OUR END
OUR END
The question as to what our end will be is of great importance: God’s thought for us is that it should be better than our beginning. What a triumphant departure marked the end of the life of Jesus here! His beginning, of course, was truly great — but how blessed His end! He could say then, “It is finished.” Nothing that He came to do was left uncompleted.
The apostle Paul’s end was morally glorious, for he could say, “I have combated the good combat, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith,” 2 Timothy 4: 7. Stephen’s end was surely the crown of a life reflecting as few have done the glory of his Lord.
It is a great encouragement to see so many young ones beginning the path of faith, and of subjection to the Lord and the truth; but it is important that such, and indeed all of us, should have our end in view. In this connection it is interesting to contrast the end of king David with the end of certain other characters portrayed in the Old Testament for our instruction.
King Saul had a good beginning. There was a time when he was little in his own eyes — and we must all begin thus, for “except ye be converted and become as little children ye shall not enter the kingdom of God.” Later God gave him another heart; he was turned into another man. Samuel gave him the reserved portion — the shoulder — as his food (typically the strength of Christ) and he kissed him, thus in type conveying an impress of the love of Christ.
Then he went to Rachel’s grave, with its teaching that power comes through sorrow and suffering. What a start Saul had in all these favoured experiences! But what an ignominious end was his (1 Samuel 31); his head cut off and his body fastened to the wall at Beth-shan! His end was not better than his beginning. Let us inquire what were the moral causes that brought him to such an end. It is evident that he was overthrown by powers and agencies which he had failed to judge during his life. This is an important lesson for us all, for what we fail to judge and forsake will surely overtake and overthrow us.
Saul’s death was brought about by three separate powers. The Philistines fought against him; the archers wounded him; he fell upon the sword. These three represent moral issues which Saul had failed to judge in himself during his life. The Philistine represents the natural mind operating in the things of God. This leads to giants arising — those who do not reach the truth through self-judgment and in the power of the Holy Spirit. Saul never seemed able to face the Philistine victoriously, because Philistine elements were unjudged in himself.
The archers are men who mainly operate from a distance and in ambush. Archery is right in some connections, for David taught the people the use of the bow. But Saul had been an archer in a wrong sense: he had secretly attacked David again and again. He would even use Michal to damage him, or send him into battle, hoping he would die there. Saul had not judged these evil actions and he was sorely wounded by the archers when his end was at hand. We need to judge all such secret movements of malice, or they will inevitably contribute to our downfall.
The third instrument was a sword — he fell upon the sword. In his early days Saul used offensive weapons against David, in his effort to ensure his own position. Most of his conflicts were for the assertion of his own rights, rather than the rights of God and of Israel. David had entreated him to sheathe the sword, but the fact was that he had not judged taking the sword on his own behalf. How testing this is to us all, for if our dignity or our rights are touched, how natural it is to take the sword to defend our reputation and our place!
Asahel came to a very sad end, 2 Samuel 2: 17-23. We know little of his beginning, but as one of the sons of Zeruiah, and related to David, he had excellent opportunities. There was war between the house of Saul and the house of David. David’s forces were in contact with the enemy, but Asahel was not content to keep rank; being fleet of foot as a wild roe, he went ahead of the army, but he did so to his own destruction. We learn an important lesson in this. We may have an alert mind, and be quicker to see things than our brethren, but to detach ourselves from them and attempt to meet the foe alone will endanger our spiritual life and may bring us to an ignominious end. There may be times when one must stand alone, but when there is something to face which threatens the rights of our David, let us keep together with our brethren and not go on ahead of them independently!
Joab also came to a tragic end; 1 Kings 2: 28-35. He was a difficult man to face; even David seems to have realized this, for his judgment in serious matters that arose was correct; yet he was a hard man, having failed to imbibe the spirit of David. In addition, be was jealous of others, such as Amasa and Abner. David, when about to die, urges that Solomon should not allow Joab to die in peace. Why? Because he shed the blood of war in time of peace!
You might say, Could Amasa be trusted? Could Abner be trusted? The covenant with the latter outwardly did not seem to be very satisfactory, for Abner broke from allegiance to Ishbosheth on personal grounds. But David made peace with Abner, and David was king, not Joab: and it was for Joab to be governed by the king and not to attempt to govern the king. This is a word for us. If an issue has been reached in a matter, it is for us to accept this, even if there may be features about the way things have been done that might not be all that could be desired. When spiritual conflict is on we have to be prepared for casualties, but when peace exists, woe to the man that sheds blood then! Joab in this was moving in the cruelty of envy.
The end of David as recorded in 2 Samuel 23, affords a great contrast. What a joy it is to consider him! He had a good beginning at Ephratah, in his father’s house. He heard there of the ark, and he vowed that he would provide a place of rest for it.
But let us ponder his end. These are the last words of David: “David the son of Jesse saith...” Though so greatly honoured of God and by Israel, he was still the son of Jesse in his own eyes — he was not inflated, but acknowledged his lowly origin. “And the man who was raised up on high...” David never attempted to exalt himself. If he reached a position of elevation, it was as raised up on high by God. Then, “The anointed of the God of Jacob...” David treasured the thought of the anointing; he would not touch Saul because he was the Lord’s anointed. His life following his anointing by Samuel was marked in the main by consistency. If we are to have an end better than our beginning, we too, need to put great value on our anointing. The Holy Spirit is the anointing today, and He gives the saints a dignity suited to God.
Lastly, David refers to himself as “the sweet psalmist of Israel.” In his early days he was known as a cunning player on the harp, but his skill increased till he inaugurated the service of song and led Israel in their praises to God. This surely contributed much to the happy end that was his; instead of the ignominy marking the end of Saul, of Asahel and of Joab, David’s last words tell us that his soul was lit up with the glory of Christ: “he shall be as the light of the morning, like the rising of the sun, a morning without clouds.” He closed by recognizing the mercy of God to him: “Although my house be not so before God, yet he hath made with me an everlasting covenant.” We need to be maintained in the sense of mercy if we are to end well: Saul,
Asahel and Joab all failed in the appreciation of divine mercy.
It is instructive to see that David overcame during his life the various moral elements that Saul failed to judge. David early learned the secret of vanquishing the Philistine, even Goliath, by the acceptance of his own weakness and by dependence upon God. He had used secret weapons, archery in a wrong sense, against Uriah, but he fully judged this. He would not use a sword in his own interests, though efficient in its use against the enemies of Israel. He would not spare an Amalekite when one brought him word of the death of his enemy Saul, and even brought David the crown and bracelet.
May we all have such an end! May the glory of Christ shine brightly in each heart, and along with this an ever-deepening sense of divine mercy that has borne with us and brought us through in spite of what we are in ourselves. For this to be realized it is imperative that we truly judge moral issues raised during our lives.