David:The Shepherd King, #12
Mourning, Judgement, and
the Song of the Bow
2 Samuel 1
By Dave Redick
Hwy 20 Church of Christ, Sweet Home, OR

As you contemplate this picture of 600 grown men weeping, ask yourself why it wasn't cheering instead. After all, the mad and relentless pursuit of David and his men by the army of Saul was at last over. They could return home to the land of Israel. The way would now be open for God to fulfill his promise to make David King. Not only was Saul out of the way, but also the three possible successors to the throne. There could have been rejoicing in the camp that God had finally vindicated them for the years of injustice put upon them by Saul. But instead, probably by order of David himself, the whole camp went into mourning.

Introduction

An officer in the Confederate army once heard General Robert E. Lee speak to the president Jefferson Davis in the highest terms regarding a fellow officer. The officer who overheard stopped the General afterward and said, "Sir, don't you know that the man you spoke so highly of in there to the President is one of your bitterest enemies? Don't you know that he never misses a chance to malign you and tear you down before others?" Lee replied, "Yes, I know that, but the President asked me my opinion of that man, not his opinion of me."

It is the mark of a spiritually mature person to give a blessing instead of a curse to an enemy when there is opportunity. Yet blessing those who persecute you is not the thing that comes naturally.

In this message we are going to deal with a passage that tells the story of giving a blessing to an enemy when opportunity was present for a curse. It concerns the actions of David as he received the news of the death of King Saul, the man who had been trying for nearly 10 years to kill him.

Please join me in your Bible at 2 Samuel chapter one.

If you were not with us in the exposition of chapter 31 of I Samuel, then you may not be familiar with the background of this chapter. Let me fill you in. In a nutshell, chapter 31 tells how Saul and his three sons, including Jonathan, David's closest friend, were overrun by the Philistines in battle. The three sons were killed. Saul was mortally wounded, along with his armor bearer. Both the king and the armor bearer took their own lives. Their bodies were decapitated by the enemy and taken throughout the land of the Philistines on display as war trophies until the brave men of Jabesh-Gilead put a stop to it by sneaking in under the cover of darkness and taking the bodies back for burial in Israel. It was a tragic situation. Israel was numbed by the shocking defeat.

David was not with the king when Saul fell on Mt. Gilboa. He was still at Ziklag, in the land of the Philistines, having just rescued his family and the families of his men from a huge army of Amalekite raiders. We pick up the story there as

I. David Receives the News of Saul's Death. (V. 1-10)

(Read v. 1-2)

The torn clothes and dust on this man's head were signs that David would immediately recognize as sorrow and mourning. He comes to the camp at Ziklag and asks to be taken to David. And there, prostrate on the ground before David, he tells his story.

(v. 3-4a)

David had great interest in the outcome of the battle because it involved his nation, his king, and his best friend. The man continues his story.

(Read v. 4b)

Those last words hit David hard, though not, as we shall see, in the same way as this young man expected.

(Read v. 5)

Hearsay and second hand stories won't do when you are dealing with items as serious as this. David wanted to be sure the story was true. By the way, we should deal with hearsay in the same way. When a story is in circulation and we hear it, we should always ask, "How do you know that these things are true?"

(Read v. 6-10)

So David learns of Saul's death from this Amalekite.

We are going to have to stop reading there and clear something up. There are several discrepancies between this account of what happened on Mt. Gilboa regarding the death of Saul and the account as it is written back in I Samuel 31. Let me point them out.

Notice in this account by the Amalekite, when he found Saul, the king was not yet dead. He was leaning on his spear for support trying to get away from the pursuing enemy soldiers. He then, according to this account, called out for the Amalekite to identify himself and kill him because he had been mortally wounded. So, the young man killed him and took his crown and bracelet as evidence and brought them to David.

But that is not like it is told in I Samuel 31. In that account there is no mention of the Amalekite at all. Saul is wounded alright, but he calls out to his armor bearer to take his life. The armor bearer refuses to do it so Saul kills himself by falling on his own sword. The armor bearer followed suit and killed himself as well.

What we have here is one of those alleged "discrepancies" that the Bible is said by its critics to have. One account calls Saul's death a suicide, the other a mercy killing. One account credits Saul's own sword with his death, the other the sword of this young Amalekite.

Now, is this a discrepancy? Are the critics right? No, they are not! Let me explain.

What we have in chapter 31 of I Samuel is the Holy Spirit's account of what really happened. Saul, mortally wounded and afraid of capture, killed himself by falling on his own sword after his armor bearer refused to do it. (You will find this story also told in I Chronicles 10:1-12).

What we have in chapter one of II Samuel is the Amalekite's fabrication of what happened. In other words, he was lying to David for the purpose of his own gain as we shall see in a moment. He thought David would reward him for having taken the life of the one who had so badly mistreated him over the last ten years.

R. Payne Smith, writing in PULPIT COMMENTARY explains it this way:

"Though the Amalekite came out of the camp, yet we are not to suppose that he had been one of the combatants. Every army is followed by a vast number of vagabonds, intent upon plundering wherever they have the chance, and carrying on a lucrative but illicit trade. He was more probably a sort of gypsy sutler than, as many suppose, the slave of some Israelite. He professes, however, to be on Israel's side, and appears with the usual marks of sorrow. By so doing he hoped to commend himself to David....The Philistines, in pursuit of the enemy, would soon leave the battlefield in their rear, and the multitudes would quickly prowl about it to plunder the dead. While so busied, the Amalekite falsely represents himself as having come by chance upon the wounded, but still living, Saul."

I believe that if you watch this account in II Samuel very carefully, you will see that it is quite reasonable to believe that the Amalekite was fabricating the story of his having killed Saul to further his own ends. This is not a discrepancy, but rather, an accurate accounting of just exactly what happened, both on the battlefield and in the presence of David after the battle was over.

So, in summary, I Samuel 31 is HISTORY. II Samuel 1 is a fabrication by the Amalekite.

Well, lie or no lie, one thing was certain to David. Saul and Jonathan were dead. The Amalekite held undeniable proof in his hand in the crown and bracelet normally worn by the king. We see next,

II. David's Response to the News of Saul's Death. (V. 11-27).

David's response to the tragic news has three parts: Mourning for Saul and Jonathan; Judgement for the Amalekite; and Music for the people of Israel. Let's look at them one at a time. First,

A. His response was mourning for Saul and Jonathan.

(Read v. 11-12)

As you contemplate this picture of 600 grown men weeping, ask yourself why it wasn't cheering instead. After all, the mad and relentless pursuit of David and his men by the army of Saul was at last over. They could return home to the land of Israel. The way would now be open for God to fulfill his promise to make David King. Not only was Saul out of the way, but also the three possible successors to the throne. There could have been rejoicing in the camp that God had finally vindicated them for the years of injustice put upon them by Saul. But instead, probably by order of David himself, the whole camp went into mourning.

David was practicing something that his son Solomon would record as a proverb many years later in Proverbs 24:17 -

"Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, and do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles, lest the Lord see it and be displeased."

Jesus tells us as recorded in Matthew 5:44-45-

"But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you in order that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous."

Brethren, it is a mark of being a son or daughter of God to love and not hate our enemies.

"But," someone says, "Wasn't David weeping for Jonathan, his best friend, and not Saul?"

Look back at the text, more specifically, verse 12.

(Reread verse 12)

David certainly had some faults in his life as we have already noted in this series, but bitterness and grudges against those who mistreated him was not among them.

I wonder, how we measure up in that regard. Do we gloat when we see the downfall or destruction of an enemy or do we mourn?

So rare is the response of mourning in circumstances like that, though, that it almost seems like a strange question to ask!

I saw a church split one time in another state where, whenever something bad happened to one side after the separation, the other side would rejoice and say, "That just proves that they were wrong and we were right." That is wrong brethren! There should never be gloating when evil befalls others, even enemies!

B. David's second response to the news from Gilboa was judgment for the Amalekite.

(Read v. 13)

Now it isn't immediately evident to us why David would ask this question, since we are removed from their culture. David is asking more specifically about his nationality. What would that have to do with it?

The Amalekite's answer would be significant to David. The word translated "alien" here meant a settler, or one who had withdrawn himself from his own country and joined himself to Israel. This man claimed to be the son of a "naturalized" citizen of Israel. Being such would indicate a familiarity with the laws and customs of Israel. In short, this man claimed that Saul was his king. Therefore, this was not just a battlefield casualty. It was a murder by a man who ought to have known better by his own admission. He expected David to reward him.

Now, look at David's next question:

(Read v. 14)

In essence, what David is asking the Amalekite is this: "How is it that you were not afraid to kill the one who was your own king?

David apparently saw through this man's grab for the limelight at the expense of the King's life. What gave him the right to take the kings life into his own hands? What authorized him to determine that the king should be slain rather than rescued?

(Read v. 15-16)

I guess it doesn't pay to lie in order to get ahead! I'm reminded of a certain NT couple named Ananias and Saphira who learned the same lesson the hard way. Perhaps it would behoove us all to learn it by proxy from this Amalekite.

David's first response to the news of Saul's death, then, was mourning. His second response was judgement.

C. David's third response to the news of Saul's death was music.

Not a song of rejoicing, mind you, but one of sadness and lament. It was common for gifted Israelites to express their sorrow in music and poems. Jeremiah's book of "Lamentations" is such an expression. So is this that we are going to read.

(Read v. 17-18)

David called it "The Song of the Bow." Some suggest that the bow has reference to the chosen weapon of Jonathan. Others suggest that it was called the song of the bow because it was the bow that defeated Israel. Whatever the case really is, David wrote it to be sung and taught to the future generations as a memorial to Saul and Jonathan.

May I say here before we read it that the idea of memorials and national traditions is a good one. We are the product of our history. Many lessons have been learned by those who have gone before us that could have tragic results to current generations if forgotten. That is also true in families. Family traditions and memories of parents, grandparents, and the like are important. They help us define who we are and where we came from and give us continuity in the greater scheme of things. We should never despise that kind of tradition.

Let's read "The Song of the Bow."

(Read 17-27)

There are several things we could note that David wrote in this lament. I am going to call your attention to just a couple of them.

Notice in verse 20 that David said, "Tell it not in Gath." Gath, of course, was the capitol city of the Philistines. David was very concerned that the knowledge of Saul's downfall not get to the enemies of God's people and thereby be used as a tool to mock the Lord. He didn't want the enemy to gloat.

That has a contemporary application as well. My wife and I were members of a church in the Midwest that split because of unresolved problems. I was not in leadership at that time, so there was very little I could have said even had I had something to say. Now, a split in itself is tragic. But members on both sides of the issue that divided them did not keep their mouths shut in the community. They were hurt and willing to tell their gripes to any and all who would listen. As a result, the church in that city got a reputation as being a contentious, hypocritical group of people. Indeed, "the daughters of the Philistines rejoiced." Unbelievers were given what they considered to be ample reason for continued unbelief.

The moral of the story? When there are problems in the family of God or a leader falls, "Tell it no in Gath." Don't blab it all over the countryside. Family problems need to be kept inside the circle of the family, be it the family of the flesh or the family of the church. Tell it not in Gath! We need to work out our problems among ourselves. With the way some people gossip and backbite for anyone to hear, is it any wonder that unbelievers blaspheme the Lord? Tell it not in Gath!

The other application I want to make from this lament of David is found down in verses 25-27 in David's remarks about the loss of his friend, Jonathan.

A part of the tragedy of the news from Gilboa for David was the fact that he lost his closest friend in death. Indeed, Jonathan had been a friend of the best kind.

Friendship is an important Bible subject. The words "friend," "friends," and "friendship," and "friendly" appear 122 times in the Bible. Yet, often we don't consider friendship much of a Biblical issue. (I remember preaching a whole sermon on friendship once and a person came up to me afterward and said, "Why don't you just stick to Biblical subjects?")

I frequently hear two statements about friendship that I would like to speak to you about for a few moments. The first is this:

#1 - "I don't need friends."

Sometimes that is said by a person who has been deeply hurt by one he or she counted as a friend. I remember an old song by Simon and Garfunkle (in an ancient, bygone era), called "I Am a Rock." The words went:

I am a rock; I am an Island,
And a rock feels no pain,
And an island never cries.
I have my books and my poetry
to protect me.
I have no need of friendship;
Friendship causes pain;
It's laughter and it's loving
I disdain.

You can live without friends, retreat rocklike into the security that isolation offers, but eventually it catches up with you. Solomon put it this way: "Woe to the one who falls when there is not another to lift him up." (Eccl. 4:10). You can choose to avoid the vulnerability that it takes to be a friend, but you will lose in the end.

If you have been burned and you're holding back on new relationships because of it, let me suggest a couple of things for you to do:

Another reason some say "I don't need friends" is because they are involved in their own selfish pursuits and for the moment feel self sufficient. That can last awhile, but it will ultimately bring a harvest of trouble and loneliness. Human independence never lasts. If right now you are standing in tall clover and are thinking that you don't need anyone, let me exhort you not to sacrifice your friendships in your smug self confidence. It won't be long before you are going to need them again.

#2 - "I Don't have friends."

In other words, I would like to have friends, but it just never works out that way.

Proverbs 18:24 says, "He that hath friends must shew himself friendly."

If you want to have friends, rather than seek to win friends, the secret is to seek to be a friend.

Dale Carnegie once said, "You can make more friends in two months by becoming really interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you."

In Queen Victoria's time, a young woman had the good fortune of being escorted to dinner by William Gladstone, who was considered one of the most brilliant statesmen of the 19th century. On the following evening, the same young lady was escorted by Benjamin Disraeli, novelist, statesman and twice prime minister of Great Britain.

When asked for her impression of these two great rivals, she replied, "After an evening with Gladstone, I thought he was the most brilliant man I'd ever met. After an evening with Disraeli, I thought myself to be the most fascinating woman in the world!" I don't believe you will have any trouble guessing which man won her friendship.

Make being a friend a goal and having friends will be the result.

Conclusion

I began this message by telling you a story about General Robert E. Lee. He was really a remarkable man. His enemies even wept at his surrender. He was a man who, like David, when he had opportunity to curse an enemy, gave a blessing instead.

General Lee once came upon a Union soldier who had been wounded at Gettysburg. The man was bitter in his hatred of the Confederacy and as Lee passed by on his horse, the man raised his head and shouted, "Hurrah for the Union!" General Lee heard him, stopped his horse, dismounted, and walked toward the soldier. (The soldier said later that he thought he was going to be killed). As Lee came up to this man, he got down on his knees, looked the enemy soldier in the face with a sad look and said, "My son, I hope you will soon be well." The soldier went on to say to friends later: "If I live a thousand years, I shall never forget the expression on General Lee's face. There he was, defeated, retiring from a field that had cost him everything, and yet, he stopped to encourage a wounded, taunting enemy soldier as he passed by. I watched the General ride away and I cried myself to sleep."

David's dealing with the death of Saul has not been forgotten, though it happened nearly a thousand years ago. It stands a reminder of how we are to treat our enemies.

In this message I have spoken of friends and enemies. You have an enemy who is devoted to your ultimate destruction. His name is Satan. He lives for the day you will fall.

You also have a friend, one who is closer than a brother. This friend died for you. As a matter of fact, He died for you while you were still an enemy. He is Jesus and this morning He calls you home...

Dave Redick is Minister of the Hwy 20 Church of Christ in Sweet Home, Oregon and Editor of The Preacher's Study. He may be reached at pstudysupport@comcast.net.

Copyright © 1996-2008 by The Preacher's Study. Permission is granted to subscribers to use this document in total or in sermon preparation in the context of the local congregation only. Publishing it in a book, on the Internet, or anyplace beyond the local congregation is prohibited.

All Scripture quotations and references are from the New American Standard Version unless otherwise stated.

[Archive]    [Home]   [Comments]   [Search]