At the start of our reading, a very mistaken Amalekite thinks to win David’s favor by lying to him about how Saul died. You’ll remember from Tuesday reading that no one would kill Saul and that he had to take his own life to be spared the torture and tormenting of the Philistines before they killed him. This Amalekite misread the whole situation. David always recognized Saul as God’s anointed. He never wavers from this understanding and he never wanted Saul’s death to be on his head or by his hand. Unfortunately for the Amalekite David does not see the death of Saul as something to celebrate and instead he mourns for the loss of Saul, Jonathan and the defeat of the Israelite army. He orders the man to be executed.
David then writes a lament. A song of mourning that is to be learned by everyone in Judah. He does this, I believe so that Judah will remember that Israel is still part of God’s chosen people. A way to unite the two kingdoms, a task that will often prove to be very difficult.
So David is at Ziklag, Saul is dead, the future of Israel is questionable and what does David do? He “inquires of the Lord.” David seeks to know what the Lord wants him to do before he makes any plans.
There is much fighting that goes on between David and Israel. And at the end of our reading once again someone brings news to David that thought would please him. Recab and his brother Baanah came with proof about the death of his rival, Ish-Bosheth (Saul’s son and ruler over Israel) and how they had been the ones responsible for his death. Once again this news is not met with congratulations and thanks like Recab and Bannah thought it would. This action resulted in their deaths.
As we read both accounts of deception and murder, what we must see is David’s faithfulness to God. His complete buy-in to what God has in store for him. He refrained from taking matters into his own hands, and relied on God to do as He had promised. David had no doubt that one day he would be king, but until then he waited on God. David never stopped recognizing that the true source of power for Israel would not come from him but would come from God.
Oh that we too could have that faith, that conviction; that God is in control of all of our lives and even in this world where there is so much sin and corruption, where right is wrong and wrong is right. My hope for us is that we will all be able to stay true to God until the very end.
Blessings
Pastor Kathy