King David is nearing the end of his life. He actually made it past 70 years, which was no mean feat in those days, and even more remarkable considering he had fought many dangerous battles with Israel’s enemies along the way. He was a man after God’s own heart (Acts 13:22), and he served the Lord in righteousness and complete devotion until the day he died, at almost 71 years of age.
Acts 13:36 (NIV)
"Now when David had served God's purpose in his own generation,
he fell asleep; he was buried with his ancestors …”.
He fell asleep … how precious is that? He finished all his work for the Lord … and then, he “fell asleep”. This is reminiscent of Enoch, too. It is written of him that he walked with God, and then … he just went home.
Genesis 5:24 (NIV)
“Enoch walked faithfully with God; then he was no more, because God took him away.”
This sure beats retirement if you ask me! In fact, I am not even sure retirement is any kind of biblical thing, or principle. It is not mentioned or expounded in Scripture. And, just to head off any protest emails, I am not saying it is unbiblical, either. It just strikes me that the men and women of old never really thought about retirement. They just kept serving the Lord with dedication and passion … until they were called home – Enoch, David, Elijah, Moses, even Paul. These are precious and beautiful glimpses of how God’s righteous ones walked with God, and lived by faith right to the end, with no slackening off concerning God’s purposes for them. I marvel at their full-hearted devotion.
Such life journeys of men and women of faith in their later lives are rich with recollections of God’s goodness. They can look back, and through all of the hardships and hurts, still see the hand of God over them right up to the time of their writing. Men like Jeremiah and Isaiah endured hardship and suffering for the Lord, yet they did not waver in their faith, or righteousness. They never became cynical. They knew something of God that others did not. They did not let the painful circumstances around them poison their faith or embitter their hearts. They knew something of God’s character. Yes, they suffered, but they held on in faith. Yes, they were treated appallingly by their own, but they stayed the course by faith. And all of them, in their later years, reflected on the enduring goodness and faithfulness of God – except Jonah, who could never get over himself. Many of their recollections we treasure today. They bring us great comfort, encouragement and hope …
Isaiah 40:30-31 (NIV)
“Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; 31 but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”
Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)
“For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
These are prophecies, yes. But they are also rich with the confidence that comes from walking by faith and learning to know God so deeply – they’re life experiences of the righteous living by faith.
One of the last things Kind David wrote in his old age was Psalm 37. Here is just one of the things he has left us – a gem of wisdom that is rich and full of the experience of walking with God in faith and devotion. David writes …
Psalms 37:25 (NIV)
“I was young [once] and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread.”
That is so rich and encouraging! From the vantage point of his twilight years David looks back over his whole life. And looking down through all those years to when he was a shepherd boy - when he had killed a bear, then a lion to protect his father’s flocks, then a giant who was intimidating God’s people. And later as King of Israel when he had killed tens of thousands of Israel’s enemies. Here he is in his old age reflecting and he comes to a very wise conclusion about a life spent walking by faith … “I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread.”
He had never seen it. Not once. In all his life and that checkered career of his, he had NEVER seen righteousness ignored by God in anything – not even food for his children.
Even after he had been made king and had shockingly fallen from grace into sin, and repenting in tears he recovered his walk with God with renewed passion, he walked righteously once more. He had become so trusting of the Lord, so experienced in the Lord’s faithfulness as to say, “I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread.”
As God’s people, we are righteous with the righteousness of God that comes by faith in Jesus Christ. We righteous ones – the “born-agains” – walk by faith, not sight. We live by faith.
2 Corinthians 5:7 (NIV) “For we live by faith, not by sight.”
We live in such a way, as ones made righteous, that is, we live by faith - totally trusting God as the great heroes of the faith did - and we learn in increasing measure the provision and hope that God imparts to us as we do. We live confidently. And this is why David also wrote in his not-so-later-years, and again, this is a rich and grateful reflection concerning his righteous walk with God by faith:
Psalms 23:1 (NIV) “The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing.”
The walk of the righteous, in faith, guarantees that God will not forsake us, or our children, either.
Be blessed.
Ps Milton