The Last Words of David

By Mary Vee
II Samuel 23

photo courtesy of visualbiblealive.com

The last words of David are quite special. God's Word called David the son of Jesse, the man raised up on high, God's anointed, and was considered the sweet psalmist of Israel.



Here is what David said:

God’s Spirit spoke through me,
    his words took shape on my tongue.
The God of Israel spoke to me,
    Israel’s Rock-Mountain said,
“Whoever governs fairly and well,
    who rules in the Fear-of-God,
Is like first light at daybreak
    without a cloud in the sky,
Like green grass carpeting earth,
    glistening under fresh rain.”
And this is just how my regime has been,
    for God guaranteed his covenant with me,
Spelled it out plainly
    and kept every promised word—
My entire salvation,
    my every desire.
But the devil’s henchmen are like thorns
    culled and piled as trash;
Better not try to touch them;
    keep your distance with a rake or hoe.

They’ll make a glorious bonfire!

The list of men who served under David reads better than a hall of fame list.

Josheb-Basshebeth killed 800 enemy soldiers at one time.

Eleazar fought the Philistines until his hand was weary and stuck to the shelf

Shammah stood his ground in the middle of a field, by himself, defending it and killing th e Philistines. 

During the battle against the Philistines, David stood in the stronghold, overlooking the Philistines. He swallowed and said, "Oh, I wish someone would give me a drink of the water from the well of Bethlehem, the one near the gate"

Josheb-Basshebeth, Eleazar, and Shammah looked at each other then crept out of the stronghold. They broke through the enemy lines, drew the bucket from the well, and poured water into a cup. They transported it safely back to the stronghold and  presented it to David.

David looked at the cup of water and the three mighty men. He considered the risk his men had taken to fulfill his selfish wish. His heart pounded and he lowered his head.  He dumped the water on the ground and said, "I can't. I can't accept this water. Not at the cost of my men who put their very blood in jeopardy to serve me a cup of water."  

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1. What did the Spirit of the Lord say to David?

2. What great thing did Josheb-Bashebeth do?

3. What great thing did Eleazar do?

4. What great thing did Shammah do?

5. What did David wish for?

6. What did Josheb-Bashebeth, Eleazar, and Shammah do to surprise David?

7. Was David happy with their gift?

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