2 Samuel 1:5-12
Verse 5 Then David said to the young man who brought him the report, “How do you know that Saul and his son Jonathan are dead?”
We have probably all had a moment like David was living, getting news which just doesn’t seem like it could be real. Maybe it is a diagnosis which blind sides us or the sudden loss of a loved one. We don’t want to believe it can be truth. We find ourselves fighting against the news and trying to wrap our heads around it.
We mentioned yesterday that David may have wondered if this man was a defector from the Israelite army but today we learn that his man knew David because he was an Amalekite. This was a man from the tribe that David and his men had most recently fought, the same people who had taken captive his wives and the families of his men. This man was not coming as a friend and could it be that he had other motives for coming to give David the news?
David asked the man to spill the beans on the details of how he knew that Saul and his sons are dead and the man, thinking he was going to be seen as a hero by David, regales the future king with details of finding Saul wanting to die because of his injuries and the effort this messenger put in to make sure it would happen. He takes a certain sense of pride in claiming responsibility of killing the enemy king and thinking that their enemy was mutual, says what he can to appear worthy of praise.
The man had not really helped Saul die (Saul killed himself as seen in 1 Samuel 31:4-5) but he went on to tell of how he had taken the king’s crown and arm band, a sign the king had been conquered. Then he makes his final ploy to win David over, he wasn’t keeping the kingly items for himself, he brought them to David, a sign he may have understood David would replace King Saul on the throne in Israel or it was a way of trying to protect his own life knowing what David had just done to the man’s countrymen.
The crown and armband were proof the king was dead. David and his men break into mourning. Their king is dead, as were his sons. This was the end of the rule of the men of this family and they all felt the weight of it, fasting the rest of the day. There may have been thoughts about what it would have meant had they joined the Philistines in the battle as planned. They could have been guilty of killing the Lord’s anointed. They had been protected from guilt of Saul’s death but the king was still dead.
Making It Personal
Do you find yourself wanting things proven to you? Does that include spiritual things? What does it take for you to trust God about things you can’t see for yourself?
Making It Personal Kids
Do you like to see things for yourself instead of just believing what you are told? Are there things that you have wanted Jesus to prove to you? Why should you always trust Jesus?
Closing Prayer
Father, thank You for being trustworthy in all things so that we know what You say in Your Word is always true. Help us learn to trust You in everything in life. In Jesus’ name, amen.
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