30. Saul’s Death And David’s Lament Series

Saul’s Death and David’s Lament

October 29, 2025

Dr. Bradford Reaves

Crossway Christian Fellowship

2 Samuel 1

Tonight we begin the Book of 2 Samuel, although technically nothing “new” begins here. The original Hebrew canon knew one unified scroll called Samuel. The split into 1 and 2 Samuel only came later due to scroll length limitations. This means what we are reading tonight is not a spin-off, reboot, or book-two expansion. This is the very next breath in God’s unfolding story of His chosen king and His covenant people.

In May of 1940, Britain’s back was against the wall. Nazi Germany had stormed across Europe. The world trembled.

One man stepped up with a steel spine and a bulldog spirit. Winston Churchill — the Prime Minister who stared down Hitler when the odds were impossible. He rallied his nation with the words, “We shall never surrender.”

He was not perfect. He could be stubborn, abrasive, and difficult. He was not always right. Yet history acknowledges this truth: Without Churchill, the world could look drastically different today. Then, shockingly, within weeks of winning the war, Britain voted him out. Replaced him. Pushed aside the man who saved them.

Years later he returned briefly to serve again, but his final years were clouded by illness, depression, and the fading gratitude of a nation that once hung on every word he spoke. When Churchill died in 1965, Britain paused… and mourned. Not because he was flawless.

• They mourned because even flawed leaders can be used by God for great good.

• They mourned because a symbol of national identity had fallen.

• They mourned because the story was over, and what could have been would never be.

Grief is complicated when the one we honor has also wounded us. In the first chapter of 2 Samuel, David receives news that King Saul — the man who tried to kill him, who obsessed over destroying him — has died. If anyone could celebrate, it would be David.

Yet David tears his clothes. He falls to the ground. He weeps. He fasts because David understood something most people miss: Even the fall of a broken leader is a national tragedy. Tonight, we learn why David mourned and what that reveals about the heart of the King who was yet to come.

However, the contrast between the ending of 1 Samuel and the beginning of 2 Samuel could not be more dramatic.

The last chapter ended in tragedy, defeat, and death:

• King Saul is slain on Mount Gilboa

• Jonathan and his brothers fall with him

• Israel’s army is routed

• the Philistines celebrate

• hope appears crushed

And all the while, David does not yet know. He is down in Ziklag, still recovering from his own battle against the Amalekites, unaware of the devastating collapse that has just struck his nation and his king.

It is in that context that we open 2 Samuel 1. This chapter shows us:

• A king removed by God

• A king rising by God

• A heart shaped by God

It teaches us how a servant of the Lord responds when the Lord moves in ways painful, unexpected, or confusing. Most importantly, this chapter begins turning our attention forward to the King of kings who will come through David’s line, and who perfectly fulfills everything David only modeled imperfectly.

I. A Messenger Arrives in Ziklag (vv. 1–10)

After the death of Saul, when David had returned from striking down the Amalekites, David remained two days in Ziklag. 2 And on the third day, behold, a man came from Saul’s camp, with his clothes torn and dirt on his head. And when he came to David, he fell to the ground and paid homage. 3 David said to him, “Where do you come from?” And he said to him, “I have escaped from the camp of Israel.” 4 And David said to him, “How did it go? Tell me.” And he answered, “The people fled from the battle, and also many of the people have fallen and are dead, and Saul and his son Jonathan are also dead.” 5 Then David said to the young man who told him, “How do you know that Saul and his son Jonathan are dead?” 6 And the young man who told him said, “By chance I happened to be on Mount Gilboa, and there was Saul leaning on his spear, and behold, the chariots and the horsemen were close upon him. 7 And when he looked behind him, he saw me, and called to me. And I answered, ‘Here I am.’ 8 And he said to me, ‘Who are you?’ I answered him, ‘I am an Amalekite.’ 9 And he said to me, ‘Stand beside me and kill me, for anguish has seized me, and yet my life still lingers.’ 10 So I stood beside him and killed him, because I was sure that he could not live after he had fallen. And I took the crown that was on his head and the armlet that was on his arm, and I have brought them here to my lord.” (2 Samuel 1:1-10)