The Cost of War
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David took up this lament concerning Saul and his son Jonathan, and he ordered that the people of Judah be taught this lament of the bow (it is written in the Book of Jashar):
“A gazelle lies slain on your heights, Israel.
How the mighty have fallen!
“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.
“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.
“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.
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.
“Daughters of Israel,
weep for Saul,
who clothed you in scarlet and finery,
who adorned your garments with ornaments of gold.
“How the mighty have fallen in battle!
Jonathan lies slain on your heights.
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.
“How the mighty have fallen!
The weapons of war have perished!”
King David is perhaps the most significant figure of the Old Testament. We often think of Moses and he certainly laid the foundation. But when it comes to the history and the message of the Old Testament it all comes down to what will we do with the legacy of David.
When we pick up our Bibles we are picking up at least 3,000 years of history in our hands. The Bible contains many first hand accounts of important events. But it also leaves us clues that stories were handed down by saying things like: it’s still called that to this very day. These reveal that the earlier stories were collected across the years and at key moments in their history, written down and finalized in form. There are two HUGE cataclysmic historical events that shape the two halves of the old testament. The Exodus and the Captivity.
Both of these events Exodus and Captivity shaped how the Jews understood God. Moses at the burning bush was one of the moments from which there had to be a Bible. That story of deliverance would have to be passed down. Judah being carried off to Babylon made a Bible essential. Any illusion that life would always carry on as we expect was wiped out as they were conquered and forced to move. They gathered all the stories. They became people of the book while in captivity. There’s so much more but that’s enough to get us started...
But in between the Exodus and the Captivity, David is the one person who stands out. He’s everything that was right and everything that was wrong with Ancient Israel. He was a young boy with a passion for God and willingness to tend sheep. He became a statesman who took his country to a new level. He was in his best moments a truly spiritual leader. He wrote hymns that we are still singing.
Many modern worship songs are based on the Psalms, which in many ways were hymns in the early church. David wrote many of these, or at least the core part of them. There was great depth of feeling in his walk with God.
But David also made devastating choices that threatened the very stability of the nation and his relationship with God. Over the next few weeks we can learn a lot from the life of David. Lessons good and bad about the choices we make and God’s loving action in our lives and in the world.
Today, we pick up the story at a pivotal moment. Now remember: David was just a very young man when he was first anointed King. Saul had been the king but he did not serve in a worthy manner. He did not have a genuine spiritual passion, but he did have a curiosity about Godly things. This made for a mess.
Saul neglected God much of the time, focusing on his military conquests and personal power. He got interested in spiritual things at the wrong time and in the wrong way and even ended up visiting a witch for spiritual direction and tried to take the place of a prophet at an important event.
He became jealous of young David and even obsessed, wanting him close by to share in his glory or be comforted by his guitar playing (harp). Then he would throw a spear at him to try to kill him! David was on the run for many years. He even had to take up residence among the Philistines, the enemy of Israel, just to survive.
But Saul’s son Jonathan favored David and saw the good in him. He admired his character and his ability. He befriended David and helped him survive his father’s wrath. Theirs is one of the great friendships in history.
So for many years Saul was still king serving in chaos and fear and insecurity, while David was actually God’s new choice for leading the nation. During this time David had many chances to kill Saul—but he said he would never lay a hand on God’s anointed leader. He still loved Saul and was essentially faithful to him all the while being hated by him.
But in this time David learned to trust the Lord for protection and to be patient in waiting for God’s will to come to pass.
Then, the dreaded day came when Saul’s poor choices and lack of surrender to God caught up with him. It cost the country in so many ways. He was wounded mortally in battle and chose to fall on his sword after his armor bearer refused to do it for him. A sad end to a sad life.
Jonathan also died in battle, fighting with his father for the country. This opened the door for David to rightfully become King. But David was not ready to celebrate this news. It was in many ways one of the worst days of his life. He cared about the nation and tried to respect Saul, so he was sad at his passing. And Jonathan was closer than any of his brothers. So his violent death was even more devastating.
So here is David, genuinely grieving, which is a beautiful thing at this moment. He’s not just thinking about himself and picking out new carpet for the King’s mansion. It shows us David’s heart and his ethics. Both worthy.
But here also is David perhaps grasping at anything to celebrate in these men. And it’s warfare that he chooses to immortalize with this song. Yet in it, we see the flaw in violent actions. They almost always set more violence in action and the ripple effects never end… So there’s a lesson here for us, especially in terms of how this plays out in David’s life.
Now, understand, serving your country is a worthy thing. I thank God for those who choose to serve our country. And the military does much more than just fight. They provide essential services and help those in need also. They serve us all in wonderful ways.
But also understand killing is a tragedy. every. single. time.
It’s young men and women with potential placed in harm’s way. War needs to be avoided when possible. When leaders lose their way, they sometimes turn to war to cover their other sins and failures. In the ancient world it didn’t help. That’s why in a democracy like ours we need to hold leaders accountable. They should not be reckless nor feckless. Both can lead to unnecessary war.
Appeasement doesn’t work. But neither does war hawking. God has called us to stand firm and stand up for the weak. Jesus said: greater love has no one than this: that he lay down his life for his friends.
But he followed that with: you are my friends if you keep my commands. Then: this command I give you: love one another. Elsewhere: if your enemy is hungry give him something to eat.
So this needs to be part of how we make sense of the old testament.
Another way to think about it: if the primary thing you have to celebrate about a king or leader is how many people he killed in battle, it’s far from the most worthy remembrance. In David’s epic sad balad of Saul and Jonathan it’s about the only thing he could celebrate besides his loyal friendship with Jonathan.
He took that to heart and ended up emulating them in ways that hindered his future and what he could do for God.
How do I know this? David says so himself later on...
But this word of the Lord came to me: ‘You have shed much blood and have fought many wars. You are not to build a house for my Name, because you have shed much blood on the earth in my sight. But you will have a son who will be a man of peace and rest, and I will give him rest from all his enemies on every side. His name will be Solomon, and I will grant Israel peace and quiet during his reign. He is the one who will build a house for my Name. He will be my son, and I will be his father. And I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel forever.’
So God knows sometimes war happens and he can lead us through battles. But the life of a warrior has a price tag. It can make good things possible or it can impede God’s holiest work.
What ultimately made David a great king was his passion for the things of God and desire to be holy. When God chose him he was said to be a man after God’s own heart. He stumbled along the way and it brought him earthly fame and glory. But it cost him something in the Kingdom of God.
In this epic song David reveals the glory and the brokenness of war. It contains what is best and worst about him. He called it: The Bow
It had quite a beat as he strummed out out on his ancient guitar we call a harp.
“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.
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.
“Daughters of Israel,
weep for Saul,
who clothed you in scarlet and finery,
who adorned your garments with ornaments of gold.
“How the mighty have fallen in battle!
Jonathan lies slain on your heights.
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.
“How the mighty have fallen!
The weapons of war have perished!”
He calls Saul and Jonathan the weapons of war and says they have perished. Oh that David could have learned all that his own song had to teach him. War is sometimes necessary but seldom effective. It can develop leadership but it can also traumatize and paralyze. In the end if you live by the sword you die by it.
The best warriors understand the cost and avoid it at all cost.
What can God show us today through this song? Perhaps we have loved ones who were reluctant warriors and gave their lives in service to their country for the most noble reasons. May we remember and honor their memory, for in many ways we stand on their shoulders.
But we also see young people dying on our streets every weekend. Senseless killing. Many believe they are warriors. But their mothers and families are left a bitter legacy. The answers aren’t simple. We can easily judge gang members and some are full of hate and rage. Some are simply trying to survive in a misguided way.
Police officers who feel like they are entering a war zone take the streets every day. Many of them have fallen in a battle just as epic as what David sings about here.
It’s hard to accept but to a certain extent we all share the blame for the violence of our world. Every time we act selfishly and thoughtlessly we unleash the power of sin. We think it doesn’t hurt anyone else. But sin takes on a life of it’s own once it’s out there. Of course, violent people are responsible for their own choices and actions.
Like skipping a rock there are subtle or not so subtle ripple affects. If we are unkind others may be in a bad mood and pass the savings on to their neighbor. If one person kills another a whole family may be devastated and others may retaliate and the cycle goes on and on. That’s the power of sin. That’s why Jesus had to die for our sins. Because it’s what threatens to destroy us all. But even at its worst, sin can’t overcome what God has in mind to do.
The law was brought in so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more, so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
War brings death. Trying to build your own little empire crushes other people. Selfish actions can destroy the world and everyone in it. But the grace of God is greater than the power of sin and death.
So let us not go to war with each other over preferences. Churches lose their way fighting over things like carpet or music styles or personal convenience. Let’s all submit to what God wants to do. Let’s submit to each other out of reverence for Christ. Let’s consider one another better than ourselves so that even in our disagreements we can see the grace of God coming through.
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
Life throws enough at us. Let’s not go looking for fights. Let’s support one another.
Let’s pray for those in harm’s way, whether they be police, military or just neighbors on the street. Let’s be slow to retaliate and quick to love.
Let me say this: please pray for our President as he meets with a man who could be considered our sworn enemy. I pray the motives of everyone involved will lead to only good things. I pray also for our relationships with our long time allies. May our nation be ever on the side of peace in the world. The stakes are so high for the whole world. But we need not fear as the scripture said.
One day we are all going to come to the end of our lives. Maybe someone will sit down to write a song about us. Will it have to be ballad of war with a bitter end? I pray not.
In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:
Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
rather, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
This is the earliest hit song in the church that we have record of… Jesus took upon himself all the violence of the world and showed us a new path to greatness.
Stephen, one of the early great leaders of the church. A layperson as far as we know… Showed a greater way for your life to end...
While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” Then he fell on his knees and cried out, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” When he had said this, he fell asleep.
And Saul approved of their killing him.
On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria.
Isn’t it something that the Apostle Paul who ended up laying down his life for the gospel, was first named Saul? This Saul approved of religious violence.
Later Saul would change his name to Paul and write the following to a young pastor named Timothy:
Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.
The heroes of the New Testament laid down their lives in peace and love because Jesus already won the battle on the cross. Although they used to be violent they left that behind.
Today our commitment to peace doesn’t mean we never go to battle. It means that we count the cost of war. We see the greater kingdom possibilities for peace. We destroy our enemies first by seeking to make them friends.
“Put your sword back in its place,” Jesus said to him, “for all who draw the sword will die by the sword.
For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”
Literally in the Greek it says: Those who are righteous-by-faith shall live. Let’s be among those who live. May the song of our lives be a song about God’s transforming power that turns anger of our hearts into forgiveness and overcoming love. Life doesn’t have to be a constant fight. Sometimes it can be a symphony of love the Lord is conducting...
Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Let the song of the bow be about the rainbow.
At one time God in a sense made war with us in sending a terrible flood that wiped out all life… But then God laid it down:
The New Revised Standard Version The Covenant with Noah
13 I have set my bow in the clouds, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth.
It’s an image of God laying down his bow. He sought to start again in a covenant relationship with Noah and his family. To begin again, seeking to bless the whole world.
So this morning what’s in your heart? War? or Peace?
For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility,
Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.
Jesus is the Messiah. The Messiah is called the Son of David. The Son of David showed us the power of peace that outshines a legacy of war…
As we come to the Table of Grace we come in peace. If we harbor anything against our neighbor or know we have hurt them, we should go to them and make it right before coming to the table. If there’s anything between us and God we should confess it and truly repent, ready to live in godly ways with God’s help. The table is open for anyone old enough to understand who has truly confessed, repented, believed in Jesus as God’s only son and the savior of the world and committed to following Jesus in the community of faith. Whosoever will may come if they meet these standards today.
Let’s pray...