Introduction

There are all kinds of documents that tell about a person’s life. Resumes, autobiographies and biographies, obituaries. Generally, they are quite flattering and they skim the cream from a person’s experiences. Failures, broken promises, crushed dreams, and major faults are not stirred to the surface for the public to see. Our real lives, on the other hand, are a blend of good and evil, strength and weakness, hope and despair.

But there is another important document that makes up a part of our lives. A will. That which we bequeath to our families and to our world. Sometimes there isn’t much money involved, but we all leave a legacy (whether we know it or not) by the lives we live.

Our narrative today, 2 Samuel 23:1-7, is often called "the last words of David." Whether he or …