A Rare Find...

I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan;
very pleasant have you been to me;
your love to me was extraordinary,
surpassing the love of women.
(2 Samuel 1:26 ESV)
In the first half of his two-volume set, the historian used numerous descriptions of the close relationship to describe the unique bond between David and Jonathan.  Their hearts were knit to one another. They understood one another's vision for life and values.  When no one else could find David in hiding, Jonathan knew him well enough that he could.  There was absolutely no sexual reference here in their relationship, and that is what made it so intense. Their bond did not need that to help keep their relationship in tact.  David had several wives, some who loved him deeply, yet his bond to Jonathan was even stronger. Now Jonathan was dead.  Irreplaceable.  He was a rare find.  The question for us is not so much whether we have such a friend, as it is whether we are willing to be that kind of friend.  Sometimes it can be even more than one - a band of brothers, one of which may be more pronounced.  But are we so true to the Lord, so true to ourselves, and so true to our convictions and commitments, that someone, anyone, could say of us what David said of Jonathan.

How the Mighty Have Fallen...

And David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and Jonathan his son, and he said it should be taught to the people of Judah; behold, it is written in the Book of Jashar. He said:
“Your glory, O Israel, is slain on your high places!
How the mighty have fallen!
Tell it not in Gath,
publish it not in the streets of Ashkelon,
lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice,
lest the daughters of the uncircumcised exult.
“You mountains of Gilboa,
let there be no dew or rain upon you,
nor fields of offerings!
For there the shield of the mighty was defiled,
the shield of Saul, not anointed with oil.
“From the blood of the slain,
from the fat of the mighty,
the bow of Jonathan turned not back,
and the sword of Saul returned not empty.
“Saul and Jonathan, beloved and lovely!
In life and in death they were not divided;
they were swifter than eagles;
they were stronger than lions.
“You daughters of Israel, weep over Saul,
who clothed you luxuriously in scarlet,
who put ornaments of gold on your apparel.
“How the mighty have fallen
in the midst of the battle!
“Jonathan lies slain on your high places.
I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan;
very pleasant have you been to me;
your love to me was extraordinary,
surpassing the love of women.
“How the mighty have fallen,
and the weapons of war perished!”
(2 Samuel 1:17-27 ESV)
David was a musician.  We would expect that he would respond as such to the death of his king and his best friend.  To the Philistines it was a cause for celebration.  To him it was a loss that seemed overwhelming and unavoidable. If only Saul had chosen a different path, he would have had a mentor, and not have been separated from his kindred spirit.  But did the people realize what they had lost? The backbone of their military. The leadership that had provided wealth. So often we do not know what we have till it's gone. The struggles of Israel were far from over.  The repetition of the phrase is intended to knock the wind out of us: "How the mighty have fallen!"  May it bring us to our knees, humble our hearts, and compel us to ask God for godly leaders.

Big-time Bragging Backfires...

Then David took hold of his clothes and tore them, and so did all the men who were with him. And they mourned and wept and fasted until evening for Saul and for Jonathan his son and for the people of the LORD and for the house of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword. And David said to the young man who told him, “Where do you come from?” And he answered, “I am the son of a sojourner, an Amalekite.” David said to him, “How is it you were not afraid to put out your hand to destroy the LORD's anointed?” Then David called one of the young men and said, “Go, execute him.” And he struck him down so that he died. And David said to him, “Your blood be on your head, for your own mouth has testified against you, saying, ‘I have killed the LORD's anointed.’”
(2 Samuel 1:11-16 ESV)
This opportunist had come to David claiming to have killed Saul as a "favor" to David.  Actually he was pillaging the bodies of Israeli soldiers when he came to Saul, and thought he had found the golden opportunity to get in David's good graces.  What he failed to understand is what David believed and how David thought.  David believed in the sovereignty and providence of God - that is was in God's timing and way that Saul would be removed and he would become king. He also believed, and had lived out, the fact that we are not to mess with God's ways, even when they seem "easier" or faster, or even "make more sense." He has this man killed not on the basis of the truthfulness of his claim, but because this man's bragging and lack of character are so dangerous, who knows when he would set his mind and sword against David when given the opportunity. This man had no regard for the ways or words of God, living up to the reputation of the Amalekites, and thus God's command beforehand for Saul to eliminate them. May we understand and follow David's comprehension here of the ways of God, and may we resist the temptation to fall into the false thinking of the Amalekite.

No way to earn brownie points...

After the death of Saul, when David had returned from striking down the Amalekites, David remained two days in Ziklag. And on the third day, behold, a man came from Saul's camp, with his clothes torn and dirt on his head. And when he came to David, he fell to the ground and paid homage. David said to him, “Where do you come from?” And he said to him, “I have escaped from the camp of Israel.” And David said to him, “How did it go? Tell me.” And he answered, “The people fled from the battle, and also many of the people have fallen and are dead, and Saul and his son Jonathan are also dead.” Then David said to the young man who told him, “How do you know that Saul and his son Jonathan are dead?” And the young man who told him said, “By chance I happened to be on Mount Gilboa, and there was Saul leaning on his spear, and behold, the chariots and the horsemen were close upon him. And when he looked behind him, he saw me, and called to me. And I answered, ‘Here I am.’ And he said to me, ‘Who are you?’ I answered him, ‘I am an Amalekite.’ And he said to me, ‘Stand beside me and kill me, for anguish has seized me, and yet my life still lingers.’ So I stood beside him and killed him, because I was sure that he could not live after he had fallen. And I took the crown that was on his head and the armlet that was on his arm, and I have brought them here to my lord.”
(2 Samuel 1:1-10 ESV)
Despite all that was going on in his own life - the destruction of his city, the capture of his family, the rebellion of his troops, and the subsequent deliverance God provided from them all, David still had in his mind the battle between his homeland and the Philistines.  He was waiting to hear word, and he finally does. It is brought by a most unlikely, yet very likely source.  An Amalekite. David had just defeated most of them. This stray survivor  had the mindset of most of them: use any opportunity to take advantage of others to get for yourself.  That is what the invaders who had taken David's family had done, and so he does here. He hoped that David would be like him - heartless and self-seeking, willing to lie to get ahead. In his mind, his "lie" had saved David a lot of aggravation: Killing Saul would earn him brownie points from David. Nothing was further from the truth.  We live in a culture of heartlessness, self-seeking, and lying. Have we become infected by it?  Are we looking for ways - any ways - to get ahead, at the expense of other?  It may at times fit in the agenda others have for themselves, but it will make no brownie points with God in the big scheme of things. Some day the selfishness of others will overrule our own.  May we have no heart, and no ear, for those who call to the selfishness of our hearts.

Some Rare Respect

But when the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul, all the valiant men arose and went all night and took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Beth-shan, and they came to Jabesh and burned them there. And they took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree in Jabesh and fasted seven days.
(1 Samuel 31:11-13 ESV)
The Philistines were having a hay day with the bodies of Saul and his sons, abusing them and parading them about with total disrespect.  The armies of Israel were not much better, abandoning them and leaving them behind.  But these men did not forget what Saul had done for them, delivering them from the attack of the Ammonites.  Despite the downhill slide of Saul over the past several years, they recognized that he was still the king, still human, and still worthy of respect. So they gave it to him the best ways they could: burning the bodies to hide the marks of abuse; burying the bones, which many patriarchs had requested, so that some they they could be dug up and buried in a more appropriate place; fasting: a sign of sincere sorrow and respect.  It was the least they could do, and the most they could do. They were not afraid or ashamed to show some respect. What a lost concept in our society.  What words, what antics, what thoughts have we had in the last seven days that demonstrate a lack of respect.  Let us repent and respect.

On Display for All to See...

The next day, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, they found Saul and his three sons fallen on Mount Gilboa. So they cut off his head and stripped off his armor and sent messengers throughout the land of the Philistines, to carry the good news to the house of their idols and to the people. They put his armor in the temple of Ashtaroth, and they fastened his body to the wall of Beth-shan. 
(1 Samuel 31:8-10 ESV)

Make no mistake about it: When we fall or fail, there will be someone there to make sure everyone sees and hears, in any way possible.  It may be in the form of personal abuse, publishing it for all to "read", or even using it to make him or her look better to someone else (like placing Saul's armor before their goddess.) You can count on it.  But are you ready for it?  Saul was afraid of such treatment when he was still alive.  But did he understand what such treatment meant for everyone else around?  It was not just Saul who was being insulted; it was God. In their minds Saul had lost, so he God had lost as well.  It is not that we will never fall or fail, but that we consider what the fallout of our failure will be for others, and for the name of God.  Sadly, news of Saul's death was spread here as "good news."  It was far from the good news of the gospel.  May we live in such a way that even when we fail, there is something positive for all to see. We'll see an example tomorrow...

Giving up...

Now the Philistines were fighting against Israel, and the men of Israel fled before the Philistines and fell slain on Mount Gilboa. And the Philistines overtook Saul and his sons, and the Philistines struck down Jonathan and Abinadab and Malchi-shua, the sons of Saul. The battle pressed hard against Saul, and the archers found him, and he was badly wounded by the archers. Then Saul said to his armor-bearer, “Draw your sword, and thrust me through with it, lest these uncircumcised come and thrust me through, and mistreat me.” But his armor-bearer would not, for he feared greatly. Therefore Saul took his own sword and fell upon it. And when his armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he also fell upon his sword and died with him. Thus Saul died, and his three sons, and his armor-bearer, and all his men, on the same day together. And when the men of Israel who were on the other side of the valley and those beyond the Jordan saw that the men of Israel had fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they abandoned their cities and fled. And the Philistines came and lived in them.
(1 Samuel 31:1-7 ESV)
From the moment Saul had hardened in his disobedience, refused to repent, and was rejected by God as king, he started giving up and giving in. That tendency was reinforced as he saw the people embrace David, while God repeatedly protected David from Saul's wrath.  The most recent reinforcement came when Saul sought the medium, only to hear that he would surely die in this battle. But Saul gives in rather than dying valiantly.  The Philistines divided Saul and his 3000 or so choice soldiers from the rest of the army and made them an example. Then, the rest of the army gave up - not only on the battle, but on the Israeli dream. The gave up their cities and let the Philistines waltz right in.  How many of us, in how many ways, have given up on so many things to the enemy? We have allowed one stronghold to the enemy and let him build on it to such and extent that the whole war seems hopeless? Let's stop giving up, and trust in God.