2 Samuel 1 (Part 2) Bible Study (David's Lament for Saul and Jonathan) | Pastor Daniel Batarseh

Second Samuel, please meet me in your bibles in that precious book that we began last week. Second Samuel chapter one and beginning here in verse 17. Pray with me. Lord, we thank you again for this time, and we thank you for your word. We know that this word is your voice.

It is God breathed. And we pray that you would breathe this word into our hearts. It would bring life to us. It would blow away all the things that should not remain in the heart of your temple. We ask, Lord, that you would sanctify us, edify us, build our faith, Lord, in this in this time where, things are so unknown.

Lord, we we stand on the promises of God. We come to your word for wisdom, for Christ to be seen, and for for us to be conformed into his image. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Last week, we learned about the astounding response of David and his men when they received the news of Saul's death.

And to our surprise, what we saw was a man and his his fellow warriors expressed genuine sorrow, genuine grief when that Amalekite came and announced the death of Israel's king. And what we saw with David was mourning. We saw that there was even fasting until the evening. We saw that there was this contrition, this this sense of brokenness over the humiliation even of their sworn enemy. And if you and I were perplexed by the honor that David showed in that moment with his men, prepared to be challenged further as we discover what he will do in the rest of this chapter.

David's honor of Saul will exceed that of emotional distress. As heartfelt as that is, he will he will come to a point now where he will make his his pain and his love for Saul and for Jonathan and for Israel public. He's gonna make it known. He's actually going to etch it in a way that it would it would remain as a memorial for generations. And that is significant concerning the history that Saul and David had.

So as you come to this portion of the book, you will see that David writes an elegy. A type of of a poem that is a reflection of deep, deep meditation concerning someone's death. And it's a lament. It's a formal way of expressing a genuine thing going on in the heart concerning someone or some people. And that's what the rest of this chapter is really dedicated to, this song.

And it's a unique one in the Old Testament, So unique that it is it is it is written in a book, as you see here in verse 18, called the book of Jasher. And that's a book that's not found in our Bibles, but it's referenced more than once in our Bibles. And it's really this this type of a book that holds accounts of significant moments in Israel's history. And one of those moments of Israel's history that is to be remembered and to be meditated upon is Saul's death. Saul and his son Jonathan's downfall.

So this is important. It's so important to God that he didn't just leave it in the book of Jashar that's not in the canon of scripture. He takes that out of all the things that are written out of that book and he and he includes it in holy writ. There's something that the Lord wants us to learn from this personal lament by David for the people of Israel, for you and I today in in this time of history. That's what God wants us to know.

And so we look at this and we think to ourselves before we even enter into the text that there is something about David's character here already. I mean, let's just read the first two verses. At verse 17, and David lamented with this limitation over Saul and Jonathan his son, and he said it should be taught to the people of Judah. Behold, it is written in the book of Jashar. Why did David do this?

Any idea why David is doing this? Any clues? Any potential motives to why David would actually take the time to write? Not about not okay. If it was just Jonathan, I would understand.

But but Saul? Really? You're actually gonna write a tribute to Saul. Yes. There's something to learn about Saul and his downfall that would be beneficial to the people of God.

I agree with that. Yes. Okay. Very good. So there's something to learn from David's interaction with Saul throughout his time with Saul that he thinks the people of God can actually learn and grow from.

I think there's something there. Anything else? Any reasons? There's a genuine love that he has for Saul. I think that's a legitimate motive.

It might be a surprising one, but it is a legitimate one. Any other reason? Any other ideas? Yes. Yes.

The position. Yes. So there's there's a prophetic element to this. Very likely. Very good answers.

Any other one before we move on into this text? Anything else? Saul's legacy is supposed to be remembered as somewhat of a failure? Yeah. Most people?

Yes. Mhmm. Very good point. I mean, David was an interesting figure. You'll notice David, whenever it came to to death, people's death, he he really he was really broken over those deaths.

And you're gonna see in second Samuel, one portion, I believe the reason why David was so sensitive to the death of others is because he had an understanding of eternity. I believe that. We see it in the Psalms. He was a prophet. He had a he had a I I believe he was a new covenant type of believer living in the old covenant.

He had a revelation of that. And so there is something there that we should be broken over the death of the wicked. We should be broken over that. Yes. Very good.

Very great perspective, actually. Anything else? Well, look. Some might say that this is a strategic thing. That this is David trying to make his his heart known to his own people so that there would be no confusion about the fact that he has anything against Saul on a personal level.

Saul might have had personal things against David, but David wants to make sure that there is no harbored bitterness. There's no anger. There's no malice towards Saul. He actually he actually wants to show this is a man that I truly loved and cared for. But I believe it's it's it's not merely that.

I don't even think that's the main reason though. That could be one reason. I believe the simple fact is that he is sincerely broken. He is sincerely remorseful about what happened to the king and what happened to his friend and what happened to the glory of Israel. And so he is about to express that in a very beautiful way, but think about it in this way as well.

What did Saul's death mean for David's future? You become king. I mean, the red carpet is laid out. The one obstacle in your way is now removed. You are right there at the threshold of God's promise and and your destiny, the very thing that has been prolonged for so, so many years is now here.

Saul is gone. Your throne is now vacant. It's available. You can have it. Now, when you think about it that way, we see the character of this man because instead of rejoicing in that fact, he is he is weeping.

He's crushed. He's smashed. And the reason why is because this man, instead of celebrating at the opportunity that this tragedy created for him, he steps back and laments the loss of a man who was created in the image of God. He steps back and he he realizes the contempt that will come to God's people because of the failure of the leader over God's people. See, what you see here about David is a man who has his priorities right.

More than his ambition, more than his comfort, more than his position, he had the good of man and the glory of God before him. That is the mark of the greatest men and women of God in this book and throughout church history, whether they are known or unknown. You see it with Moses. When they break that law that that wasn't even delivered on those tablets yet, they were dancing around a golden calf. God expresses his anger to Moses and he tests Moses at the same time.

He goes, hey, I'm paraphrasing. Why don't we just get rid of these guys once and for all and I'll make a people out of you? That's that's a pretty remarkable offer. In essence, what God is saying is, I'm willing to remove Abraham as the father of this people and make you the father of a new people. How does that sound, Moses?

You know what Moses says? No way. Because the nations will say you only brought these people out to destroy them. The nations will think that you weren't able to bring them through. That you weren't able to preserve them.

I will not accept because I have your glory in mine more than my own. And here you see David showing, at least by by this moment of reflecting upon Saul, reflecting upon his friend and the glory of Israel and the glory of God, that thrones and palaces, they're in the back seat. They're not priority of my life. They don't mean to me as much as as God's reputation means to me, and so I'm going to be broken. And this is something that you and I should reflect on in our own lives, in our own outlook in life.

Where where is man's salvation in my priority list? Where is God's glory in my priority list? Does it affect me if something offends me or is removed from me more than what would offend God and remove him from being glorified and exalted? You'd be amazed to know. You'd be amazed to know what would offend people and how it relates to their lack of concern for what offends God.

So we come into this text and what do we read in verse 17? David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and Jonathan his son, and he said that it should be taught to the people of Judah. I love that. It should be taught. He wants the men of Judah.

Those are men from whose tribe? His tribe. He's teaching the closest ones to him. I'm gonna show you what it looks like to honor even your enemies. I'm gonna show you what it's like to respect.

I'm gonna show you what it's like to to be a true lover of people. And so he's going to teach them. And though this man was deeply broken over the death of this man, of this royal family, really, it's so obvious that there was some soul reflection during this morning. It's so obvious that he was contemplating and he was putting things together, and he arrived at certain conclusions. He arrived at certain conclusions with this tragic event, and he desired for his people to learn from his lament.

And I think that's an incredible point when you really meditate on it, because if you are a child of God, then this is your assurance that pain, that sorrow, that grief, that affliction has something to teach you as well. If you're willing to believe it. If you're willing to believe it, then the loss, great loss, no matter what kind of loss it is, can actually be great gain when you're walking hand in hand with the Lord Jesus Christ. David learned some things during this time as our brother said, and he wants to teach it. And I want to tell you today that one of the great privileges of walking with the Lord is that even in the most miserable moments, there is something to be gained.

There is something to be received. There is something to learn. And it is incredible what kind of revelation that you and I can arrive at when we endure tragedy. You know, in my own life, I can tell you that certain truths in the Word of God that may have been kinda irrelevant, that that didn't seem to kind of speak to me, suddenly became very loud and applicable. Because now my heart has been open.

My ears are now, are signaled to certain promises and principles that seem to have no significance when things were going very well. A lot of us want to know Jesus personally. Be careful. Be careful of that request because when we say we want to know Jesus, we want to know him in the way Paul said he was wanting to know him and the power of his resurrection. But remember, there was a second part.

The fellowship of what? His sufferings. We want the good stuff. We want the testimonies. We want the glory.

And there's another dimension which Jesus will pull you into suffering so that you can know a fellowship with him. You wanna know what it's like to be like me? You wanna know what it's like to know me? Then here's some suffering. Here's some betrayal.

Here's some accusation. Here's some here's some loss. And in those moments, things in the scriptures, promises, principles become very real. You think about it too. The sincerity of our trust in God is often tested.

Is it not? When we try to withstand certain things that try to overwhelm us and sweep us off our feet, in those moments, does that question become more real than at any other time? Do I really believe God? Do I really believe God? You'd be amazed to know how kind of what kind of revelation comes with idolatry and suffering.

That when things are removed from us or things are taken or whatever the case may be, oftentimes what is revealed is an is an over dependence or attachment to that thing. And then we realize this wasn't just something I love, this was something I worshiped. This is something that I adored more than God. And it's it's in loss sometimes. It's it's in tragedy where those things are revealed.

What about the comfort of God? The comfort of God. A special touch from the Lord that only deep pain can make you available to, where he finds very incredible ways of embracing you, mysterious means by which he he makes his his attention towards you known, and you know that God is holding you. There is indeed much gain to have in pain. This man learned some things and he wants to teach some things based off his pain.

And if we're wise, then we also will learn from the laments of others. We will learn from the tragedies that others have experienced so that we too would be better prepared when it comes our way, or we too would learn how to avoid when people experience self inflicting pain because of sin or other things in life. That is wisdom. And because we want to be a wise people, we will look at a text like this and position ourselves to learn what God has taught David to teach us So that we can, we can be better prepared. And so let's learn.

In verse 19, what do we read? Your glory, your glory, our Israel, is slain on your high places. How the mighty have fallen! That is the chorus of this song. That is the refrain.

How the mighty have fallen. Look at verse 25. How the mighty have fallen. Look at verse 27. How the mighty have fallen.

That's the theme. That's what that's what the Holy Spirit is trying to hammer in the hearts of God's people. Now, what's incredible about this song is that David does not go the route of disclosing Saul's sins. You will not find one place in this text where he tries to expose any faults that came from Saul. Quite the opposite.

He's covering it. He is he is he is putting it behind a veil of of commendation and praise and honor. So, when we read how the mighty have fallen, David doesn't tell us necessarily how because that's not his intent. But you and I know how. You and I know how.

And this is extremely beneficial for us because what we learn from the song immediately is that it is possible, listen, that the mighty of the mightiest can fall. Can fall. They have fallen. They can fall. And it is possible to avoid a fall.

Saul was mighty for different reasons. Look at verse 23. It says here in the second part, they were swifter than eagles. They were stronger than than than lions. Speaking about a military prowess.

This is speaking about, an agility and a strategy that is that is unmatched. And he is trying to trying to show that they were successful and what they were called to do to a certain extent. But here's the point. No ability or agility of body and mind can overcome the destructive consequences that sin longs to bring upon the children of God. Sin does not respect your position.

It could care less. Sin does not care about your achievements. Sin does not hesitate to do what it wants to do when it realizes your your wonderful family life, or what kind of ministry you have, or even how theologically sound you may be. Sin has one desire and that is to destroy, and to destroy to the uttermost. And the mighty of the mightiest have been victims to sin, though it could have been avoided.

It could care less again of anything else other than a heart that knows God and fears God. It is relentless. It is relentless to destroy your reputation. It is relentless to destroy your relationships. It is relentless to destroy even your resources.

It wants to burn it all down. And the mighty have fallen. And if we are aware of the goal of sin, we won't be so comfortable with it. If we see that it is deceiving and has destructive force, then we will not be so comfortable with it. And the Bible gives us so many clear examples of how the mighty over the years have indeed fallen.

In Saul's case, it was pride. Can I give you another one that has littered history of mighty men, mighty women to be slain? Here's one example. It's in the book of Proverbs. It's in chapter seven.

It's in verse 25. The bible says in Proverbs seven twenty five, let not your heart turn aside to her ways. Do not stray into her paths. For many a victim she has laid low and all her slain are a mighty throng. Understand what that means.

Right? A throng simply means a multitude of assembled peoples. And here's what the Holy Spirit is saying, the context is adultery. The context is lust, being satisfied. And the scripture is clear, mistresses have brought down geniuses, have brought down record breakers, have brought down strong men, heroes and even theologians.

There have been a wreckage over time, both for men and women. Mighty throng. Not not even just unknown people, but mighty people. Famous people. Loved people have been slain by this.

And this is just one example. And do you know where it all began? Look at the verse clearly in verse five. Let not your heart turn aside to her. That's where it all starts.

That's where it all starts. No matter how almighty a man is externally, no matter what kind of feats he has done, no matter what kind of accolades he has, no matter what he has done with these hands, with this mind, with with with his feet, with his strength, if he doesn't know how to conquer the heart by the power of the Holy Spirit, he will be a victim soon enough. Let not your heart, those who are given to the sin of lust, those who are given to the sin of adultery, those who are given to the sin of pornography, they don't have a hormone issue. They have a heart issue. 100% of the time.

And if if a man doesn't have the revelation that I must inwardly subdue myself by God's power, then there is no telling where I will go outwardly. If a man does not realize that great falls begin within before they happen outside, then they will indeed fall. And the mightier they are, the greater the fall. It happened to Saul. It all started with a jealous thought and it went downhill from there.

Happened to David. It started with one glance and he didn't kill that thing when it was a suggestion. It became illicit sex. And it led to his fall as well. How the mighty have fallen.

How sad it is to think about that. There would be those whether we don't see it necessarily, but how we would say the same of him years later at this point. And so, the mighty can fall. That's the first lesson. But we move on to verse 20.

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 exalt. He goes on to say, do not publicize what just took place. We have to censor this. We can't let it be known in the cities, the main cities of the Philistines, Ashkelon and Gath. We cannot let it come to the streets so that they would parade and they would celebrate what just happened to our leadership and to our people.

And this is David giving a wise charge to the people of God, not to give the news of the mighty who have fallen to the enemies of our God. For what reason? So that so that the daughters of the Philistines, which is a synonymous way of understanding the world, would be able to rejoice over and have greater reason to be strengthened in their unbelief and in the might of their idols and their gods. We wanna avoid that. David's saying there's no reason to fuel it.

There's no reason to give him more ammunition to work with. And this is for our instructions. Some Christians foolishly bring the issues and the affairs within the church to the unbelieving. Before dealing it with the people of God. Before dealing it among the saints.

And in first Corinthians six, Paul gives clear instructions about that and he actually calls such behavior shameful. Shameful. It's shameful for the people of God to bring the problems within the household of God to those who do not belong to God. And he's very clear. Whenever there are difficulties among members, and then lawyers are contacted, and then court dates are set, No matter what a brother may have won over another brother, no matter what kind of victory he may claim to have in the natural, know this.

It is always a win for Satan. Every time. I mean, Paul is so concerned about the testimony of the church that he says might as well, even if you are in the right 100%, even though you can counter attack, even though you can gain something, lose it. Just give it up. Just just let them have it for the sake of Christ's name.

For the sake of his glory. Because what we do when we when we actually make what is happening in here public, And I'm not saying on the news. I'm saying even just in our own worlds. We testify to the world that we are unable to resolve and reconcile according to the to the principles of God's word. It doesn't work.

God's word doesn't work to bring situations to rest. We need the world's wisdom and the world's courts to deal with our issues. What kind of testimony? Paul's like, what kind of testimony is that? Might as well give it all away for the sake of Christ's name.

Unfortunately, many many believers don't even think about it like that. It's about me. It's about me being bright. It's about me being satisfied. About me having gain.

But so many things are solved. Listen. So many things in life can be solved. So many issues can be avoided when God's glory is our utmost desire. So many fights can be avoided, so much money can be saved, so many phone calls can be avoided, if we just give it to God's glory.

But I don't think that's the main point of what he's saying here when he says, tell it not in Gath. Because do we really believe that David didn't know that the Philistines knew about Saul's death? Does he really think that they're not gonna know about it and not just know about it, but celebrate it and and and and make a whole hoopla about it? No. He is fully aware of it.

So then why is he instructing his brethren not to say anything about it? And I believe it's this, that the Israelites, though this would become public knowledge, must be aware of how of how they speak about the fall of their leaders more than not mentioning it at all. Yes, primarily, we want to be very careful not to share the sins of the church when it doesn't warrant it. But that is that is that is not always the case. There are some sins that are so serious and they become so known and so public that they cannot be ignored.

And when it comes to that, from within and from outside, believers must know how to communicate and express such issues in redemptive ways. In redemptive ways. What do I mean by that? Unfortunately, there are some professing Christians that are just as exhilarated by the news of a recent scandal than the unbelieving world. They're they're just as quick to share that than the gospel.

Maybe even more than the gospel. And and for some, they find personal benefit in that. There there's some kind of glee to know that somebody has fallen and pointing people to the failures of others because there's something to to be known in that. In our day, I think it's it's YouTube views. I look at some YouTube stuff and I said, if if if these channels were just as eager to share the glories of Jesus Christ instead of just updating the world about how the how the church is inconsistent and failing, we probably see much more fruit.

But, oh, we want the we want the the fame and we want, we know what what brings people in. And I won't even get into that. There are others who are envious. There are others who are jealous of other ministers, ministries, people. And so whenever there is a sin issue, they take advantage of it to smear those names further and to destroy their credibility so that they would be the sought after ones.

And they would be the ones that would be seen as holy. And they would be the seen ones as the ones that are to be reliable. It's a scary world we live in. It's a scary world we live in. And the reason why I bring these as as outlandish as that might sound, then explain to me the scriptures that call the believer to cover sin and to to forgive and Jesus' instruction to go one by one, then two to that same person or three, and and and make it as private as possible before the sin becomes more known.

It's incredible how God's mind is and we have to align ourselves by the by the grace of God. Tell it not in Gath. Don't publish this to the world. But let us be wise. And if it does come to that point, let us let us be broken over it.

And let us let us declare the gospel through it. And let us point to the perfection of Jesus if it does happen. Now look at verse 21. You Mountains Of Gilboa, let there be no dew nor rain upon you, nor fields of offerings, for there the shield of mighty of the mighty was defiled, the shield of Saul not anointed with oil. So David does something interesting now.

He turns his attention to the Mountains Of Gilboa. Why Mountains Of Gilboa? That's where Saul died. That's where his men died. That's where his sons died.

And he he he looks to the mountains and it's almost as though he's pronouncing a curse. And it's not really a literal curse, some say it is, but I think it's a poetic way of calling the Mountains Of Gilboa to mourn the tragedy of what took place on their hills. See, David is is is even desiring creation to reflect, to physically reflect the barrenness and the loss that Israel has experienced by the death of Saul and his sons. And so there's an appeal even to creation to join in the the brokenness that Israel is experiencing. And it's bigger than just a a picture of the magnitude of this event.

Listen, what he's asking for on the Mountains Of Gilboa is a reflection of the consequences of what took place in Saul's life with his sin. Think about it. You Mountains Of Gilboa, let there be no dew or rain upon you nor fields of offerings. First, here's what we understand. That if you and I or anybody persist in sin, persist in our wrong and we're stubborn and we ignore the conviction of the Holy Spirit as Saul did, we too become barren and desolate.

We we close ourselves off to the blessings of heaven that make us fruitful and and make us give something to those around us, just like the vegetation and the life of these hills would offer to the people of Israel. And so we see here that early on in Saul's life, we enjoyed the fragrance of his humility. We saw something of his peace making ability and we were blessed by that. But over time, sin eroded his soul and those things shriveled up, dried, died, and then all for a sudden there is a void of the fruit of the Holy Spirit and the presence of desolation. Dust.

Death. And so even the Mountains Of Gilboa being barren and being empty of fruit is a reflection of what happened to Saul in his life. And that's because sin enters in and it does that to not just Saul, but all of us. But secondly, look at this. We learned something else here when he says, the fields of offerings.

Are are those for men or for God? Gilboa was obviously a location that offered crops, corn and wheat, and then and then those things would play a part in in funding the sacrificial system in the tabernacle because there were grain offerings that were given. And look what David is saying. Let there be such a curse upon the Mountains Of Gilboa that there would be nothing to even offer to the Lord. That there would be nothing to offer in the tabernacle, that God would not receive anything from it.

Now why would that be? Why would that even be a request? And it's because there's a connection. There's a connection between the Mountains Of Gilboa not being able to bear fruit and Saul's life being a failure to walk with the Lord uprightly and not being able to give him what is his due and that is true worship. You see what David is trying to communicate is this, the gravest consequence that comes from our sin is that it robs God of the worship and honor that he deserves.

That's the primary thing. And in the same way that this mountain has nothing to offer God because it's barren, sin dampens our ability to offer the Lord true worship from our lives. That was true of Saul. That is true of us. See, God, what he wants to do is what he what he intended for the Mountains Of Gilboa, that rain would come from heaven.

And what would come from heaven would then produce something in those mountains and those mountains would bless men and bless God in return. That is a picture of our relationship with the Lord. That is a picture of what true holiness is. It's not trying to muster up strength to produce something. It's God pouring out his spirit on us.

As we open our hearts to him, as we become God's abode and the Holy Spirit is not grieved, but richly dwells in us. And then fruit is produced and man and God are blessed. Unfortunately, the ugly picture here is the sad fate of Saul. Barren, empty, void, nothing to offer. Then we read on, do we not?

Next two verses, look at this. From the blood of the slain, from the fat of the mighty, the bow of Jonathan turned not back and the sword of Saul returned not empty. Saul and Jonathan, beloved and lovely. In life and in death, they were not divided. They were swifter than eagles.

They were stronger than lions. You daughters of Israel, weep over Saul who clothed you luxuriously in scarlet, who put ornaments of gold on your apparel apparel. Listen, up to this point, there have been many things that are important, many things that are even touching, but there's nothing to me that is more startling than the words that we just read. And only those who have studied over the weeks, maybe in your personal life or with us, who've studied the relationship between Saul and David can understand why. Because David now turns to Saul and he he he praises him.

He praises him in a way that almost doesn't make sense. You almost get the immediate impression that maybe David is exaggerating a little bit. If he said those things about Jonathan, amen. That's a touching tribute. But he's including Saul in this.

Think about it. You've heard about Saul week after week for months. I don't know about you, but the two first words that come to mind about Saul are not, what? Beloved? Lovely?

Are you sure? Is this like some facade, something that you do at a funeral where you just say nice things because you got it? The guy's in a casket and there are mourning people and so you want to make them feel good. How can you say that? Not only that, in life and in death they were not divided?

I I can point you to a scripture where they were. David. I don't think David is exaggerating here. I don't think he's telling a lie. I don't think he's trying to put some makeup on this.

I believe what David is doing is he is choosing to focus on the earlier part of Saul's life where he was effective as a king and where his character did shine brighter than it did in his latter years. And he wants to turn people's attention to what he has done instead of what he has failed to do. There was a point where he was lovely. There was a point where he was beloved. And and, yeah, David and Jonathan, although they were there were hiccups in their relationship, significant ones, I mean, they died on the battlefield together.

And they were connected in their lives to a certain extent. And he even calls the daughters of Israel, verse 24, to weep over Saul because there was a time where his success as a leader personally affected them. He even had a he had an effect on the economy of Israel where they were able to live luxuriously. And so he is calling everybody, turn your attention on the good that this man has done. Focus on what he was able to do, not what he failed to do.

But I think the lesson is deeper than that. What I learned from this, especially with the backdrop of Saul and David's relationship with one another, is that in David's mind, respect was not only measured by his unwillingness to murder Saul when he had the chance, But it was also manifested in his refusal to slaughter his reputation with his words. Being a righteous man, you know how David thinks? How a true righteous person thinks. He knew that his speech was just as sharp as an actual sword.

He knew that he was equally responsible to manage the tongue than to not wield the sword at the wrong time. And you see, just because something is true about a person doesn't mean that it's always beneficial or necessary to speak those truths out or to rehearse them in our own lives. David here understands the situation and in great wisdom, he knows how to reserve certain things. And that is what it means to be a person of honor. That is what it means to be Christ like with this muscle in between our two sets of teeth.

What a mighty example to the men of Judah. And what a revelation that David presents to us. You don't have to kill a man with a gun. You can do it over Twitter. You don't have to destroy a person with a sword.

You can just do it with a few sentences. And maybe this is a time to be very practical to some people in here who can't stop rehearsing the pain caused by other people. Who can't stop talking about it with others. In fact, there are some people today, even in the church, that once that person who has offended them early on in life pass on, they still talk about them. The guy is dead.

They've moved on. Why don't you, Why don't you? Why don't why don't you know the freedom of being able to even honor somebody when they are not necessarily worthy of it? To respect, as our sister said, somebody's position especially. That's what David is really doing.

He's honoring the position, how God anointed this man and he sees it through that lens. You know, the Bible's deep. Do you agree with that? I believe it's so deep. I've been swimming in it for ten years and I, and I haven't reached the shore.

And you will too, every person will, if they really diligently study. But there are some times where the Bible is so straightforward and I thank God for that. So practical, so in your face that you just look at it and you're not saying wow because there was something deep. You're like, wow, that was pretty straightforward. Can I show you one scripture that that attests to that reality?

It's a simple verse. I read it the other week actually, and I looked at it and I says, oh wow, that's that's pretty interesting. Lord, you are wise. You are so insightful. And it deals with just details of life that you and I wouldn't think there's a verse about.

Let me show it to you. It's in Ecclesiastes seven and verse 21. Look how this verse even relates to what we're speaking about. Ecclesiastes seven verse 21. I'll give you a few seconds to turn there, and maybe you'll have the same reaction I did.

Do not take to heart all the things that people say. We can have revival right now. Do not take to heart you know how many counseling sessions you have based on this, failing to be observed? Do not take to heart all the things that people say. Why?

Lest you hear your servant cursing you. Well, that's what we wanna know. I wanna know who curses me. I wanna know who says one thing to me in my face and another thing behind my back. Why not, Lord?

Well, he tells us, your heart knows that many times you yourself have cursed others. Isn't that humbling? Do you know why? Because you've done it in your own heart. You might have not done it with your lips, you might have not posted about it, you're not, might have not written a nasty email, but your own heart, you've expressed frustration.

You have said some things. How about this one? Something happened, and then like two weeks later, you think about something, you're like, I wish I said that. I wish I said it that way. I would've got him.

Don't. Don't take to heart all the things that people say. Let it go. Don't be so offended. Don't harbor it.

Don't meditate and rehearse it. Remember, what was what was Saul's issue with David? Not just him trying to kill him. There was slander about David that fueled Saul's hatred. This man was so set free from it.

I'm I'm not saying it's because of what's happening here in Ecclesiastes. I believe this man had a genuine love for Saul. But but even for those that we may find very difficult to love and get along with, this still applies. Just let it go. It's possible for the Holy Spirit to do such a work in you, where you can bury the offenses of man forever.

Like in a real way. And I believe David has arrived there. It's so obvious in this song. And at the same time, David does not speak about Saul in a way where he exaggerates his goodness either. Yeah.

He he overlooks his faults, but there is not one place in this song where he speaks about Saul's spirituality. He doesn't go on to say, what a man of God Saul was and all the Psalms that he wrote. None of those things existed. Very realistic, very honest, yet at the same time, he was still able, he was still able to overlook the offense in this man. I think that's so powerful because you, you can't even imagine the bondage that people are in.

The bondage that people are in in their walk with the Lord because they can't just be free from that. And they can't really forgive. David forgave. David was free. Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.

And he's still honest. So honest that he's he ends by giving a special tribute to Jonathan, not to Saul. Anybody who read this in Israel's timelines, you and I would read it now, would see that there is obviously a connection that David had with Jonathan that he did not have with Saul. And that's just the reality of it. And so, look how he ends in verse 25 down.

How the mighty have fallen in the midst of the battle. Jonathan lies slain on your high places. I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan. Very pleasant you have been to me. Your love to me was extraordinary, surpassing the love of woman.

How the mighty have fallen and the weapons of war perished. Let me end by asking you a question. What do you get out of that verse? What do you get out of Jonathan lies slain on your high places and the rest of it? What speaks to you?

What revelation comes to you with these truths? Here's what comes to my mind. At least three things. One, that we can know meaningful and satisfying relationships with other people. David really meant it when he says that very pleasant you have been to me.

This man after God's heart was still able to enjoy and know a delight in others whose hearts were also connected to God. That's why he writes in Psalm sixteen three, as for the saints of the land, who are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight. All my delight are in the saints of the land. Not to say that they exceed that of my delight in God, but that I recognize God in the saints. And I am able to relish in them, and enjoy them, and praise God for them.

And Jonathan was one of those saints. You should not feel guilty of knowing deep pleasure from horizontal relationships with others. It's a gift. Jonathan, the name was what? Does anybody remember?

That should have been a quiz question. Who remembers what Jonathan means? Pastor. Given by God. Given by God.

And David felt the loss of this gift when that gift was taken from him. And you and I have the permission to praise God for people. And I hope you have people in your lives that bring much delight to you. Secondly, not just that we can owe meaningful and gratification and horizontal relationships, but we can know rich relationships outside of marriage. Wow.

Who would have thought life doesn't begin when you get married? Is Jonathan a spouse to David? No. Jonathan is a friend. In his own words, he confesses that the love he knew from Jonathan surpassed that of women.

Now, there is unfortunately a warped mind in many, as you've heard me say before, that come to this text to say that for David to say these things about Jonathan must mean that they had a romantic relationship. And this is where the homosexual community often go to as a proof text. Many obvious reasons why that is wrong. But for them to give that commentary for this text is actually commentary on our culture, that our culture is so overly sexualized that it cannot comprehend the possibility of knowing meaningful relationships unless it is sexual. Testimony of is a testimony of the fact that man apart from God does not know true love.

And I think this is an encouraging point for those who desire the gift of marriage, but are not realizing the other gifts outside of marriage. You can know binding wonderful blessings from those who are not wearing the wedding ring that you gave him. And if you are married, that person should be the most significant person in your life, the friendship that you enjoy the most. But for those who are outside of that covenant, can you see here that it is possible to know someone else? To know someone else and to be so blessed by them that you can sing about it.

David proves that. And I think there's another thing to say too is that, I must say, it doesn't help that David wasn't walking in God's will in the context of marriage. Right? How many wives did he have up to this point? Two.

And he's gonna add more later on. And so, I wonder if David didn't know the true fulfillment of marriage because he didn't honor God's blueprint for marriage. And I think there's something to say about that. Whenever you and I do anything that God has a blueprint for, and we dishonor that blueprint, we know less of what God intends for us to know. We enjoy less of what God wants us to enjoy.

And perhaps David could not see the true satisfaction in marriage because he did not honor God's principles for marriage. And that is true for every facet of life. Lastly, if David could describe such pure and holy genuine joy with a person that wasn't his spouse, with a person that wasn't in any way sexual with, then what makes us fail to believe that we can know supreme satisfaction in our relationship with our creator? What makes you and I so hesitant to trust that I can know Christ in such a way that it can super extend any relationship in this life? For some people, it's a Jesus is my savior, but I really enjoy my wife more than Jesus.

I I love my kids and their presence and what they offer to me in my life more than Jesus. If if such a man can say this about another man, then what is possible with my relationship with the one who made my heart? I wanna know it. I wanna know it. And I hope you would wanna know it as well.

Because as good as the gifts of friendships are, marriage are, even the gift of physical intimacy within the context of covenant, the giver is so much better than the gifts. That's coffee cup stuff to a lot of people. That's Hobby Lobby portrait frame stuff for a lot of people. I'm saying it can be real. A word that's scary among Christians, it can be experiential.

If it's not experiential, then we're just wasting our time and talking about theory. Like a real satisfaction in Christ. I hope you wanna know God in that way. It's amazing listen, I don't mean to offend anybody, but it's true. It's amazing how many people who know a lot of Bible don't know what I just said.

Like they memorize plenty of scripture, they can argue pre trip, mid trip, post trip, Calvinism, Armenianism, and yet they don't know how to drink deeply in the fellowship that Christ wants to have in a personal way. They don't know what true worship looks like. They don't know what enjoying prayer is like. And that's not God's will for us. I end on this note.

Notice how Saul's sins are not mentioned in this eulogy, even if you would like. You know what thought came to mind even as we're worshiping now? That in Saul's death, David refused to bring up his sins. And in Christ, though we have a great resume of sin, Christ will not bring up our own faults. He will overlook all of it, and he will not speak about our goodness, he will speak about Christ's goodness.

Christ's goodness that we have covered ourselves with. There is a commendation for the people of God who have put their faith in the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. I have no reason to fear what the son of David will say of me because the son of David died for me, and he took my place. And so when I stand before the father, he will look at me, and he will not see what I've done with my mouth, with my eyes, with my mind, with my hands, or my feet. He will see the pierced hands, and the pierced feet, and the pierced side, and the broken forehead, and the whipped back of the savior.

Perfection. Perfection. And I will be rewarded, though I cannot fathom it. I will be rewarded based on that. You will be rewarded based on the righteousness of Jesus Christ only if you have put your faith in him.

Listen to what I'm about to say. Outside of Christ, there is not, there is not one sin that he will not bring before your attention and before the presence of his angels and his elders. There is not one sin that he has failed to record and to indict you for at the end of the road. But in Christ, by faith in him, applying the blood, there is not one sin that he will bring up. There is not one fault that he will even communicate on that day.

He will see nothing but faultless, blemishless perfection. Put your faith in Christ. Let's pray. Lord, we thank you for the word. Thank you that through this lament, we have been taught things about life, things about you.

Lord, we pray that our hearts would be elated and edified. We would see the goodness of God. We would see the preciousness of Christ. We would see the gifts in Jesus Christ. Lord, we ask that in this time, you would renew a love for you, take us to new heights to be able to sing of a fellowship with you that cannot be compared to any other relationship in this world.

And yet at the same time, Lord, let us know the maximum joys of relationship with one another, relationship with our spouses, relationship with our brothers and sisters in Christ. Lord, please, we wanna be in your perfect will in all things. In all things, oh God, bring us into your perfect will because we only have so much time to enjoy it in this world. Lord, we worship you in light of the wisdom of this text. You are the author of it, and we give you your glory.

In Jesus' name, amen. Let's stand and worship him in closing.