Tell It Not In Gath

TELL IT NOT IN GATH, PUBLISH IT NOT IN THE STREET OF ASKELON.

Text: 2. Sam. 1:17-27.

And David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and over Jonathan his son: 18 (Also he bade them teach the children of Judah the use of the bow: behold, it is written in the book of Jasher.)

19 The beauty of Israel is slain upon thy high places:

how are the mighty fallen!

20 Tell it not in Gath,

publish it not in the streets of Askelon;

lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice,

lest the daughters of the uncircumcised triumph.

21 Ye mountains of Gilboa, let there be no dew,

neither let there be rain, upon you, nor fields of offerings:

for there the shield of the mighty is vilely cast away,

the shield of Saul, as though he had not been anointed with oil.

22 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.

23 Saul and Jonathan were lovely and pleasant in their lives,

and in their death they were not divided:

they were swifter than eagles,

they were stronger than lions.

24 Ye daughters of Israel, weep over Saul,

who clothed you in scarlet, with other delights,

who put on ornaments of gold upon your apparel.

25 How are the mighty fallen in the midst of the battle!

O Jonathan, thou wast slain in thine high places.

26 I am distressed for thee, my brother Jonathan:

very pleasant hast thou been unto me:

thy love to me was wonderful,

passing the love of women.

27 How are the mighty fallen,

and the weapons of war perished! 2 Samuel 1:17-27

Introduction:

I was born a Muslim and one thing I have noticed between the two religions( Christianity and Islam) is this:

In Islam there is spirit décor, the spirit of brotherhood/ brotherhood is not in Christianity rather we look for means of bringing ourselves down

There is respect for the religion of Islam that no one is allowed to denigrate it. In Christianity we joke with the holy things and the personality of our saviour Jesus.

Imams could marry as many wives and nobody say he is wrong

A former governor in Nigeria married a child and many Muslim kept silent over the matter until the matter died down.

Why is it in Christianity we cannot settle matter under our roof that we have to always shout it out to destroy the sanctity of the church and Christianity?

I Have all my life seen how Christians have been attacking other Christians and the church of Christ, God has laid it in my heart to preach this sermon to you on Christian conduct in Christian community.

In this text and story King Saul just died in battle and a young man came forward to claim responsibility for his demise.

To many of us who are conversant with the whole story know the followings.

1. King Saul was the former boss of David

2. The son of King Saul was a very close ally of David.

3. There was hatred from King Saul towards David to the extent that he wanted him killed.

4. David himself had the opportunity to Kill Saul but he refused to do it.

5. King Saul also realising his mistakes in trying to kill David quickly reconciled with him.

Now in this story King Saul died in battle and the young man who came forward to claimed responsibility for his death was killed by David soldiers.

By human calculation David should have burst into joy at the hearing of the death of King Saul and his son Jonathan but he did not. As a matter of fact he ordered the death of the young man who claimed to have killed King Saul

WHAT SHOULD WE DO WHEN AN ENEMY OR RIVAL DIES OR IN IS TROUBLE?

Normally people will want to ask us to rejoice and be glad.

But just before we begin to rejoice and be glad we must ask ourselves what type of enemy just died. I have these types of enemy:

• The ungodly enemies whose death brings glory God,

• Your Godly enemies whose death brings glory to Satan.

Even then I want you to remember that unless at the extreme God does not want the death of any sinner.

Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth,

and let not thine heart be glad when he stumbleth:

18 Lest the LORD see it, and it displease him,

and he turn away his wrath from him. Proverbs 24:17-18

As soon as David heard the death of Saul he commanded through a poem saying:

20 Tell it not in Gath,

publish it not in the streets of Askelon;