David Mourns Saul & Jonathan

00:00:00 Speaker 1: Previously on the chosen people. 00:00:06 Speaker 2: And if. 00:00:10 Speaker 3: You call, because you are told, she has delivered you into the hands of the fists. 00:00:25 Speaker 1: To Saul's right, Jonathan stood ready, flanked by his other sons, a been A Dab and Malchai Schuer. They stood atop the rise, with their men behind them, gripping shields and spears. Jonathan glanced toward his father once, and that glance held everything, love, loyalty, farewell, And then they charged. The army of Israel poured down the slope of Gilboa like a wave crashing onto rock. The son of Saul lay in the dust, surrounded by his brothers and the dead. His sword had not broken, his faith had not wavered, but his heart had ceased to beat. Saul's weary arms flashed through the enemy as they advanced. Closer and closer. They pressed, but the king stood his ground until it hit. An enemy arrow whistled through the air, finding its mark on Saul's side, through flesh, through bone, into the lungs. Saw this is how. 00:01:44 Speaker 2: Ah, how Els. 00:01:50 Speaker 1: Perhaps was the first last, and so sore the first King of Israel pressed the hilt of his sword against the earth, its point at his chest. He closed his eyes. He fell, The blade pierced through skin of sinew, through bone and heart. When he struck the earth, the life left him. 00:02:30 Speaker 4: Sometimes mourning is the holiest thing that a leader can do. Shell Oh, my friends, from here in the holy land of Israel, i'm l extein with the international Fellowship of Christians and Jews, and welcome to the Chosen People. Sometimes sorrow sneaks up on us in moments we thought would be victorious. We long for a breakthrough, only to find ourselves breaking open. How do we respond? Do we grieve, do we rejoice? Or do we freeze? In First Samuel thirty one, we returned to the smoldering hills of Gilboa. The story continues, but not exactly how we expected. A revered king has fallen, a beloved prince is lost, and David waits not for a crown, but for clarity. Our story today isn't about conquest. Instead, it's about how we grieve, how we wait for God's perfect timing, and what we do when He gives us his blessings. 00:03:34 Speaker 1: The fire had claimed the fallen before the crows could mount. Gilboa smoldered in silence, Her scorched ridges littered with the dead men of Israel sprawled across the blood drenched slopes. Smoke curled into the crimson sky, and ash drifted like snowfall upon the wind. Among the dead was the King of Israel, Saul, son of Kish, once anointed of the Lord, lay face down in the dirt, his own sword driven through his chest. His armor, once polished to mirror the sun, was charred and dulled, caked in soot. The golden crown had slipped from his brow and lay a few feet away, resting in a pool of blood and black earth. A group of scavengers came to claim treasures from the carnage. One among them was drag And, a Malachite man of little dignity or respect for the dead. He picked his way over corpses and shattered shields. He walked as lightly as a crow over a battlefield, eyes flicking toward rings, purses, and daggers left by the dead. When he came to the body of the king, he paused. 00:04:55 Speaker 5: Oh, Hello, who do we have here? A king? 00:05:03 Speaker 2: The king? 00:05:05 Speaker 1: Oh? 00:05:06 Speaker 2: What luck? 00:05:08 Speaker 1: The Amalekite crouched beside Saul and stared long at the bloodcaked crown. The gold had dulled beneath ash, and the gemstones seemed to weep streaked with gore. The scavenger wiped the soot from one ruby with his sleeve and ran his fingers across the etchings of the old script. Now this is worth far more than gold. 00:05:35 Speaker 6: I can buy a good favor or two with these. 00:05:41 Speaker 1: He tucked the crown into his pack, and with it the amulet torn from Saure's throat. There was no reverence in his theft, only haste. Then came the shout. Philistine riders crested the ridge. Their arrows came swift and whistling. The Amalekite darted up the craggy slope, scrambling with the desperation of a rat chased by cats. He scaled the rocks above saws corpse and vanished into the smoke. Drag ran until he knew he had lost the Philistines. He held the crown like a curse in his pack, too heavy to carry, too dangerous to cast away. 00:06:22 Speaker 7: If I say it to the wrong person and then hang before defiling a king. 00:06:30 Speaker 6: But if I keep it, it's worthless. 00:06:34 Speaker 2: Wat do wat do? 00:06:37 Speaker 1: A smile coiled around Drag's whole face as a new thought popped into his head. There was one man who might see the value in what he carried, a man whom many whispered would be the next king of Israel. The Amalekite turned his steps towards Ziklag zick Lad was alive with the sounds of rebuilding. Hammers rang like bells, laughter echoed in alleyways, and the smell of sawdust clung to the warm summer wind. Children played beside the fields, Women laughed beneath the shade of olive trees. Men whistled as they worked, for once tasting the fruit of their labor. Then came the cry. It carried from the hills like a wounded hawk. All work halted, hammers fell silent. David looked up as the figure descended, barefoot, dirt streaked, torn robes flapping in the wind. The man was breathless and hollow eyed, as if he had crawled up from the very grave. He collapsed at David's feet. 00:07:50 Speaker 7: My Lord, I bring tidings from the battle of the Philistine kings and soul. 00:07:59 Speaker 5: Where do you come from? You don't look like a soldier. 00:08:03 Speaker 6: Ah I escaped from the camp of Israel. I am a traveler and I found myself caught in the fray of. 00:08:11 Speaker 7: The battle the united kingdoms of Philistia, the gleaming armies. 00:08:17 Speaker 2: Of Israel Elias. 00:08:20 Speaker 6: Israel fell before the Philistines. 00:08:23 Speaker 1: All breath left the camp. The outcasts and warriors, men hardened by exile and blood, stood frozen like statues. David's voice was soft, too soft, and the king. 00:08:41 Speaker 5: Soul, the great King. 00:08:45 Speaker 4: Is dead. 00:08:48 Speaker 1: A pause, the world grew still, and. 00:08:54 Speaker 7: Jonathan, Oh, the Prince, the brave prince, word was he stood violently against all the kings of Philistia before meeting his demise. 00:09:10 Speaker 1: The scavenger opened his pack, revealing gold glinting beneath the crust of dried blood, the broken amuleut and Saul's crown. David took them both in his hands. The weight of them nearly broke him. 00:09:26 Speaker 5: How How did how did Saul die? And how did you come upon his crown? 00:09:35 Speaker 1: The Amalekite licked his lips. His lye came smooth and steady. He had practiced it along every step of his escape. 00:09:45 Speaker 6: I found the fallen king leaning on his spear. 00:09:49 Speaker 7: Oh, an arrow had pierced him, but still he lived, Oh, sir, he. 00:09:56 Speaker 5: Called to me, he says. 00:09:58 Speaker 7: He begged me to end and his suffering before the Philistines found him. 00:10:03 Speaker 5: I did what I had to do. 00:10:06 Speaker 1: I took his dagger and gave him peace. Drag had a glint in his eye as he looked up, hopeful. 00:10:15 Speaker 6: I brought you his crown. You, of all people, should have it as an inheritance. 00:10:24 Speaker 1: David turned away. Drag twitched. 00:10:29 Speaker 6: Surely, my lord, such a great gesture deserves a reward. 00:10:36 Speaker 1: David looked at Drag, eyes filled with sorrow. He gestured to his men to give Drag a warm meal, then departed to be alone. He walked to the edge of the camp, where the fields rolled out toward the horizon, green and endless. There he sat alone. The crown was in his lap, The king was dead, the Prince slain, Jonathan, his brother of the soul, his truest friend. The last threads of the old kingdom had snapped, and now there was only him. He tore his tunic down the middle cloth ripped like thunder. The sound was his only cry. David buried his face in his hands and wept like a child. His sobs racked the quiet morning. One by one his men followed suit ashes smeared their foreheads. The morning spread like a plague. Swords were sheathed, shovels dropped, wives wept, even the children seemed to understand. Something holy had died. Then David woes and sang. 00:11:56 Speaker 5: The glory of Israel. Eyes broken on your high, How the mighty have fallen? Mountains of Gilbo, Let no dew nor rain fall upon you. There the shield of the valiant was defied, the shield of soul. Not anointed with the boy, but with one. 00:12:25 Speaker 1: He lifted the crown high into the air, and the sunlight glanced off its edge like fire off steel. 00:12:34 Speaker 2: Jonathan's bowl never turned back. 00:12:38 Speaker 5: Salt's sword returned, not Boy. In life and death, they were not defied. Swifter than eagles, stronger than lion's. 00:12:50 Speaker 2: His voice cracked, Jonathan, my brother, Jonathan, distress, Your love was one of wood, more the the love. 00:13:08 Speaker 7: Oh, how the mighty have fallen, How the weapons of war have perished. 00:13:16 Speaker 1: He fell to his knees, and there, beneath the wide sky, with the crown still in his hand, David wept. Evening fell over ziplag David sat by the flames, hunched beneath the weight of the robe. Jonathan had once draped over his shoulders, he stared into the heart of the fire, watching the ember's pulse like dying stars. Across from him, the Amalekite scavenger shifted uneasily on his haunches. His clothes were still stained with the soot of Mount Gilboa, but his eyes were bright and eager, watching David the way a gambler watches the dice as they rattle in the cub. The man expected favor, perhaps wealth, perhaps a position in the new king's house. David did not speak for some time. When he did, his voice was quiet and cold. 00:14:21 Speaker 5: Tell me, Drag, where do you come from? 00:14:27 Speaker 6: I am but the humble son of a humble traveler, in a Malakite by birth. But I have no true home. 00:14:36 Speaker 5: I have wandered many lands. 00:14:40 Speaker 1: Drag smiled, as though expecting praise for his worldly experience. David looked up at him then, not with kindness, not with curiosity, but with the sharpened stare of a man who just glimpsed the truth hidden in another's soul. 00:14:59 Speaker 5: You are yourself a traveler, so you have no nation, no home, no loyalty. That must be why you did not hesitate to put your hands of the lord's anointed. 00:15:20 Speaker 1: The firelight danced across David's face, casting long shadows beneath his piercing eyes, eyes of thunder and justice. The Amalekited smile faltered. 00:15:34 Speaker 6: My Lord, I he begged me to end it. He would have been taken. 00:15:42 Speaker 5: Spare me your tail. You brought me a crown, thought I'd give you one in return. But you mistook grief for gratitude. You thought I'd rejoice at the death of Saul. 00:15:55 Speaker 1: David stepped over the fire, now face to face with the scave. 00:16:02 Speaker 5: But Saul was my king and Jonathan was my brother. You say you found him dying and finish the deed, that his blood is on your hands. 00:16:14 Speaker 1: He turned and gestured to his men. Vinaiah the captain stepped forward without a word. His sword was already. 00:16:24 Speaker 2: In his hand. 00:16:26 Speaker 1: The Amalekite's eyes widened. 00:16:29 Speaker 6: My lord, No, I came to honor you. 00:16:32 Speaker 5: I brought you the crown. 00:16:34 Speaker 1: I did what he asked, but the words didn't matter. David's voice was low, steady. 00:16:43 Speaker 5: You thought I would vain grief while secretly rejoicing in Saul's death. You think I wanted Saul dead. I had plenty of chances to kill Saul. Do you think I play the game of thrones? You're wrong. King's are not mine to kill, nor are they yours. You raised your hand against the Lord's anointed. That was your endoing. 00:17:12 Speaker 1: David gave the nod Beniah drag drag from the firelight. 00:17:19 Speaker 6: No, I didn't actually kill him. It was a ruse, a lie, a game. 00:17:25 Speaker 1: Ah Baniah silenced the Amalekite with steel. He released a stifled gasp, then silence. The fire hissed somewhere an owl called into the dark. David sat again, the crown of Saul in his lap, heavy with blood and memory. He did not look up. He only whispered, more to himself than any other. 00:17:55 Speaker 5: He thought I would thank him for bringing me my crown. But it wasn't his to give and not mine to take. 00:18:07 Speaker 1: Not like this, David closed his eyes. He had won no war, he had claimed no glory. The crown had come, and with it the curse. 00:18:27 Speaker 4: There's a strange tension running through this story. Isn't there one that doesn't resolve neatly in tragedy or in triumph. David has spent years on the run, hiding in caves, weeping in silence, honoring the very king who hunted him. And when the final moment comes for Saul's reign to end, David doesn't celebrate. He sings a dirge. Why Well, throughout his life, King Saul made some very grave mistakes. He refused to follow God's command to eliminate the Amalekites. He brutally murdered the priests of Nove out of anger, and of course Saul relentlessly pursued David. Yet the Jewish ages often speak of Saul as a righteous individual, and in many ways Saul was. There's a lesson here for all of us. Well, we know that we all make mistakes, and sometimes they are serious mistakes, but we also do things that are good, and we do these good things most of the time. So we shouldn't allow ourselves to have our mistakes define us. We shouldn't see ourselves as bad people. If we truly regret our mistakes, as Saul mostly did, then we have to know and believe that God is forgiving. So, my friends, don't let your mistakes keep you from seeing yourself as good and even righteous and say that we, as the Chosen People, are repenting all the time. It's not that we're always making mistakes. And it's not that we don't make mistakes, because we do. But if we are honestly sorry, and if we ask God to forgive us, then we have redeemed ourselves and we have to feel joy in that. And so David delivered an extremely moving eulogy for Saul. Even though Saul had spent so long threatening David with death, David knew that Saul had repented, and he knew that Saul was God's anointed king. So David and his own righteousness, rose above all of his resentment towards Saul and honored him greatly when he died. This story invites us not to look at David as a rising king, but as a grieving man, a man who understands that sometimes the holy thing to do is tweep. You know, when I first read this story as a young woman growing up in America, I didn't understand David's grief. I thought that maybe he was being overly sentimental. But over the years, and especially since making Aliyah and raising my children in the same holy land where David lived, I've come to see that this story is not just sentimental, but it's sacred. David wasn't just mourning the loss of two people. He was mourning the rupture of the covenant, the unraveling of what was His weeping wasn't weakness, It was a form of leadership. David lets grief have its place, and by doing so, he reminds us there is a time to build, but there's also a time to break, to bow, and to weep over what has been lost. Everyone must mourn, even kings. So here's what I wanted to leave you with, my friends. When the world hands you something, an opportunity of motion, a moment of favor, try to take a pause and ask yourself, is this the time God would have me rise? Or is this the time to honor the past before stepping into the future. Don't let the hunger for your next season rob you of your reverence for the season that's coming to a close. When grief visits your doorstep, don't shove it away. Let it teach you like David, let it shape you and too the kind of person who is ready when God's blessing finally comes. 00:22:36 Speaker 1: You can listen to the Chosen People with Isle Exstein add free by downloading and subscribing to the pray dot Com app today. This Prey dot Com production is only made possible by our dedicated team of creative talents. Steve Katina, Max bod Zach Shellavaga and Ben Gammon are the executive producers of The Chosen People with Yile Exstein, edited by by Alberto Avilla, narrated by Paul Coltofianu. Characters are voiced by Jonathan Gotten, Aaron Salvado, Sarah Seltz, Mike Reagan, Stephen Ringwold, Sylvia Zaradoc, Thomas Copeland Junior, Rosanna Pilcher, and the opening prayer is voiced by John Moore. Music by Andrew Morgan Smith, written by Aaron Salvado, bre Rosalie and Chris Baig. Special thanks to Bishop Paul Lanier, Robin van Ettin, kayleb Burrows, Jocelyn Fuller, and the team at International Fellowship of Christians and Jews. You can hear more Prey dot com productions on the Prey dot Com app, available on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. If you enjoyed The Chosen People with Yil Eckstein, please rate and leave a review,