 It’s time to sing
‘the Song of the Bow’ |
By Rev. Eu Hong Seng
Chairman, NECF Malaysia
“Then David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and over Jonathan his son, and he told them to teach the children of Judah the Song of the Bow;...” (2 Sam. 1:17–18 NKJV)
The words to this elegy are particularly significant and meaningful in this day and age when we increasingly hear of moral failures and fallings of key church leaders around the world and in our land.
There are many godly principles which we can learn from this song, in particular, the attitudes which we should adopt whenever we receive news that a God-anointed leader has fallen.
1) Be Magnanimous
David described Saul as the “beauty of Israel” (2 Sam. 1:19a NKJV), honouring Saul who has fallen.
David’s act must sound strange to many of us. Saul had engaged in numerous dishonorable acts besides attempting to spear David, sending troops to kill him (1 Sam. 19), consulting a medium/witch at Endor (1 Sam. 28) and taking his own life and dying in an unceremonious manner (1 Sam. 31).
Despite all his failings, David magnanimously called Saul the “beauty of Israel”, choosing to see the good that was in him, and not discredit the one whom God had anointed as Israel’s first king.
The best form
of graciousness witnessed today
is “mere silence." |
2) Be Discreet
David admonished his people to,
“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.” – (2 Sam. 1:20 NKJV)
The Philistines and the ‘uncircumcised’ were foes of the people of Israel, and Gath and Ashkelon were cities of the enemies.
Notwithstanding Saul’s mistreatment and ill will towards him, David remained loyal and bore the burden and shame of Saul and Saul’s sons’ defeat and deaths in the hands of the Philistines.
The sad thing about the incidents of moral failure among Christian leaders is that it is the ‘un-fallen’ Christians themselves who unashamedly disseminate the unsavoury news (and provide details) of such fallings, so much so that non-Christians are very much aware of the ‘rot’ in the body of Christ.
We call for discretion to be exercised in such situations; “Tell it not” should be the order of the day.
Not covering the sin and uncovering the shame are not synonymous.
3) Be Gracious
Again, despite all of Saul’s misdeeds, and against the grain of common human reaction and tendency, David was extremely gracious towards Saul (and Jonathan) in his words of praise and tribute towards he two. His call to the ‘mountains of Gilboa’ – to not have dew or rain upon it, and ‘may their fields produce no grain, because there the mighty warrior’s shield was dishonoured’ (2 Sam. 1:21a NCV) – was a show of respect to Saul and Jonathan; a reminder of how good they were.
When someone ‘falls’, we instinctively have negative thoughts of that person.
However, there is room for us to thank God for the things they had done right; surely not all that they had done in their lifetime had been wrong.
We need to learn from David’s graciousness; he describes Saul and Jonathan as “swifter than eagles” and “stronger than Lions” (2 Sam. 1:23b NKJV)
The best form of graciousness witnessed today is “mere silence.”
The Webster Dictionary defines “gracious” as being “favorable; kind; benevolent; merciful; disposed to forgive offenses and impart unmerited blessings”. Our God is a gracious and merciful God (Nehemiah 9:17 & 31), and so, we also should be towards our brethren.
How can we apply and put to practice the beatitudes of Matthew 5 if we are not able to be gracious to those in our own household?
Let’s say something …good!
The true state of our heart is revealed in the way we treat the downtrodden, and not in the way we revere dignitaries.
No wonder that later in David’s life, he was able to pray “your gentleness has made me great” (2 Sam 22:36b). Here is a man who knows what it means to be gentle, as one having experienced the gentleness of God Himself.
4) Be Compassionate
When one of God’s anointed leaders fall, almost immediately we find articles and news reports expressing sadness over the dimming and demise of one of God’s ‘bright stars’ here on earth. While many such articles and reports convey sorrow and regret of the blow suffered by the body of Christ, I often find the element of weeping missing.
David called upon the nation to “weep over Saul” (2 Sam. 1:24).
Just as there was national mourning and weeping for Saul and true deep declaration of love and grief for Jonathan (2 Samuel 1:24-27), we the body of Christ should also mourn and weep when one of ‘God’s generals’ falls prey to the trap of sin set by the enemy.
Ecclesiastes reminds us there is, ‘”a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance”.
What do we see today? Identification, contrite remorse and weeping or condescending regret?
So often we say what we say “to sell papers” or “to promote our views” rather than to express genuine mourning.
Conclusion
There was something about David’s heart that was revealed when he commanded the new song to be sung and for the children of Israel to learn the “Song of the Bow”.
My prayer is that God would help us set aside ‘carnal gut reactions’ to unpleasant failings, and emulate David, a man whom God Himself later proclaimed to be a man after His own heart (Acts 13:22). It’s a new year … it’s time we learn a new song!
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