2 Samuel 1

2 Samuel 1

Although this is the start of another new book in the Bible, the transition is so smooth, that it does not even feel like 1 Samuel has ended. Actually, these two books are one book in all. The major difference between 1 and 2 Samuel is that 1 Samuel focuses on the time in which Israel had Saul as their king and 2 Samuel focuses on the time in which Israel had David as their king. Other than that, there is no major difference. So the story in 2 Samuel 1 begins with David hearing of Saul’s death, which had just occurred during the battle between Israel and the Philistines.


David had just finished his battle against the Amalekites, and he was victorious as God had promised. He rescued all the women and children that had been captured, including his own two wives, and life was going well for David. What he did not know was that Saul had taken his life in the battle due to the fear that he was going to lose and be killed by the Philistines. So a young man travels to find David to tell him the news about Saul and Jonathan. This young Amalekite boy runs up to David to tell him that both Saul and Jonathan are dead. There is no indication in 1 Samuel 31 that this Amalekite boy killed Saul, although he claims to have done so. Instead, Saul committed suicide after his armor bearer refused to kill him. But the problem is not as to how Saul died, the problem is in the way this young boy brags about his victory.

If you remember the two times that David had the chance to kill Saul at the end of 1 Samuel, the one thing that kept him from going through with his plans was the fear of killing “the Lord’s anointed.” David understood that Saul had been chosen by God for that specific time in Israel’s history. Although he knew that Saul’s time was short and that he would one day be the next king, he knew that God would take care of Saul in his own timing. Furthermore, he did not want to feel guilty and be the one responsible for Saul’s death. So when the Amalekite boy bragged about being the one who killed Saul, David did not understand how he could be so thrilled about killing God’s chosen king. David had every right to be thrilled that Saul was indeed dead. His greatest enemy at this point in his life who had tried to kill him countless times was finally gone and would no longer be a threat to David. Furthermore, he would be able to take the throne as the new king of Israel, just as God had promised. However, David could not enjoy the victory for the grief he felt about Saul’s death.

David’s grief is a perfect example of how we should love our enemies. We all have people in our lives that we would rather not talk to, be around, or maybe ever see again. We have all been hurt by someone at one point or another, and it is hard to reconcile with that person. But would we really rejoice if we knew that the person who had hurt us so badly had died? I doubt many of us would. The same went for David when this boy told him about Saul’s death. Part of him might have felt relief and security, knowing that Saul would no longer be pursuing him, but at the same time, it hurt David to know that Saul had died because of his disobedience. He had been rejected by God, and he had paid the ultimate consequences in the end. David’s grief is shown through the lamentation he writes about Saul and Jonathan as well as the execution of the young Amalekite boy that claimed to have killed Saul. We never know when our time will be up, and in the same way we do not know how much longer anyone around us has either. Therefore, we should not hesitate to share the Gospel with those around us, friends and enemies alike. We never know what effect we might have on someone else, even the lives of our enemies.

Matt