2 Samuel 1:17–22 (ESV) —
17 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. He said:
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.
NOTE: David's poem here expresses tremendous depth of love. Yes, Jonathan was his closest friend, and so one would expect that. But his love reaches out to Saul as well. Why? There are probably two reasons. One, times with Saul were not always bad, and he remembers the good times, before Saul's jealousy allowed and evil spirit to influence his actions. Two, the kingship was protection for Israel. Saul, as God's anointed was the shield of Israel. He may have misused the shield, but the shield was still a good thing.
For a lot of us who sit in positions of authority, there is always the sinful tendency to abuse our authority. We have our authority as a shield to protect those who are under that authority. Even when they do the wrong thing, we must do the right thing. It is a small thing in light of eternity. Authority is a trust given by God, just as life is too. We need to do the right thing with our authority.
PONDER:
- Do I ever abuse my authority? Do I look for special treatment or for recognition?
PRAYER: Father, you call us to humility. Jesus, the ultimate authority, gave it all up and became a servant to us. He is my example. Protect me from the sin of pride. Protect me from abusing my authority.
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