"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)
