COMMENTARY

Old Testament: 2 Samuel 23:1-7
Scholars are divided on the question whether David actually wrote this song. If he did, they are not his last words but his last song. The first verse is an introduction to David, a man raised by God to a high position, anointed by God, and a sweet psalmist. Now David declares that the Spirit speaks through him. The Spirit says that a godly ruler is as appreciated as the sun in a cloudless sky and as rain that makes grass grow. The song concludes with the claim that the righteous prosper and the wicked perish.

Epistle: Revelation 1:4b-8
This passage contains a greeting similar to Paul's, a doxology, an announcement of Jesus' return and God's declaration of his being alpha and omega. Grace and peace come from the Trinity: (God-father; Christ-son; …