Editor’s Note: AMI Quiet Times from April 13-19 are written by Pastor Charles Choe of Tapestry LA.
Devotional Thoughts for Today
2 Samuel 1:11-2
“Then David took hold of his clothes and tore them, and so did all the men who were with him. 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.”
A few years ago, Meghan Vogel, as junior runner for West Liberty-Salem High School (Ohio), won the 1,600-meter title for her state. While it was an outstanding accomplishment, what she did in her next race was most extraordinary. With about 20 meters to go in that race, a runner in front of Vogel collapsed. Rather than run past her, Vogel, after helping her to get up, carried her across the finish line while keeping that runner ahead of her the whole time. “Any girl on the track would have done the same for me,” Vogel said. But her action resonated with the thousands of onlookers who witnessed it.
When David heard the news of Saul’s death from an Amalekite, David saw that he was an opportunist. By turning in King Saul’s crown and a bracelet, the Amalekite, assuming that he was doing David a favor, expected a great deal in return from him. But to his surprise, the last thing on David’s mind was to celebrate the death of the Lord’s anointed.
From a human perspective, Saul’s death should have been an opportunity for David, but that was not the way he saw it. He neither rejoiced nor celebrated; instead, he grieved over Saul’s death. David was not interested in his own vindication or triumph at the cost of another person’s tragedy. In fact, this is why David was so unique as a king, and the one God honored among all other kings of Israel.
David, then, wrote a beautiful eulogy for Saul in which he encouraged future generations to think of what King Saul had done for Israel (v. 18). He kindly considered Saul as the anointed of God who fought valiantly, swifter than eagles, and stronger than lions (v. 23). He even said that Saul was loved and gracious. Of course, we know Saul was anything but gracious or pleasant to David, but he chose to view Saul’s legacy as a whole and not with a grudge.
Are you kind to your competitors? Do you wish them well or do you secretly seek their demise? How do you treat those who are after the same grade or promotion as you? How about those who try to get ahead of you by soiling your reputation? The Bible tells us that love is kind and does not keep a record of wrong. David was truly a great king. He became a king after God’s heart through his magnanimous heart towards others, especially those who did not deserve it. In that way, he was very much like the One who was his true King, the God of Israel.
Daily Bible Reading: Lamentations 3-4
Reflection:
“Beginning today, treat everyone you meet as if they were going to be dead by midnight. Extend to them all the care, kindness and understanding you can muster, and do it with no thought of any reward. Your life will never be the same again.” – Og Mandino
What this shows is that you cannot “plant” sin, even if it’s in private, and not expect to reap its consequences that will spill over to those who are in your sphere of influence. The principle is also conversely true. If you make good choices by living in obedience, it will have a way of blessing those who you come to contact with.
David and his men cried until they could cry no more. But in the midst of that pain and anger, “David encouraged himself in the Lord his God.” David did not always do what was right, but when push came to shove, David knew where to turn to: he turned to the Lord. He encouraged himself in the Lord his God!
But perhaps to David’s ultimate benefit, the leaders among the Philistines looked at David and his men and declared, “They are Hebrews. They are not amongst us. We don’t belong together!” Though David seemed to have forgotten his identity, blinded by his own pride and fear of Saul, the Philistine leaders did not—they knew David’s true identity: that he was a Hebrew, part of the nation of Israel, and among to the people of Yahweh. David would not have found himself in this predicament if he considered who he really was and the calling of God in his life.
With the Philistines gathered at Shunem, ready to attack in the morning, Saul was “afraid, and his heart trembled greatly” (v. 5). Before his precipitous fall from grace, when Saul still walked in the Spirit, he was a man of great courage (see 1 Sam. 11:6-11). But Saul began to lose courage when the Spirit departed from him (1 Sam. 16:14); and now after the death of Samuel, his courage appears to have eluded him completely.
The older I get, the more I realize how strong the link between our thoughts and our circumstances is. It’s not an exaggeration to say that for many people their problems stem from the way they think.
Nevertheless, it is worth mentioning that the writer takes time to develop a narrative of how David and Abigail end up getting married. And in the narrative, it’s hard to overlook the quality that is highlighted in Abigail: her sense of “discretion”—this Hebrew word טַ֫עַם (ṭǎʹ·ʿǎm) means “judgment, discretion, discernment.” Concerning the quick thinking actions of Abigail in preventing disaster to her family, commentators of 1 Samuel describe Abigail using words such as: full of wisdom, sensible, prudent, and perceptive. Personally, having been married for 15 years now, I can testify that my wife has often practiced good sensibility in situations and with people, which has helped us in avoiding some negative circumstances in life.
Two times (1 Sam. 23:5-7; 26:9-11), David is given a golden opportunity to take the life of his nemesis, King Saul, the man who was completely bent on killing David. Yet, on both occasions, not only does David refrain from taking Saul’s life, but he denies his men from harming Saul as well.
Yet both times, he refrains from harming Saul. What would you have done? Of course, we live in a totally different time and a way of life, and so we cringe at the thought of taking anybody’s life, even if the person had all of the traits of King Saul. We’d refrain from taking King Saul’s life as well, but not because of the reason David states. For David, it was clear that as long as Saul remained alive, he was still the Lord’s anointed servant. David may not have agreed with Saul and his ways as a king, yet David knew that God had His own timing, His own way of accomplishing His will, and His own way of displaying His glory.
David and Jonathan shared a deep friendship that was defined by a covenant before the Lord. One can imagine how exhausted and discouraged David must have been as he sought refuge from King Saul. David had to live in caves and the wilderness, fleeing from one place to another, never knowing rest. But on this day, though brief, refreshing encouragement came to David through his friend Jonathan (King Saul’s son). Technically, Jonathan should have been the next rightful heir to the throne and all of its power and wealth. Yet, Jonathan knew that David would be the next king over Israel, and he would be David’s second. Jonathan was a loyal and trustworthy friend—a friend that would stick closer than a brother who would have laid his own life for David. I hardly think that David saw Jonathan’s estimated worth as being $174.17. I’m certain that David truly valued Jonathan.