David’s Lament for Saul & Jonathan

Transcript

GRS 2-75
7/1/2007
David’s Lament for Saul and Jonathan
2 Samuel 1
Gil Rugh

We have being studying the history of the Old Testament in that we mean we have been studying the Books that move the history along, and we have skipped some of the Books that fill in events like the Books of Leviticus, but don’t move history along. So we have been in the Book of First Samuel and completed it and we are ready for Second Samuel. So if you turn there in your Bibles and you will note as we move into Second Samuel there really is no break in the flow. First and Second Samuel were originally one Book. They have been divided in our Bibles, but originally they were just one Book, the works of Samuel, so that explains its smooth flow and if you didn’t have it marked out as a new Book, you just keep reading and the history flows along. Second Samuel is about David, David’s life, David’s reign as king of Israel. David is an outstanding figure in Scripture. We know more about him as a person than we do any other person in Scripture. All of Second Samuel is about David.

Second Chronicles Chapters 11 to 29, cover the same basic material about David. Many of the psalms were written about David known as the sweet psalmist of Israel. They reveal something of his heart and events in his life as well. First Samuel concluded with the death of Saul. It’s almost like we have been waiting for that. Since way back in Chapter 16 David had been anointed by Samuel to be the next king of Israel and replaced Saul, but it took a number of years before in the plan of God, Saul died and David ready to assume the kingship. David has been very patient. These have been difficult years. Much of this time was spent on run so to speak, in wilderness areas of Israel, in foreign territory belonging to the Philistines trying to hide from Saul who had a passion to kill David.

Now Saul is dead and David did nothing to contribute to his death. You will think now finally David ascend the throne, years of waiting, years of trial and difficulty, years of hardship are now over, Saul is dead. Do you understand it is going to be seven years after the death of Saul before David becomes king of all Israel, who became king over Judah rather quickly, but it will take seven years before all the tribes join together in recognizing David as king. Saul reigned for 40 years, the dates of Saul, 1050 BC to 1010 BC.

Keep your finger in Second Samuel and come to the New Testament, the Book of Acts, Chapter 13. This is where we are told how long the reign of Saul was. We don’t find it out in the Old Testament, but we are told definitely in the New Testament, Acts Chapter 13 verse 21, and here giving, reiterating some of the history of Israel, they asked for a king and God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin for 40 years. Though we know clearly Saul reigned clearly for 40 years those would have been 1050 to 1010 BC. Interestingly David will also reign for 40 years; he will reign from 1010 to 970. Now again he won’t assume full authority over all Israel, but he is the only really legitimate king and he will be reigning over Judah, so we start his reign in 1010 with the death of Saul.

Turn over to Second Samuel Chapter 5 verse 4, David was 30 years old when he became king and he reigned 40 years and then you the breakdown at Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months and in Jerusalem he reigned 33 years over all Israel and Judah, but there you see the breakdown, it’s a 40 year old reign, seven years – seven and half years he has his capital in Hebron. We hear about that in the news sometimes and he is really king over Judah and then all the tribes will join together and his capital will be removed to Jerusalem for the final 33 years of his reign. The first four Chapters of Second Samuel cover the seven years leading up to David’s becoming – being crowned king over all 12 tribes of Israel. So that seven years period is contained in the first four Chapters and relates events that took place in that time period. Chapter is about David and the death of Saul, so you see we pick up now with the death of Saul as it was recorded in Chapter 31. But now there is added information to be reported, the first 16 verses will talk about the report of Saul’s death as it’s brought to David and then verses 17 to 27 will talk about David’s response to Saul’s death. He composes a song, a lament to honor Saul and particularly his Jonathan with him and we pick up in verse 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 the Ziklag. Now, Chapter 30 recorded this event of First Samuel, Chapter 30. Remember when David was sent back from the Philistines he came back to find out that the Amalekite had raided their home city Ziklag and their wives and children had been captured and so on. So then David pursued after Amalekites, defeated them, brought the families back and all they have been back in Ziklag for two days. So time here between the events of the end of First Samuel and the beginning of Second Samuel you can see it flows right along. On the third day, so they have been in Ziklag now, the third day that they have been in Ziklag. Behold, a man came out of the camp from Saul with his clothes torn, dust on his head – sign of mourning and grief. And it came about when he came to David that he fell to the ground and prostrated himself. David said to him from where do you come? He said to him, I have escaped from the camp of Israel. David said to him how did things go? Please tell me. He said the people have fled from the battle. Many of the people have fallen are dead and Saul and Jonathan, his son are dead also. So now David has news from the battlefield, Saul is dead, but his question is how do you know? Saul and Jonathan are truly dead. There’s a rumor, you just think he is dead, do you know for sure he is dead. So the man has an interesting story to tell and if information is not found in the account of Saul’s death at the end of First Samuel, and that raises some questions. This man claims to have killed Saul.

Look at verse 5 David said to the young man who told him how do you know that Saul and his son Jonathan are dead. The young man who told him said by chance I happened to be on mount Gilboa and behold Saul was leaning on his spear and behold the chariots and the horsemen pursued him closely. When he looked behind him he saw me and called to me and I said here I am. He said to me who are you. I answered I am an Amalekite then he said to me please stand beside me and kill for agony has seized because my life still lingers in me. So I stood beside him and killed him because I knew that he could not live after he had fallen. I took the crown which was on his head and the bracelet which was on his arm; I had brought them here to my Lord. So here’s proof he is dead, I have the crown off Saul’s head, I have the royal bracelet. The man is identified as Amalekite. In verse 8, it will be again in verse 13. He is identified as an Amalekite, an alien living in Israel and an alien living Israel will be someone who was not of a citizen of Israel, but had certain rights as a resident alien within the nation that he is an Amalekite as far as his nationality is concerned. Now his story is somewhat different than Chapter 31. In Chapter 31 we are told that Saul was wounded in the battle with the Philistines and he knew couldn’t escape so he asks his armor-bearer to kill him and his armor-bearer wouldn’t do it. So Saul fell on his own sword, Chapter 31 verse 4. The last statement in verse 4, but his armor bearer would not for he was gravely afraid. So Saul took his sword and fell on it. When his armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead he also fell on his sword and died with him. The indication of the Chapter 31 Saul died that way, died at his own hand after being severely wounded by the Philistines he falls on his own sword and dies. Now the Amalekite says he wasn’t dead. How do we put these two accounts together? Well one possibility is the account in Chapter 31 is condensed and waits for what we have in Chapter 1 to flush it out and we would say there Saul has been wounded by the Philistines then he fell on his own sword but he still wasn’t dead but he is not in a position to finish himself. So he is there mortally wounded and the Amalekite comes and kills him as he says. The problem with that is Chapter 31 says he died when he fell on his own sword and his armor-bearer was aware that he was dead and fell on his own sword and died. So the other possibility is that the Amalekite is lying and he thinks well if I just go and say I saw Saul’s body and I brought the crown and the bracelet there’s no reward in that, but if I come to David and say I finished Saul off there may be some extra reward in it for him and he could get some credit. I tend to think that probably the Amalekite is lying in light of the account of the Chapter 31, but there all the information we have is contained in Chapter 31, in Chapter 1 and there’s no attempt to harmonize the account here. David doesn’t tell the Amalekite, he is lying. The Amalekite doesn’t say wait I told a lie, so we don’t know there that he is lying and the account of Chapter 31 was abbreviated or the Amalekite is lying like I said I tend to think he was probably lying but that’s my opinion of in light of what’s recorded.

All right verses 11 and 12, the response of David, you think it would be great celebration David has waited years, living as a fugitive, having to hide if you will from Saul in the territory controlled by the Philistines and knowing if Saul get an opportunity he would kill him, you think David and his men would say God did it. We didn’t kill him but God did and there be celebration, but verse 11 says David took hold of his clothes, he tore them. So did all the men who were with him. They mourned and wept and fasted until evening for Saul and his son Jonathan and for the people of the Lord, the house of Israel for they had fallen by the sword. In spite of how Saul had treated David, David never lost sight of the fact that Saul was God’s anointed king, and it is a great tragedy that Saul has died on the battlefield. You see the true humility of David, it’s not all about of me, I don’t see everything through how it has impacted me, what its effect on me has been. Saul was the Lord’s anointed; now David could have been saying well I was anointed by Samuel years ago. It’s now clearly God’s time, no. Even though David has been anointed to replace Saul David recognizes until he dies, removed by God’s hand he was Gods anointed and you never find David treating Saul with disdain. Any idea of looking down on Saul, an idea that Saul wasn’t worthy of his respect because of his conduct, because he is the Lord’s anointed and so I honor him. So it’s a time of mourning for Saul, for Jonathan, for the lost of Israel who died in the battle there’s mourning. Then verse 13 David said to the young man who told him where are you from he answered I am the son of an alien Amalekite. And as I mentioned an alien was a term for a foreign resident in Israel. They are not just an Amalekite who was passing by, but he was there as part of the Israeli contingent, if you will but he was an alien in Israel, not a full citizen. What David’s response is immediate and might seem cruel to us.

Verse 14 then David said how is it that you were not afraid to stretch your hand to destroy the Lord anointed and here’s a man who was an alien in Israel, here’s a man afforded privileges and rights but he wasn’t a citizen. He should have recognized Saul was the Lord’s anointed – I mean David was the exalted position that God had bestowed upon him, the spirit of God had come upon him, was unwilling to lift his hand against Saul, the Lord’s anointed and here you have this resident alien who wasn’t afraid to lift up his hand. See David never saw any excuse, any reason to come against Saul. He would flee from him, but he is not ready to stand and fight Saul to the death because he didn’t want Saul’s blood on his hand. He didn’t feel and believe that was the right thing to do. So this – how wouldn’t you be afraid to do this? David called one of the young men and said go cut him down, fall upon him. So he struck him and he died. David said to him your blood is on your head, your mouth has testified against you saying I have killed the Lord’s anointed. There’s no attempt to resolve the difficulty in the biblical account here. This man claimed that this is what he did. David takes him at his word and executes him. If he hadn’t really killed Saul and just took the crown and bracelet, he paid a severe penalty for his lie. If he had done what he claimed to have done he deserved to die. So he is killed on that basis, so life could be brutal in those days. When we see men like David, a man after God’s own heart, so we don’t want to think of him as some kind of a feminine, soft, easy man. He is a warrior king as Saul was and he is a man who could give the order for execution on the spot. There are no long term trials carried out here. You have testified against yourself. We accept your testimony, kill him and he is executed on the spot for daring to lift up his hand against the Lord’s anointed.

Verses 17-27 remarkable – I mean remarkable. David is going to now compose a lament, a song to be sung in honor of Saul and Saul’s son Jonathan. It’s to be taught to the people, so they can sing this and express their sorrow over what has happened and there is nothing but positive honorable comments about Saul in this. David is not blind to Saul’s faults, the sins of Saul’s life – I mean he is well aware. On a couple of occasions Saul had attempted to pin David to the wall with his spear. He has pursued him for no reason and David confronted Saul about that and Saul acknowledged that he had sinned and David was righteous, but in all this as a matter between Saul and the Lord that the Lord resolved with Saul. David respects and honors him as the man that God put in place. So all Israel are to join in mourning. So verse 17 David chanted with his lament over Saul and Jonathan his son, he told them to teach the sons of Judah, the song of the bow. Behold it is written in the Book of Jasher. David doesn’t think the sorrow is just his. It’s the nations because Saul had been anointed king of the nation. It’s entitled the song of the bow and that’s because this connects to the military accomplishments of Saul and Jonathan.

Look down in verse 22 from the blood of slain from the fat of the mighty the bow of Jonathan did not turn back, the sword of Saul did not return empty. So it’s honoring Saul and his son Jonathan as mighty warriors. As those that God had used to bring deliverance to Israel from its enemies. The Book of Jasher we don’t have that any longer. It was referred to in the Book of Joshua Chapter 10 verse 13 where we are told there that these events were recorded in the Book of Jasher. It was evidently a record of significant events in Israel history, but it was not part of what God chose to preserve to be part of his eternal work, but this would have been recorded in the Book of Jasher, and it’s the non canonical Book as we will would say and we don’t have any of the Book of Jasher, that’s been lost. We just know certain things that were recorded in it because like this lament was recorded in the Book of Jasher, but we have it here. Now as part of the writings of Samuel. The lament has three sections, it’s built around the refrain how the mighty have fallen, how have the mighty fallen?

Note these, verse 19 second statement how have the mighty fallen? Verse 25, how have the mighty fallen? Verse 27, how have the mighty fallen? Verses 19 to 24, speaks of Saul and Jonathan and they are loss to Israel. Then verses 25-26 will speak of the personal loss David has with the death of Jonathan and their unique relationship. Then verse 26 is a conclusion. Note how he starts out. Your beauty O Israel is slain on your high places, how have the mighty fallen! Your beauty O Israel is a reference to Saul and Jonathan, they were your beauty, your glory and what a way to speak of Saul – I mean we have seen many things in Saul’s character through First Samuel and say despicable. A man who could be completely Godless, but he was God’s anointed king of Israel and there is an honor and glory about him David is not fawning over Saul with false humility here because there are and were honorable things about Saul and he was used significantly by God at a crucial time in Israel’s history, but you see here. Again David speaks in no way derogatory of Saul, and this is to be a song that is taught to the people throughout Israel, and so there’s no bitterness in David’s heart. All the years of suffering I have endured, the hardship for me and my family. Remember he had to even take his parents and take them out of the land of Israel, so that they could be kept safely from Saul, but no bitterness here. Your beauty O Israel is slain on your high places, how have the mighty fallen! Tell it not in Gath, proclaim it not in the streets of Ashkelon where the daughters of the Philistines will rejoice, the daughters of the uncircumcised will exalt. Gath and Ashkelon are chosen representative cities for the Philistines, two of the five major Philistine cities, so don’t go tell it in the cities of our enemies, why? Well if you do the daughters of the Philistines will rejoice, the daughters of the uncircumcised. These non Jews, people who are not part of the covenant, God has established, they will have reason to exalt and celebrate. David is concerned not give the enemies of the Lord an occasion to rejoice over the fall of Saul.

Look back in First Samuel 18 and you see what happens among the – with the women of the Philistine cities would do. That was true in the Israelites cities, the women would come out celebrate and honor the soldiers that go the victory. So we are told here as the Philistine is related and will later be repeated among Philistines the Israelite women on this occasion celebrating Saul and David’s victories, but David’s victories are celebrated as greater than Saul’s. Remember the women sang as they played Saul slain his thousands and David his 10,000s. The women came out dancing and with their tambourines to celebrate, that’s the kind of thing David doesn’t want to be happening.

In Gath and Ashkelon, well here that Saul and Jonathan are dead and they will be singing songs in the streets celebrating their victory. David says so tell it not in Gath, proclaim it not in the streets of Ashkelon though a good reminder, you know God’s people need to be careful. We talk about airing our dirty laundry before the unbeliever and sometimes things are better because the unbeliever only uses that to rejoice and celebrate. The fact that a believer has fallen or Christians have been dishonored. Sometimes we forget that because we have a certain glee in dealing with the fall of an opponent, even a fellow believer. So good advice, it’s a tragedy for Israel and would e tragedy and would be a tragedy for the Philistines to be celebrating. Then David never puts himself to the fore in that way. God’s honor is more important, the honor of God’s people than the honor of God’s king. So tell it not in Gath that evidently became a proverbial experience and I have heard sometime professors in seminary will use this when they want to say something of tell it not in Gath, proclaim it not in the streets of Ashkelon lest the uncircumcised Philistines here and that would be referring you don’t want the others to know what we were doing here or what has happened here. Rather it became – let’s come to Micah in the back of your New Testament. As we mentioned we are here 1010 BC, so 300 years later approximately around 700 BC Micah, the prophet, Micah 110, 300 years later this tell it not in Gath has been continued as a proverbial expression. Verse 10 of Micah one tell not in Gath, weep not at all, you see it became somewhat of a proverbial expression of not letting the enemy know what has happened in tragedy.

All right come back to Second Samuel 1 verse 21, O mountains of Gilboa, let not dew or rain beyond you nor fields of offerings where they are shield of the mighty was defiled, the shield of Saul, not anointed with oil. The shields whether they were made of metal or leather, they were treated with oil to preserve them to get them ready for battle, and so here we are told that there should be not dew or rain on the mountains of Gilboa because it was there that the shields of Saul -- the mighty warriors and Saul fell. They are anointed with oil, why? Saul won’t be using his shield for battle anymore, so that’s a picture,

Verse 22 from the blood of the slain, from the fat of the mighty, the bow of Jonathan did not turn back, the sword of Saul did not return empty. 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. Saul and Jonathan stood together in life and in death, and David testifies to their military ability. So we have condemned Saul’s 40 year of reign into the matters that we looked at in First Samuel, but he was used by God to bring great deliverance to Israel and give them victory over their enemies and Jonathan with him. So David celebrates the fact that they were great warriors and they didn’t shrink from the battle.

Verse 22 the bow of Jonathan did not turn back, the sword of Saul did not return empty. I mean in other words Saul’s sword came back bloody, they didn’t shrink from the battle and they gained the victory and they were beloved and pleasant in their life and in their death they were not parted. O daughters of Israel weep over Saul who closed you luxuriously in scarlet, who put ornaments of gold on your apparel. Again there aren’t you ladies who sing the song? So weep because think about it was Saul who provided prosperity for you, it was Saul who enabled you to have those nice clothes, that attractive jewelry. You should weep over his death.

Come back to the Book of Judges, the end of the Book of Judges Chapter 21. And verse 25 we are told in those days there was no king in Israel everyone did what was right in his own eyes. So here you have Israel, the 12 tribes but they are somewhat a disconnected entity. Various judges raised up at various times to give deliverance at least in certain areas of Israel from the enemies that overwhelmed them. So they were not time of prosperity for the nation as a nation, everyone was doing what was right in his own eyes though it could be a time of lawlessness and difficulty.

But you come to Chapter 14 of First Samuel and look at verse 47, verse Samuel 14-47. Now when Saul had taken over – taken the kingdom over Israel, he fought against all his enemies on every side, against Moab, the sons of Ammon, Edom, the kings of Zobah, the Philistines and wherever he turned, he inflicted punishment, he acted valiantly, he defeated the Amalekites, he delivered Israel from the hands of those who plunders them. So David is just reminding the Israelites and reminding the women of Israel who will sing the song that he has written that you remember and weep, the one who provided prosperity for Israel as their king. So that you could be clothed so well and have beautiful ornaments and jewelry, he is now dead, that’s a great loss for you.

So a very effective way to draw their attention, the personal side of the loss for them that 40 years ago when Saul became king this was a different land and there wasn’t the unity among the tribes, there wasn’t the prosperity in the land, but all those various enemies Saul was effective in turning back and subduing. And so they could no longer plunder Israel, so Israel could begin to prosper. So very effective way for David to draw attention to the benefits they have received from Saul.

Verse 25 now he turns with that repeating the expression how the mighty have fallen. You have got to focus in verses 25 and 26 particularly on Jonathan because we know Jonathan and David had a unique relationship, how have the mighty fallen in the midst of the battle. Jonathan is slain on your high places, 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. Some have twisted this scripture to their own destruction and tried to read into this homosexual kind of activity. We don’t need to go any further with that. Clearly David is talking about that unique and deep relationship he had with Jonathan that could not be replaced, just that unique relationship. So he mourns in a special way for the loss of Jonathan and the depth of relationship that he had with Jonathan.

Verse 27 how have the mighty fallen! The weapons of war perish that forms a conclusion to this song, how have the mighty fallen! The weapons of war perish, it’s a reference to the death of Saul and Jonathan, they are the mighty who have fallen. No hint anywhere in this poem that Saul was anything but the greatest blessing to Israel and the object of David’s complete respect, no bitterness, no lack of forgiveness. David is only 30 years old here. We read that over in Chapter 5 verse 4 when he becomes king in Hebron. He is still a relatively young man, he will reign till he is 70, but he shows great maturity and used the spirit of God to compose here this song and shows great deference, great respect and truly does honor Saul – I mean if this is all we had about Saul we would think differently of him than we do when we read the account of him in First Samuel. It’s not that this is not honest, this is how David a Godly man sees Saul because he sees him as the man God appointed and you know he didn’t let all the bad things Saul did, the wrong things Saul did blind him to the fact that God chose to greatly use Saul.

And Israel was a much better place after 40 years of Saul’s reign than it was as you came to the end of the period of the judges and he was God’s man of the hour and you see great maturity, that’s hard to do when you are dealing with a man who has made your life miserable and very difficult in that all he could to try to kill you over the years leading up to this time, but David’s perspective on it all has remained as it should be. Let me summarize a few things from this Chapter then we will conclude. First a good reminder for us God is at work even when confusion seems to characterize our lives. We started out this Chapter, came about after the death of Saul, when David had returned from the slaughter of the Amalekites, that David remained two Ziklag, I mean there’s been times of Turmoil for David, remember he has been hiding in the lands of the Philistines and he has had the Philistine city of Ziklag as the place where it could be his city. We got to be careful even if he goes out and makes raids against the enemies of Israel, the word doesn’t get back to the Philistines. Then he has had to go out with the Philistines, anticipating there going to be a conflict or war with Israel on the Philistines and he will have to take his stand because he won’t be able to go to war against Saul and then God sends him back from the battle by arranging the circumstances, he gets back there and his family, his wives, the families of his soldiers have all been captured and the city has been burned. So he has got to go out and rescue them after dealing with his soldiers who wanted to stone him and he comes back and he is only back in his city two days and he hears now that Saul has died, and it just seems like well there’s one thing after another and so much going on and you think well the death of Saul probably was a relief to him, but it is not, it caused him to mourn, he tears his clothes, it’s a time of grief and yet God is at work in all of this. It’s not confusion, it’s not disorder, it’s not one trial and one problem after another. It’s not a matter, Lord don’t I get a time to get my breath, God is at work even in what seems like to be confusion. A second lesson to learn about all that’s gone on here is we must patiently wait upon the Lord.

David was anointed king in Chapter 16 of First Samuel, many things have happened in this intervening years. It is hard to believe now Saul is dead, David has seven more years to wait until he is established as king over the nation Israel, why the hell did I think Lord when are you going to act, he is going to act in his time. David was willing to wait. Saul will be removed in the Lord’s and his men had opportunity to kill Saul. No, no the Lord will do it his time. And here David will have to wait seven more years to be established, finally Saul is dead. I was patient, I was gracious, I recognized, he was your anointed, but now he is dead and so was his son Jonathan. Now certainly it’s time, but seven years later David will finally become king of the nation, over the nation.

Number three and important here the world does not understand the values of the believer, this Amalekite had no concept of David’s view of Saul, he is the Lord’s anointed and it’s a foreign concept the Amalekite he thinks David is going to honor him like come and tell him I killed your enemy, the king – I mean I dealt the deathblow and I brought the king, the king’s crown and the king’s bracelet to you – I mean obviously is expecting reward and no concept of David’s view of Saul. I am a Godly man who recognizes the hand of God at work in the nation and you and I aren’t to expect any more that unbelievers are going to understand how believers operate and things can function, and we delude ourselves what we think they will. The fourth point which is multiplied for us today, there should be no bitterness or lack of forgiveness on the part of a believer.

As we saw in David’s poem or song versus 19-24, there’s no bitterness, there’s no sense of finally I have gotten revenge. There’s no evidence of an unforgiving spirit in David for the years of his life that Saul has taken so to speak by his pursuit of him. And none of that in David’s heart, there’s no room for it, I say it’s multiplied us.

Because come over to Ephesians Chapter 4, that’s true of David, how much more of us who have experienced the forgiveness, that comes in Christ and the clarity of that forgiveness and the cost of it, all rights to the Ephesians in Ephesians four verse 30 do not grieve the holy spirit of God by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption, let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tender hearted, forgiving each other, just in God in Christ has also forgiven you, a man of fuller understanding and a greater appreciation of the greatness of God’s grace than David could have. That the son of God has suffered and died, so that I might be forgiven and I am to manifest that kind of forgiveness to others, no bitterness, no wrath, anger, clamor and the way with then he thought I have a right to be upset. You don’t know what they did to me nor what work that Saul had done to David. The only thing he couldn’t do was kill him and that’s because he couldn’t catch him, but no bitterness, no wrath, but that’s true of David how much more of today.

A fifth point we should be concerned that the unbeliever is not be given occasion to rejoice over the fall of God’s people that came from verse 20, tell it not in Gath, proclaim it not I he streets of Ashkelon where the daughters will rejoice, the daughters of the uncircumcised will exalt. We need to be careful even when we might be right that doesn’t mean we air things before the unbelieving world because it just causes them to rejoice. They don’t understand, they don’t really know the spiritual issues involved here. All that mattered is not a matter where you explain to the Philistines well you see Saul was unfaithful to God therefore God had to remove him and David was the anointed or doesn’t matter, for them the king of Israel has died, that’s the cause of rejoicing, but just not even celebrate this.

We don’t even want the people of Gath, the enemies of the Lord to have any occasion to exalt. So we should be concerned in the things we say to those outside the fellowship of believers and things we know that they don’t become occasions for unbelievers. Sometimes you turn on the news and you have professing believers airing dirty laundry and comments about what is this to do before the world, yeah that’s what the believers are like. I say well I don’t whether they were genuine, they can’t sort these things out, so we ought to be careful of that. And lastly our testimony is on the line even when are not aware that David had no idea the place in the revelation of God that his faithfulness would have. I mean we remember David just living this out, he is just going day by day trusting the Lord will spare him another day. Then he spent years fleeing Saul, knowing. Well we say well know he couldn’t die, that’s right the plan of God can’t be frustrated. We have to live out day by day. I know I will die a day ahead of God’s plan for me. I know that none of the trials or problems of difficulty come into my life are going to frustrate God’s plan as all through, you know when I am living it out day by day the pressure is on, right?

David was living it out day by day, he is thinking where should I go to hide next here, where should I move my men and family so Saul doesn’t catch us and kill us, that kind of thinking. He had no idea, but he was concerned, I will be faithful, I will be faithful, I won’t take things in my own hands. He had no idea, you know people 3000 years later are going to learning from my faithfulness, you know that’s why it’s different you read the histories, you read biographies and you read it from the perspective of seeing these people living on the stage, but you know when they are going through it, they didn’t know that. They are just going through it and so that's the way with you and I, so a lesson to be learnt from David. Our testimony is always on the line. I think well in this situation may not be the most biblical thing to do, might not be the best, but it’s the thing I need to do right now. What the thing I need to do is always do the right thing, honor God. That way if it turns out it is going to be broadcast, I won’t be embarrassed and say “Oh if I had known that it was going to be like this, I would have done things differently. Well do it as though it will be written and all will be reading and David’s life is testimony to be appreciated.

One more passage First Peter, Chapter 2. It’s a long list line of this point, First Peter Chapter 2, it’s particularly so when we maybe suffering unjustly as David was doing. Here it’s in the context of telling servants and slaves to be submissive to unjust masters. Verse 18 servants be submissive to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good in general, but also those who are unreasonable perverse, wicked. For this finds favor for the sake of conscious toward God a person bears up under sorrows when suffering unjustly, for what credit is there if when you sin and are harshly treated you endure with patience, but if when you do what is right and suffer for you patiently endure this finds favor with God and Christ is the example. So in all our lives we ought to focus on him, it’s not all about me, it’s all about him, but how can I honor you in this situation? How can I grow and mature and become a more godly person in these circumstances? And that gives us the joy of seeing him work his purposes and isn’t it true for all this we can all look back at times and say yeah I didn’t know then, but it was a blessing to go through that. I am glad I went through that and had to go through it. I wouldn’t want to necessarily want to go through it again, but I can appreciate the blessing of the trial now that I look back upon.

Let’s pray together, thank you Lord for your faithfulness and even as we celebrate the faithfulness of your servant David it is a testimony to your grace and faithfulness in his life, and yet Lord he is a man honored by you. Thank you Lord for his attitude for Saul, a man who treated him unfairly and unjustly, who made his life difficult and miserable in many ways, but it was all part of your plan in molding and shaping David’s life and Lord it’s easy to study the life of David from 3000 years ago and agree that yes that was the way he should have conducted himself, but Lord we would learn from those lessons to see that’s true of us today. Nothing can frustrate your marvelous plan for us as your people and we do need to learn patience, to learn to trust you, we may grown in grace and knowledge where the weak that is before us, may these lessons grip our heart, so that we might walk faithfully and testify to your grace in Christ’s name, amen.