Honoring a Fallen Leader

 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.  Israel lost its first king.  David lost his best friend. 

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 Israel and that alone was worthy of respect. 

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 Israel's next king, this was David's first act of national leadership.  He treated Saul as he would have wanted to be treated and remembered. 

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.