“Now these are the last words of David: David son of Jesse says, and the man who was raised on high, the anointed of the God of Jacob, and the sweet psalmist of Israel, says,” – 2 Samuel 23:1

What will you be remembered for at the end of your time at your current organization or when you leave your current neighborhood? And more importantly, what would be said about you when your time here on earth is up? These are critical questions that we must all ask ourselves and be sincere with our answers; we have to be true to ourselves even as we ponder on these questions. In our text above, David approaching the end of his time on earth summed up his life in a very instructive way.

Always acknowledge your source, and always celebrate those who permitted you to appear on the scene. Appreciate the efforts of those who passed on the baton to you, and those who invested in you, because without their sacrifices and effort, there would be no you.

David began by acknowledging his father, David son of Jesse. It is important to acknowledge your source. Jesse may not have been a king but David knew that there would be no David without Jesse. Always acknowledge your source, and always celebrate those who permitted you to appear on the scene. Appreciate the efforts of those who passed on the baton to you, and those who invested in you, because without their sacrifices and effort, there would be no you. David was not ashamed to be called the son of Jesse. David may have become more popular than Jesse, but it didn’t matter to David because he knew that no man is a product of himself; everyone is a product of someone else. There are several ways that David could have commenced the description of himself, but he chose to begin by acknowledging the one who gave birth to him.

Next, David described himself as ‘the man who was raised on high’. Note the word ‘raised’; David did not say the man who climbed, jumped or went up on high, but he acknowledged that he was raised. The fact is that no one raises himself, it takes another or others to raise a person. David never tried to take credit for who he became, in his description of himself towards the end of his life, David clearly reveals his character to us here; he was not the type who would shy away from acknowledging the input of others in their lives. He was not like those who would want everyone to believe that they were self-made. David wanted everyone to remember that he was raised, and one natural question that may come up in the mind of some is ‘Who raised David’?

The fact is that no one raises himself, it takes another or others to raise a person.

Thankfully, we need not look away from our text to find an answer to that question. David described himself in the same text as ‘the anointed of the God of Jacob’. David wanted even generations yet to be born to know that he was primarily raised on high by the God of Jacob who anointed him. There is a limit to which people, no matter how powerful they are, can raise you, but there is no height to which the God of Jacob cannot raise you. God’s anointing can raise any man or woman irrespective of their background. When God’s anointing comes upon your life, it neutralizes every disadvantage in your life that has the power to keep you down, so long as you agree to cooperate with God. David wanted the role of God’s anointing in his life to be remembered. He did not want achievements to be attributed to his skill or effort long after his time on earth was up. Hence, David reminds us that the anointing of the God of Jacob on his life made all the difference.

But more importantly, what are you doing with your life right now? What are you living for? What will you be remembered for? Is your life bringing God any pleasure? Many questions to ponder, right? May God help us to find the right answers in Jesus’ name, amen.

Finally, when presented with an opportunity to say his last words, one would have expected David to seize the moment to highlight his achievements in battle or the size of his kingdom but he chose to rather describe himself as the ‘sweet psalmist of Israel’. No wonder David was described as a man after God’s heart in 1 Samuel 13:14. David wanted to be remembered as the sweet Psalmist of Israel for he considered this his greatest achievement, and rightly so, At the end of the day, all things, including each of us, were created by God for His pleasure as revealed in Revelation 4:11. We can only imagine how much pleasure David would have given to God as the Sweet Psalmist of Israel.  But more importantly, what are you doing with your life right now? What are you living for? What will you be remembered for? Is your life bringing God any pleasure? Many questions to ponder, right? May God help us to find the right answers in Jesus’ name, amen.