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.

Opening Prayer

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,

Introduction

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

The Deliverance of David

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,

The Righteousness of David

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

The Apparent Contradiction

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

The Theology of David

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.

The Example of Abraham and 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 Recognised His Own Sin

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

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 and Imputed Righteousness

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

The Experience of David

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,

The Testimony of Others

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

David Contrasted with Saul

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

David's Pursuit of Holy Things

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.

Application

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.

Closing Prayer

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.

Scripture References

• Genesis 15; 22
• Joshua 24:2-3
• 1 Samuel 13:14; 19:4; 25:28; 26
• 2 Samuel 11:1-5; 12; 12:13; 13; 13:19; 21; 21:1; 22:1-25; 22:21; 22:23; 22:24; 22:25; 24; 24:14
• 1 Kings 3:14; 9:4; 11:33-34
• Psalms 18:20; 32; 51; 63; 63:2; 65:3; 139; 142
• Luke 18
• Romans 1:18; 3:9; 3:19; 3:21; 4; 4:1-6
• Ephesians 1:3
• Hebrews 9:15