Lesson 1 - 2 Sam. 1:1, 22-27, 2:1-7 - DEATH OF SAUL; DAVID AS KING OF JUDAH
INTRODUCTION: Originally, the Books of 1 and 2 Samuel were one book, but the translators of the Septuagint separated them, and we have retained that division ever since. 2 Sam. 1 essentially picks up where 1 Sam. 31 leaves off: We come into the story right after David and his band of men had defeated the Amalekites at Ziklag, where he recovered both of his wives, Ahinoam and Abigail (formerly Nabal's widow) and all the property captured by the Amalekites (1 Sam. 30:10-39). Since fleeing from Saul, who intended to kill him, David and his men have been operating like soldiers for hire, even fighting for the Philistines, but never against Israel. King Saul of Israel and David had been in conflict ever since David killed the Philistine Goliath and became a national hero overnight (1 Sam. 18:7). Even before this time, because of Saul's continued disobedience, God had sent the prophet Samuel to Bethlehem to anoint David, the shepherd boy, as the next king of Israel. (1 Sam. 16) Saul viewed David as a threat and repeatedly plotted against Him, which forced David to leave Gibeah, the capital, and stay in hiding. However, the situation was opposite with Saul's son Jonathan as "the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul" (1 Sam. 18:1). Saul's daughter, Michal, also loved David, and she became his first wife (1 Sam. 18:17-27), but Saul later took her away from him. David had had the opportunity to kill Saul twice, but spared his life both times (1 Sam. 24 and 26). While David was battling the Amalekites, Saul and his sons were being defeated by the Philistines in another location, where, in the end, Saul and all three of his sons were slain. (1 Sam. 31:1-13). When David returned to Ziklag, he was met by a man who identified himself as an Amalekite, and gave him news of a battle in which Saul and his sons had been killed. The Amalekite told him that Saul, after being wounded in the battle, had tried to unsuccessfully kill himself (which he in fact did, see. 1 Sam. 31:4-5), and asked the Amalekite to finish the job, and he said that he had done this, a lie. The Amalekite apparently reported this lie to David with the expectation that David would reward him. After hearing this, David ordered the Amalekite to be executed because he had "put out his hand to destroy the LORD's anointed" (1 Sam. 31:13-15).
Read 2 Sam. 1:1 - NOW IT CAME AFTER THE DEATH OF SAUL
1 Now it came about after the death of Saul, when David had returned from the slaughter of the Amalekites, that David remained two days in Ziklag.
v. 1: While Saul was in a fight to the death against the Philistines in the north near Mount Gilboa, David was battling the Amalekites in the south. The distance from Ziklag to Mount Gilboa was over 100 miles. So, with this note, the narrator of the Book establishes the fact that David was so far removed from the site of Saul's death that it would have been impossible for him to have had any part in causing the king's death.
2 Sam. 1:22-27 - DAVID'S LAMENT: THE SONG OF THE BOW
22 "From the blood of the slain, from the fat of the mighty, The bow of Jonathan did not turn back, And the sword of Saul did not return empty. 23 "Saul and Jonathan, beloved and pleasant in their life, And in their death they were not parted; They were swifter than eagles, They were stronger than lions. 24 "O daughters of Israel, weep over Saul, Who clothed you luxuriously in scarlet, Who put ornaments of gold on your apparel. 25 "How have the mighty fallen in the midst of the battle! Jonathan is slain on your high places. 26 "I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan; You have been very pleasant to me. Your love to me was more wonderful Than the love of women. 27 "How have the mighty fallen, And the weapons of war perished!"
Note on skipped verses 17-21: A 'lament' is a song or poem that expresses grief and sorrow. Verses 17-18 are an introduction, in which David exhorts the reader "to teach the sons of Judah the song of the bow." David chose to have both Saul and Jonathan memorialized through this lament, so that it would be taught all across Israel as a national war song. The first part of the lament is for both Saul and Jonathan (vv. 19-24) and the second part (vv. 25-27), is for Jonathan alone. We'll skip vv. 17-21.
v. 22: "From the blood of the slain, from the fat of the mighty, The bow of Jonathan did not turn back, And the sword of Saul did not return empty." -Saul and Jonathan were both fearless warriors who never wavered or turned away in the heat of a bloody battle. The "sword" and "bow" were the weapons that Saul and Jonathan wielded in battle with great accuracy and effect, and both men had had returned from many battles with the blood of their enemies on their weapons. You might recall that Jonathan's skill with the bow helped David escape from Saul's wrath (1 Sam. 19:2-27). The terms "blood" and "fat" are a word pair often used to refer to the whole of a sacrifice, inferring that Saul and Jonathan sacrificed their own lives in battle for the good of God's people.
v. 23a: "Saul and Jonathan, beloved and pleasant in their life, And in their death they were not parted; lions." - David still loved Saul despite Saul's murderous intent to eliminate him; but here, he is really referring to the father-son relationship between Saul and Jonathan. Saul, though a big, handsome man, was often unstable, prone to fits of Jealousy, pettiness, and murderous rages. Jonathan, while loyal to his father, tried very hard to intercede on David's behalf and to warn David when his father was laying plans to capture and kill him. Yet, Jonathan did what he could to support his father, making the ultimate sacrifice when they died together in battle.
v. 23b: "They were swifter than eagles, They were stronger than lions." - The swiftness of eagles and the strength of lions were legendary attributes in Israel. David makes the comparison here as a poetic compliment to Saul as a leader and warrior in battle. He fought with skill and courage.
v. 24: "O daughters of Israel, weep over Saul, Who clothed you luxuriously in scarlet, Who put ornaments of gold on your apparel." -This verse refers to Saul's generosity when he shared the spoils of his many victorious battles with the people of the nation-material items of value, foodstuffs, horses, and livestock, etc., a substantial economic benefit.
v. 25: "How have the mighty fallen in the midst of the battle!" - Using the term "the mighty ...fallen in battle," David expresses grief for all the common soldiers who died in battle as well as their officers and leaders. David is saying that every one of them deserves to be mourned.
v. 25b: "Jonathan is slain on your high places." -David has thus far expressed sorrow for Saul and Jonathan, but with this verse shifts the focus to Jonathan alone. In this context, "high places" refers to Mount Gilboa (see map), where both Saul and Jonathan died. David and Jonathan had been drawn even closer one another to protect David from Saul's deadly rages. They made a covenant of friendship (1 Sam. 18:1-4), and Jonathan, on more than one occasion, helped David escape death at Saul's hands (1 Sam. 19:1-7; 20:1-34, 41-42).
v. 26a: "I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan; You have been very pleasant to me." -This speaks of two young men who shared a unity of thoughts and ideas, giving both of them great mutual respect for each other. This represented a level of friendship where two people stick together no matter what, through thick and thin, and they believed in each so firmly that they made a covenant.
v. 26b: "Your love to me was more wonderful Than the love of women." - Some latter day Bible interpreters have suggested that David and Jonathan had a homosexual relationship, but this is speculative hogwash and completely out of context. To understand the love between David and Jonathan, one only needs to read about the deep personal bonds that exist between men who have undergone intense personal trials together, especially those who served together in military combat. In terms of sexual orientation, we might also remember that David was a lusty man who had eight wives (not all at once) and fathered 20 children.
v. 27a: "How have the mighty fallen," - Jonathan was in all respects a mighty warrior. He led a band of 1,000 Israelites into the Philistine garrison at Geba and defeated them (1 Sam. 13:3). Then later, accompanied by only his armor bearer, he slipped into the Philistine camp at Mishmash, and proceeded to kill 20 of them, creating a great panic. Shorty afterward, Saul joined with him in battle and utterly defeated the Philistines (1 Sam. 14:1-23).
v. 27b: "And the weapons of war perished!" - David isn't speaking of swords and bows but metaphorically of Jonathan as a weapon "of war." Jonathan was a lethal weapon all by himself.
Read 2 Sam. 2:1-7 - DAVID MADE KING OVER JUDAH
1 Then it came about afterward that David inquired of the LORD, saying, "Shall I go up to one of the cities of Judah?" And the LORD said to him, "Go up." So David said, "Where shall I go up?" And He said, "To Hebron." 2 So David went up there, and his two wives also, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess and Abigail the widow of Nabal the Carmelite. 3 And David brought up his men who were with him, each with his household; and they settled in the cities of Hebron. 4 Then the men of Judah came, and there they anointed David king over the house of Judah. And they told David, saying, "It was the men of Jabesh-Gilead who buried Saul." 5 So David sent messengers to the men of Jabesh-Gilead, and said to them, "May you be blessed of the LORD because you have shown this kindness to Saul your lord, and have buried him. 6 And now may the LORD show kindness and truth to you; and I also will show this goodness to you, because you have done this thing. 7 Now then, let your hands be strong and be valiant, since Saul your lord is dead, and also the house of Judah has anointed me king over them."
v. 1: Then it came about afterward that David inquired of the LORD, saying, "Shall I go up to one of the cities of Judah?" And the LORD said to him, "Go up." So David said, "Where shall I go up?" And He said, "To Hebron." - The moment for which David had been preparing for 15 years had finally come. When David finally recovered from his heartache, he began to consider his homeland. David always consulted the LORD before making important decisions, so he prayed, asking if he should return to the cities of his homeland in Judah. The LORD answered, saying he must "go up" to "Hebron" (see map), a city 20 miles SW of Jerusalem having the highest elevation. This is a contrast to Saul, who inquired of the LORD and the LORD would not answer (1 Sam. 28:6). And for the first time in years, David was now free to move about the land without fear of being attacked by Saul.
v. 2: "So David went up there, and his two wives also, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess and Abigail the widow of Nabal the Carmelite." - David married Abigail, his second wife, Nabal's widow (1 Sam. 25:10-11) after Saul took Michal from him (1 Sam. 27:1-3), and then took Ahinoam as his third wife.
v. 3: "And David brought up his men who were with him, each with his household; and they settled in the cities of Hebron." - Gathering his household and his men, David established his new base in the "cities of Hebron." Hebron wasn't a single large city but a collection of villages in that area. David had previously gifted part of his spoil from the Amalekite battle to the elders of the region and had initiated a good working relationship with them (1 Sam. 30:26-31).
v. 4: "Then the men of Judah came, and there they anointed David king over the house of Judah. And they told David, saying, "It was the men of Jabesh-Gilead who buried Saul." - The people of Judah apparently had decided that having a king would be a wise move. But rather than seeking a relative of Saul, who was of the tribe of Benjamin, the people chose one of their own from the tribe of Judah. David was not only well regarded as a military hero, but more importantly, as a man who had found favor with the LORD, so he was "anointed"-for the second time. Even during Saul's time, the Judahites, while fighting for Israel, maintained their army as a completely separate entity.
v. 5-7: So David sent messengers to the men of Jabesh-Gilead, and said to them, "May you be blessed of the LORD because you have shown this kindness to Saul your lord, and have buried him. So David sent messengers to the men of Jabesh-Gilead, and said to them, "May you be blessed of the LORD because you have shown this kindness to Saul your lord, and have buried him. 6 And now may the LORD show kindness and truth to you; and I also will show this goodness to you, because you have done this thing. 7 Now then, let your hands be strong and be valiant, since Saul your lord is dead, and also the house of Judah has anointed me king over them." -This was David's first official act as king: When he learned that the men of "Jabesh-Gilead" (see map) had given Saul an honorable burial, he sent them a message of thanks and expressed a blessing for them. The phrase, "let your hands be strong and be valiant since Saul your lord is dead," strongly implies that David is inviting them to recognize him as their king, or at minimum, to make a treaty of peace with him. However, later verses will reveal that they became part of the kingdom in the north ruled by Saul's son, Ish-boseth. That's another story we'll hear more about later.
APPLICATION-Loving and Trusting:
1. David's lament for Saul and Jonathan was a special labor of love. David still loved and respected Saul despite Saul's paranoia and murderous intent to eliminate him. He still honored Him as the king of Israel and as a mighty warrior who fought valiantly for his people. At the same time, he also understood that Saul was a man ruled by his fears and emotions rather than his trust in his Lord God. He is expressing his love for Saul and Jonathan in the most noble manner possible. David's words for Jonathan spoke of two young men who shared a unity of thoughts and ideas, giving both of them great mutual respect and love for each other.
2. David had complete trust in the Lord whom he served. This is the great distinction between David and Saul. David knows that his God is a mighty God. David knows his God is sovereign, in control of all things. He understood that his God had allowed Saul to pursue and persecute him. David trusted that God had allowed his suffering at the hand of Saul in order to instruct him in the way of righteousness. He believed that God used Saul is to help prepare him for the leadership role that he would soon assume. Therefore, his suffering had not been in vain, and because of it, he did not feel hatred against Saul. Just as Joseph was able to be grateful for the hand of God in his life through his suffering (Gen. 50:20), David was able to do likewise. To understand the bond of love between David and Jonathan, one only needs to read about the deep personal bond that exists between men who have undergone intense personal trials together.
