A Leader Who Mourns
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
Leadership
David unlikely lead
shepherd king (goliath)
Leader Who Mourns
As part of my ministry I have to take funerals.
Often a member of the family will write a eulogy and they will say it themselves.
Now sometimes the family don’t want to write a eulogy for whatever reason. Usually because they don’t consider themselves very good at writing. They therefore ask me to put some stuff together.
Where this gets difficult is when the family don’t really have anything nice to say about whoever is deceased - because they were quite nasty in life.
I’ve only had that experience once someone who had been literally psychopathic and a very dangerous criminal.
What do you say then?
David’s Relationship with Saul
David’s Relationship with Saul
Let’s look at David’s relationship with Saul.
When David was annointed by Samuel the scripture says that the Holy Spirit was on David.
But we are also told that the Spirit left Saul.
From that time one Saul became troubled by another spirit by a dark spirit and in that David came and comforted Saul by playing him music. Which helped
So far so good. David also won the battle against Goliath on behalf of Saul’s army
But quite alot of David’s time with Saul was spent with Saul trying to kill David
for example
And Saul sought to pin David to the wall with the spear, but he eluded Saul, so that he struck the spear into the wall. And David fled and escaped that night.
Saul sent messengers to David’s house to watch him, that he might kill him in the morning. But Michal, David’s wife, told him, “If you do not escape with your life tonight, tomorrow you will be killed.” So Michal let David down through the window, and he fled away and escaped.
Worship Leader
Their relationship was not good!
Saul was even more afraid of David. So Saul was David’s enemy continually.
That’s as good a summary as any of their relationship.
Saul was always jealous of David.
Envious that someone else had been anointed king.
David’s relationship with Jonathan
David’s relationship with Jonathan
Let’s take a brief look at David’s relationship with Jonathan
They first met after the battle with Goliath
David speaks with Saul briefly and then it says
As soon as he had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul. And Saul took him that day and would not let him return to his father’s house. Then Jonathan made a covenant with David, because he loved him as his own soul. And Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was on him and gave it to David, and his armor, and even his sword and his bow and his belt.
That loyalty expressed their lasted it was a deep friendship between these two
When Saul tries to kill David - it’s Jonathan who warns him and also advises David.
Jonathan risks his relationship with his father, saul, in favour of his friend David.
Lament
Lament
But here in our reading this morning Saul and Jonathan have both died.
I think David has an interesting choice here
It’s easy to be sad about Jonathan. It’s his closest friend. Not just his closest friend. Jonathan is closer than family. David has never experienced this overwhelming love and loyalty before
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.
It’s easy for him to be sad for this loss.
But David knows who he is called to be.
He’s called to be the Lord’s anointed. He’s called to be king of Israel.
I think the leadership lesson we see in this lament goes back to what I was saying about eulogies earlier.
It’s very easy to say good stuff about people you find easy to like.
But this, with Saul, is difficult. How do you eulogise that.
I think what David does in this song of lament is show the cost of the loss of Saul to the nation. He shares the sorrow of the people.
Leaders share the sorrow of the people.
Don’t forget it was the people who called for Saul to be king. This is their loss
“Your glory, O Israel, is slain on your high places!
How the mighty have fallen!
How the mighty have fallen!
Say what you want of Saul he was a warrior who fought for his people.
He wasn’t great at it because he didn’t listen to God. But he was a mighty warrior.
That’s where David starts this lament.
David knows that losing a king in battle was bad for the reputation of Israel
The people mourned, wept and fasted when the king died
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.
For Saul and Jonathan and for the people of the LORD and for the house of Israel.
Losing a king in battle is a big deal. This is major loss for Israel and for their reputation.
So back to our lament
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 knows the other nations will gloat at this news. Peterson describes it as one more excuse for a drunken party
And so the Lament continues in much the same way.
Where do we see Jesus?
Where do we see Jesus?
As we think about leadership and look at David we also need to look at Jesus
Jesus is the greater and better David.
We don’t ever see Jesus eulogising someone quite as nasty as Saul
But we do know that Jesus was not vindictive against his enemies
On the cross
And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” And they cast lots to divide his garments.
Jesus wasn’t vindictave but offered forgivness.