The Fiery End of the Rebellious
But the sons of rebellion shall all be as thorns thrust away, because they cannot be taken with hands. But the man who touches them must be armed with iron and the shaft of a spear, and they shall be utterly burned with fire in their place.” - 2 Samuel 23:6-7
David has given a clear comparison in his song; the end of his life was full of expectant hope in God’s salvation and the fulfillment of all the Lord’s promises to him in the future. But the end for the sons of rebellion would be hopeless; they will be gathered like thorns, and thrust away. What is going to happen to the wicked? One day they will face a fiery end––they will burn.
David was discouraged at times because of the wicked that often seemed to prosper. Throughout Psalm 37, he reminded himself of the heritage of the righteous in comparison to the destruction of the wicked. He knew their future end and wrote: … the transgressors shall be destroyed together; the future of the wicked shall be cut off (Psalm 37:38).
I love this kind of comparison, as in Psalm 1; David also speaks about the ways of the righteous contrasted once again with the ungodly. He described the fruitful life of those who delight in God’s Word:
He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper - (Psalm 1:3).
Notice the opposite for the ungodly, their life is unfruitful:The ungodly are not so, but are like the chaff which the wind drives away. David completes his thoughts with a declaration of their end: the way of the ungodly shall perish. Look at your life, who do you relate to most in Psalm 1?
The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness,and will cast them into the furnace of fire.
~Matthew13:41-42~
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