Final Words / David Jeremiah

Final Words For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell asleep, was buried with his fathers, and saw corruption. Acts 13:36   In ancient Greece, an ephitaphios (“upon a tomb”) referred to words inscribed on the outside of a tomb in memory of the deceased person buried within. We know that term today as epitaph, the inscription on a gravestone or tomb in memory of the deceased. Books have been published about famous and unique epitaphs, often in memory of the deceased’s personality.

Recommended Reading: 1 Chronicles 22:1-19

The apostle Paul didn’t intend to suggest an epitaph for King David when he mentioned the long-dead king in a speech in the synagogue in Pisidian Antioch. But his words would have been fitting: “David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell asleep.” Could there be a more succinct, yet powerful, summary of one man’s life? Does God expect any more from any of us than to complete the work He has given us to do?  David was not perfect, but he was a man after God’s own heart (Acts 13:22). May each child of God strive to follow David’s example and leave a similar legacy.   We are contributing to a much larger building of the kingdom of God. It’s through this means that we leave a legacy of godliness for the next generation. Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth