How the Mighty Have Fallen!

Death is something most of us have encountered. Some of you have had a front-row seat for the death of a loved one. Many of you, more than one.

We know about death. We even sang a funeral song this morning. “In the Garden” is played at more funerals than just about any other song.

However, “When I Get Where I’m Going” featuring the incomparable Dolly Parton is gaining ground, at least anecdotally. That’s been my experience.

I’ve been to A LOT of funerals. Long before I was a pastor, it seemed like most of my free time as a kid was attending funerals.

I have a large extended family and most of my mom’s family lives a long, long time. So I attended funerals of great-grandparents, great-great-aunts and great-great-uncles. Cousins, distant cousins and close cousins, weird cousins and fun cousins. 5 of my aunts and uncles have passed and I only have 3 left.

Every time I turned around, it was a phone call from one side of the family or the other. “Aunt Goldie has passed away.” “It’s Uncle Leland....”

Mom or Dad hang up the landline, share the news with us, and two days from then we’ll be headed to Phillipsburg (where they both grew up and where most of my extended family lives).

What do you do when you get that phone call? You put on your Sunday best and drive 3-hours to the funeral home where the funeral directors know you so well, you think they're some of your cousins. Strange cousins, but cousins.

Most of my childhood was attending funerals. There was some baseball scattered-in here and there, some Lego building, and plenty of playing with my complete set of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

But there was a lot of funerals.

In God’s economy, there’s no wasted experience. Here I am, all these years later, a pastor who officiates a lot of funerals.

It really helped that I was well-acquainted with death and grieving and spending an inordinate amount of time in the funeral home before I started in full-time ministry.

My wife and kids are no strangers to funerals; they’ve lost count, I’m sure, of all the funerals they’ve attended and/or helped with. We should have kept track. Makai might be on-pace for the Guinness Book record: “Most Funerals Attended in a Lifetime.” From ages 2-8, he’s probably been to 75-100 funerals.

We have to have some category for death, or we won’t understand life in this fallen world. Death is an inevitability. What’s certain in life but death and taxes?

To quote Forrest Gump: “Mama always said, dying was a part of life. I sure wish it wasn't."

Here’s the thing, though. Dying wasn’t meant to be part of life. Death/dying is sin’s penalty.

Romans 5:12 “Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned—”

Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death...”

If you are a Bible-believing Christian, you will object to Mama Gump and anyone else who says “death is just natural,” or “death is just a part of life.”

It’s not natural; it’s unnatural. It’s a penalty. Death is sin’s penalty.

Jesus has triumphed over death. By coming out of the grave on the third day, Jesus showed death had no hold on Him.

The death of Jesus has taken away the sting of death; death has no victory over those who belong to Him.

But we still die. People still die, because death will only be ultimately destroyed when Jesus returns. The consequences of the curse which fell upon sin will not be removed until Jesus returns and sets the world at rights.

For the Christ-follower, there is life after death. Eternal life after death. But for now, we must reckon with death.

We have to have some category for death or we will despair.

Here at the end of 2 Samuel 1, David helps us to think about death and our response to it. He does so with one of the most beautiful elegies in all literature.

If you have your Bible (and I hope you do), please turn with me to 2 Samuel 1. As you are able and willing, please stand for the reading of God’s Holy Word:

2 Samuel 1:17–27 NIV

17 David took up this lament concerning Saul and his son Jonathan, 18 and he ordered that the people of Judah be taught this lament of the bow (it is written in the Book of Jashar): 19 “A gazelle lies slain on your heights, Israel. How the mighty have fallen! 20 “Tell it not in Gath, proclaim it not in the streets of Ashkelon, lest the daughters of the Philistines be glad, lest the daughters of the uncircumcised rejoice. 21 “Mountains of Gilboa, may you have neither dew nor rain, may no showers fall on your terraced fields. For there the shield of the mighty was despised, the shield of Saul—no longer rubbed with oil. 22 “From the blood of the slain, from the flesh of the mighty, the bow of Jonathan did not turn back, the sword of Saul did not return unsatisfied. 23 Saul and Jonathan— in life they were loved and admired, and in death they were not parted. They were swifter than eagles, they were stronger than lions. 24 “Daughters of Israel, weep for Saul, who clothed you in scarlet and finery, who adorned your garments with ornaments of gold. 25 “How the mighty have fallen in battle! Jonathan lies slain on your heights. 26 I grieve for you, Jonathan my brother; you were very dear to me. Your love for me was wonderful, more wonderful than that of women. 27 “How the mighty have fallen! The weapons of war have perished!”

May God add His blessing to the reading of His Word! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

David understands exactly what’s going on. God had sovereignly taken Saul out of the picture in order that David might then ascend to the role of the king.

It seems like, in most of our minds maybe, that David would have run as fast as he could to Gibeah where Saul’s palace was. There, David would take over as king just as quickly as he could.

But David doesn’t do that.

What does David do? He composes a song, a lament for Saul and Jonathan.

2 Samuel 1:17 “David took up this lament concerning Saul and his son Jonathan.”

A lament is a formal expression of sorrow or mourning, especially in verse or in song. An elegy. A funeral dirge.

Notice, David’s lament is personal, but it isn’t private. David pours out his heart in an amazing expression of poetic skill. David, a shepherd boy who writes poems and plays instruments, writes these words. David feels death’s sting acutely.

Here, David writes a lament. This is, for him, an ordered grief.

An Ordered Grief (x2)

David’s had the emotional outburst upon hearing of Saul’s and Jonathan’s deaths.

2 Samuel 1:11–12 “Then David and all the men with him took hold of their clothes and tore them. They mourned and wept and fasted till evening for Saul and his son Jonathan, and for the army of the Lord and for the nation of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword.”

Tearing of clothes. Mourning, weeping, fasting until evening. That’s pure and raw emotion. It’s expected and even proper.

I’m not saying you have to tear your clothes, rend your garments upon news of a loved one’s death, but I wouldn’t be surprised if you did.

And maybe not that exactly, but something with the same emotional force. Falling down to the ground. Dropping your phone or keys or whatever’s in your hand. Beating your fists against the chest of the person giving you the news. Weeping, crying, sobbing.

All natural, expected emotions.

David’s been there. This isn’t the first time in David’s life and it won’t be the last. Continue reading in 2 Samuel, and you’ll see this over and over—an emotional response to grief.

Here, David presents a more ordered grief. A “thoughtful grief” as some put it. He takes time to compose a poem, choosing his words, organizing his thoughts.

It’s an impressive work, poetically speaking. A refrain weaves throughout the poem—How the mighty have fallen—found three times.

It’s an ordered grief in that it’s orderly; it’s a good sequential move, from emotional to intellectual, from feeling to thinking. It’s well-ordered.

It’s “an ordered grief” and “an ordered grief”. That sounds just the same, but I mean it differently.

Do you see how David ordered this lament to be taught to the people of Judah?

2 Samuel 1:18 “and he ordered that the people of Judah be taught this lament of the bow (it is written in the Book of Jashar):”

David orders, he commands the people of Judah be taught this lament for Saul and Jonathan.

Why? What’s the point of that? It’s meant to be a memory for the people of God; this is something they’re supposed to remember. They are to remember, lest they forget.

“Remember this for years. Hum this tune. Whistle it while you work.”

This—the death of the king—is a national calamity, a deeply hurtful event in the life of Israel. All the hopes and dreams of the king, the security of the nation—all of that has now been completely scattered on the hillside and has been buried under a tamarisk tree (1 Samuel 31:13).

David orders that the people of Judah be taught this lament for Saul and Jonathan. And so it is.

Elsewhere, the LORD commands Moses to write down a song and teach it to the Israelites (Deut 31).

Apparently, the epic songs of Israel’s history were intended to be taught and applied from generation to generation.

Teaching good, Biblical truth to one another, to our kids, our grandkids, the neighborhood kids, ourselves is important.

We all learn by song. No one learned their ABCs a-melodically. No! “A, B, C, D...” Put to song makes the alphabet catchy.

We learn deep truth by song, too. “Jesus Loves the Little Children,” “Jesus Love Me,” “Great is Thy Faithfulness,” “It is Well,” “Is He Worthy” and so many of the songs we sing here are intended to implant/imprint good, solid Biblical truth on our hearts. Etched upon our minds. Stuck in our ears.

“Remember this for years. Hum this tune. Whistle it while you work.”

David orders this grief, this lament. He does so because grieving is important.

A Grief Observed

I stole this heading from my good friend, C.S. Lewis. He won’t mind; he’s been dead for 60 years.

We’re going to work through the text little by little to see what David is impressing on us here.

He starts in verse 19 with the poem itself. 2 Samuel 1:19 “A gazelle lies slain on your heights, Israel. How the mighty have fallen!”

A gazelle is a symbol of a dignitary. In this instance, a king. Some translations have, not the word ‘gazelle’, but ‘glory’, or ‘ornament’.

The point is: this gazelle, this dignitary, this glory of Israel is slain. The king is dead, and this is no small thing.

2 Samuel 1:20 ““Tell it not in Gath, proclaim it not in the streets of Ashkelon, lest the daughters of the Philistines be glad, lest the daughters of the uncircumcised rejoice.”

David doesn’t want anyone, any of Israel’s enemies out spreading the “good news” that Saul is dead. This is not news to be spread. The Philistines are celebrating in their capital city, Gath. He wants silence in the streets of Philistia.

The uncircumcised, that is, those who aren’t God’s people are rejoicing that Saul is dead. Just the thought of that bothers David immensely.

David doesn’t want any rejoicing from Israel’s enemies. In fact, he doesn’t want any good to happen to them:

2 Samuel 1:21 “Mountains of Gilboa, may you have neither dew nor rain, may no showers fall on your terraced fields. For there the shield of the mighty was despised, the shield of Saul—no longer rubbed with oil.”

Mt. Gilboa is where Saul and Jonathan and the army of Israel fell dead. This was the sight of the battle. David’s calling for a drought there. A localized drought over that location.

“Curse this mountain! I can’t stand the thought; up on the mountain lie all the uniforms and shields and other remains of the dead.”

Death colors everything for David, for Israel. For us, even. It’s hard to imagine life going on as it had. “It shouldn’t even rain on that mountain ever again!”

For years after my grandma died, I didn’t want to step foot in Dodge City because she died in the hospital there. In my mind, Dodge City didn’t even exist. “Be gone, you smelly cattle town!”

Do you know the feeling? This is what grief does. Death weighs heavy. It looms over everything. Death is the enemy, an enemy only Jesus can deal with.

A Personal Grief

In verses 22-23, this lament turns personal. David expresses his gratitude and appreciation for Saul and Jonathan.

These verses highlight their abilities as warriors. Jonathan’s bow. Saul’s sword. They’re swifter than eagles, stronger than lions. They’re strong and adept.

But more than that, David’s lament focuses on their character. 2 Samuel 1:23 “Saul and Jonathan— in life they were loved and admired, and in death they were not parted. They were swifter than eagles, they were stronger than lions.”

David, it seems, allows Jonathan’s character to color Saul’s character. Saul and his son were not parted, even in death. They were together. This is Jonathan’s loyalty, even if it’s not Saul’s loyalty.

David celebrates their skill and bravery and their willingness to fight and serve. Like Hebrews 11, nothing is recorded in the song that speaks of any sins or shortcomings or mistakes in the lives of Saul or Jonathan. They aren’t perfect, to be sure. But David honors them, still.

David then, in this lament for the people, assigns the women of Israel the task of weeping for Saul.

2 Samuel 1:24 “Daughters of Israel, weep for Saul, who clothed you in scarlet and finery, who adorned your garments with ornaments of gold.”

And then David turns to mourn Jonathan. Jonathan was David’s best friend. David and Jonathan were brothers-in-law as well as friends who are closer than brothers.

You might have those people in your life, friends who are closer than family.

Nothing’s the matter with my family (well, there’s my sister, and my mother-in-law)—nothing’s the matter with my family, but I have friends who are as close or closer than family.

When we read verses 25-26, we have to keep in mind David and Jonathan’s relationship.

Jonathan was totally devoted to David’s becoming king of Israel. This is astounding. Jonathan was Saul’s son. Jonathan would have been king after his father died, more than likely, in the natural order of things.

But Jonathan tells David this: 1 Samuel 23:17 “You will be king over Israel, and I will be second to you. Even my father Saul knows this.”

Jonathan knows his place, and the rightful place of his friend, David. David knows he’s lost a most-excellent friend.

Some have twisted and perverted verse 26 in order to say David and Jonathan had a homosexual relationship. But that misunderstands the whole relationship. The comparison between Jonathan’s love and a wife’s love is not at the point of sexuality, but that the point of fidelity.

Jonathan was faithful to David even when Saul wanted David dead. Jonathan was faithful to David even though he knew David would be king instead of him. Jonathan saved David’s life and help David escape from his father, Saul.

Jonathan was an incredible, faithful friend.

David’s grief is personal. He’s grieving the death of the king. And he’s mourning the death of his friend.

Like Forrest Gump said: "Bubba was my best good friend. And even I know that ain't something you can find just around the corner.”

Jonathan was David’s “best good friend.” That’s not something you slough-off nonchalantly. You grieve and mourn and lament.

“The more we love, the more we grieve.” - Matthew Henry

This lament is personal, but it’s not private. Your grief has a way of helping others process what they’re facing.

This grief is personal, but it’s far reaching.

2 Samuel 1:27 “How the mighty have fallen! The weapons of war have perished!”

“The artful execution of this work serves as a fitting tribute both to its esteemed author and those whom he commemorated by composing it.” -Warren Wiersbe

In addition, the lament of David for Saul and Jonathan is characterized by both passion and restraint. While giving full vent to his feeling upon hearing the report of their death, David displays no bitterness toward his mortal enemy Saul.

One commentator rightly said, “We know nothing of David which presents him in a better light [than this, to be gracious toward Saul].”

The king is dead. David will be the next king. This has been a long time coming; it’s been 15 years since David was anointed by Samuel.

David laments, rightly, the deaths of Saul and Jonathan. This is a good teaching for the people of Israel and Judah. Think about how the mighty have fallen! The mighty have fallen! The mighty have fallen!

This is no small thing that’s happened. It’s good for the people to be ordered to lament. “Don’t skip over it. Grieve it. Mourn over what has been, weep over what was lost.”

This lament also prepares the people, in some way, for David to assume the throne.

Beyond any of that, let’s think through this.

Did you notice there wasn’t any mention of the LORD in David’s lament? There was nothing there, nothing even slightly religious.

Who knows what to make of that, or even if we should make anything of that.

But it makes me think that our grief—if we’re followers of Jesus—our grief ought to point us to Jesus. We should turn to God before we turn anywhere else.

Sure, a national lament is all fine and dandy, but a lament that doesn’t point you to the LORD Yahweh, the One, True, and Only God is severely lacking.

Friends, the only thing for your hurt, your sadness, your grief—the only thing for it is Jesus.

The only thing for your sin and brokenness is Jesus.

The only answer for your hopelessness and despair is Jesus.

Run to Him! Repent/turn from your sin and self-sufficiency and throw yourself on the mercy and grace and forgiveness of the only wise God our Savior, Jesus Christ!

Find comfort and rest in Him.

>In the course of time, David is going to die. His death is recorded for us in the opening chapters of 1 Kings. People will say of David, just as David said of Saul and Jonathan, “How the mighty have fallen!”

All human rulers and leaders will eventually die. Death will find each one; it’s no respecter of persons. Kings and presidents and celebrities are not exempt. Everyone is destined to die, so says the author of Hebrews.

Death and taxes, right?

Saul is dead. Jonathan is dead alongside him. The nation grieves, “How the mighty have fallen!”

But there is good news on the horizon, wonderful news in the offing.

There is coming a King. Not David, but One from the line of David: Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham.

And when you get to the end of His story…whew!

I should say, “When you get to the end of His written story”, because His story has no end.

Listen to what John writes about Jesus:

Revelation 21:1–5 NIV

1 Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” 5 He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”

There will, on that glorious day, be no more death.

No more death, for Jesus paid the penalty our sins have wrought.

No more death, because the Risen Jesus crushed death to death.

No more death, for King Jesus will be seated on the throne, forever and ever and and ever. And He will wipe every tear from our eyes.

And He—Jesus, the King of kings and LORD of lords—will make all things new.

Let’s pray.

Thank you, God, that in Jesus, death is now transformed. We give you praise, because we know, we believe your Word when it says the kingdoms of this world will become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever.

Help us to grieve rightly, looking to you. Help us to grieve like those who have hope. May we view death differently because of your Son. In the Mighty name of Jesus. Amen.