“Then
David and all the men with him took hold of their clothes and tore them. They
mourned and wept and fasted till evening for Saul and his son Jonathan, and for
the army of the Lord and for the nation of Israel, because they had fallen by
the sword.” (v.11-12)
Here
in chapter 1, David is given the news that both Johnthan and King Saul have
been killed by the Phillistines in battle. The death of these two persons, one
a friend and the other an enemy, made way for his accession to the throne. The
average man might rejoice at such news and begin making his plans for
rulership. But David was not average.
That
David and his men should mourn for Jonathan, a good man, and a valiant one, and
a dear and faithful friend is no wonder. But, that they should mourn for Saul,
a wicked man, and a persecutor of David without cause, may not seem so clear.
However, no
matter how Saul had treated David, nothing could change the fact that Saul was
God’s anointed, David’s king, and father-in-law. He never lost sight of
that and did not dwell on the negative in Saul's life, but always looked upon Saul
through a lens of respect, at his positive qualities of courage, valor, title and kinsman-ship (v. 23).
Accentuating
the positive qualities of those who trouble us is a good way to deal with
resentment, and to transform our negative attitude into one of love.
The
Truth
“But
I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” (Matthew
5:44)
