The Song of the Bow
”“The beauty of Israel is slain on your high places!
How the mighty have fallen!
Tell it not in Gath,
Proclaim it not in the streets of Ashkelon—
Lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice,
Lest the daughters of the uncircumcised triumph.
“O mountains of Gilboa,
Let there be no dew nor rain upon you,
Nor fields of offerings.
For the shield of the mighty is cast away there!
The shield of Saul,
not anointed with oil.
From the blood of the slain,
From the fat of the mighty,
The bow of Jonathan did not turn back,
And the sword of Saul did not return empty.
“Saul and Jonathan were beloved and pleasant in their lives,
And in their death they were not divided;
They were swifter than eagles,
They were stronger than lions.
“O daughters of Israel,
weep over Saul,
Who clothed you in scarlet,
with luxury;
Who put ornaments of gold on your apparel.
“How the mighty have fallen in the midst of the battle!
Jonathan was slain in your high places.
I am distressed for you,
my brother Jonathan;
You have been very pleasant to me;
Your love to me was wonderful,
Surpassing the love of women.
“How the mighty have fallen,
And the weapons of war perished!”“ II Samuel 1:19-27 NKJV
a. The beauty of Israel is slain: In this song, David showed the great love and generosity in his heart towards Saul. It showed that David didn’t kill Saul with a sword or in his heart.
· He saw beauty in Saul.
· He wanted no one to rejoice over the death of Saul.
· He wanted everyone to mourn, even the mountains and fields.
· He praised Saul as a mighty warrior.
· He complimented the personality and loyalty of Saul (beloved and pleasant…not divided).
· He called the daughters Israel to mourning and praised the good Saul did for Israel.
i. All this is a powerful testimony of how David kept his heart free from bitterness, even when he was greatly wronged and sinned against. David fulfilled 1 Corinthians 13:5: love thinks no evil. David knew the principle of 1 Peter 4:8: And above all things have fervent love for one another, for “love will cover a multitude of sins.”
ii. David could do this because of his great trust in God and God’s power. He knew that God was in charge of his life, and that even if Saul meant it for evil, God could use it for good.
iii. “Such a magnanimous attitude on the part of one who had suffered so much at Saul’s hand is incomprehensible apart from a deep commitment to the Lord.” (Baldwin)
b. How the mighty have fallen: David doesn’t say it, but we understand that Saul fell long before this. He fell when he hardened his heart against God, against the word of God through the prophet, and against the man after God’s own heart. Saul’s death on Gilboa was the sad conclusion to his prior fall.
c. I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan: David’s mourning for Jonathan makes more sense to us. Jonathan was David’s deep friend and partner in serving God.
i. Your love to me was wonderful, surpassing the love of women: Had David followed God’s plan for marriage – to one woman, faithful for a lifetime – he might have found more fulfillment in his marriage relationship. We remember that David’s own experience of love with women was not according to God’s will. His multiple marriages kept him from God’s ideal: one man and one woman in a one-flesh relationship.
ii. There is not the slightest hint that David and Jonathan expressed their love in a sexual way. They had a deep, godly love for each other – but not a sexual love. Our modern age often finds it difficult to believe that love can be deep and real without it having a sexual aspect. (Guzik)
The Greek Word For Love
In the New Testament, the concept of love is primarily expressed through four Greek words. You can study them here.
Blessings
https://biblehub.com/topical/t/the_greek_word_for_love.htm
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