Sermon for Sunday Evening, June 1st, 2025 at First Presbyterian Church at Unionville, NY (BPC)
Sermon Text:
[2Sa 1:1-27 ESV] 1 After the death of Saul, when David had returned from striking down the Amalekites, David remained two days in Ziklag. 2 And on the third day, behold, a man came from Saul’s camp, with his clothes torn and dirt on his head. And when he came to David, he fell to the ground and paid homage. 3 David said to him, “Where do you come from?” And he said to him, “I have escaped from the camp of Israel.” 4 And David said to him, “How did it go? Tell me.” And he answered, “The people fled from the battle, and also many of the people have fallen and are dead, and Saul and his son Jonathan are also dead.” 5 Then David said to the young man who told him, “How do you know that Saul and his son Jonathan are dead?” 6 And the young man who told him said, “By chance I happened to be on Mount Gilboa, and there was Saul leaning on his spear, and behold, the chariots and the horsemen were close upon him. 7 And when he looked behind him, he saw me, and called to me. And I answered, ‘Here I am.’ 8 And he said to me, ‘Who are you?’ I answered him, ‘I am an Amalekite.’ 9 And he said to me, ‘Stand beside me and kill me, for anguish has seized me, and yet my life still lingers.’ 10 So I stood beside him and killed him, because I was sure that he could not live after he had fallen. And I took the crown that was on his head and the armlet that was on his arm, and I have brought them here to my lord.” 11 Then David took hold of his clothes and tore them, and so did all the men who were with him. 12 And they mourned and wept and fasted until evening for Saul and for Jonathan his son and for the people of the LORD and for the house of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword. 13 And David said to the young man who told him, “Where do you come from?” And he answered, “I am the son of a sojourner, an Amalekite.” 14 David said to him, “How is it you were not afraid to put out your hand to destroy the LORD’s anointed?” 15 Then David called one of the young men and said, “Go, execute him.” And he struck him down so that he died. 16 And David said to him, “Your blood be on your head, for your own mouth has testified against you, saying, ‘I have killed the LORD’s anointed.'” 17 And David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and Jonathan his son, 18 and he said it should be taught to the people of Judah; behold, it is written in the Book of Jashar. He said: 19 “Your glory, O Israel, is slain on your high places! How the mighty have fallen! 20 Tell it not in Gath, publish it not in the streets of Ashkelon, lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice, lest the daughters of the uncircumcised exult. 21 “You mountains of Gilboa, let there be no dew or rain upon you, nor fields of offerings! For there the shield of the mighty was defiled, the shield of Saul, not anointed with oil. 22 “From the blood of the slain, from the fat of the mighty, the bow of Jonathan turned not back, and the sword of Saul returned not empty. 23 “Saul and Jonathan, beloved and lovely! In life and in death they were not divided; they were swifter than eagles; they were stronger than lions. 24 “You daughters of Israel, weep over Saul, who clothed you luxuriously in scarlet, who put ornaments of gold on your apparel. 25 “How the mighty have fallen in the midst of the battle! “Jonathan lies slain on your high places. 26 I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan; very pleasant have you been to me; your love to me was extraordinary, surpassing the love of women. 27 “How the mighty have fallen, and the weapons of war perished!”
Introduction
REVIEW
Refresher course on 1 Samuel.
– Being an answer to Hannah’s prayer, Samuel was born to her.
– Samuel is dedicated to the Lord with a Nazirite vow.
– The polar opposite of Samuel is displayed in the High Priest Eli’s worthless sons.
– The Lord rejected Eli’s household and called Samuel to ministry.
– The Philistines capture the Ark of the Covenant.
– Eli and his sons are killed.
– Against Samuel’s warning, Israel demands a king.
– Saul is chosen as king, but he rebels against God.
– So God raises up David to be a true king.
– For a number of chapters we followed David on the run from Saul, as the contrast between the two men was further elaborated upon. Finally Saul was wounded in battle and committed suicide.
So that is where we begin in 2nd Samuel.
You can say 1 Samuel is about Saul’s reign, and 2nd Samuel is about David’s reign.
Then, one outline of this 2nd Samuel has it divided simply into two sections:
Chapters 1-10 – Triumphs of David.
Chapters 11-24 – Troubles of David.
In truth, 2nd Samuel is really 1st Samuel continued. And not even as “round 2,” but really as the second part of an organic whole. That is, there was originally just 1 scroll of 1st AND 2nd Samuel.
Saul’s death is at the end of 1st Samuel, but his death is again the subject as we resume in 2nd Samuel.
I. The Lying Amalekite.
And here we have an Amalekite come to David. I call him the Lying Amalekite.
And perhaps there is some debate over whether the Amalekite is telling a true story or not.
But the evidence is strongly weighted towards him being a lier.
Granted, he does have the crown and armlet of Saul. I think he’s telling the truth about that. David would know what those items look like.
But it still seems likely that this Amalekite is making up a story. He is lying. Possibly he has gotten the crown and armlet in some other way.
And probably he is an opportunist.
He came from the camp of Saul. Now he wants to join the camp of David.
We see people like this in our own world don’t we?
I can think of two examples recently. People that “switch sides” when the time is right. They don’t hold to principles, they want to be in the “in crowd.”
The first is the President of my Alma Mater, the University of Michigan. His name, if you believer it or not, is SANTA Ono. Well, he was a big proponent of the DEI initiatives at the University. But at some point the Regents who make up the board of directors were getting nervous about that direction and the funding loss the University might incur for holding views at odds with the Administration of the USA in Washington DC. So “Santa Ono” changed his mind on the DEI. This has made a lot of the liberals upset at Michigan. Interestingly enough, recently the much more conservative University of Florida has offered to poach Ono from Michigan and call him to be president at their school. And although Ono has recently been less in favor of DEI policies, his former actions have worried various people in Florida. All this to say, it seems he’s stuck in a difficult situation. If he had chosen “left” he’d fit in at Michigan; if he had chosen consistently “right” he’d fit in at Florida. But he seems to be more of an opportunist, like the Lying Amalekite.
The other example that comes to mind is Mark Zuckerberg. You know him, the guy who runs Facebook. He’s always been on the left, even working with the Democrats to stifle “false information” on his platform. But when it appeared the political right was coming back into power in the nation, he changed his course. His lifestyle even changed. He used to be very weak, sickly looking. Now he’s lifting weights and doing martial arts, and is much more masculine. But I wouldn’t be surprised to see him change again when some other administration comes into power.
Well, why do we think the Amalekite is lying?
First, the text tells us he arrives with “clothes torn and dirt on his head.” This reminds of the Gibeonite Deception in Joshua chapter nine. They were afraid of Israel and so pretended to be from afar, arriving with worn-out sacks, worn-out wineskins, patched sandals, and all their provisions were crumbly and dry. Then they LIED to Joshua saying “we have come from afar, make a treaty with us” when in reality they were nearby neighbors.
So it seems likely to me that the Amalekite is making his appearance match the story he has concocted.
And he has come to David for his own benefit, seeking his favor. What else could his motivation be?
Then, the main reason it is likely that we have a lying Amalekite, is that the Bible itself told us in 1 Samuel just how Saul died. And the Amalekite’s story does not match.
Here is that account in 1 Samuel:
[1Sa 31:1-7 ESV] 1 Now the Philistines were fighting against Israel, and the men of Israel fled before the Philistines and fell slain on Mount Gilboa. 2 And the Philistines overtook Saul and his sons, and the Philistines struck down Jonathan and Abinadab and Malchi-shua, the sons of Saul. 3 The battle pressed hard against Saul, and the archers found him, and he was badly wounded by the archers. 4 Then Saul said to his armor-bearer, “Draw your sword, and thrust me through with it, lest these uncircumcised come and thrust me through, and mistreat me.” But his armor-bearer would not, for he feared greatly. Therefore Saul took his own sword and fell upon it. 5 And when his armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he also fell upon his sword and died with him. 6 Thus Saul died, and his three sons, and his armor-bearer, and all his men, on the same day together. 7 And when the men of Israel who were on the other side of the valley and those beyond the Jordan saw that the men of Israel had fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they abandoned their cities and fled. And the Philistines came and lived in them.
Saul, according the author of 1st Saul died when he fell upon his sword.
So the Amalekite’s tale that HE killed Saul when Saul requested it, is a TALL TALE.
It is notable that the Amalekite had the crown of Saul. He seems to assume that David wants the crown. But we know that David places God first. His loves God first, not wanting to kill Saul to get the kingship.
II. The Just David
Over against the Lying Amalekite, we have the JUST David.
And that might not be evident in your first reading of the text. If you read the text quickly, and/or believe the Amalekites story, then David’s actions seem rash.
But we see that David is actually just. And there are two major ways here in which that is the case.
A. David touches not God’s anointed.
B. David fulfills the command to kill the Amalekites.
Here David respects two commands of God. Not to kill the king. And to kill the Amalekites.
First, David was committed to the principle “Touch not the Lord’s anointed.”
Despite the constant attempts on his life which Saul initiated, David did not retaliate.
And now, even though the Amalekite was lying about killing the King, David is just in giving the Amalekite the punishment due to such “Regicide.”
Then, David’s putting the Amalekite to death is just in the eyes of the Lord because of God’s decree to Saul:
[1Sa 15:18 ESV] 18 And the LORD sent you on a mission and said, ‘Go, devote to destruction the sinners, the Amalekites, and fight against them until they are consumed.’
And what was David doing as 2nd Samuel begins. He was coming back from “striking down the Amalekites.” The Lying one is now added to that statement.
So David was just in his killing of the Amalekite.
David was also just in his lamenting and mourning the deaths of Saul and Jonathan.
The text tells us:
17 And David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and Jonathan his son, 18 and he said it should be taught to the people of Judah; behold, it is written in the Book of Jashar.
Have you ever heard of the Book of Jashar? Well, it is mentioned twice in the Bible, but it is not part of the Bible. We have to remember that the Jews wrote things other than Scripture. And God chose what things he wanted to have preserved as a perfect record in the inspired Word. The Book of Jashar did not make the cut, but was probably a collection of early Hebrew poetry.
Why did Saul die? We aren’t told why in our text, but the book of Chronicles tells us that Saul died both because of his rebellion against God’s Word and because he turned to the demonic realm for guidance.
[1Ch 10:13-14 ESV] 13 So Saul died for his breach of faith. He broke faith with the LORD in that he did not keep the command of the LORD, and also consulted a medium, seeking guidance. 14 He did not seek guidance from the LORD. Therefore the LORD put him to death and turned the kingdom over to David the son of Jesse.
Now, in our text, verses 19 through 27 we have the lamentation of David over Saul and Jonathan. In our ESV Bibles the text is spaced as poetic rather than orderly lined as prose.
And it says David wanted this “taught to the people”:
19 “Your glory, O Israel, is slain on your high places! How the mighty have fallen! 20 Tell it not in Gath, publish it not in the streets of Ashkelon, lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice, lest the daughters of the uncircumcised exult. 21 “You mountains of Gilboa, let there be no dew or rain upon you, nor fields of offerings! For there the shield of the mighty was defiled, the shield of Saul, not anointed with oil. 22 “From the blood of the slain, from the fat of the mighty, the bow of Jonathan turned not back, and the sword of Saul returned not empty. 23 “Saul and Jonathan, beloved and lovely! In life and in death they were not divided; they were swifter than eagles; they were stronger than lions. 24 “You daughters of Israel, weep over Saul, who clothed you luxuriously in scarlet, who put ornaments of gold on your apparel. 25 “How the mighty have fallen in the midst of the battle! “Jonathan lies slain on your high places. 26 I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan; very pleasant have you been to me; your love to me was extraordinary, surpassing the love of women. 27 “How the mighty have fallen, and the weapons of war perished!”
How the mighty have fallen. “Saul and Jonathan”
It is notable that David is the best enemy you can have.
He doesn’t fight back.
Now he even laments your death.
And this is particularly instructive, because we understand how he would mourn the death of Jonathan. They were good friends. And Jonathan was a believer. But Saul? The unbelieving king. Saul who sought David’s death. How can David mourn Saul’s passing.
Well, for one, death is the enemy. It is never a good thing. Even when the worst criminal is put to death and we are relieved of his crimes, still death reminds us of the consequences of sin, and our own inevitable end; only we have hope because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
And David’s lament mourns Saul’s death in part because it caused the Philistines to gloat over the fall of Israel, a proof in their eyes of the superiority of their god, Dagon, over the God of Israel (2 Sam. 1:19–20).
Ultimately, the Scriptural reason appears to be, because Saul was God’s anointed.
Again and again David saw the mad King Saul as “the Lord’s anointed” (II Samuel 1:14, 16, and I Samuel 24:6 and 26:9).
This led David to not kill Saul, when on two occasions he had the opportunity. First he could have killed Saul in the cave, but instead even rebuked his men for trying to kill their anointed kill. (1 Samuel 24:6). Then David kept his nephew Abishai from killing Saul when God had placed Saul into a deep sleep. (1 Samuel 26:9). David regarded Saul’s murder as a sin against God, even saying in the Psalms: “Do not touch My anointed ones, and do My prophets no harm.” (Ps. 105:15).
David has that much respect for God’s choice of leaders. His conclusion was that Saul’s reign would end on God’s timing, not on David’s timing. And that is a difficult approach to take, but one that must be taken to obey the Lord.
It certainly raises questions! Dietrich Bonhoeffer comes to mind, and that question of “Would you kill Adolf Hitler if you had the chance.” Well, perhaps there are some differences. Saul is not just the king, but the anointed king of God. And it’s not as if killing is never permissible; for David immediately has the lying Amalekite put to death and there is no mourning of him.
The fact that David teaches the nation to mourn and lament over Saul’s death helps to emphasize that the mourning is for national reasons; this was the death of their king, anointed of God, even if he was an evil king.
Well, I have two applications. The first an obvious conclusion and the other less obvious, or less clear.
Application 1: The Danger of Lying.
This is an obvious conclusion.
There is an irony in the story in that the Amalekite is executed based on his claim, not a crime.
It was not actions but words that got the Amalekite killed.
So lying isn’t always “just a little white lie” with no consequences. Here it brings death.
Application 2 and Conclusion: Honor the Lord for Everything that comes from Him.
This is directly from John Calvin.
Calvin: “Now we can understand David’s weeping was not in the least insincere. For he considered not only the evil side of Saul – his desperate rage, driving him to murder the innocent – but he also recognized that he was king, elected and chosen by God as the head of the people, and placed in the seat God had consecrated. Thus he could not hate the evil in him without at the same time honouring the favours God had bestowed on him.”
“We must remember this. For instance, when we become indignant against someone, we very often fail to take account of all the favours which God has given to the one whom we hate, as though those favours were beneath contempt. Even when we must hate and detest a persons’s evil side, we must not be so carried away with the violence of our feelings that we are utterly unable to accept the good, for then we have lost our perception and discernment. On the contrary, we must honor the Lord for everything that comes from him. That is what we are to remember from David.”
Honor the Lord for everything that comes from him.
“David certainly knew that Saul was a desperate man. Nonetheless, God had chosen him to reign over his people, and had anointed him for that purpose. That is more, David knew that he would offend the Lord, and would commit a sacrilege if he ignored this grace which God had put in Saul. That is why he mourned over his death.”
So let us honor the Lord even in the death of an enemy.
And let us honor the Lord – even in cases like recent where Joe Biden is diagnosed with cancer – let us honor the lord by respectfully responded to such situations not with cheers but with laments.
We can only hope our enemies would do the same to us – not listing all our faults, but lamenting our loss.
Conclusion:
One more comment as we conclude. The weeping of David over Saul, the mighty who has fallen. Even Saul who was anointed of God; over him death reigns. A greater anointed Savior is needed to save Israel. It is not Saul. It will be Jesus.