David's Lament: 2 Samuel 1:17-27
God wants us to not only work on ourselves but also help shape the community around us. From a salvation perspective, our own relationship with God is of ultimate importance. However, once our relationship with God is secure, we are called to help the world around us find and value their relationship with God.
In his mourning for Saul and Jonathan, David composes a lament. There is no surprise here. David composed a greater percentage of the psalms than any other single author. David liked to sing in his exultation and his sorrow. Furthermore, David liked to teach other people to sing out their emotions, too. David calls for his lament to be taught to others.
In teaching other people to sing, David accomplishes three goals. First, David teaches the people to remember Saul and Jonathan. These men led battles, saving the Hebrew people from the Philistines. Second, David gives the people a skill for dealing with their emotional nature in general. We are all emotional beings; one of the main themes in Saul’s story is how irrational outbursts of emotion lead us away from God’s ways. However, if we harness those emotions and keep them in balance, they become a great tool in helping us determine what is important in our life. Third, and perhaps most importantly, David models a godly perspective in how we evaluate others. While it is not ours to judge one another eternally, we should always be evaluating the people around us. We can learn from the battle others fight against sin; we can also learn from their triumphs in following God.
David reminds us how the bow of Jonathan and the sword of Saul did not return empty. When they worked, they worked with purpose. When they struggled against the world, the world changed because of their presence. They were not always perfect; they made mistakes. Still, they moved with purpose and the world around them felt their presence.
Saul and Jonathan helped improve the lives of the Hebrew people. Keep in mind these words come from David, whom Saul hunted on several occasions. David can see God’s hand working through Saul even when Saul is disobedient to God and tries to kill David! Even oppressed, David knows God uses Saul to benefit the Hebrew community and develop the nation.
David remembers the closeness he had with Jonathan. They were spiritual brothers, closer to him than his own wives. Jonathan chose David’s righteousness over his own father. David makes sure the community built around him values spiritual closeness.
This lament gives the emotion within David an avenue to come free. It allows David to honor what he saw God doing through Saul and Jonathan. It also helps build community around central ethics like following God and spiritual community. David uses the place God placed him on multiple levels, making this lament effective. God wants us to not only work on ourselves but also help shape the community around us.
