David’s Mourning

We now move from 1 Samuel into 2 Samuel. The transition is essentially meaningless, because these two books were originally one, and the story continues without interruption or redirection. And yet, it is easy to see why the break was made here—Saul is now dead and David’s path to the throne is clear. The focus is now on the son of Jesse and on God, who is about to fulfill His covenant promises.

David has been back in Ziklag for two days since the rescue of his wives and his men’s families. During these days, he has been sending presents to friends and supporters (1 Sam. 30:26–31). It also may be that he has been seeing an influx of warriors (1 Chron. 12:19–22). But all the while he has been wondering about the outcome of the Philistine attack on Israel. Finally, on the third day after his return, a man arrives from Saul’s camp. David must have misgivings to see that the man has torn his clothes and put dust on his head, for these are symbols of mourning. Also, when he arrives, he prostrates himself before David in a gesture of obeisance to a king, becoming the first to honor David in this way. He then reports that he ” ‘escaped’ ” from Israel’s camp, words that must cause David’s heart to flutter. Finally, the man reports the awful truth: ” ‘The people have fled from the battle, many of the people are fallen and dead, and Saul and Jonathan his son are dead also.’ ” This news must strike David like a blow, but he remains calm and asks how the man came by this information. The man tells David that he ” ‘happened by chance’ ” to encounter Saul after he had been wounded and was fleeing the Philistines, and that Saul asked him to finish him off before the Philistines arrived. The man claims to have done just that, after which he stripped Saul’s crown and bracelet in order to bring them to David. However, this story deviates significantly from the account of Saul’s death in 1 Samuel 31, making it seem that this man is fabricating a story to curry David’s favor.

Still, the detailed story, along with the crown and bracelet, convince David that Saul is indeed dead. But instead of focusing on what this means for him, he thinks first of what a tragedy has befallen Israel. He tears his clothes in grief, and his men follow his example. Then they mourn, weep, and fast through the day for Saul and Jonathan, for the dead Israelites, and for the troubled state of Israel.