2 Samuel 1:17-27
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Introduction
Introduction
Last week, we went through the first of two events recorded in Samuel where David spares Saul’s life
We see David demonstrating to Saul that he is not his enemy
and his commitment to only act righteously in serving Saul, the Lord’s Anointed
and while this drives Saul to a moment of clarity where he weeps in acknowledging David has done nothing to deserve how he has treated him
and that he knows David will be king
there is no real change in Saul, there is only hopelessness as he goes forward in pursuing David and trying to cling to the throne, cling to his power
since then we’ve seen Samuel die in chapter 25
and David continue to run from Saul and then spare his life a second time in Chapter 26
then David flees with his men to the Philistines
while he’s there, he leads his men in making raids against Israel’s other enemies while earning the trust of Achish, the Philistine king
the stage is then set for a battle between Israel and the Philistines
Saul is distraught over the Philistines and doesn’t know what to do
he’s so desperate fro counsel, he goes to a medium so he can talk to Samuel’s ghost
and all that comes from it is he learns that he will die the next day in battle
Meanwhile, the Philistines reject David going into battle with them, afraid that he will turn on them
so David leaves and the Philistines battle Israel on Mount Gilboa
3 of Saul’s sons die, including Jonathan
and Saul is badly wounded and kills himself
Now the news has reached David through an Amalekite
who found Saul on the battlefield and has brought his crown and armlet to David
lying about being the one who killed him
looking for David to give him a reward for bringing him the news that his enemy is dead
but David does not react that way, bringing us to our passage, beginning in verse 17:
17 And David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and Jonathan his son, 18 and he said it should be taught to the people of Judah; behold, it is written in the Book of Jashar. He said:
19 “Your glory, O Israel, is slain on your high places!
How the mighty have fallen!
20 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.
21 “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.
22 “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.
23 “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.
24 “You daughters of Israel, weep over Saul,
who clothed you luxuriously in scarlet,
who put ornaments of gold on your apparel.
25 “How the mighty have fallen
in the midst of the battle!
“Jonathan lies slain on your high places.
26 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.
27 “How the mighty have fallen,
and the weapons of war perished!”
When I was in the 8th grade, I experienced being the best at something, winning as an individual
and it was in the all-important competition of middle school band
I was the first chair trumpet player in my 8th grade band
and I got a bit of an ego about it
which, thankfully, got crushed when I got to high school
that whole process exposed how competitive I could be
making things about winning that shouldn’t be about winning
it’s music, it’s art
But so much of who we are is driven by celebrating winning, and that often means gloating over the loser
of course we grow up being around sports, but in school things go beyond that
music is competitive
there are many theatre programs at schools that would not exist if not for things like one act competition
academics are competitive
and this didn’t start with us
in ancient Greece, theatre grew out of competition
some of the greatest plays we still have from Greece, we know came in 2nd or 3rd place in their festivals
We are competitive in our jobs, with our neighbors, with our friends
trying to find ways to elevate ourselves above others
in life, there are winners and losers, and for many people, that’s everything
But going to the Bible, we see a different dynamic from God’s perspective
we don’t see winning and losing in the same way
we see failure and brokenness, and salvation, redemption
we see Jesus rescuing us, those who have failed, out of death and bringing us to himself
He wins, yes, he overcomes death
but because he loves us, he doesn’t celebrate our failures or our brokenness
he laments them
In the body of Christ, there is no competition
We follow a King who laments for those who don’t deserve lament
a king who laments for us
the week he is crucified, he laments for those who reject him, those who he knows will kill him just a couple of days later
lamenting over Jersualem, knowing that it is headed for destruction
he laments for those who know and love him
we think of Jesus lamenting, weeping for Lazarus
and this is before he brings him back from the dead
Jesus knows that in a few minutes, Lazarus will be alive again
but he still takes time to weep over the brokenness of death
David shows us in our passage
that it is part of the human experience to lament
that it’s ok to be sad over brokenness and death
calling us to follow him not in worldly thinking about winning, or competition
but in godly lament
giving us an example here of what that looks like
Verse 17:
17 And David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and Jonathan his son,
David has just heard that Saul, the king who pursued him unrighteously, is dead
and so is his son, Jonathan, David’s best friend, who he loved and had pledged covenant faithfulness to
David is holding Saul’s crown and armlet
the Amalekite brought him these, lying about killing Saul
expecting a reaction of celebration and to be rewarded
David’s enemy is dead and now he can become king
but even in death, that is not how David treats Saul
he will only react righteously towards the king, towards the Lord’s Anointed
the Messiah
and that means lament
not just empty words while smiling on the inside
this is sincere, David is sharing his heart
What follows is an example of personal lament for David
lamenting both the faithless Saul
and the faithful Jonathan
David here is showing us the heart of Jesus in this passage
Going back to Saul/Adam parallel
that Adam was our best chance at perfect righteousness, perfect obedience
created in a sinless world in a state of immense blessing
he was promised continued life and blessing for obedience
but the curse of death would come for disobedience
of course, Adam and Eve fail
like Saul, they choose themselves over God
they eat the forbidden fruit, buying into the lie that it will make them like God
and as a result, sin, death, and brokenness enter the world
Saul was equipped with everything a king would need
God blessed him with every external and internal gift
promising to be with him if he remained faithful
and Saul fails like Adam
he proves to be faithless
not loving the Lord and not leading Israel in following the Lord
and when he is told your kingdom will not continue
that the Lord has taken it from you and given it to your neighbor
he rebels further, turning on David as soon as he recognizes him as who God has given the kingdom to
this, of course, is us
Adam failed and the kingdom has been taken from us and given to another
will we embrace, turn and follow the new king
or will we rebel further?
and a question the audience of the book is asked is:
will we love the king like Jonathan?
or will we hate him like Saul?
we see here, though, that this is an “us” question
David, in his lament is not just mourning the loss of his friend
but he is demonstrating once again that he is not Saul’s enemy
that he was never Saul’s enemy
David’s loyalty, his faithfulness to Saul is not something he does externally because it is the right thing
it is him, he is faithful to the Lord’s Anointed, to God’s king over his people
This is the posture that Jesus has towards us:
Jesus has not declared you to be his enemy
we see him lamenting for those who have rejected him
lamenting for Jerusalem
advocating for them, even as he is being executed
forgive them, they know not what they do
we are never beyond God’s grace
it is always right in front of us
and Jesus secured that by dying for us, by loving us enough to die for us
David laments for Jonathan and Saul, but he is ultimately powerless to do anything about it
He has promised not to cut off Saul and Jonathan’s house
something that would have been his right to do as the new king
he does his best to honor Saul even in his death
but he can only do that for those who are alive
Jesus is the one who rescues us from death itself
from the curse that Adam brought
he has not cut us off
he has bought us from death
suffering the judgment we are due for our rebelliousness
for going against God and his King
and he has brought us to himself
how is God’s grace in Christ so freely available?
because Jesus, as our King, has done what Saul and David could not
he has led us in perfect righteousness
in perfect love of the Lord
so that by turning to him
we are counted with him
our king who reigns
our king who has conquered death in his resurrection
A king who has shown through his love for us that
Death is never something to be celebrated
it is a result of the brokenness of the world
it comes as a result of our sin
and our reaction to it, should be lament
lament for the lost, those who never came to faith
those who failed to turn to the king
and lament for our brothers and sisters, our loved ones
because being separated from the ones we love
even when we know that they are with God
even when we know they belong to Christ
for me, is one of the most difficult human experiences we go through
because we weren’t created to be separated from the people we love
we were created to be with them, death is not just a part of life
separation from our loved ones is not just a part of life
it is a reminder, that things are not the way they are supposed to be
and not the way they will be
As followers of Christ
we know that this world is passing away
that he will come back and make all things new
and that death has been defeated, that Jesus’ resurrection is the beginning of the new creation
there’s an already aspect of the kingdom that we can celebrate, that our hope can rest in
but there is not yet aspect
where we see the world passing away
we are here, we are witnessing it
creation is cursed and broken
and the Bible tells us how to react
David shows us, Christ shows us
that while we cling to our hope, our knowledge of what will be
we are also to lament over what is
verse 18:
18 and he said it should be taught to the people of Judah; behold, it is written in the Book of Jashar. He said:
this is not just a personal lament
this is a corporate lament
all of God’s people should be mourning the loss of Saul, the loss of Jonathan
Because the loss of Saul and Jonathan is their loss
it affects them
people sometimes don’t know how to react to death
react in situations like this
David’s men have been running from Saul, too
they’ve been declared to be enemies by Saul, too
but they are tearing their clothes and mourning with David
lament needs to be taught
death is not a good thing, even for those who hate us
who have declared us enemies
we leave judgment to God
our call as God’s people is to lament
Note that David does not go into some big Reformed sounding rant here
he doesn’t talk about God’s sovereignty here
about how what has happened was God’s will so we should just accept it
that God is accomplishing his purposes in this
making emotions almost sound like a bad thing
like lamenting over this would be sinful
because it’s like you’re wishing it hadn’t happened this way
that you are doubting God’s will
God is in control, yes
David has made it clear that God’s sovereignty and that his promised love and faithfulness towards David
is at the root of his faith, he goes forward knowing that God will accomplish all of his purposes for his good and the good of God’s people
but that doesn’t mean he should not lament, to take some time to sit and process what has happened, to mourn those who are gone
to allow himself to cry over brokenness
Towards the end of seminary, we had a miscarriage, and Lindsey and I were both processing what had happened
and I shared it with one of my classmates
who is a great, godly man who is now serving as a pastor
and it was almost like he tried to fix what had happened by going into a talk about God’s sovereignty
and as well-intentioned as he was, that was not helpful
I know all of those things
I just needed a friend to lament with me
My prayer is that I don’t do that as your pastor
because I like to fix things, and I need to get over that
our goal is not to be happy all of the time
that’s a worldly goal that flows out of having no hope
I know I’m headed towards oblivion, so I’ll just try to be as happy as I can before that happens
it’s ok to be sad, and looking here and at the psalms
there are times when we should be sad
where it would be wrong not to lament
Paul tells us to weep with those who weep
he doesn’t tell us to try to fix the problem
we sit with people in their brokenness
and show them Jesus and his love by processing with them
this lament was recorded in the Book of Jashar
Jashar is a word that means upright, righteous
So we don’t need to think of this as a person’s book who collected poems
it is the book of the righteous
we don’t have this book, it hasn’t survived, but it’s referenced here and in Joshua
it’s probably a book of poems that was added to over time
that recounted various military victories and and laments like this over military heroes
Praise God that it is also recorded here in Samuel, so let’s go to this, and see how it helps us:
verse 19:
19 “Your glory, O Israel, is slain on your high places! How the mighty have fallen!
David is talking about both Saul and Jonathan in this verse
Saul and Jonathan are called the glory of Israel
Both of their actions brought glory to God’s people
David is celebrating the important place they had within Israel
Saul is the first Messiah of Israel, the first king chosen by God to be anointed over his people
Saul’s success as king served to give a fractured nation that had existed under the time of the judges
greater unity, stability, and security
Jonathan was shown to be a military leader who was wiser and more effective in many ways than Saul
The Lord was with both of them and used them to bring glory to himself
their loss is a loss for God’s people
and David celebrates what the Lord has done through them
and then this phrase that is said 3 times in the lament
How the mighty have fallen
A phrase that has entered into and been used often in our culture
it originates in this lament
In our culture, this phrase is used often as a way of mocking someone who has gone from a position of importance or popularity to being shamed in some way
when you say that about someone, it usually means they’ve become a punchline
this is a great example of how quoting the Bible is not always a good thing
especially when we take things out of context
if you’re not looking at the author’s original intent
it can go to this kind of extreme
where someone takes something out of context and uses it to mean the opposite of what is actually being said
If you were to tell someone this was David talking about Saul, the king he replaces
and they didn’t really know much of anything else about it
they might think that this was David celebrating the fall of his enemy
mocking him as another giant, like Goliath, that has been slain
but David is being completely sincere
Saul and Jonathan were used mightily by God
and they have fallen, they were killed and shamefully treated by those who defeated them
and he is torn up about it
Do we lament for the fallen, or do we celebrate what has happened to them?
do we use the failure of others as a way of elevating ourselves?
of basking in our own self-righteousness?
of casting ourselves as winners?
the attitude behind the way the phrase is used in culture is
well, that proves that I’m better than that person
they let their pride and self-importance get in the way, and look what happened
maybe that was at the root of their fall
Saul served himself, he sought to elevate himself
he used the power that God had given him as Israel’s king sinfully
but even so, David’s response to his fall is lamenting what has happened
There is a sense in our culture of some people deserving lament and others not
Jesus laments for us in our failures
we are the mighty that have fallen
every single descendant of Adam
all of us have acted like Saul
and he has rescued us
we fell, and we continue to fall
and he has elevated us to a place of honor
all we do is turn to him and follow
acknowledging that we are not the king
he is
Verse 20:
20 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.
David is lamenting over how Saul and Jonathan’s death
is a source of joy for Israel’s enemies
the Philistines specifically, being the ones who killed them
David mentions Gath and Ashkelon, two Philistine cities
lamenting over the gossip and glee that will go on among the Philistines
and you have this couplet
moving from the Philistines specifically, then to all those outside of God’s people in general
rejoicing over the fall of their enemy
pointing to their own power in defeating the God’s King and his son
Every year we see leaders in the church fall
exposed for their failures
sometimes for mishandling things in the church
sometimes for personal issues
and we often insulate ourselves from them
they’re in another church, or denomination, they’re not me
but when we experience brokenness in the church
it is bad for all of us
it becomes a source of joy for everyone who opposes the church
it affects the testimony of the church as a whole
most people outside the church don’t know the difference between us and and those in another denomination or tradition
we’re all lumped in together
the failure of someone else in the church is our failure
David is showing us not just that lament is the righteous action here,
he is also showing that the celebration of Saul’s fall is unrighteous
the fall of the Messiah is a tragedy
But the Messiah’s death is a source of glee for God’s enemies
the people that Jesus laments over for their faithlessness are the same people
that mock him as he is dying on the Cross
he’s being mocked and reviled by bystanders
mocked by the religious leaders
But, of course, for the final Messiah, Jesus’ death is the great reversal
he goes through death, conquering it by rising from the dead
rescuing those that love him
Verse 21:
21 “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.
Gilboa is the place where Saul and Jonathan were killed
David is calling the land itself to mourn over what happened on it
there is deep lament over what has happened
Saul and Jonathan died defending the land that the Lord had promised to God’s people
Saul died doing what he was supposed to be doing as Israel’s king
but his shield failed to do its job
it did not protect the King
the Lord allowed the shield to fail, it was not anointed to protect the Lord’s anointed
David is recognizing this as an act of judgment by the Lord on Saul
David has said repeatedly, the Lord will judge between you and me
and now it has happened
In the Old Testament, the only time Mount Gilboa is mentioned is in reference to Saul’s death
this is a place that is only identified with the fall of the first King
verse 22:
22 “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.
David now points positively to what Saul and Jonathan did
he looks at their successes in battle
Jonathan and Saul’s efforts in battle were not fruitless
they had overcome many of Israel’s enemies
Do we celebrate the successes and contributions of the fallen?
David is doing more than overlooking Saul’s faults here
he knows more than anyone of Saul’s faithlessness, of his abuses as king
but he chooses in the context of lament to celebrate what he and Jonathan have done for God’s people
what God has done through them
As followers of Christ
we know that we fail every day, we sin every day
but God still uses us, he loves us enough to accomplish his purposes through us
What an encouragement that is!
Jesus, our King, is working through broken sinners
When God looks at us, he doesn’t see our failures
he sees Jesus, he sees his righteousness, he sees what Jesus has done in and through us
verse 23:
23 “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.
There is something beautiful about Jonathan’s story
throughout all this time of conflict between David and Saul
he has been caught in the middle
he loves David and knows that David will be king
but he also is a faithful son to Saul
even though his allegiance is ultimately to David
he goes forward with the call to serve his father, to serve the Lord’s anointed
he and David are doing the same thing
David continues to serve Saul, as well, but he has been driven into hiding because Saul wants to kill him
Both of them are operating out of faithfulness to the Lord and each other
trusting that God is going to work everything out according to his purposes
that he will resolve this conflict
Jonathan remains with Saul and is loyal to him while trying to advocate for David
David is celebrating their bond
how they were tied to one another in life and now in death
David is also affirming Jonathan’s righteousness in serving Saul
there is not a sense in the story that Jonathan should have been with David on the run
that he was choosing Saul over him
Jonathan’s chose the Lord and his call was to remain with his father
joined to him in life and death
God can call us like David or Jonathan
but whatever the call, we serve him where we are
we might be called like Jonathan to serve the faithless, to advocate for Jesus to those who don’t know him
but if that is our call, and it might happen in our jobs or our families or somewhere else, then we go forward knowing in our call choosing the Lord, to choose Christ, remembering that he is our ultimate authority
verse 24:
24 “You daughters of Israel, weep over Saul, who clothed you luxuriously in scarlet, who put ornaments of gold on your apparel.
the daughters of Israel stand in contrast to the daughters of the Philistines
David does not call those outside of God’s people to lament
it is David who laments over their reactions of joy
the daughters of Israel
all of God’s people should be lamenting what has happened
Saul’s reign brought a lot of good things for Israel
they need to remember him for how God used him
there is a specific corporate call here
all of God’s people should remember what Saul has done and lament his death
we should remember those who have gone before us and celebrate the good they have done
knowing, too, that there are failures, just like with us
verses 25-27:
25 “How the mighty have fallen in the midst of the battle! “Jonathan lies slain on your high places. 26 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. 27 “How the mighty have fallen, and the weapons of war perished!”
David repeats his phrase of how the mighty have fallen
to end the beat talking about Saul
he now shifts to Jonathan
who does need to be lamented by God’s people for what he did for them
but we shift now to David’s personal lament over his friend
David mourns for Jonathan
Jonathan has loved David and been a faithful friend to him
throughout the time David has been on the run
Jonathan has come to him multiple times affirming their relationship
their pledge of faithfulness to each other and each other’s family
Jonathan acknowledges David as the king
saying when that happens I will be next to you
and David has pledged to not cut off his family
and now David acknowledges his distress over losing him
he’s lost his best friend
The bond of David and Jonathan points us to Christ’s love for us
his love for his people
and the more our relationship grows with him
the more our love resembles the love of Jonathan
our souls are knit more and more
but we are not cut off, we are not separated from Christ like Jonathan is from David
Jesus reigns and we are with him
And part of that relationship with Jesus, is to reflect his love for us through lament
lamenting over the brokenness of the world
lamenting as we wait for Christ to come back and destroy death once and for all
lamenting even as the world celebrates the failure and fall of others
lamenting for those who never came to faith
lamenting for our brothers and sisters who have gone before us
Showing Christ to one another, weeping with those who weep
