1 Samuel 1
2 Samuel 1 opens with a scene in which David hears from an Amalekite about the deaths of Saul and Jonathan. The messenger reports that Saul has died and claims that he played a role in the final moments when Saul was killed. The story shows David’s reaction to Saul’s death and how this event affects the fate of the kingdom of Israel.
1verseNow there was a certain man of Ramathaim Zophim, of the hill country of Ephraim, and his name was Elkanah, the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephraimite.
2verseHe had two wives. The name of one was Hannah, and the name of the other Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children.
3verseThis man went up out of his city from year to year to worship and to sacrifice to the LORD of Armies in Shiloh. The two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, priests to the LORD, were there.
4verseWhen the day came that Elkanah sacrificed, he gave portions to Peninnah his wife and to all her sons and her daughters;
5versebut he gave a double portion to Hannah, for he loved Hannah, but the LORD had shut up her womb.
6verseHer rival provoked her severely, to irritate her, because the LORD had shut up her womb.
7verseSo year by year, when she went up to the LORD’s house, her rival provoked her. Therefore she wept, and didn’t eat.
8verseElkanah her husband said to her, “Hannah, why do you weep? Why don’t you eat? Why is your heart grieved? Am I not better to you than ten sons?”
9verseSo Hannah rose up after they had finished eating and drinking in Shiloh. Now Eli the priest was sitting on his seat by the doorpost of the LORD’s temple.
10verseShe was in bitterness of soul, and prayed to the LORD, weeping bitterly.
11verseShe vowed a vow, and said, “LORD of Armies, if you will indeed look at the affliction of your servant and remember me, and not forget your servant, but will give to your servant a boy, then I will give him to the LORD all the days of his life, and no razor shall come on his head.”
12verseAs she continued praying before the LORD, Eli saw her mouth.
13verseNow Hannah spoke in her heart. Only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard. Therefore Eli thought she was drunk.
14verseEli said to her, “How long will you be drunk? Get rid of your wine!”
15verseHannah answered, “No, my lord, I am a woman of a sorrowful spirit. I have not been drinking wine or strong drink, but I poured out my soul before the LORD.
16verseDon’t consider your servant a wicked woman; for I have been speaking out of the abundance of my complaint and my provocation.”
17verseThen Eli answered, “Go in peace; and may the God of Israel grant your petition that you have asked of him.”
18verseShe said, “Let your servant find favor in your sight.” So the woman went her way and ate; and her facial expression wasn’t sad any more.
19verseThey rose up in the morning early and worshiped the LORD, then returned and came to their house to Ramah. Then Elkanah knew Hannah his wife; and the LORD remembered her.
20verseWhen the time had come, Hannah conceived, and bore a son; and she named him Samuel, saying, “Because I have asked him of the LORD.”
21verseThe man Elkanah, and all his house, went up to offer to the LORD the yearly sacrifice and his vow.
22verseBut Hannah didn’t go up, for she said to her husband, “Not until the child is weaned; then I will bring him, that he may appear before the LORD, and stay there forever.”
23verseElkanah her husband said to her, “Do what seems good to you. Wait until you have weaned him; only may the LORD establish his word.” So the woman waited and nursed her son until she weaned him.
24verseWhen she had weaned him, she took him up with her, with three bulls, and one ephah of meal, and a container of wine, and brought him to the LORD’s house in Shiloh. The child was young.
25verseThey killed the bull, and brought the child to Eli.
26verseShe said, “Oh, my lord, as your soul lives, my lord, I am the woman who stood by you here, praying to the LORD.
27verseI prayed for this child, and the LORD has given me my petition which I asked of him.
28verseTherefore I have also given him to the LORD. As long as he lives he is given to the LORD.” He worshiped the LORD there.
David’s Mourning and His Righteous Attitude
Upon hearing of the deaths of Saul and Jonathan, David is deeply sorrowful and mourns. He tears his clothes, fasts, and mourns for Saul and Jonathan and for the Israelite soldiers who have fallen. Both Saul and Jonathan were closely connected to David’s life, yet David genuinely grieves their deaths. David also makes clear his reverence for the “anointed one” by executing the Amalekite youth who killed Saul—showing that he will not seize the kingship by his own hand.
David’s Lament (Song of the Bow)
David commands that a lament (Song of the Bow) be sung to the entire nation of Israel for Saul and Jonathan. The song praises Saul and Jonathan for their bravery, the impact they had on Israel, and David’s deep friendship with Jonathan. While this lament clearly expresses human sorrow and feelings of mourning, it also invites reflection that, within God’s unfolding work, an era has come to an end.
Reflection Points
- Genuine Mourning - Leaving behind their relationship and the past with Saul and Jonathan, David truly mourns in the face of their deaths.
- An Attitude Toward God’s Anointing - David shows that he honors the one who has been anointed by God to the very end.
- Turning Sorrow into Song - David expresses his personal feelings honestly and transforms sorrow into a shared experience within the community.
Apply It to Me
- When facing difficult partings and loss, I can reflect on the need for a time to truly grieve and mourn.
- In the relationships and responsibilities entrusted to me, I can learn from David’s example of respecting the other person to the end and expressing my feelings honestly.
- By sharing my sorrow and the wounds of the past with the community through the precious stories of my life, I can think about the wisdom needed to comfort the pain of myself and others.
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