2 Samuel 1

CHAPTER 1THEME: David mourns the deaths of Saul and JonathanIn this chapter David mourns the deaths of Saul and Jonathan. The question of who killed Saul may not be answered completely in this chapter, but another suspect is added. A young Amalekite, who came out of the camp of Israel, reported to David the death of Saul and claimed credit for slaying him. David executed the young man for the crime. David’s grief over the deaths of Saul and Jonathan is touching, poetic, and dramatic. It is a striking lamentation. Here we are introduced to another suspect in the death of Saul.

2 Samuel 1:1

This was a dark day in the history of Israel. War and defeat had come to these people because they were out of the will of God. There is a lesson for us in this. At the end of World War II we thought we had brought peace to the world, and we expected to rest on our laurels from then on and to enjoy life in sin, far from God. That, I am sure, is one of the reasons the world has not had a day of peace since the end of World War II. It has been continual war for us ever since. There will be turmoil and warfare for a nation, a people, or an individual who is out of the will of God. “There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked” (Isa_57:21). Isaiah said that three times. I wonder if that might not be applicable to us today. As I have said, it was a dark day for Israel. You can see their position, King Saul was dead. Jonathan and his three sons were dead. Israel had lost the battle. The Philistines had taken all the northern area around Galilee, and now they had gained ground in the south. David did not know what had happened in the battle. He and his men had been recovering their own loved ones from the Amalekite marauders. They had been back in Ziklag for two days without hearing a word. Finally, a man all disheveled, covered with mud and dirt and wearing torn clothes, stumbled into David’s camp. He said he had come from the war. He told David that the Philistines had won the war and that Saul was dead. Then he told David what had happened.

2 Samuel 1:3

Is this Amalekite speaking the truth? Or did he come upon the body of Saul and, finding him dead, take the crown and bracelet and bring them to David? I am of the opinion that when this Amalekite found Saul, after he had fallen on his sword, he was still alive. When this Amalekite came by, Saul asked him to finish the job. The interesting thing is that this young man confessed to David what he had done, and it sounds as though he expected David to give him a medal for his deed and put him on a life pension.

2 Samuel 1:11

If this man did slay Saul, it was because Saul had disobeyed God when he refused to slay all of the Amalekites back in the Book of 1 Samuel. Had Saul obeyed God, this man would not have been alive to kill him, and perhaps Saul would have survived. David asked this young man how it was that he was unafraid to touch the Lord’s anointed. David, you remember, would not take Saul’s life even though he had opportunity. It is well sometimes to see things from God’s viewpoint. As long as Saul was king, David would not touch him. No one else had better touch him either because God is the one who put the crown on his head, and God should be the one to take it off when the time comes. There is danger in interfering with God’s work. I could tell you some very interesting stories about folk who have attempted to interfere with God’s work, God’s program, and God’s man. God moves in and judges. He has always done it. That is why David said to this young Amalekite, “Weren’t you afraid to stretch forth your hand to destroy the Lord’s anointed?”

2 Samuel 1:15

David judged the Amalekite for touching the Lord’s anointed.

2 Samuel 1:16

If this man made up his story and confession, it certainly was a fatal thing to do. David told him, “If you have lied to me, then your blood is upon you, because you confessed that you killed the Lord’s anointed.” I believe the young man really did kill Saul. He did what David would never have done, and David judged him for it.

2 Samuel 1:17

David’s grief for Saul and Jonathan is revealed here, and it is genuine.

2 Samuel 1:18

Saul had taught Israel something. He made a contribution. You see, the Israelites had no iron weapons of war, so Saul taught them to be bowmen. The bow and arrow was a formidable weapon. Many of our ancestors would testify to that. The Indians used the bow and arrow to hold back their enemies and win many battles.

2 Samuel 1:19

His lamentation is written in the poetic form which came so naturally to the “sweet psalmist of Israel.”

2 Samuel 1:20

“Tell it not in Gath"Gath was the capital of the Philistines. “Publish it not in the streets of Askelon.” Askelon is in the Gaza strip and is one of the five cities of the Philistines.

2 Samuel 1:21

No one could say that either Saul or Jonathan was a coward.

2 Samuel 1:23

Saul had brought prosperity to the land.

2 Samuel 1:25

David and Jonathan were bosom friends. They loved each other. David’s grief is sincere.

2 Samuel 1:26

It is interesting that David says, “passing the love of women,” because he was married to Jonathan’s sister. Later we will find that she betrays David. I think Michal loved him as a hero in the beginning, but the day came when she despised him. David was not very successful in his love affairs. Abigail is the only noble woman that I have found in his retinue. I disagree with those who think Bathsheba was outstanding. I do not think she was. Although his relations with her were absolutely David’s sin, and God judged him for it, why was she parading around on the roof like that? David had his problems with women, but he could say of Jonathan that he was a man who was true and loyal to him unto death. It is interesting to note that the men who were David’s followers were loyal to him through thick and thin. He had that charisma which caused his men to stick with him. David was that type of man.

2 Samuel 1:27

This is a tremendous tribute to Jonathan in particular. David’s grief over the deaths of Saul and Jonathan is touching. It is one of the most striking lamentations in the Word of God. We are going to see in the next chapter that David is made king over Judah. We will also meet Abner, who was Saul’s captain. Now, not all of Saul’s sons had been killed, though all of them that fought in the battle were killed. But Saul had a younger son named Ish-bosheth. Abner made him king over the eleven remaining tribes and, of course, civil war broke out. David defeated Abner and the army, and after a long civil war had weakened the nation, David finally became king of all twelve tribes. He made Hebron his home at first. Later he moved to Mt. Zion in Jerusalem, which was the place that he loved above all others. We are coming to a section that is historical. Although many people find it uninteresting, we are going to find some of the most thrilling accounts in the entire Word of God in this section. Also we find some marvelous spiritual lessons there.