for david, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep and was laid with his fathers and saw corruption, but he whom God raised up did not see corruption. let it be known to you therefore, brothers, that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, and by him everyone who believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses. [acts 13:36-39]
his own generation
there are few accounts in scripture that rival that of king david.
we first learn of him as a young shepherd boy, the youngest and least impressive of several impressive brothers, who was chosen by God to one day reign as king.
while still a boy he slew the giant goliath when every other solider was afraid.
he united a group of twelve tribes into a kingdom, wrote a majority of the book of psalms, and began the plans for what would one day be the temple in jerusalem.
king david was certainly a powerful figure in his generation.
to the jewish people to whom paul was speaking, king david was a beloved figure, admired and cherished as a national hero. but his deeds were for his generation, not for all time and not for our salvation.
paul made clear that david was not the messiah, just a human like any of us. among with his triumphs were many failings. paul proclaimed that no one but Jesus has any power to save. Not david, not moses, not Abraham, nor any hero of our time.
This does not diminish david’s role in his generation. each of us has a role to play in our generation, and that role centers around loving God, loving people, and pointing others to Christ. we may or may not be remembered centuries from now like david is, but what matters is that we fulfill the purpose God has for us right here and now, in proclaiming the glory of the one who is, was, and always will be.
~ jason soroski