In Sorrow, We Go Forward

Psalm 130

1 Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD;

2 O Lord, hear my voice.

Let your ears be attentive

to my cry for mercy.

3 If you, O LORD, kept a record of sins,

O Lord, who could stand?

4 But with you there is forgiveness;

therefore you are feared.

5 I wait for the LORD, my soul waits,

and in his word I put my hope.

6 My soul waits for the Lord

more than watchmen wait for the morning,

more than watchmen wait for the morning.

7 O Israel, put your hope in the LORD,

for with the LORD is unfailing love

and with him is full redemption.

8 He himself will redeem Israel

from all their sins.

2 Samuel 1

1 After the death of Saul, David returned from defeating the Amalekites and stayed in Ziklag two days.

17 David took up this lament concerning Saul and his son Jonathan, 18 and ordered that the men of Judah be taught this lament of the bow (it is written in the Book of Jashar):

19 "Your glory, O Israel, lies slain on your heights.

How the mighty have fallen!

20 "Tell it not in Gath,

proclaim it not in the streets of Ashkelon,

lest the daughters of the Philistines be glad,

lest the daughters of the uncircumcised rejoice.

21 "O mountains of Gilboa,

may you have neither dew nor rain,

nor fields that yield offerings of grain.

For there the shield of the mighty was defiled,

the shield of Saul-no longer rubbed with oil.

22 From the blood of the slain,

from the flesh of the mighty,

the bow of Jonathan did not turn back,

the sword of Saul did not return unsatisfied.

23 "Saul and Jonathan-

in life they were loved and gracious,

and in death they were not parted.

They were swifter than eagles,

they were stronger than lions.

24 "O daughters of Israel,

weep for Saul,

who clothed you in scarlet and finery,

who adorned your garments with ornaments of gold.

25 "How the mighty have fallen in battle!

Jonathan lies slain on your heights.

26 I grieve for you, Jonathan my brother;

you were very dear to me.

Your love for me was wonderful,

more wonderful than that of women.

27 "How the mighty have fallen!

The weapons of war have perished!"

David, David—poor David; David heard the news that he had lost not only someone he loved as a brother but someone who was at times a father figure to him and who at times was his dreaded enemy and he was in sorrow. He felt great ripping pain. Wait a minute you might say, shouldn’t he have been a bit happy that now his most dreaded enemy was now gone? David has won, you might say. But David felt grief and David felt sorrow and David had not won but he had lost. He had lost a friend and a mentor. And David’s heart was heavy.

Let us do a quick history lesson. No groaning or sleeping please. Saul was the first king of Israel and he had shown potential for being a great king and the anointed of God. But on three separate occasions Saul slipped up and ceased being the king God had hoped he could be. Saul was rejected as king and Samuel had anointed David, the youngest son of Jesse. Saul did not like the fact that David had more favor with God than he and he grew envious and jealous. Jonathon warned David that his father, Saul was getting a bit antsy about David being around and warned him to leave before Saul could do him any harm. Saul began pursuing David but David maintained his honor for Saul as the anointed king and consistently refused to take Saul’s life. Even when on several opportunities he could easily have.

And we must recall that Saul’s son Jonathon was David’s closest friend even through all the years that Saul persecuted David. Jonathon and David maintained a close and unwavering friendship.

But now in a battle against the Philistines, Saul and his three sons die in battle. The story of the battle is in the last chapter of 1 Samuel. When Saul is severely wounded he asks one of his soldiers to please kill him, the soldier refuses so Saul takes his own life throwing himself onto his own sword.

David grieved the passing of his enemy and persecutor Saul and of his dear friend Jonathon. One had offered only hatred and the other true friendship.

Alexander the Great is a meteor that flashed through the darkened skies of history. Young, handsome, driven and idealistic, he virtually conquered the world, yet like David with Jonathon, he was utterly dependant on the companionship of a friend. Unlike David, Alexander never recovered from the loss of that friend.