PLEASE READ THIS FIRST: 2 Samuel 1-2
What do you sense the Lord saying to you in this passage?
“Saul and Jonathan — in life they were loved and admired.” (2 Samuel 1:23)
It was hard to find something in this reading that spoke to me.
Yet I was struck by how David remembers Saul in these words.
David is exaggerating when he says Saul was loved and admired.
How could David say this, given how much stress Saul had caused him?
To me these words show how limited and biased our perspectives are.
How David saw Saul, and how God saw Saul, are two different things.
God certainly loved Saul, but did God admire Saul’s ways?
God loved David too, but did God admire how David lived?
God loves us all, but doesn’t admire what is selfish, sinful or bad.
Everyone seems to be a saint when they are remembered at funerals.
But God knows us as we really are, without embellishments.
God may not admire us but God does ‘speak well’ (eu-logos) to us.
Jesus is God’s eulogy (good word) to us; God remembers us through Jesus!
This is why we admire and love Jesus, because of how he remembers us!
PRAYER
Lord, my perspective of myself – and others – is flawed. Thank you that your perspective of me – and others – is gracious from beginning to end.
“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.” David and Jonathan had a deep connection – they loved each other as brothers. Jonathan also stood by his Father – and David respected that. Jonathan did not betray David through it all! Having a ‘best friend’ is special. It doesn’t matter if you have been separated for many years – the moment you come together – you resume where you left off. That kind of love and respect is much deeper than anything physical – actually, I believe the physical can get in the way. It was important for my to know that my wife-to-be, – the young lady I was courting, was a friend first- someone I can share my deepest feeling – and that she sees me that way too.