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.29:1).Second, hereminded them how he had himself "prepared with all his might for the house ofhis God" (v.2), having "set his affection" thereon, and urged his hearers toemulate his example by giving of their substance unto the Lord (v.5).Both theleaders (vv.5-8) and the people (v.9) responded "willingly" and liberally, sothat David "rejoiced with great joy." Then he magnified the Lord in thesenotable terms, "Thine.O Lord, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory,and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in theearth is Thine; Thine is the kingdom, O Lord, and Thou art exalted as Headabove all.Both riches and honour come of Thee, and Thou reignest over all; andin Thine hand is power and might" (vv.11, 12).The deep humility of the man was again evidenced when David added, "But who amI, and what is my people, that we should be able to offer so willingly afterthis sort? for all things come of Thee, and of Thine own have we given Thee.For we are strangers before Thee, and sojourners, as were all our fathers: ourdays on the earth are as a shadow, and there is none abiding.O Lord our God,all this store that we have prepared to build Thee an house for Thine holy namecometh of Thine hand, and is all Thine own" (vv.14-16).Beautiful is it tohear the king in his last words giving honor to whom honor is due."And Davidsaid to all the congregation, Now bless the Lord your God.And all thecongregation blessed the Lord God of their fathers, and bowed down their heads,and worshipped the Lord, and the king.And they sacrificed sacrifices unto theLord.And they did eat and drink before the Lord on that day with greatgladness (vv.20-22).What a grand finale was this to the reign of David: theking surrounded by his subjects engaged in joyfully worshiping the King ofkings!"Now the days of David drew nigh that he should die" (1 Kings 2:1): not thatextreme old age necessitated his demise, but because his appointed time hadarrived.The length of our sojourn on this earth is not determined by the carewe take of our health (though human responsibility requires that we abstainfrom all intemperance and recklessness), nor upon the skill of our physicians(though all lawful means should be employed), but upon the sovereign decree ofGod."Man that is born of a woman is of few days.His days are determined,the number of his months are with Thee, Thou hast appointed his bounds that hecannot pass" (Job 14:1, 5).No, when the divinely-ordained limit is reached,all the doctors in the world cannot prolong our life a single moment.Thus weare told of Jacob, "The time drew nigh that Israel must die" (Gen.47:29)—"must" because God had decreed it.So it was with David: he hadfulfilled God’s purpose concerning him, his course was finished, and he couldnow enter into his eternal rest."And he charged Solomon his son, saying, I go the way of all the earth" (1Kings 2:1).He realized that his end was near, yet he was not diffident to ownit nor afraid to speak of dying.He calmly referred to his decease as a "way":it was not only an exit from this world, but an entrance into another andbetter one.He speaks of his death as "the way of all the earth": from theearth its dwellers are taken, and to it they return (Gen.3:19).Even the heirsof heaven (except those alive at Christ’s return: 1 Cor.15:51) must passthrough the valley of the shadow of death, yet they need fear no evil.In likemanner Paul spoke of his "departure" (2 Tim.4:6), using a nautical term whichrefers to a ship being loosed from its moorings: so at death the soul isreleased from the cables which bound it to the shores of time, and it glidesforth into eternity.David made all the preparations for his departure with unruffled composurebecause he knew that death did not end all.He knew that as soon as he drew hislast breath.the angels of God (Luke 16:22) would convey him into the abode ofthe redeemed.He knew the moment his soul was absent from the body, he would bepresent with the Lord (2 Cor.5:19).He knew that in the grave his flesh shouldrest "in hope" (Ps.16:9), and that in the morning of the resurrection heshould come forth fully conformed to the image of his Saviour (Ps.17:15).Andhe died in a good old age, full of days, riches, and honour: and Solomon hisson reigned in his stead" (1 Chron.29:28).His epitaph was inscribed by theHoly Spirit: "For David, after he had served his own generation by the will ofGod, fell on sleep.(Acts 13:36).May we too be enabled to serve ourgeneration as faithfully as David did his
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