woman that you put next door to me. 
David owns his sin, brethren. David feels the weight of his 
sin. He makes a very simple, but most profound confession. I have sinned against the Lord. 
And Nathan said to David, the Lord also has put away your sin. 
You shall not die. Notice in chapter 21 of 2 Samuel, 
again, David understands atonement. 2 Samuel chapter 21, we have 
an account of an atonement. blood atonement for satisfaction 
of justice. Notice in chapter 21, verse one, 
now there was a famine in the days of David for three years, 
year after year, and David inquired of the Lord. Whenever you read 
in the Old Testament that there was a famine, don't think crop 
failure, drought, I mean, those are the effects. Think God is 
angry with his covenant people, because in the curses of the 
covenant, this is specifically one of them. Your heavens will 
be bronze. Your dirt will be parched. Why? Because you're transgressing 
the very law of God Almighty. So there was a famine in the 
days of David for three years, year after year, and David inquired 
of the Lord. And the Lord answered. It is 
because of Saul and his bloodthirsty house, because he killed the 
Gibeonites. So the king called the Gibeonites. 
Remember the Gibeonites? Joshua made covenant with them. 
And that was to be binding. It wasn't to be reneged by Saul. So the king called the Gibeonites 
and spoke to them. Now the Gibeonites were not of 
the children of Israel, but of the remnant of the Amorites. 
The children of Israel had sworn protection to them, but Saul 
had sought to kill them in his zeal for the children of Israel 
in Judah. Therefore David said to the Gibeonites, what shall 
I do for you? And with what shall I make atonement 
that you may bless the inheritance of the Lord? David seems to have 
a pretty pronounced understanding of sin in his own heart, of sin 
in the hearts of other people, and the way to pursue peace, 
namely, blood atonement. So the Gibeonites said to him, 
we will have no silver or gold from Saul or from his house, 
nor shall you kill any man in Israel for us. So he said, whatever 
you say, I will do for you. Then he answered the king, as 
for the man who consumed us and plotted against us, that we should 
be destroyed from remaining in any of the territories of Israel, 
let seven men of his descendants be delivered to us, and we will 
hang them before the Lord in Gibeah of Saul, whom the Lord 
chose. And that's precisely what happens. 
That's atonement for sins committed. Look at chapter 24 in 2 Samuel. Again, the theology of David 
and his understanding of the necessity of atonement. We don't 
just wander into the presence of God without the satisfaction 
of his divine justice. That's the core meaning of atonement, 
the satisfaction of divine justice. Notice in 2 Samuel, David is 
judged for his sin, and God basically gives him options as to what 
thing will befall him. Remember I said in the introduction, 
consequences for David's sin? That didn't keep him from sinning 
more, typically doesn't, but in this particular instance, 
David had numbered the people. So note down in verse 14, David 
said to Gad, I'm in great distress. Please let us fall into the hand 
of the Lord for his mercies are great, but do not let me fall 
into the hand of man. So the Lord sent a plague upon 
Israel from the morning till the appointed time. From Dan 
to Beersheba, 70,000 men of the people died. And when the angel 
stretched out his hand over Jerusalem to destroy it, the Lord relented 
from the destruction and said to the angel who was destroying 
the people, it is enough, now restrain your hand. And the angel 
of the Lord was by the threshing floor of Arana, the Jebusite. 
Then David spoke to the Lord when he saw the angel who was 
striking the people and said, surely I've sinned and have done 
wickedly, but these sheep, what have they done? Let your hand, 
I pray, be against me and against my father's house. What does 
he do? He goes to the threshing floor 
of Aaronah, and there he sacrifices. How do we satisfy divine justice? How do we appease the wrath of 
a holy God? Through atonement, through sacrifice. So David understood this in Psalm 
65, 3. He says, Iniquities prevail against 
me. As for our transgressions, you 
will provide atonement for them. So David understood sin, he understood 
the necessity of atonement, and David understood the blessing 
of imputed righteousness. Again, Psalm 32 and his rehearsal 
there as Paul invokes in chapter four of Romans. And then that 
brings us finally to consider the experience of David, the 
experience of David. How can he say what he says in 
this passage? Well, first, he was a benefactor 
of Christ's atonement. He himself is included in Ephesians 
1.3. Blessed be the God and Father 
of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us, David included, 
with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. 
God chose him in Christ. Christ's precious blood gave 
him forgiveness and a righteousness. The Spirit sealed and guaranteed 
his final inheritance. Hebrews 9.15 tells us of the 
superiority of the New Covenant over against the Old Covenant. 
Again, the argument in the book of Hebrews isn't Old Covenant 
bad. It's New Covenant better. You need to get that. The New 
Covenant is better. It is superior. It does what 
the Old Covenant did not do as essential features. And in Hebrews 
9.15, the Apostle says, and for this reason, he is the mediator 
of the New Covenant by means of death for the redemption of 
the transgressions under the First Covenant. You've got the 
new covenant and what it's doing, and it helps those who are under 
the first covenant, that those who are called may receive the 
promise of the eternal inheritance. So again, nobody's entered into 
heaven from Abel to Zechariah in the Old Testament Hebrew canon, 
apart from the blood and righteousness of our Lord Jesus Christ. Secondly, 
I think that we need to get at David's statement in chapter 
22, verse 21, by way of the imputed righteousness 
of Jesus. So in Psalm 18, 20, which is 
parallel exactly, precisely, he says, the Lord rewarded me 
according to my righteousness. According to the cleanness of 
my hands, he has recompensed me. So I'll go to our saintly 
John Gill for comment there. He says, though it is best of 
all to apply it to Christ and understand it of his righteousness, 
which he as mediator has wrought out for his people, this is perfect, 
sure and spotless and entirely agreeable to the law of God. 
What will bear the sight of God is satisfying to his justice, 
is well-pleasing to him and is what he accepts of and imputes 
to them that believe in Christ and by which they are justified 
from all things. So we get at David's righteousness 
through the cross and the life of our blessed Lord Jesus Christ. 
He understood what side of the bread was buttered. He knew that 
his acceptance with God was not due to his sterling character. 
He knew that his sins against God demanded both wrath and curse 
in this life and that which is to come. He is rehearsing, he 
is celebrating, he is delighting in the gospel of his salvation. Thirdly, he understood the forgiveness 
of sins as a result of Christ's death. We've already seen that, 
I won't turn us back to it. I'd say fourthly, there was in 
fact the testimony of others. Think again of James. What happens 
in James is that true saving faith is demonstrable. True saving 
faith is something that you can see by way of the evidences, 
the fruits and lively evidences that one has been justified by 
grace alone, through faith in Christ alone. That's James's 
point. Look at Abraham, what he does 
in 22 of Genesis at Mount Moriah is a result or an effect or a 
consequence of what happened in Genesis 15 when he believed 
God and it was accounted to him for righteousness. What Rahab 
does, and as we see her confession about the majesty of the God 
of Israel, we see how these things work. She believed in God. She 
trusted in Yahweh. And the reflex for that was, 
she's gonna hide the spies. She's gonna give them safe quarter. 
She's gonna make sure that they get to decimate the city of Jericho. God is going to be victorious 
and Rahab and her lively faith is going to be a means to achieve 
that end. So what we have is that there 
were others who testified concerning David's righteousness. Again, 
others that no doubt knew his spotty background. Others who 
no doubt knew that he wasn't a man that was absolutely perfect 
and righteous. Notice in 1 Samuel chapter 19, 
specifically at verse 4, Thus Jonathan spoke well of David 
to Saul his father, and said to him, Let not the king sin 
against his servant, against David, because he has not sinned 
against you, and because his works have been very good towards 
you. Look at 1 Samuel 25, specifically 
at verse 28, just looking at the testimony of others as they 
saw the life, the sanctification, the fruit of justification by 
faith alone fleshed out, manifested in David's conduct. Notice in 
25, 28, please forgive the trespass of your maid servant for the 
Lord will certainly make for my Lord an enduring house because 
my Lord fights the battles of the Lord and evil is not found 
in you throughout your days. Do you think a like testimony 
could have been given to the King of the Jebusites, to the 
King of the Hivites, to the King of the Hittites? I think it was 
probably the case that they were notoriously wicked, abject wretchedness 
on the part of the heathen when they went about their kingly 
activities. And then even more important 
is God's testimony of David. Turn to 1 Kings, 1 Kings 3. 1 Kings chapter 3, specifically 
at verse 14. So if you walk in my ways to 
keep my statutes and my commandments, as your father David walked, 
then I will lengthen your days. 1 Kings 9 verse 4. 1 Kings 9 verse 4. Now, if you walk before me as 
your father David walked, in integrity of heart and in uprightness, 
to do according to all that I have commanded you, and if you keep 
my statutes and my judgments. as your father, David, walked. There were two benchmark kings 
in the southern kingdom. One was Jeroboam, the son of 
Nebat, and he was the standard of ungodliness. I'm sorry, Jeroboam 
was in the north. Jeroboam was a benchmark in the 
north for being just a godless wretch. In the South, David was 
the benchmark for righteousness. David was the benchmark of fidelity. Look at 1 Kings 11, specifically 
at verses 33 and 34. 1 Kings 11, 33 and 34. because they have forsaken me 
and worshiped Ashtoreth, the goddess of the Sidonians, Chemosh, 
the god of the Moabites, and Milcom, the god of the people 
of Ammon, and have not walked in my ways to do what is right 
in my eyes and keep my statutes and my judgments, as did his 
father David. However, I will not take the 
whole kingdom out of his hand, because I have made him ruler 
all the days of his life for the sake of my servant David, 
whom I chose because he kept my commandments and my statutes." 
It was because of David, actually because of David's greater son, 
the Lord Jesus Christ, that the Judah, the kingdom of Judah always 
remained intact. He closed down the northern kingdom. 
With Saul, it ended, or not with Saul, but it ended when it came 
to the Assyrians in 722 BC. But he always preserved Judah. 
Why? Well, in this context, David. 
But again, in a New Testament mindset, because of the greater 
son of David, even our Lord Jesus Christ. So the faithfulness of 
David as testified by others. And then I would suggest the 
faithfulness of David as contrasted with Saul. Look at 23. 23, verse 
23 in chapter 22, for all his judgments were before me, and 
as for his statutes, I did not depart from them. Again, I don't 
think David's maintaining that he's perfectly innocent. But 
in terms of a contrast with Saul, he absolutely did well. One man 
says, the distinction between Saul and David, between a rejected 
king and an accepted one, is not that one is a sinner and 
the other is not, for both are sinners. Rather, the distinction 
lies in the very different attitudes to faith and repentance displayed 
by the two, and at a deeper level still in the sovereign election 
of the one, the man of God's own choosing over the other. 
So there is this contrast made between David and Saul. And then 
I would suggest, finally, we see that evidenced in David's 
pursuit of holy things. He's a bad guy when he goes into 
Bathsheba. He's a bad guy when he sends 
Uriah out to die. He's a bad guy when he doesn't 
operate faithfully in executing justice in his own house. But 
the overarching, the overarching sort of trajectory of his life 
was one of faithfulness to God. And you know what David never 
did? You know what he never did? He never engaged in idolatry. He never put up high places. 
He remained faithful to God. I want to illustrate this in 
1 Samuel chapter 26. 1 Samuel chapter 26. We'll close 
soon. 1 Samuel chapter 26. Basically, 
David spares Saul a second time. And then David, as it were, expresses 
I don't want to say frustration because that sounds too much 
like me, but exasperation, concern. He's at odds with Saul. He's got issues. He's been hunted 
by Philistines. He's been hunted by Saul. I imagine 
that that converges upon a man to the point where he is exasperated, 
where he does cry out. Now notice what he says specifically. 
We'll just pick up in verse And he said, why does my Lord thus 
pursue his servant? He's asking, why is Saul coming 
after me? What's the problem? What have 
I done? Jonathan testified to Saul that 
David was a great guy. So David says, why does my Lord 
thus pursue his servant? For what have I done or what 
evil is in my hand? Now, therefore, please let my 
Lord the King hear the words of his servant. If the Lord has 
stirred you up against me, let him accept an offering. In other 
words, if this is God's judgment, if this is God's chastening, 
if this is immediate, if the Lord Most High has an axe to 
grind with me, then let me present an offering. Let me satisfy divine 
justice. Let me repair the breach that's 
obviously here. But then notice what he goes 
on to say. He says, but if it is the children of men, may they 
be cursed before the Lord. In other words, if it's God immediately 
chastening David, then there's a mechanism in place. I can go 
before the God with a bloody knife and a smoking altar. I 
can go before the Most High who is holy, who brings forgiveness, 
and who imputes righteousness. I have that option. But if this 
is the children of men, If they are after me without any just 
cause, then shame on them. That's what David is saying. 
But then note how he formulates it specifically there in verse 
19. He says, but if it is the children 
of men, may they be cursed before the Lord. For they have driven 
me out this day from sharing in the inheritance of the Lord. 
This land was promised by God to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Our forefathers went into this 
land and conquered it. They dispossessed the land of 
the Canaanites. This is the land where Yahweh 
is worshiped. This is the land where Yahweh 
occupies. This is the land where the people 
of God can come before the living God and know joy and communion 
in his presence. For they have driven me out this 
day from sharing in the inheritance of the Lord. He doesn't say they've 
driven me out this day from the familiarity of family, from the 
shepherding gig that I had as a young man. They've driven me 
out in a sense where I don't have access to all the good food 
that I like. They've driven me out from the 
very face of God. Brethren, how would we respond? I fear for me, it would be, well, 
I can't get tacos out here. I can't do this out here. For 
David, it was being disenfranchised from the apparatus that brought 
him in to the very presence of God most high. For they have 
driven me out this day from sharing in the inheritance of the Lord, 
saying, go serve other gods." Not that David would do that, 
but that's the message communicated. Yahweh is in Israel. You get 
out of Israel and go serve these other gods. David will not have 
it. David is vexed when it comes 
to being cut off from the very presence of God Almighty. Verse 
20, so now do not let my blood fall to the earth before the 
face of the Lord. For the King of Israel has come 
out to seek a flea as when one hunts a partridge in the mountains. Gil says, for they have driven 
me out this day from abiding in the inheritance of the Lord, 
meaning not from his own house and family, nor from the palace 
of Saul, but from the land of Canaan the Lord had given to 
his people Israel for an inheritance, and from the worship of God in 
it, which made it dear and precious to him. And then I've got a Davis 
quote. I know you've heard it before. 
You may have heard this sermon before. I keep track of sermons 
that I preach. I ran the search. This one didn't come up for several 
years. I'm thinking I might've done it on a Wednesday night. 
So if this is review, bless God. We all need a review. But listen 
to Davis. So again, what vexes David? I want God. Don't send me out of the land. 
Don't tell me to go serve other gods. Don't tell me to go away 
from that which I prize above all other things. What's David 
say in the wilderness in Psalm 63? Because thy loving kindness 
is better than life, better than every good thing that we face 
or that we enjoy or that we have in this present world. Because 
thy loving kindness is better than life, my lips shall praise 
thee. David had a practical, experiential 
Christianity. He understood the nearness of 
God as his good. And then, as Davis says, he says, 
didn't David know what every enlightened Christian knows? 
That you can pray and commune with God anywhere. He says, apparently 
the writer of Psalm 63, 139 and 142 was well aware of that, but 
David was more enlightened than many enlightened Christians. 
He knew that to be cut off from Yahweh's inheritance, verse 19, 
was to be cut off from Yahweh's face, verse 20. And when one 
had left Israel, there was no possibility of public worship. I was glad when they said unto 
me, let us go to the house of the Lord. David loved public 
worship. We need to be like David. We 
need to be in the house of God. We need to be where the Lord 
is. You're struggling spiritually? 
You know what the best remedy for you is? We meet at 11 a.m. and we meet at 5 p.m. You're 
struggling with sin? You know what happens when we're 
struggling spiritually? Just practical observation, or 
we're struggling with sin? Our conscience accuses us. We're guilty before God. Well, 
I can't engage in that because it's hypocritical. I can't engage 
in that because I don't really feel it. How about you let obedience 
trump your feelings once in a while? How about you actually just do 
what God says? It's an interesting thing. I 
think it was Ronald Reagan who said, I've noticed something 
in my life The harder I've worked, the luckier I've been. The more 
I use the means of grace that God has ordained for the growth 
of His people, the more we usually grow. Again, there can be a wrench 
in the machine. Again, there can be a burr in 
the saddle. But for the most part, the people 
that engage in obedience to what God has called them to, not for 
their salvation, but because they are saved, are typically 
the ones who thrive and flourish. You say, that sounds pretty bad, 
Pastor Butler. Okay. No worse than saying the 
people that typically run around the block a thousand times and 
only eat protein and fat are usually thinner and healthier. 
Well, that's not right. What? What do you mean it's not 
right? It's right there. There's some 
things, brother, I don't mean to be cheeky, but some things 
really are that simple. We have a knack in the church 
for overcomplicating just about everything. We've got to deal 
with a particular issue. I need to learn how to pray. 
I've got to pray better. So I'm going to go read books 
on prayer. I've got an idea. Why don't you pray? I need to 
learn how to evangelize. Why don't you go talk to the 
sinner that lives next door to you? Jump on his lawn. Tell him 
about Jesus. Well, I have to have a course, 
don't I? I would suggest there's not anything necessarily wrong 
with that. You better know your stuff when you start talking 
to sinners about the gospel. When they bring up the genocide 
of the Canaanites, and that was commanded at the behest of Yahweh, 
you better know how to answer that, because sinners come up 
with some pretty intriguing questions and attacks against our God. So back to Davis. When one had 
left Israel, there was no possibility of public worship. Davis goes 
on to say, this is not the place to sketch a biblical theology 
of worship. Suffice it to say that David 
would have made a poor space-age evangelical. He would have never 
been content with his study Bible, prayer list, and a quiet cave. 
Yahweh's face or presence was especially seen in the sanctuary. Psalm 63, 2. Yet David was being 
driven away and cut off from tabernacle and sacrifice, from 
priest and festival. He was being shut out of the 
land and sanctuary where Yahweh met with his people. To be cut 
off from the ordinances of public worship is David's most severe 
grief. Would that cause me anguish? 
Christians have surpassed David in privileges, but few have approached 
him in appetite. May God help us to imbibe the 
ethos of this man who rejoiced in blood atonement, who rejoiced 
in the forgiveness of sins, who rejoiced in imputed righteousness, 
and who rejoiced in being with the people of God before the 
living and true God to worship Him, to praise Him, to honor 
Him, and to glorify Him. May God help us, and may God 
encourage us, and may God indeed instill in us that kind of a 
mindset with reference to our own theology and our own experience. Well, let us pray. Our Father 
in heaven, we thank you for your word. We thank you for the various 
examples that we have in our Bibles concerning godly men. 
We know they're not perfect men. There's only one perfect man 
in scripture. There's only one hero in scripture, and that's 
the Lord Jesus Christ, David's greater son. We thank you for 
what he accomplished in his life, death, and resurrection. We thank 
you for that forgiveness that you give us, or you cleanse us 
in that blood of the Lord. We thank you as well for that 
righteousness. And God help us to live in light 
of those things, privately, as families, in society. And may 
we value much the things of the church. May we be about corporate 
worship. May we, like David, rise on a 
Sunday morning glad to be able to go to the house of the Lord. 
Go with us now, bless and keep us and watch over us in this 
coming week. Be glorified in our lives and we pray through 
Jesus Christ the Lord. Amen. We'll close with a brief 
time of meditation.