2 Samuel 1:1-16 (CLICK HERE FOR BIBLE VERSES)
Hi GAMErs,
Today’s passage is 2 Samuel 1:1-16. As usual, I encourage you to open your Bible and read the passage yourself first. See what you can glean with the Holy Spirit’s help. Then read the GAME sharing below. Let’s go!
2 Samuel 1:1-16 (NIV)
1 After the death of Saul, David returned from defeating the Amalekites and stayed in Ziklag two days.
2 On the third day a man arrived from Saul’s camp, with his clothes torn and with dust on his head. When he came to David, he fell to the ground to pay him honor.
3 “Where have you come from?” David asked him. He answered, “I have escaped from the Israelite camp.”
4 “What happened?” David asked. “Tell me.” He said, “The men fled from the battle. Many of them fell and died. And Saul and his son Jonathan are dead.”
5 Then David said to the young man who brought him the report, “How do you know that Saul and his son Jonathan are dead?”
6 “I happened to be on Mount Gilboa,” the young man said, “and there was Saul, leaning on his spear, with the chariots and riders almost upon him.
7 When he turned around and saw me, he called out to me, and I said, ‘What can I do?’
8 “He asked me, ‘Who are you?’ “‘An Amalekite,’ I answered.
9 “Then he said to me, ‘Stand over me and kill me! I am in the throes of death, but I’m still alive.’
10 “So I stood over him and killed him, because I knew that after he had fallen he could not survive. And I took the crown that was on his head and the band on his arm and have brought them here to my lord.”
11 Then David and all the men with him took hold of their clothes and tore them.
12 They mourned and wept and fasted till evening for Saul and his son Jonathan, and for the army of the LORD and the house of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword.
13 David said to the young man who brought him the report, “Where are you from?” “I am the son of an alien, an Amalekite,” he answered.
14 David asked him, “Why were you not afraid to lift your hand to destroy the LORD’s anointed?”
15 Then David called one of his men and said, “Go, strike him down!” So he struck him down, and he died.
16 For David had said to him, “Your blood be on your own head. Your own mouth testified against you when you said, ‘I killed the LORD’s anointed.'”
On verses 1 to 16: A young Amalekite runs to David with news that Israel’s armies have been defeated and that Saul and Jonathan have died. The Amalekite also brings the crown and royal band of King Saul to David, claiming that he personally handed Saul his final death blow at Saul’s request. David and his men mourn, weep and fast over the death of Saul and Jonathan, as well as for the defeated armies of Israel. Then David orders one of his men to strike the Amalekite down, saying, “Your blood be on your own head. Your own mouth testified against you when you said, ‘I killed the LORD’s anointed.'” (v16)
I think there’s a chance that the Amalekite was lying to David when he said that he killed Saul. After all, would Saul, a proud Israelite, really request a non-Israelite to kill him? Remember that Saul had asked his own armor bearer to kill him and then chose to commit suicide himself for the very reason that he did not want to suffer at the hands of a non-Israelite (1 Samuel 31:4). In any event, whether the Amalekite did kill Saul or not, the Amalekite probably said that he did because he thought this news would please David and win him favour in David’s eyes. Unfortunately for the Amalekite, he was clearly wrong.
Why did David order the Amalekite to be struck down? First, if what the Amalekite said was true, then the Amalekite would have committed the highest form of murder in Israel: assassinating the king. The punishment for such a crime was immediate death. As the one anointed to be Israel’s next king, David was administering the punishment on behalf of the now deceased Saul and his commanding officers.
Second, David had reached a conviction that no matter how bad the situation got, he would never do anything to hurt Saul, let alone kill, the Lord’s anointed. Twice David had the opportunity to kill Saul, but David chose not to, even when Saul was trying to kill David. Even cutting off the corner of Saul’s robe caused David to be conscience stricken. Thus when a young Amalekite said he had no problems giving Saul the final death blow and removing Saul’s crown and royal band and giving them to David, for David this was as grave a sin as anyone could commit.
For David, being the king was not just a position that anyone could have as long as others gave it to him. Rather, being the king was a God-given, God-ordained calling, and with it came a unique anointing that God sovereignly chose to give to a particular individual. In David’s mind, you cannot separate the anointing from the individual, for wherever the individual went, so went the anointing. Thus, for David, as long as that anointed person lived, even if that person was far from perfect, that anointed person ought to be honoured and protected in some way.
Compare this to the Amalekite who thought, “Oh well, Saul’s almost dead anyway. He’s hardly king anymore. I might as well kill him and bring the crown to the next most qualified person and make him king.” For the Amalekite, there was no need to respect a person’s God-given anointing.
What can we learn from this passage?
Like David, have respect for those whom God has anointed. Remember that as a believer in Jesus Christ, you are anointed as is every other believer in Christ (2 Corinthians 1:21-22). That includes your pastors, small group leaders and ministry team leader. Even if they are not perfect (and surely they are not), even if they show weaknesses (and all of them do), treat them with an eye toward honouring the anointing that is on their lives.
We tend to treat our spiritual leaders in one of two ways: David’s way or the Amalekite’s way. Which way more accurately describes the way you treat your spiritual leaders?
Clues That You Treat Your Spiritual Leaders David’s Way
– You are personally committed to loving, following, supporting, and protecting your leaders, even when they are not perfect
– You go out of your way to show honour, gratitude and respect to your leaders
– You go out of your way not to say or do anything to harm your leaders, even indirectly
– You defend your spiritual leaders when others unfairly attack them
Clues That You Treat Your Spiritual Leaders The Amalekite’s Way
– You have no problems criticizing, attacking or defaming your leaders
– You see your leaders less as people to love, follow and respect, and more as tools to use. You follow leaders when it’s convenient for you and discard them when they are no longer useful to you
– Following, honouring and submitting to your leaders is not a priority in your life
Which way more accurately describes how you treat the leaders in your life whom God has anointed?
From what happened to the Amalekite and to David in 2 Samuel, it is apparent that God watches how a person treats anointed spiritual leaders and blesses them accordingly. As we saw with the Amalekite, when you disrespect your leaders, your destiny will be cut short. As we saw with David, when you treat your leaders with respect, even when those leaders are far from perfect, you become more like Christ and position yourself for greater blessings and opportunities in the future.
Father, thank You for reminding me today that it matters to You how I treat my leaders. I pray that I would be as intentional and careful as David in loving and respecting my leaders. In Jesus’ name I pray, AMEN!
Copyright © 2022 Justin Lim. All rights reserved.
