1. David's discovery of Saul and Jonathan's deaths ch. 1

First Samuel 31 and 2 Samuel 1 record the transition that took place in the royal leadership of Israel. 1 Samuel 31 contains the factual account of Saul's death.

 An Amalekite's account of Saul and Jonathan's deaths 1:1-16

The young Amalekite must have been a mercenary soldier who had joined Saul's army. It seems more likely that this man's account of Saul's death was not accurate rather than that he had had some hand in killing Saul in view of 1 Samuel 31:1-6 and 1 Chronicles 10.⁵He was able to take Saul's crown and bracelet and probably returned to David with his story to ingratiate himself with him. Mount Gilboa stood some 80 miles north of Ziklag, so it probably took the young man three or four days to make the trip. Ironically God had commanded Saul to annihilate the Amalekites (1 Sam. 15:3), and David had just returned from slaughtering a portion of them (v. 1; 1 Sam. 30). Now one of them claimed to have killed the king who disobeyed God by not killing all the Amalekites.

One writer saw in Saul's "leaning on his spear"(v. 6) ". . . a parable of his tendency to rely on human effort rather than on divine resources (cf. Isa 10:20; 31:1, where rely' translates the same Heb. verb as leaning' does here)."⁶

The writer constructed this chapter chiastically to focus the reader's attention on the Amalekite's story and David's reaction to it (1:6-12).

ADavid strikes the Amalekites 1:1

BDavid questions an Amalekite 1:2-5

CThe Amalekite tells his story 1:6-10

C'David reacts to the Amalekite's story 1:11-12

B'David questions the Amalekite again 1:13-14

A'David strikes the Amalekite 1:15-16

The Amalekite soldier undoubtedly thought David would have been glad Saul was finally dead since Saul was David's rival for the throne.⁷However, David was sad instead. Saul was the Lord's anointed. Furthermore David's soul brother Jonathan had died as had many other Israelite soldiers. David must have had the young Amalekite executed because he believed his story. "Your blood is on your own head"(v. 6) means the blood you have shed is the cause of your own death.⁸

"The author of Samuel established a deliberate connection between the two stories [i.e., this one and the story of the Benjamite fugitive's report in 1 Sam. 4:12-17] in order to set up an analogy between the fates of Saul's house and of Eli's. . . . The comparison indicates that there is a clear rule of law which connects a leader's conduct with his fate and the fate of his house. A degenerate leader, whether it is himself who has sinned or his sons, will ultimately be deposed . . . or come to a tragic end, just as Eli and his sons die on the same day, and so do Saul and his."⁹

 David's lament for Saul and Jonathan 1:17-27

Students of David's lament over Saul and Jonathan's deaths have called it the Song of the Bow (cf. v. 22).¹⁰Many people in Judah learned and sang it (v. 18). The Book of Jasher (v. 18) is no longer extant (cf. Josh. 10:13).

"How the mighty have fallen"is the key refrain in the song (vv. 19, 25, 27). It forms an inclusiothat brackets the entire poem as well as occuring in the middle. The strophes gradually diminish in force with the falling away of the sorrow expressed therein.¹¹The lament lauds the fallen heroes, mourns their deaths, and praises their bravery, inseparable love, and Saul's virtues (vv. 19-24). It then expounds David and Jonathan's friendship (vv. 25-26) and concludes with a final sigh of grief (v. 27).

Jonathan had remained loyal to Saul as his father and as the Lord's anointed even though Saul had many faults. The reference to "your beauty"or "your glory"(v. 19) may be a reference to Jonathan (cf. 1 Sam. 14:4-5, 10, 12-13).¹²Gath and Ashkelon (v. 20) were the easternmost and westernmost cities in Philistia respectively and therefore probably represent the totality of that nation.¹³The Hebrew words translated "beloved"or "loved"and "pleasant"or "gracious"(v. 23) refer to physical attractiveness and fundamental devotion respectively.¹⁴

"Taken together the two words articulate a peculiar and precious bonding with David."¹⁵

Saul's reign had been good for Israel economically. He had been a source of some blessing because he was God's anointed even though he also caused sorrow (v. 24).

"The separate treatment of Jonathan in a fake coda [v. 25] subtly shows David's preference for him [over Saul]."¹⁶

David considered Jonathan's love better than that of women (v. 26).¹⁷David was not alluding to some perverted type of love that he shared with Jonathan but to covenant and political loyalty.¹⁸He probably meant that they enjoyed a oneness that most married couples do not because of their deep and strong commitment to Yahweh as well as to one another. The "weapons of war"that had perished (v. 27) may refer to the Israelite soldiers who had perished in the battle. They probably refer to Saul and Jonathan metaphorically (cf. the metaphorical reference to Jonathan in v. 19).¹⁹

Even when Saul died, David acted properly toward the Lord's anointed. This shows his regard for Yahweh's leadership over Israel. Jonathan would have succeeded Saul on the throne customarily, but now he was dead, too. Even though David saw in the deaths of these men the removal of obstacles to his coronation, he did not rejoice.

In the Saul and David narrative just completed (-1 Sam. 16-2 Sam. 1) the importance of the anointed one surfaced many times. To be right before God and to enjoy His blessing one had to respond properly to His anointed. This always holds true especially concerning God's anointed, Jesus Christ. As Yahweh's anointed David was to lead Israel in its battles. David began doing this with a shepherd's tools rather than with those of a warrior showing he would be an ideal leader. He led as a shepherd. Many in Israel, even the royal family of Saul as well as many outside the nation (among the Philistines, Amalekites, et al.), recognized that God was bringing blessing to Israel through David. Like the ark David went into exile in Philistia, but the Philistines sent him back because he was a greater threat than a help.²⁰This shows that God had been with David as He had been with the ark.

The major conflict between Saul and David in 1 Samuel 16 through 2 Samuel 1 contains eight sub-conflicts: God's Spirit left Saul and came upon David at his anointing (ch. 16). Goliath and Saul conflicted with David (17:1-18:5). Saul conflicted with David and Saul's household (18:6-20:42). Saul and Doeg conflicted with David and Israel's priests (chs. 21-22). Saul conflicted with David in the wilderness (chs. 23-26). Saul and his heirs conflicted with the Philistines (chs. 27-29). The Amalekites conflicted with David (ch. 30). Finally Saul and Jonathan conflicted with the Philistines (-1 Sam. 31-2 Sam. 1).

The basic conflict between Saul and David recalls the one between Samuel and Eli's sons. Saul was the epitome of what Israel wanted in a king. David on the other hand was the youngest son in his family, a shepherd, and even a surprise to Samuel as God's choice. David became what the ark had been earlier in 1 Samuel: the source of blessing for the godly and of trouble for the ungodly. He was largely the fulfillment of Hannah's desire for an anointed one (1 Sam. 2:10).²¹

Both Samuel (1 Sam. 7) and David (1 Sam. 17:1-18:5) defeated the Philistines who had no regard for Yahweh, though they did acknowledge His power. In contrast, Saul was never able to do so except with Jonathan's help. Only those deeply committed to Yahweh could overcome His enemies (cf. Mark 9:14-29).