Read 2 Samuel 1.
The book begins
where 1 Samuel left off. An Amalekite
came and told David that Saul and his sons had been killed in battle. There was no rejoicing over the slaying of
his pursuer. Instead, David
mourned.
After all he went through, one cannot help but be astonished at David's respect for God-given authority, for his loyalty to his nation, and his commitment to doing what is right. He honored Saul in death and even wrote a song for the occasion. He wanted the nation to know his thoughts and feelings.
His number one
enemy just died. How could David do this
with integrity?
1. He honored
the heritage, not the history.
The history of
Saul was sullied with his spiritual rebellion and signs of insanity. However, Saul was the first anointed king of
2. He
consistently wanted to serve, never to usurp Saul's leadership.
Though he had opportunities, David never took vengeance or retaliated against Saul. He stood blameless and this led Saul to repent of his actions more than once.
3. He knew the
rest of the nation would be watching his response.
As
These are good
lessons for all of us when dealing with difficult authorities in our
lives. When all is said and done, we
want to be able to maintain our dignity, respect and integrity. If David could behave like this toward Saul,
then we have a great example to follow.
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