Life of David – 2 Samuel 1 – Scripture Supply

David, “how the mighty have fallen.”

2 Samuel 1:1-27

Vs. 1-16 Broken by the failure of others

Vs. 17-27 The song of the bow

Intro.

1 and 2 Samuel is one book in the Hebrew Bible, and 2 Samuel begins with the death of Saul and ends 40 years later with the death of David. David’s dealing with the death of Saul most clearly illustrates the difference between the two. 2 Samuel will go on to describe how God will use David to unite a nation, defeat the enemy, expand their borders, and prepare the nation for the temple of God. Hum, I cannot find a better illustration of what you and I ought to be about, can you? We should be servants of God.

Uniting people to God
Tearing down Satan’s strongholds
Reclaiming ground that he has inhabited
Preparing people for God’s reign

Saul tore things apart, and God will use David to put them back together, and so should we. Again, we see that God uses imperfect people to accomplish His purposes, and our sole responsibility is to be men and women who remember David’s words in Psalm 51:1. “A broken and a contrite heart; these, O God, You will not despise.”

Broken by the failure of others

Vs. 1-2 At the end of 1 Samuel, we saw Saul’s army losing the battle against the Philistines on Mount Gilboa. As his son’s and army were dying around him, he remained defiant to the end. As we noted last week, we were given some additional info as to how Saul came to die, and this information came as David and his men were hanging out in Ziklag around what was left of their homes, realizing that God, in spite of them, had returned all to them and more besides.

Note the timing of the news from Amalekite of Saul’s death coincides with David enjoying his “recovering all” that had been taken and more. My point is what my reaction might have been. I could see myself very easily slipping into the attitude of self-justification and seeing these two circumstances as vindication and that I was finally getting what I deserved. Amazingly, David realizes at 30 years of age, having been hounded by Saul for half his life, that he is no better man than Saul. How is that possible? Well, I suggest that the smoldering of Ziklag was just the location he needed to ensure a right heart.

David was standing next to his own failure, and had he gotten what he deserved, he would have ended up as Saul. Later on in 2 Sam. 22:1, 36, “David spoke to the LORD the words of this song,” saying, “Your gentleness has made me great.” Proverbs 24:17-18 says, “Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, and do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles; lest the LORD see it, and it displeases Him, and He turns away His wrath from him.” Except by the grace of God, there goes us all! Thus we do not see rejoicing over another’s failures, only sorrow at what might have been theirs had they only responded to God’s graciousness.

This fellow, an Amalekite, does what all would do in that culture to demonstrate grief; they would tear their clothes and put dirt on their heads. Further more he comes and, in a show of humility, falls to the ground before David, which signifies that David is his master.

Vs. 3-4 The Bible records three separate and differing accounts of the event that surrounds Saul’s death:

1 Sam. 31:1-13 Which we saw last week told us that Saul committed suicide.
2 Sam. 1:1-10 tells us that he was not dead and that an Amalekite came by to save him further agony.
1 Chron. 10:14 tells us that God killed him for his rebellion and for seeking the witch at Endor.

So which is it? Well, it appears all can be correct, as Saul was mortally wounded by the Philistine archers, sought to do himself, and would have died of his self-inflected wound when the Amalekite killed him at his request, all of which was a judgment for his rebellion for not killing the Amalekites and for seeking the witch at Endor.

David was eager to hear what had happened in the battle, and so the Amalekite tells him how he was the fellow who brought down Saul, perhaps trying to get something out of the deal. Man, is that ever like the flesh? Isn’t it always trying to get something, claim something for itself, boasting of its righteousness? But all that we brag about as coming from ourselves is just a big waste, and in the end is death. But David is not interested in a sideshow; his interest is in knowing what happened in the battle. I believe that there are several reasons for David’s interest:

First was his love of Jonathan, whom he knew was in the battle.
Next (and I believe this is bore out by David’s reactions) was his love for Saul. Saul? Wasn’t Saul the fellow who made David miserable for over 20 years? Yep, but in an amazing work of God in David’s heart we see that David never saw Saul as his enemy, even though Saul saw David as his. What prayer allowed David to have such a heart? Well, I can only suggest from personal experience that at least one of the deciding factors was the self-realization of his own frailty and depravity. Paul the apostle would write to Timothy in 1 Tim 1:15: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst.” That verse always causes me to realize the truth that, as far as personal knowledge of any other individual, I’m the worst sinner I’ve ever known.
Finally, there was perhaps a realization that he should have been there with his people and country. Instead, David almost found himself fighting against those that he loved. It is not a good practice to draw insight from silence, but I can’t help but wonder in light of David and Achish, the king of the Philistines statements concerning David’s prowess as a soldier (28:2, 29:5–6), what the outcome might have been had he fought with Israel against the Philistines, so perhaps there was a sense of responsibility at the outcome.

Five times in this chapter the word “fallen” appears, and it adequately describes the life of Saul as a fallen leader. It was Saul’s pride and refusal to repent that brought him down from a man that was “head and shoulders” above the people to a man who had fallen.

Vs. 5-8 This Amalekite (a typology of the flesh) is rewarded but not the way he was expecting. The flesh is always out to secure rewards from its behavior, always trying to achieve accolades for its deeds, but there is only one way to reward our flesh, and that is seeing to it that it dies. In 1 Chron 16:22, David wrote a song about this saying, “Do not touch My anointed ones, and do My prophets no harm,” so this fellow is rewarded with what was coming his way.

It is an interesting position that we are in with regards to those that God has called to serve, as we are to see to it that they stick to the truth concerning what they teach and how they behave, but we are not to be involved in bringing them down and especially not involved in rejoicing over their demise. No, our attitude is best summed up here in David’s, and that is to be grieving over their fall. Even with the crown in his hand and the royal jewelry in the other, the Amalekite was thinking that he could trade up on the deal and get something better for taking matters into his own hands and returning the kingdom to David. But David said, “Who do you think you are, taking the life of one of God’s servants for your own betterment?” This Amalekites action is far too familiar to me of my own flesh, who verbally slays another to look good before others. There is far too much of that going on in the body of Christ. You know, taking others down so we can strip them of their crown and importance to make ourselves look better. It’s not impressive, and we ought to remember this story as he who slays another will eventually come to the same fate. I think it wise for us to consider the words of Paul, who wrote to the Corinthians in 1 Cor. 10:12-13, “Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful.”

Vs. 9-16 This Amalekite fellow must have been pretty surprised at the response of David and his men, and he was about to get his reward. You see, he would have thought that after all Saul had put David and his men through, they would not have been morning Saul’s loss; instead, he’d be gloating over his demise. The Amalekite makes the wrong assumption that because David was Saul’s enemy continually, Saul would occupy the same position in David’s heart.

There are a great many people who seem to make enemies of those who call us their enemies, but David keeps his heart pure in this regard, and his action caused others to be broken over the waste of Saul’s life rather than say, “Serves him right.” David and his men were not against Saul and his men; no, they were on God’s side, and any life that fails to come to the fullness of what God has is cause for brokenness and weeping, not rejoicing. In my mind, there is nothing that shows the strength of the Lord in a person’s heart more than when we do not act towards others as they have towards us. Jesus said in Matt. 5:44–45 that we are to “love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven.” The only vindication that day was upon the Amalekite and not upon Saul or the nation, and in doing so while in Philistine land this would have been viewed as an act of treason.

David shows us the way to handle our flesh that wants to boast and brag at the expense of others; man, you gotta kill it to mortify that part of our lives. May this serve as a warning for you and me. How so? Well, Saul lost his calling because he refused to deal with those pesky Amalekites in his life; instead, he offered Samuel excuses for keeping them around in his life. Hey saint, there is no excuse for our old flesh; it’s never going to get any better; it’s corrupted; it just flat out stinks. Hey pastor, if I can’t excuse my sin or explain my sin, what can I do with it? Well, you can’t do anything as there is no excuse, only a cure, and that is to agree with God about it, call it what it is, and let Him take care of it and live free in Christ!

The song of the bow

Vs. 17-18 The book of Jasher (Book of Just Ones) was probably a kind of national sacred songbook, a collection of songs and praise of the heroes of Israel. We have only two samples from this sacred songbook, this one here and back in Joshua 10:12–13, where the words of Joshua at the crisis of the battle of Beth-horon are recorded. Why all this talk about the “Song of the Bow”? Well, back in 1 Sam. 13:19, we are told that the Philistines made sure that “there was no blacksmith to be found throughout all the land of Israel, for the Philistines said, Lest the Hebrews make swords or spears.” So Saul and Jonathan taught the Israelites to be archers, and the irony is that Saul is shot by that which he had some 30 years earlier trained Israel to fight with. During this song David addresses:

The people of Israel in verses 19-20,
The mountains of Gilboa in verse 21
He praises Saul, and Jonathan inverses 22-27.

Handel’s “Saul” came from David’s “Song of the Bow” and is still used today in the “Dead March” at many funerals. But David writes this song for the nation to sing at the memorial for Saul and Jonathan, a sort of tribute song. It was a song that they were to teach their children and, as such, had a twofold purpose:

It was part of the memorial for Saul and Jonathan, as this was a time of grief.
It was also a time of instruction for the nation.

You see, Saul was shot by archers, and Jonathan was himself a noted archer, so that is why this song’s title was “Song of the Bow.” Hey Christian, if we aren’t careful and start to think of ourselves standing “head and shoulders” above the rest, then we will be an easy target for the enemy’s arrows. Ah, but if we humbly serve the Lord, then though we may be slain in battle, we will be mighty for His glory.

This song has four parts of harmony:

It shows what our hearts ought to be towards those who miss treating us. Jesus told His disciples in Matt. 5:44–45 that we should “love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven.” So this song is a practical demonstration of doing so, training the children to see the best in others.
Second, it would remind the children of remaining friends even if the other person wishes not to remain yours. So much of our friendships are based upon what others’ responses are towards us. In other words, we are their friends because they are ours, but Jesus reminded His followers in verse 46, “If you love those who love you, what reward do you have?”
I suggest to you that those children would also be reminded of the value of a life lived for God and the price of one wasted on self. Yes, they would sing of Saul’s pleasant life (verse 23), but they would also be reminded of how he squandered that life in pursuit of the very person who wrote the song.
Finally, this song speaks of the important truth of the setbacks of our lives. What? You see, David composes a song speaking to the nation to get back to the battle and remember the lessons of your defeat so as not to repeat them. The tendency of our flesh is to wallow in despair and to stay depressed in the “wouldas, shouldas, and could. have beens,” but that’s just a pride thing. Move on and serve the Lord in renewed strength and determination to live and operate in the “power of His might,” not our own.

David refers to Saul and Jonathan as:

The beauty of Israel (Vs. 19)
He wants no one to rejoice in the death of Saul (Vs. 20).
He wants everyone to mourn, even the mountains and fields (Vs. 21).
He praises Saul as a mighty warrior (Vs. 21-22).
He compliments the personality and loyalty of Saul (Vs. 23).
He calls Israel to mourning and praises what Saul has done good for Israel (Vs. 24).
He mourns for Jonathan and remembers their deep and committed friendship (Vs. 26). Solomon

described such love, referring to marriage in the Song of Solomon as “love is as strong as death,” and his friendship with Jonathan was that strong.

The stanzas of the song are quite revealing:

Vs. 19-20 David reminds them not to rejoice in the destruction of those who are God’s people, even though you may be at odds with them; rather, choose to remind yourself of the good things about their lives. Why? Well, because you will only cause the world to rejoice at the destruction of God’s people.

Vs. 21 David says that the mountain where Saul died was to “no dew nor rain upon you, nor fields of offerings. For the shield of the mighty is cast away there! The shield of Saul, not anointed with oil.” Today you will find Mount Gilboa barren because of this very curse. You see, when Israel came back into the land, they took this quite literally, as they were reforesting the land with trees, but they didn’t plant any on Mount Gilboa, and the area gets very little rain, so you won’t see any trees there today.

What David wrote in his song was that the Hill of Gilboa was to remind them of the fruitless life, the wasted life when it is lived after the flesh. Furthermore, David wrote of the shield of Saul, not anointed with oil. He was speaking of the practice of anointing the shield with oil so that the arrows would glance off instead of sticking. Now that is interesting, as David is reminding all that Saul fell slain by the enemies arrows because he had forsaken God’s power of protection, God’s anointing in his life.

Vs. 22-27 David recalls how God had used those two men as the hammer against the enemy and how those who had lived in Israel were blessed; thus, they will be missed. Amazingly, David wrote this song of brokenness not only for Jonathan, a great friend, but also for a man who chased him over the countryside, causing him to live in caves.

Think of this as the best way to handle those who are verbal spearchuckers. You see David chose to remember the positives about their lives, their pleasantness, strength in battle, and the blessings of their leadership economically. David took a long look into what was good about Saul and chose not to remember what was bad. Philippians 1:10 reminds us to “approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ.” Then in chapter 2:3 Paul says that we should do “nothing, be it through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind, let each esteem others better than himself.”

Finally, David considered his friendship with Jonathan as being of greater value than his wives; now perhaps that’s because David had wives instead of wives? I can tell you that after almost 27 years, my wife has been “very pleasant to me; her love to me is wonderful, surpassing the love of any other.” You know what’s missing in this song? Well, there is no mention of bitterness from his experience while Saul was alive; indeed, David could well have uttered the words of Joseph in Gen. 50:20, “You meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive.”