The End Of A Difficult Relationship Series

Series: Israel’s 2nd King- David [#12]

THE END OF A DIFFICULT RELATIONSHIP

2 Samuel 1:1-12

Introduction:

In our study of the 1st and 2nd Kings of Israel, we meet 2 men who chose very different paths. 1 Samuel ends with the death of Saul. He died on the battlefield along with 3 of his sons. This was a day of defeat for the Israelites by the Philistines. It was a tragic ending to the life of King Saul. I want to focus on the response of David to the death of Saul and how it applies to us.

2 Samuel 1:1-12

The death of Saul was the end of a difficult relationship. We have all had relationships that were not good- They might have started out well and had a lot of promise; but it ended in pain. The death of Saul also meant a new life for David. David’s hiding and running days were over. David finally was the King of Israel. This meant a new life for the Nation of Israel as well.

David faced 2 temptations that we all face when a difficult relationship ends. Put yourself in David’s shoes- What would you have felt when you heard that Saul was dead? The man who had been against you was finally gone.

The temptation of…

1. Self-Pity.

After everything that we know about this story, it would have been easy for David to let everybody know how terrible his life had been. He could had told them all that Saul had done to him; and how unfair his life had been through basically his 20’s.

We live in a time where people feel the need to tell the full story of everything bad that has happened to them. Once Saul was gone it would have been safe for David to do that. He could have drawn people in by telling of all the hurt he had endured. When you have a bad relationship that finally ends, don’t try to keep it alive. Learn from it and move forward.

The temptation of…

2. Self-Promotion.

David could have went the other direction- He could have said, “I know this country is really messed up because of King Saul; but now I am going to show you how a real King does things”. Talk about a popular way of doing things for politicians. I am going to tell you how lucky you are to have me.

Conclusion:

David could have reacted either way; but instead, he acted in love. We will continue with this next week; but ask yourself, “How do I deal with the end of a difficult relationship”?