2 Samuel 1 Devotional

Grief Without Gloating

“They mourned and wept and fasted until evening for Saul and his son Jonathan, and for the people of the LORD and the house of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword.”2 Samuel 1:12 (BSB)

The news that should have cleared David's path to the throne arrives with a stranger carrying Saul's crown and armband. An Amalekite claims he finished off the wounded king, and he seems to expect a reward (1:10, 4:10). Instead David tears his clothes, weeps, and fasts until evening. Then he condemns the man for raising his hand against the LORD's anointed (1:14-16). The kingdom God promised David will not be grabbed through someone else's sword.

Then David sings. His lament honors Saul, the king who hunted him for years, and grieves Jonathan, the friend whose love for him had been extraordinary (1:26). There is no gloating here, only sorrow that the mighty have fallen and fear that Israel's enemies will rejoice. Proverbs warns against celebrating when an enemy stumbles (Proverbs 24:17), and David lives it out. He can grieve freely because he is not anxious to seize what God has promised. Those who trust God to keep his word have no need to rejoice in anyone's ruin, even someone who wronged them.

To think about: Is there someone who has wronged you whose downfall you would quietly welcome, and how might trusting God's promises free you to grieve instead?