2 Samuel 1:1-16--David Hears of Saul's Death

2 Samuel 1:1-16
English Standard Version

David Hears of Saul's Death
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.’”

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We're going to pick up right where we left off since the books of 1 Samuel and 2 Samuel are actually both a single volume in the Hebrew Bible (as are the books of Kings and Chronicles, and all twelve Minor Prophets are gathered together in a single volume called The Twelve.  Ezra and Nehemiah are also gathered together in the Hebrew Bible).  We know that Samuel died towards the end of what we call 1 Samuel, so he can't be the author of the final portions of 1 Samuel or any of 2 Samuel, but the books maintained the name of Samuel because that is the name of the book they came from in the Hebrew Scriptures (which I may occasionally refer to as the TNK for the Torah (Books of Moses), Neviim (The Prophets), and Kesuvim (The Writings)).  We've talked about this before, but this is a good time to refresh that, especially for anyone that may just be joining us.

David has just returned from battle with the Amalekites (one of the enemies that the Israelites did not completely destroy when the LORD told them to in the book of Numbers and the book of Joshua).  He has returned back to the city of Ziklag which had been burnt with fire and would have needed to be rebuilt.  He was there for two days, and then on the third day, a messenger came from Saul's camp (apparently David's whereabouts were not really a secret).  The man had torn clothes and had dirt/dust on his head--both signs of someone who had been mourning, usually over the death of a loved one, but sometimes in response to sin when they wanted to show their brokenness and that they were repenting.  Because of the war going on it was pretty safe to assume this man came bearing bad news that someone had died.

 The man fell to the ground and paid David homage as he would a king (the man recognizes that with Saul and his sons and even him armor-bearer gone, that David is the rightful king).  David asks the usual questions.  "Where did you come from?" to which the man replies that he just came from the battle.  David asks how the battle is going, and the man tells David that the people are scattering and fleeing before the Philistines, and that many have fallen dead including Saul and his three sons (including David's best friend Jonathan).

David asks for proof that Saul and Jonathan are dead--he might expect a trick of Saul here or he might expect this man is trying to get David and his men to join the fight that the LORD has told them to stay away from.  No matter the reason for the question, the man gives an answer that we know to be a lie, and he thinks that it will please David, but David is not at all please with the man's answer.  The man claims to have killed Saul himself and taken his crown and armlet as proof and so that he could give them to David (who is now the king).  David is so angered that this man would murder the king that he says that because of the confession this man made, he would be immediately put to death.  I'm sure the man regretted lying at this point and wanted to say, "No, honestly, I just came across the body after he was already dead," but it was too late for that.  The man adds a detail that probably also helps David's decision in that he is an Amalekite, and David has just been at war with the Amalekites and probably had no qualms with killing another one of them who just claimed to have murdered the king of Israel.

Then David and all of his men tore their clothes and wept and probably put ashes/dust/dirt on their heads as they mourned for the loss of Saul and Jonathan and the others that fell in battle (but I'm sure David especially wept for Jonathan).  After they had finished mourning, David made it his first duty to find out who this man was that would so easily assassinate the king, and if he would do it Saul, he certainly would do it to David.  He then ordered the man to be executed and one of David's men quickly complied with the order, and David made sure that this man knew that it was because of the words of his own mouth (his own confession, though it was a false confession) that he was receiving capital punishment because he claimed to have reached out his hand to strike down the LORD's anointed (that is Saul).

Next time, we'll continue to see David lament for Saul and Jonathan, and he'll write a song of mourning to sing in their memory (think of it like him giving a eulogy for them), and then we'll see David anointed as king over Judah in chapter 2 (note that not all of Israel will accept him as king yet, that will take some time--only his own tribe accepts him at first).