Good Morning Friends,
A few years ago, I lost my younger brother. Though I knew he was ill, the news still came with a particular kind of sadness, the kind that arrives unexpectedly. I’m grateful we shared a final word that honored God. His passing, along with the memories of my parents’ final days and my own journey of aging, has taught me that death is not something to fear but something to prepare for. It raises the question: Do You Have Any Last Words?
Scripture: When David’s time to die drew near, he charged his son Solomon, saying: “I am about to go the way of all the earth. Be strong, be courageous, and keep the charge of the Lord your God, walking in his ways and keeping his statutes, his commandments, his ordinances, and his testimonies, as it is written in the law of Moses, so that you may prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn. Then the Lord will establish his word that he spoke concerning me: ‘If your heirs take heed to their way, to walk before me in faithfulness with all their heart and with all their soul, there shall not fail you a successor on the throne of Israel.’ “Moreover you know also what Joab son of Zeruiah did to me, how he dealt with the two commanders of the armies of Israel, Abner son of Ner, and Amasa son of Jether, whom he murdered, retaliating in time of peace for blood that had been shed in war, and putting the blood of war on the belt around his waist, and on the sandals on his feet. Act therefore according to your wisdom, but do not let his gray head go down to Sheol in peace. Deal loyally, however, with the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite, and let them be among those who eat at your table; for with such loyalty they met me when I fled from your brother Absalom. There is also with you Shimei son of Gera, the Benjaminite from Bahurim, who cursed me with a terrible curse on the day when I went to Mahanaim; but when he came down to meet me at the Jordan, I swore to him by the Lord, ‘I will not put you to death with the sword.’ Therefore do not hold him guiltless, for you are a wise man; you will know what you ought to do to him, and you must bring his gray head down with blood to Sheol.” Then David slept with his ancestors, and was buried in the city of David. The time that David reigned over Israel was forty years; he reigned seven years in Hebron, and thirty-three years in Jerusalem. So Solomon sat on the throne of his father David; and his kingdom was firmly established.
1 Kings 2:1-12 (NRSV)
He called the twelve and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits. He ordered them to take nothing for their journey except a staff; no bread, no bag, no money in their belts; but to wear sandals and not to put on two tunics. He said to them, “Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave the place. If any place will not welcome you and they refuse to hear you, as you leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet as a testimony against them.” So they went out and proclaimed that all should repent. They cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them.
Mark 6:7-13 (NRSV)
Honor your father and your mother, so that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.
Exodus 20:12 (NRSV)
You have not come to something that can be touched, a blazing fire, and darkness, and gloom, and a tempest, and the sound of a trumpet, and a voice whose words made the hearers beg that not another word be spoken to them. (For they could not endure the order that was given, “If even an animal touches the mountain, it shall be stoned to death.” Indeed, so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, “I tremble with fear.”) But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.
Hebrews 12:18-24 (NRSV)
Message: As David approached death, he charged Solomon to be strong, courageous, and faithful to God. His words mix spiritual counsel with practical concerns about the future of his kingdom. Though some of his instructions feel harsh, they reveal a father’s urgency to protect the legacy God entrusted to him. Embedded in his final words is the heart of the fifth commandment: honor those who came before you and carry forward the covenant of love. Jesus, meanwhile, sent his disciples out with almost nothing—no bag, no bread, no money—teaching them to walk boldly in trust. And Hebrews reminds us that our destination is not a place of fear but the heavenly city of God, where Christ mediates a new covenant, we will awake to.
And So, when my time comes, I hope to go with that same bold trust of Jesus and David—unafraid, and with a few final words of love and wisdom for those I leave behind. Until that day, we are called to live faithfully, to guard the work God has given us, and to face the mountains before us—especially the mountain of death—not alone, but with God’s help.
Pray that we deal wisely with those who lack integrity. Pray that we honor our parents and think generationally. Pray that we care beyond the present moment. Pray that God’s opinion of our lives matters more to us than the world’s. Pray that we finish the work God has entrusted to us. Pray that our words reflect Christ’s love. Pray that in our healing we remain faithful to Jesus. Pray that as we enter heaven, heaven’s grace touches earth. Pray that all God’s children grow wiser than Solomon.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 