AT A GLANCE
David’s lament over Saul and Jonathan is far more than a funeral song—it is a lesson in remembrance, gratitude, and biblical grief. In this message from 2 Samuel 1, we explore why God calls His people to lament, how remembering shapes our faith, and how the cross and resurrection of Jesus transform sorrow into enduring hope. Christian lament is never hopeless because our King lives.
POWER OF SONGS AND POEMS
On the first day at West Point, known as R-day, registration day, aka the end of the world as you knew it, in addition to wool trousers and low quarter shoes and nylon socks, new cadets are issued what is known as Bugle Notes. It’s a small book, basically West Point’s version of the bible.
We actually get issued a field guide version on day one and then the collector’s edition after Beast Barracks is complete. On day one we’re handed this paperback booklet with all kinds of knowledge. It ranges from the various military services ranks to missions of various branches of the Army, to silly things that make West Point unique like, “How many gallons of water are in Lusk Reservoir when it is overflowing?” and “How many lights are there in Cullum Hall?” (78 million gallons and 340 lights, by the way).
But at the back of the book and arguably most important are some of the most notable quotes from famous military leaders.
One of my favorite quotes is General Douglas MacArthur’s opinion on sports, “Upon the fields of friendly strife are sown the seeds that on other fields, on other days will bear the fruits of victory.” The more you reflect on that, the more impactful it becomes.
Just as important as these defining quotes, West Point is defined by its songs. Most notable: the Alma Mater. One line of it goes, “Let duty be well performed, honor be e’r untarned, country be ever armed, West Point, by thee.”
And The Corps,
“The corps, the corps the corps! The corps, bareheaded, salute it, with eyes up, thanking our God – That we of the corps are treading where they of the corps have trod – They are here is ghostly assemblage. The men of the corps, long dead.
And our hearts are standing at attention while we wait for their passing tread. We sons of today, we salute you. – You sons of an earlier day; we follow close order behind you where you have pointed the way.
The long gray line of us stretches through the years of a century, told. And the last man feels to his marrow the grip of your far off hold. Grip hands with us now, though we see not. Grip hands with us, strengthen our hearts –As the long line stiffens and straightens with a thrill that your presence and imparts.
Grip hands though it be from the shadows – While we swear, as you did of yore. Or living, or dying, to honor the corps and the corps and the corps.
Written by Bishop H.S. Shipman, USMA chaplain 1896-1905
Why would the United States Military Academy, whose purpose is to develop military leaders prioritize the memorization of poetry and songs? One word: continuity.
People forget by nature. There is only one way to remember – that is to deliberately memorize and reflect and recite over and over again.
I must admit, it rekindled my affections for West Point in my heart as I held these two booklets in my hand and recalled those traditions and songs and quotes I memorized almost 30 years ago.
It reminded me I am part of a great military heritage that has served this great nation for over 200 years. It reminded me of the connection I have with the long gray line. And one day it will be I who grip hands from the shadows as I join the ones of yore.
There is power in songs and hymns and poems. Power to inspire. To unite. To mobilize. David knew that well.
The church knows this, too, and has its own songbook. Every week we gather to rehearse the greatest act in history—not merely so we remember what Jesus did, but so we remember who we are. We sing because we forget. We preach because we forget. We come to the Lord’s Table because we forget.
Let’s stand and read David’s lament in its entirety this morning then we’ll pray.
2 SAMUEL 1:19-27
http://childpsychiatryassociates.com/author/cpassociates/ 19 “Your glory, O Israel, is slain on your high places! How the mighty have fallen! 20 Tell it not in Gath, publish it not in the streets of Ashkelon, lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice, lest the daughters of the uncircumcised exult. 21 “You mountains of Gilboa, let there be no dew or rain upon you, nor fields of offerings! For there the shield of the mighty was defiled, the shield of Saul, not anointed with oil. 22 “From the blood of the slain, from the fat of the mighty, the bow of Jonathan turned not back, and the sword of Saul returned not empty. 23 “Saul and Jonathan, beloved and lovely! In life and in death they were not divided; they were swifter than eagles; they were stronger than lions. 24 “You daughters of Israel, weep over Saul, who clothed you luxuriously in scarlet, who put ornaments of gold on your apparel. 25 “How the mighty have fallen in the midst of the battle! “Jonathan lies slain on your high places. 26 I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan; very pleasant have you been to me; your love to me was extraordinary, surpassing the love of women. 27 “How the mighty have fallen, and the weapons of war perished!”
EXPOSITION
Verse 17-18 And David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and Jonathan his son, 18 and he said it should be taught to the people of Judah; behold, it is written in the Book of Jashar.
More than a personal lament, David ordered that this be taught to the people of Judah. If the previous story was intended to help unite the divided kingdom, this undoubtedly has the same goal.
The Book of Jashar is no longer available and not much is known about it. It is mentioned only one other time, in the book of Joshua, where it asks is it not written in the book of Jashar how the sun stood still over Israel. That this lament would be included along with the sun standing still indicates the power of this lament.
Poetry is best to be read and considered as a whole, so I do not want to pick it apart and analyze every word. But let’s take it line by line.
Verse 19 He said: 19 “Your glory, O Israel, is slain on your high places!
If you look down to verse 25, you’ll see that there is another slain on your high places. And the word used for glory here is not the typical Hebrew word kabod. Instead, it is the word hassebi or tsebi, which is also translated gazelle. When you consider the other allusions (verse 23) to both Saul and Jonathan as swift eagles and strong lions, it becomes apparent that David is referring to Jonathan in verse 19.
David continues How the mighty have fallen! We read this refrain three times (cf. vv 25, 27). To David, these men were more than leaders, more than a friend, more than a king and his son. They were mighty.
Look at how David speaks of them in verse 22 “From the blood of the slain, from the fat of the mighty, the bow of Jonathan turned not back, and the sword of Saul returned not empty. Peter Leithart remarks, “Jonathan and Saul not only had weapons, but were weapons…now they lie unused and useless on the heights of Gilboa.” This is great loss to not only to him, but to the nation.
And for the sake of their dignity and the dignity of Israel and Israel’s God, David commands into the cosmos – (verse 20) Tell it not in Gath, publish it not in the streets of Ashkelon, lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice, lest the daughters of the uncircumcised exult.
David knew full well military victories get publicized. Remember when David returned from his slaughter of the Philistines the women sang, “Saul has slain his thousands and David his tens of thousands.” 1 Samuel 18:7 The women paraded in front of the Army that kept them safe from their enemy and protected their ethnic pride.
And that’s exactly what happened. In 1 Samuel 31:9 it says they carried the good news of the victory over Saul and his sons and Israel’s army to their houses of worship. This reminds us that this was not only a military victory, but a spiritual victory.
The kingdom of darkness had won. Or so it would seem. How repugnant to David that Philistine women would sing songs of victory over Saul and Jonathan.
David turns his indignation next to the inanimate terrain features that failed to provide refuge and protection to their king. Verse 21 “You mountains of Gilboa, let there be no dew or rain upon you, nor fields of offerings!
David prayed that they would be dry, waterless places, not habitable to life, no contribution to Israel’s worship. How dare this prominent mountain in the land God gave the people fail to protect their king?!
For there the shield of the mighty was defiled, the shield of Saul, not anointed with oil. Rather than being anointed with oil in victory and glory, it was defiled – anointed not with oil, but with the blood of the anointed one of God.
It is not lost on me that the nation of Israel looked upon the blood-stained shield of Saul and concluded the battle was lost. About a thousand years later, many reached the same conclusion when they looked upon the blood-stained cross of Christ.
But where Saul’s death marked Israel’s defeat, Jesus’ death secured His victory, and ours. In both cases, what appeared to be Satan’s triumph became God’s, as the death of the King became the very means by which He established His everlasting kingdom.
David then turns back to sing praises of Saul and Jonathan in verses 22-23, which we’ve already considered, but for sake of reminder…the bow of Jonathan turned not back, and the sword of Saul returned not empty…In life and in death they were not divided; they were swifter than eagles; they were stronger than lions.
This is warrior language, respect language, honor language. And David issues a second command, this time to the women of Isael. Verse 24 “You daughters of Israel, weep over Saul, who clothed you luxuriously in scarlet, who put ornaments of gold on your apparel.
David reminds the women of Israel of the prosperity they enjoyed under Saul’s leadership. While it is unlikely that Saul physically clothed them in scarlet or put ornaments of gold on their apparel, he did create the peace and security necessary for their prosperity. This is something David believed was worthy of their honor and heartfelt gratitude.
In verse 25 we read the second of the three refrains, this time with an additional clause, “How the mighty have fallen in the midst of the battle! This is followed by “Jonathan lies slain on your high places. And then we read David’s most personal expression of grief in the whole lament in verse 26 I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan; very pleasant have you been to me; your love to me was extraordinary, surpassing the love of women.
Recall verse 19 the glory of Israel lies slain on the high places. This coupled with the repeat of the refrain How the mighty have fallen and the expansion in the midst of the battle! Followed immediately by the personal agony expressed in verse 26 has Robert Bergen calling this the “thematic center” of the lament.
This whole song was an expression of grief from one man for his best friend and fellow warrior. Far from suggesting a homosexual relationship, what is obvious in this lament is that David lost his closest ally, his confidant, his battle buddy. There is a bond there that no romantic relationship could compete with.
And David wanted every man in Judah to know this lament, to read it, to memorize it, to let it stir in their hearts a battle cry because this would not be the last time they faced the Philistines.
Verse 27 concludes powerfully, “How the mighty have fallen, and the weapons of war perished!”
REMEMBER THE BOW
As the story goes, David reigned in Judah for seven and a half years before being crowned king of all of Israel. During that seven-year period the fighting was internal.
I believe this was when the stories of David and Saul and this lament originated, during a time of national civil war. A time the nation needed to be reunited under one king, namely God’s anointed – King David.
And as soon as the kingdom was united under David, you know what happened? They went back to war with the Philistines and had such an epic victory over them that David described it as the Lord bursting through his enemies before him “like a bursting flood.” And what follows puts an epic end to this tragic story, “And the Philistines left their idols there, and David and his men carried them away.” 2 Samuel 5:21
The last we read of the Philistines, they were hanging Saul’s beheaded body in their pagan temple. The next we read of them, their pagan gods lie abandoned on the battlefield. Only God turn that story around!
With this lament, David might as well have yelled, “Remember the Alamo!” Indeed, it came to be known as “the lament of the bow” after what David said about Jonathan in verse 22. So it would not surprise me if it became common for soldiers to cry out “remember the bow!”
THE POWER OF LAMENT
We’ve seen several powerful things today: the power of friendship – David’s loss of his best friend is palpable. The power of gratitude for leaders who provided and protected and blessed our lives. But what is most striking to me is the power of lament.
Lament is something we don’t do well anymore. Perhaps it is that we are not disciplined enough. Not creative enough. Or perhaps it is because there are so many others who have written songs and poems that reflect how we feel, it is easier to simply read them or let them play in the background as we weep.
But the bible supplies a powerful tool for us to navigate hardship. It is called lament.
Every one of us has our own lament. Every one of us has shattered dreams, broken relationships, missed opportunities, or loss of people we love.
But the Christian never grieves alone. We grieve with a Savior who Himself was “a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.” Isaiah 53:3 He knows betrayal. He knows loss. He knows death. And because He conquered death, lament is never the last word for those who belong to Him.
Next week, rather than moving to the next passage, I want to revisit this passage and explore more on the topic of biblical lament. For two reasons: first, we need more time today. Second, I personally need to dive deeper into the discipline of lament and I think we all do.
We tend to move too quickly through grief. We tend to feel uncomfortable walking with others through it. And we tend to send subtle signals that sadness and grief and disappointment are at odds with the Christian faith. That is not so. And to hear my defense of that assertion, I hope you’ll return next week.
But now, let us turn to the constant reminder Jesus gave to His church to remind us that Christian lament is not hopeless grief. We lament because evil is real. Sin is real. Death is real. Yet we lament as people who know the story doesn’t end in death.
David may have lamented over the lifeless bodies of King Saul and Jonathan his son, slain on Gilboa. But we lament to the risen King, the Son of God who was slain on Calvary, and is seated in glory!
We can honestly lament with David, “How the mighty have fallen,” because we can joyfully proclaim with the angel, “He is not here, for He has risen.” Matthew 28:6
And “He lives to make intercession” (Hebrews 7:25) for us today!
Lead Pastor, Brian Smith
Brian and his wife, Kellye, have five children, one of whom is with the Lord. He has served at Wildwood since April 2017. His family has a small hobby farm complete with Great Pyrenees dogs, chickens, goats, and a couple of cows! Brian is a retired Lieutenant Colonel from the US Army, commissioned from West Point in 2001.
