Some people have a problem with unfinished business. Whether it is making your bed before you leave in the house in the morning or returning a call from a prospective client before you go home for the night, there are certain things that have to be done or you feel unsettled, unable to rest or enjoy yourself.

When Abner came to David to offer his support, David brought up some unfinished business that he wanted Abner to take care of. “And he said, Well; I will make a league with thee: but one thing I require of thee, that is, Thou shalt not see my face, except thou first bring Michal Saul’s daughter, when thou comest to see my face” (2 Samuel 3:13).

Michal loved David and she had helped him escape from her father when Saul was trying to kill David. “But Saul had given Michal his daughter, David’s wife, to Phalti the son of Laish” (1 Samuel 25:44) after David left in order to spite him. The betrayal hurt David and caused him to be disgraced among the people of Israel. He didn’t feel he could effectively reign over the kingdom until his wife was returned to him.

In Psalm 45, David said, “The king’s daughter is all glorious within: Her clothing is wrought of gold. She shall be brought unto the king in raiment of needlework: The virgins her companions that follow her shall be brought unto thee. With gladness and rejoicing shall they be brought: They shall enter into the king’s palace” (Psalm 45:13-15). It was a great moment for David when Michal joined him in the king’s palace. David’s victory over Saul was marked by the return of his devoted wife, Saul’s daughter Michal, to his side, but there was some other unfinished business that still needed to be taken care of.

In Psalm 43, David said, “Why art thou cast down O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me?” (Psalm 43:5) and in Psalm 44, “Thou makest us a reproach to our neighbors a scorn and derision to them that are round about us” (Psalm 44:13). After the Philistines killed Saul and his sons, the people of Israel, “forsook the cities and fled: and the Philistines came and dwelt in them” (1 Samuel 31:7), so David prayed to the LORD, “Arise for our help, and redeem us for thy mercy’s sake” (Psalm 44:26).

In Psalm 49, David used a parable to evaluate his situation from an eternal perspective. David compared the person that trusts in his wealth to the upright man that puts his trust in God. David concluded, “Like sheep they are laid in the grave; death shall feed on them; and the upright shall have dominion over them in the morning” (Psalm 49:14). David realized that some business cannot be taken care of in a day or may be left until death brings about a change in circumstances. The ultimate victory for David was that death was not the end. Because God’s kingdom is eternal and will continue after death, David said:

They that trust in their wealth, and boast of themselves in the multitude of their riches; none of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him…But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave: For he shall receive me. Selah. (Psalm 49:6-7, 15)