Slices
Prepare
Remember and pray for those who are struggling with the loss of a loved one.
Bible passage
David’s lament for Saul and Jonathan
17 David took up this lament concerning Saul and his son Jonathan, 18 and he ordered that the people of Judah be taught this lament of the bow (it is written in the Book of Jashar):
19 ‘A gazelle lies slain on your heights, Israel.
How the mighty have fallen!
20 ‘Tell it not in Gath,
proclaim it not in the streets of Ashkelon,
lest the daughters of the Philistines be glad,
lest the daughters of the uncircumcised rejoice.
21 ‘Mountains of Gilboa,
may you have neither dew nor rain,
may no showers fall on your terraced fields.
For there the shield of the mighty was despised,
the shield of Saul – no longer rubbed with oil.
22 ‘From the blood of the slain,
from the flesh of the mighty,
the bow of Jonathan did not turn back,
the sword of Saul did not return unsatisfied.
23 Saul and Jonathan –
in life they were loved and admired,
and in death they were not parted.
They were swifter than eagles,
they were stronger than lions.
24 ‘Daughters of Israel,
weep for Saul,
who clothed you in scarlet and finery,
who adorned your garments with ornaments of gold.
25 ‘How the mighty have fallen in battle!
Jonathan lies slain on your heights.
26 I grieve for you, Jonathan my brother;
you were very dear to me.
Your love for me was wonderful,
more wonderful than that of women.
27 ‘How the mighty have fallen!
The weapons of war have perished!’
Explore
When my father died a few years ago, my first response was to write my grief into a poem. It was raw and painful, but the words helped in the healing. That’s what we are seeing here. This is not a psalm. It is not worship. God is not even mentioned. It is a national and deeply personal lament.
David pours out his grief at the death of a man who once treated him like a son and one he loved as a brother. It’s a grief that mourns the loss of what once was and what might have been. David may well have held a hope in his heart that one day he and Saul might be reconciled. For David, the loss of Jonathan means the loss of one who knew him and loved him like no other. There would never be another like him in David’s life again.
David’s song was to be taught to the people of Judah (v 18). It was not just a pouring out of his emotions, it was a song that David wanted others to know and learn from. He had a message to impart. It is a song honouring a king he had a complex relationship with and the king’s son who was as a brother. It is a lament on the sorrows of war.
Respond
How might you support those who are struggling with grief? How might you remember with gratitude those you have lost?
Bible in a year
Read the Bible in a year: 2 Chronicles 16,17; Psalm 73
Pray for Scripture Union
Summer provides great opportunities for churches to connect with children and young people through sport. Please pray that all those planning to use our sports resource packs will be equipped and inspired and that many more children and young people will hear about Jesus as a result.
