When Those Who Hate Us Die 2 Samuel 1:1-27 Introduction

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Beverly Briggs
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1 Introduction First Samuel ends with the death of Saul and his sons. Second Samuel begins with David, back at the camp of Ziklag; and an Amalakite messenger comes with the news of the death of King Saul. Like an epic saga; Samuel was originally one book in the Hebrew canon of Scripture. The books were separated in two during its translation into the Greek language by the scholastic community in Alexandria during the reign of Ptolemy II. Second Samuel expands the the themes of First Samuel--the life of David. The focus of the book is David s kingdom. We have come to about the mid-point of David s life. If we were watching a movie based on David s life; he would be about 30 years old at the time of Saul s death. David will live another 40 years. Psalm 78:70-72 sums up David s life; He also chose David, His servant, And took him from the sheepfolds; From following the ewes that had young He brought him, To shepherd Jacob His people, And Israel His inheritance. (72) So he shepherded them according to the integrity of his heart, And guided them by the skillfulness of his hands. David was perhaps 16 or 17 when God took him from his father s sheepfolds; when he slew a giant and enlisted in Saul s army. Between 17 and 30 David is on the run from Saul. Now David will come to a pinnacle in his life; he will soon become king. David would shepherd Jacob His people with the integrity of heart and guide them with the skillfulness of his hands. For the first decades David did guide them with the integrity of heart. David s life--like so many of us--was marked by triumph but also marred by tragedy. David will die a broken man with a broken heart. In this opening chapter we find a messenger of death; his message of death; David s mourning over death; the murder of death s messenger; and a song in the memory of Saul and David. The great message of the chapter for the believer is how we learn to faithfully follow God s leader and God s leadings. (vv.1-16) (vv.1-2) David has returned from the slaughter of the Amalekites. David is a changed man. The earlier experiences in the court of of the Philistine king; the close call in fighting his own people, the burning and kidnapping of his family and all the families of the men with David; have left David broken, humble, willing to obey the Lord. We have just read the account of Saul s death in 1 Samuel 31:3-5. So what really happened? Are these two different reports? Could it be that Saul fell on his sword but did not die right away; and the Amalakite came and finished Saul off? Did he take Saul s royal crown and royal bracelets in the hopes of gaining some reward? The messenger wasn t just dirty; he had all the signs of a person in mourning. But was the Amalakite secretly rejoicing over the death of Saul? The Amalakites were the enemies of Israel. 1

2 (v.3) David knows the Philistines and the Israel have engaged in a major battle. He wants to know the outcome of the battle. David knows it is bad news because of the tokens of mourning on the messenger; dust on the head, torn clothes. The messenger should have limited himself to just the details of the battle; he might have survived. He could have joined David and the men in their grief; Saul s death would have been accepted as the judgment of God and no guilt would have been attached to the messenger (Chafin p. 239). (vv.5-6). The Amalakite says; It just so happened by chance that I should be on Mount Gilboa; and there was Saul leaning on his spear (close to suicide). Saul begged me to kill him; this was a mercy killing; I put him out of his misery. (vv.11-12) David mourns. We might have expected celebration; the enemy is dead. Saul managed to take or destroy everything that David valued, his home, his wife, his job, and Saul was unrepentant. David mourns. David Guzik writes; This powerfully demonstrates that our hatred and bitterness and unforgiveness are chosen, not imposed on us. As much as Saul did against David, he chose to become better instead of bitter. David s men follow David s example. Respect For Those God Appoints (vv.13-16) You will recall that Saul was ordered to kill all the Amalakites (we are to deal harshly, ruthlessly with sin). When we studied the life of Saul; one of the big lessons we learned was obedience to the commands of God. God did not order the execution of the Amalakites on some capricious whim; God had His reasons. God knows that sin that remains in our lives ultimately destroys us. The sin we fail to slay is the one that slays us (Wiersbe p.280). Does some sin still control your life? The Bible does not specifically say that Amalek is type and picture of sin; but many Bible teachers have drawn the parallels between the fallen, fleshly nature and Amalek. Amalek preyed on the weak, the broken, the vulnerable (see Deut. 25:17-18). The Lord pronounced a curse; to be in a perpetual state of war with Amalek. Exodus 17:16 (NKJV) for he said, Because the Lord has sworn: the Lord will have war with Amalek from generation to generation. The only way to defeat Amalek (the flesh, the sinful nature) is to declare war; and ours is a spiritual war; we pray and we seek the Lord. Exodus 17:11 (NKJV) 11And so it was, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed; and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. 2

3 The Lord promises to one day blot out any remembrance of Amalek (Ex. 17:14). Like our battle with the flesh; Joshua defeats Amalek (Ex. 17:13). Like our wicked fallen nature; Amalek enters into alliances with the enemies of God (the world, the devil). (v.14) 2 Samuel 1:14 (NKJV) So David said to him, How was it you were not afraid to put forth your hand to destroy the Lord s anointed? Can you imagine the jaw dropping as David asks the question? How could you not be afraid? How can you take it in your hands to kill the person God has anointed and appointed to the office of the king? David thought since God made Saul the King; it would have to be God who removes the King. Either through judgment from God s enemies (i.e. the Philistines) or Saul taking his own life. What does this mean to us? Did God make our leaders our leaders? Does this mean that if a person is a pastor or a Christian leader he or she should never be held accountable; or be removed from office? I don t think so. Pastors and Presidents have guidelines for their lawful removal. I believe it means--at least in part--that we must respect the fact that God does make certain apointments that do not need to meet with our approval. We must respect certain offices that God ordains. I think of Pilate who said to Jesus; Don t you understand that I have the power to crucify you or set you free? The Lord s response was; You would have no authority over me at all unless it was given to you by somebody else. From that moment on Pilate sought a way to let Jesus go free. People can and do dishonor their rank, their profession, their office. But we must honor the office--even when the person who holds the office acts dishonorably. When Paul was on trial and being interrogated he called the High Priest a white-washed sepulcher and was soundly slapped by an attending guard. How dare you insult the High Priest? Paul said, I didn t know it was the High Priest! We trust God with our lives. We must resist the feeling or inclination to take matters into our own hands. David is no dummy! David remembers the slaughter of Ahimelech and the priests. David remembers the tyranny of Saul. David had 600 men who were the recipients of Saul s domestic policies of oppression. I was amazed when I read this passage that David appears to bear Saul no ill will. How can that be? David was harassed and hounded; but he bears no grudge. David is a man after God s own heart; not just because he was willing to abandon his sin, repent, but he was willing to forgive his enemies! No where in this chapter does David delight over the demise of his enemies. Do you? Do you find yourself saying; she had it coming, he had it coming to him! David practiced what he preached. David had several opportunities to end the reign of Saul. But David was convinced the only person who had the right to remove Saul; was the person who placed Saul in the position of power; God. 3

4 (v.15) Go near and execute him. David s order shows David s sincerity; David is not mourning in order to put on show; or because it is the right thing to do; David s grief is real. David does not outwardly mourn but inwardly rejoice and repay and honor the Amalekite for his treachery and deceit. (v.16) Your blood is on your own head; your own mouth has born witness against you. You would think that if anyone had an excuse to live it was the Amalkite; Saul was in rebellion and disobedient to God; Saul was trying to kill David, Saul was already dying, Saul begged me to kill him; it may be that he already found Saul s dead body. Yet none of these excuses mattered; murder is wrong; are there times when killing can be justified? Yes--the lawful taking of an enemy combatant; self defense; the lawful execution of a criminal convicted of a capital crime; but in the end--it is God s job to end a life--not ours. David appears to have had a tremendous capacity to forgive! For those of you familiar with the details of David s life; and David s backsliding; and David s departure to the land of the Philistines; you might think David lied, David lost his temper, David was cruel, David was crafty. David was an accomplished terrorist, David spilled innocent blood. David sounds just like my ex husband or ex wife! Was David innocent of all charges? Did David have skeletons in his royal closet? David was a sinner and a saint, light and shadows, consistent and inconsistent. Yet David decides that revenge, bitterness or a lack of forgiveness towards Saul will not be a part of his makeup. Has someone hurt you? Are they dead? Are they dead as far as you are concerned? Have you experienced a grief producing event? The sudden or expected loss of a loved one? The death of a close friend? Abortion? The loss of a child? Divorce or broken engagement or failed relationship? The key in grief is finding hope. We find hope in the face of loss. But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. (v.14) For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. (I Thess. 4:13-14). Grief is always temporary when we have a permanent hope. Grieving For The One s We Love (vv.17-27) (vv.19-27) Grief seems universal. The only person exempt from grief is the one who never loves. Sooner or later we all lose someone we love and we must experience loss or grief. Grieving is not a sin. It is a normal part of being human. We simply do not grieve like those who have no hope. David picks up his harp and writes a song! The song has been called The Song of the Bow. The song David sings; is the song of the devastating bows and arrows that pierced his friends. The theme of David s song is How the mighty have fallen (vv. 19, 25, 27). 4

5 The phrase sums up the enormous loss experienced in the heart of David and the nation as a whole. I have visited many graveyards. I have seen the markers of men and women, soldiers and fallen heros. I have seen the graves of civil war veterans, and those who have died in both world wars, in Korea, Vietnam, and now the Middle East. My Father s house was located near the Chalmette Battlefield; where Colonel Jackson fought the British; two thousand British soldiers died in the space of two hours; and only eight Americans died. Battlefields like Gettysberg and Vicksberg become sacred places--because of the enormous sacrifice. David is saying the same thing about Mount Gilboa. How can people he loved die there--and it remain just an ordinary place? Anyone who has ever visited the grace of someone they loved who died in tragic circumstances--will be able to relate to David s lament. (v.18) The book of Jasher is also mentioned in Joshua 10:13; it appears to have been a book of Hebrew poetry. We shouldn t think of it as a lost book of the Bible. Our Bible is complete, trustworthy and inspired. I want you to note some interesting things about David s song for Jonathan and Saul. (v.20) David hopes the joy of the Philistines will be short lived. (v.21) David prays for a drought so nothing will grow there ever again. (Mount Gilboa is devoid of trees). Again David pictures the shield and bow of Saul and Jonathan. (v.23) Someone might read this and think; How hypocritical! Jonathan may have been pleasant, but Saul was wicked, a jerk. He persecuted David and made life miserable for the people of Israel. What a hypocritical statement! But was it really? David has no unkind words for Saul. David refuses to speak ill of the dead. I don t think David is doing this simply out of respect; David s chief concern seems to be the Lord s anointed is dead. Because the Lord s anointed is dead, this gives opportunity for the enemies of God to rejoice and speak ill of the Lord. He is anxious that the unsaved enemy not rejoice over this victory (Warren Wiersbe; p. 280; see also vv. 19, 25, 27). Saul stood head and shoulders over all the other men; and now he has fallen lower than the enemy. David remembers that Saul and Jonathan stood together in life; and fell together in death. Whatever differences they had in life, they were united together in their death. David manages to see beauty in Saul; David does not want the enemies to rejoice over the death of Saul; David wants all to mourn Saul; even the mountains and the fields; He praises Saul as a mighty warrior; he compliments the personality and loyalty of Saul; He calls the daughters of Israel to mourning, and praised the good Saul did for Israel. How do you praise someone who generated so much grief, sorrow and tragedy? David chose to keep his heart free from bitterness. David fulfilled Paul s words; love thinks no evil. David knew the principle before Peter penned And above all things have fervent love for one another; for love covers a multitude of sins. David trusted the Lord and God s power; David knew God was in charge of his life; and what the devil meant for evil, God could and would use for good. (v.24) Saul gave the the bounty after the battle. 5

6 (vv.25-27) David pays tribute to his friend Jonathan. People in the world are often tempted to use the word Love in some kind of sexual fashion. Nothing could be further from the truth-- David and Jonathan did not have a homosexual relationship. David is describing a friendship that is long-lasting, consistent, loyal, selfless, responsible, realistic. It was a friendship that ennobled their lives while they were living and a relationship which enriched David s memory after Jonathan was dead (Chafin p. 244). Conclusion David wrote a tune so everyone would remember Jonathan and Saul. Someone wrote about their grief experience this way; I knew that someday my husband would die, but no matter how often he was ill, I never really thought about life without him. For weeks after his death, I couldn t stop crying at the slightest remembrance of him. And now months later, life still isn t normal. Normal--I don t know what that is anymore. Food doesn t taste as good as it did before he died. Colors aren t as bright as they were. Jokes aren t as funny. Sleep isn t as deep. And I don t have the energy I used to. The end of my husband s life was like a song cut off before the last notes could be played. The tune never leaves my mind. It drifts into the background from time to time, but its never far away. I wonder how often David sang this song. We who are Christians--we know death is real. It is the consequence of sin. As Christians we take comfort in the knowledge that God will raise everyone from the grace. The righteous will be raised to eternal life; the unrighteous to eternal condemnation; separation from God. We know the emptiness and the agony; real and personal; but not permanent. We will be reunited in heaven with our family and friends who have accepted Jesus Christ as Savior; David s Son. How the mighty have fallen. David is kind. We know Saul fell a long time ago. Saul fell when he hardened his heart against God; Saul fell when he refused to repent and return to the Lord. Saul fell when he refused the Word of God and the Instruction from the prophet. Saul s death on Gilboa was the sad conclusion to his prior fall (David Guzik). 6

DELIGHTING in the LORD

The one thing I ask of the Lord - the thing I seek most - is to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, delighting in the Lord s perfections and meditating in his temple. Psalm 27:4 Day