Latest / Teachings On This Day On FerventWord / On Oct 13, 2021: 2 Samuel 1 Represent God When The Wicked Fall
Transcript
- Well, as we look at this song of David here in Second Samuel chapter one, I've titled The Message represent God when the Wicked Fall. Represent God when the wicked. I think it's safe to say it's fair to say that Saul was wicked in first chronicles chapter 10. It sums up the life of Saul at the end of his life, and a similar chapter. It's a parallel to second Samuel chapter one here. As it sums up the life of Saul, there it puts it this way. First chronicles chapter 10, verse 13. Saul died for his unfaithfulness, which he had committed against the Lord because he did not keep the word of the Lord, and also because he consulted a medium for guidance. Salt died for his unfaithfulness. Against the Lord. The life of soul is really an account of. Disobedience to God and refusal to surrender to God. A resistance to the will of God to the plan of God, to the Word of God. In many ways Saul did wickedly. Did evil and he was unfaithful to the Lord. But now as we get to chapter one here of Second Samuel, Saul has died. Now to get the context for this. So maybe kind of step back for a minute in my TV voice. Previously in the book of Samuel, Right? Like just kind of recapping a little bit where where we've come from. And what the Lord has been say. Saying the the things that have happened here in first and Second Samuel. Have been many. We of course started out for Samuel with Eli as a priest and a judge of the nation, but he had some issues with his wicked sons that he wasn't dealing with and so the Lord replaced him really with Samuel, the Prophet and Samuel became the judge over is. But the people didn't like the idea of Samuel's children being rulers in Israel, so they requested a king, and God said, OK, go ahead and do it, and he instructed Samuel to anoint Saul as king. And so Saul had everything he needed to be a godly king to be a godly man to receive the Kingdom in a way that would benefit the people. And bless the Lord. And Samuel anoints Saul as king. But early in his career as king, he rejected the instruction of the Lord, and insisted multiple times over and over, on doing his own thing, and following his own ways his own plans. And so then around 10:25 BC Samuel is sent by the Lord to anoint David as King. Now Saul is still the king at this time and David won't be on the throne. This anointing won't be fully realized or fulfilled until 20 years later, but. But he's anointed, and the Lord announces in that way that David is the one who will be the next king after Saul. It's a couple years later that David comes to the battle and Sliz Goliath. But as soon as he does. From that day forward, it tells us that Saul had his eye on David. And so you can kind of do the math here. In the years where 1022 BC is around, the time when David kills Goliath 1012 BC is around the time when Saul and Jonathan died in battle. There's a 10 year span. A 10 year span in which Saul eyed David suspiciously. A 10 year span in which Saul persecuted David not just with some harsh words or some you know, really clever jokes, or some mocking and and bullying. But but with actual life threatening attempts to to kill him that the the Spears. Were thrown at him multiple times. The attacks against him were repeated and and salt continued over this 10 year period to try to kill David at first. Happened there around the palace, within the area of of the the cities, but but then David fled out to the wilderness and for most of that 10 year period, David was on the run. And it tells us in first Samuel I think it's Chapter 23 that David that Saul was seeking David every day, every day he was trying to kill David. He was trying to find him in the wilderness and take him out. And so that 10 year period is filled with. Evil and wickedness done against David by Saul. Well, David is not perfect in all of this and where David has been leading up to second Samuel chapter one is that David in the wilderness has been just barely escaping because the Lord continues to provide a way of escape for him. He's just been barely escaping though, and he gets. Really uncomfortable with that. And so he runs to the Philistines in the. Last few chapters of First Samuel. And he's hiding out amongst the Philistines, really living a lie amongst the philistines that required him to be cruel and merciless as he would have to when he would attack a police. He would have to kill all men, women and children every living thing so that word would not get out that. He was betraying the Philistines, but but he had to fulfill this liar live out this lie that he had given out, pretending that he was allied with the Philistines. It went so far as that he even prepared to battle against Israel with the Philistines. But the Philistine leaders, the Lords of the Philistines, wouldn't have it, so they sent him home. And then his home, which was Ziklag, was attacked and raided by the Amalekites, and. It brought him to a place where finally he kind of came to his senses and he called out to the Lord again. That place of desperation went. His whole family had been taken by the these Raiders that had come through. Now his men have turned against him because they lost their families also. In first Samuel chapter 30, verse six, it tells us that David was greatly distressed. But he strengthened himself in the Lord. And he began to seek the Lord once again, and so all of this just to kind of set the backdrop. For when Saul dies now. Chapter one happens right after he has recovered all of the. The people and the goods that were stolen by the Raiders from Ziklag. He's recovered, he's recovered all of those things. They're back home. They're back in ziklag. He's got his wife wives with him, and his men are happy. And they've restored all of the goods that were taken. But the battle continued to go on. Of course, between the Philistines and the Israelites. And now word comes back. The battle has completed, and Saul has died. And David's reaction to this is what I find so remarkable here. In second Samuel chapter one. It tells us that he mourns in verse 11 here of Second Samuel when it says therefore David took hold of his own clothes. And tore them. And so did all the men who are with him, and they mourned and wept, and fasted until evening for Solomon. For Jonathan, his son, for the people of the Lord, and for the House of Israel, because they had. Fallen by the sword. If you think about the life of David in the past ten years of David the past 10 years of difficulty, the past 10 years of of being attacked by this man. Now when he hears of his death. How does he respond? Well, I would suggest he responds in a godly way. Do you remember what the word godly means? Means to be like God. Do you remember what the word Christian means? It means to be Christ like that is that we are to be godly. That is, we are to be like God now, not like God in the weird sense of, you know, becoming a God or anything like that. But but like God in the nature and the character of God and like. God in the sense that we represent, we reflect the nature and character of God to the world around us into people around us. To be Christian is to be like Christ. It's to be reacting to you, responding to and behaving like Jesus did. Or like Jesus would. And so here we get to see an example of this. I would suggest you David here responds. In a God like way in a godly way, he represents God at the news. Of Saul's death. When the wicked fell. David wrote a song. Not a song of celebration. But a song of lamentation, and so we're going to consider this song and discover three ways to represent God when the wicked fall, when those who have hurt us, when those who have harmed us, when those who have stressed us and and caused us much pain and anxiety, even if it's been for the past 10 years. When they. The righteous judgment that comes to them, how are we to represent God in those situations? Three ways we learn from David. The first one is found here in verses 17 through 19 and that is mourn the tragedies of people. Mourn the tragedies of people. How do we represent God when the wicked fall by mourning the tragedy that happens in a person's life? Look again at verses 17 through 19. It says. Then David lamented with this lamentation over soul and over Jonathan his son. And he told them to teach the children of Judah the song of the Bow. Indeed, it is written in the book of Jasher, the beauty of Israel is slain on your high places. How the mighty have fallen. David writes a lamentation. Now the word lamentation, the word lament. It means to mourn and and so we understand that idea of mourning, but but it's actually a little bit deeper than that because a lamentation was something a little bit more formal than just David was a little bit sad. A lamentation was. Like a formal. A event or occasion. A formal piece of a funeral in those days, and so limitation you could describe as or understand as a funeral poem. In a sense, you could picture David showing up to Saul's funeral and reading this poem. In the funeral ceremony in the memorial service. That that it had this place of honor within those occasions. So you know, we don't have them a lot these days, but you you would often have in a funeral service at eulogy, where it would be not an informal just kind of talking about, but there would be this very formal, structured, very serious. In sober time to speak about the one who has died in a similar way for the Hebrews. This lamentation was this very serious part. Of a funeral service. It was a funeral poem, a funeral song that was intended to be used at a service in mourning for the one. Who has lost? And so it tells us that David lamented with this lamentation in verse 17. David lamented with this funeral poem. He lamented it's not just that he was good at writing poems, and I would suggest David not pretending here. You know, not really limiting, but I know how to write a good lamentation right? No, it says David lamented with this lamentation. He he truly mourned. And this lamentation, this funeral poem was. Birthed out of his mourning in this occasion. And again, I think this is so remarkable and and really such a challenge for us. To think about to consider representing God when the wicked fall, David. Does that hear even though it's so personal to him? And the wicked who has fallen is one who has done such great harm to him. And yet he mourns. He accurately represents God. Ezekiel chapter 33 verse 11 God speaking through the Prophet Ezekiel. Says say to them as I live says, the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked. But that the wicked turn from his way and live turn turn. From your evil ways. For why should you die? Oh House of Israel? God says I do not have pleasure in the death. Of the wicked. I think none of us would fault David. For instead of writing a lamentation, writing a celebration. Right, he might be going. Good times come. On yeah like soft gone yes. But David laments he mourns. He doesn't take pleasure in it. And in that he is accurately representing God, who does not take pleasure in the death of the wicked God. Desire is that the worst of the worst of the worst. Would turn and live would have the opportunity to repent. God's desire is that the person who has caused you the most hurt and the most harm in your life. God's desire for them is to repent. And have forgiveness and find life. And although that may not bring us a lot of joy, that is the heart of God. And if we are going to represent God, we need to understand God's heart in regards to the wicked. So many times we get mixed up. We get confused and we get tricked into thinking that people are our enemies. But Paul made. It clear in Ephesians chapter six we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, that the person. That causes hurts and harm and difficulty and. Can be so agonizing and hurting against you. The person is not your enemy. Even if that person makes you their enemy. Like Saul did with David. The person is not the enemy. And so David here is able to mourn because. He he is reflecting the heart of God he's recognizing. God takes no pleasure in the death. Of the wicked. Not only is he mourning personally, but but he's helping others to mourn in this situation. Verse 18, it says, then he told them to teach the children of Judah the song of the Bow. That's what he named the song, the Song of the Bow. And so he's not just lamenting and writing this poem down, but he says to the children of Judah. Hey everybody, you need to teach this to your children. There's going to be a strong temptation for you. To not mourn over this tragedy, but but you need to mourn, and so let me help you do that. Let me instruct you to teach this song to your children. The beauty of Israel is slain on your high places. The beauty of Israel. He refers to solenni, an incredibly respectful way here. Mentioning Saul as well as Jonathan throughout this. He refers to them collectively orsal individually as. The beauty of. Israel being slain. How the mighty have fallen. Now again. As you think about this beginning of this song, the beginning of this poem. I would encourage you to think about. What had sold done in David's life? There was many many many, many occasions where Saul sought to kill David. And I would ask you the question, how? Do you genuinely lament? When someone has caused you so much hurt like how is that even possible? As you look over these things here that happened in first Samuel. Again, you see the Spears flying. You see Saul trying to set up traps for David to be killed by the Philistines. You see Saul chasing David around the wilderness trying to kill him every day for. The better part of 10 years he's trying to kill David every day. For 10 years I mean just like. It's kind of. A struggle to picture that unless maybe you have assault in your life that has been bugging you for some time. I mean, we're kind of tired of the pandemic stuff, right? It's only been two years, right? But ten years? Like if you think about that right now, it's like someone who's been attacking you and hurting you and harming you since 2011. Maybe that's the badge that they have. Attacking Rick since 2011. Bringing her bringing harm seeking to destroy. How do you mourn? When someone like that falls. When someone like that experiences. I think part of it perhaps is that David was mourning, but not just for us. He was also mourning for Jonathan. Verse 12 here of Second Samuel chapter one tells us they mourned and wept and fasted until evening for Saul and for Jonathan his son for the people of the Lord and for the House of Israel. So so the morning that they're experiencing is. Includes Saul, but it's not exclusively. He's also mourning for Jonathan. But I think it's interesting. That it says he mourned for the people. Of the Lord and for the. House of Israel. Now you could take that to think of. The other soldiers who fell on the battlefield, but I would suggest you can also understand that to say that. David, here is morning. Not just. For Jonathan his friend. But he's mourning over what this will impact or what this will bring upon the people of the Lord and upon the House of Israel. He's mourning over the impact of. Their deaths, what's going to happen? There's going. To be some fallout, and as you. Continue on in second Samuel. You'll get to see a little bit of that that there's some fallout. The family of Saul is going to be hurt and devastated, and there's going to be some infighting and other people are going to be killed. And some people are going to be murdered. There's going to be some battles between the tribes as a result of this, like there's more happening here than just the death of salt. It's going to have a a wide reaching impact. And so David here is mourning this tragedy. Looking at the. Bigger picture understanding. First of all, going back to the heart of God, he takes no pleasure. In the death of the. Wicked, But then also understanding. There is real tragedy here and for some people this is going to shake them to the core. There's going to be a lot of people hurt and affected by this death. And so he's able to mourn in this tragedy, to lament in this lamentation, pastor David Guzik puts it this way. Out of pure jealousy, hatred, spite and Ungodliness, Saul took away David family home, career security, and the best years of David's life. Yet David mourned and wept, and fasted when he learned of Saul's death. This powerfully demonstrates that our hatred and bitterness and unforgiveness are chosen, not imposed. On us David clearly chose. A path that was not bitterness and UN forgiveness. Hard path juice. For someone who has caused so much hurt and harm and and what Pastor David Guzik is sharing here is is accurate. David lost his home, his family member. He had to put them in Moab. He had to yank his family off of their property away from their home that they've lived in. You know, David's whole life and put them in another nation for these ten years. He's been on the run he's been. His life has been turned upside down. Again, hurt and harmed. Yet he chose. To relate to soul. According to the heart of God. It's godliness, it's christlikeness Yeah, David made a bunch of mistakes and he's there in ziklag, as a you know, reminder of the fact that he is not perfect. But in this lamentation, he He represents God. He mourns the tragedy of people, even Saul. Who hated him who harmed him? Who tried so hard to destroy him while continuing on the second thing we learned the 2nd way we learned to represent God when the wicked fall found in verses 20 through 22. It's refrained from rejoicing over tragedy. Refrain from rejoicing. It goes right along with mourning. Hold back. I have no doubt that there was some relief that David experienced and probably great temptation for rejoicing as well. Listen to what David says in verses 20 through 22. He says, tell it not. In gath Proclaim it not in the streets of Ashkelon. Lest the daughters of the philistines rejoice. Let's the daughters of the uncircumcised triumph. Oh mountains of gilboa. Let there be no dew nor rain upon you. Nor fields of offerings. For the shield of the mighty is castaway 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. David says. Don't let this news be sounded aloud. Tell it not in Gath. Don't let this news be shouted out now. Gath was a philistine city. And what David is saying here is. Withhold this news so that the enemies of Israel don't celebrate and rejoice. Don't let the philistines rejoice. Don't let the the daughters of the uncircumcised be triumphant in their mind and in their hearts, but but then he also calls on. Israel itself, the mountains of Gilboa. That's the mountain on which Salt died. On the mountain itself. Let there be no dew nor rain upon you. He's saying to the land itself to Israel itself. Mourn, do not rejoice now again, I I just I read this and I just picture myself in David Shoes, saying mountains of Gilboa. Spring forth with flowers and bring forth colors and joint like you know. Just let all this vegetation grow. Let there be this huge celebration. Shout it in all the land you know, bring out the the party poppers and the the horn. Whatever those things are called and and and. You know, just. Let it be heard. Let it be known, let. Let let us. Shout so that the land shakes so that all the enemies of Israel know that you know like it it would be just so easy for David in this moment again. He has suffered for such a long time to just be calling for great. Can I remind? You this evening. This is not a Bible verse. Ding Dong, the Wicked Witch is dead. Like that's not from the Bible, that's. That's from the movie and we understand, and perhaps we celebrate along with the Munchkins as they celebrate right? Although we can relate to it. May not be. A accurate representation of God. When we respond this way. As tragedy hits, even if it's righteous, judgment of God hits in. The lives of those who have hurt us and harmed us so greatly. Proverbs Chapter 11 verse 10. Says when it goes well with the righteous, the city rejoices. And when the wicked perish, there is jubilation. When the wicked perish. Hey hey. There's dancing and celebration. There's great joy. This proverb is recording what happens. It's not instruction to behave this way. There is jubilation when the wicked. Receive what is coming to them. But remember. What God say. I take no pleasure in the death. Of the wicked. The question is, do you want to represent God? Do you desire? To represent God's heart I, I think perhaps if we're honest. In times like this. I might say I don't want to represent God. I want to celebrate their suffering. I want to rejoice. This is such a like a sweet moment to just enjoy the sweet justice. To celebrate, they finally got what was coming to them. They have hurt me so bad they have harmed me so much. This is an occasion to rejoice. And it's a choice we can make. It's a course that we can take. But again, the. Question is, do you want to represent God? Do you want to represent God when tragedy strikes? Judgment falls. When hurt or harm happens. To those who have hurt or harmed us. What's God? Saying what, what's his heart in times like that? But again, how do you not rejoice when someone has hurt you so much? Again, this isn't just metaphors, Saul literally took a spear and tried to pin David. To the wall with it. He he actually tried to kill David. Like how do you not rejoice when the person who tried? To kill you. Point blank, right, right in your face when the person who has pursued you and took every occasion that they could to hurt you to harm you too. Bring difficulty into your life. How do you not rejoice? When someone who has caused you so much hurt experiences tragedy. Probably chapter 24. Tells us a righteous man may fall 7 times and rise again. But the wicked shall fall by calamity. Do not rejoice when your enemy falls. And do not let your heart be glad. When he stumbles. Lest the Lord see it, and it displease him. And he turned. Away his wrath. From him As opposed to the other proverb I shared earlier, this one actually is instruction. The Lord says here, a righteous man may fall seven times. Listen, tragedy is going to strike everybody, life. All of us are going to experience tragedy. We're going to get knocked down. We're going to fall repeatedly. But a righteous man. One who trusts the Lord, one who walks with the Lord will rise again. Now you can take that as a, you know. Comeback story right? Like you get knocked down in life, but you trust the Lord. You walk with him and and you build up your life again and you come to a place of solid victory in your life. But you can also understand rise again. Speaking of eternity and so even though tragedy strikes in the life of a righteous person, they rise again. Life, everlasting life, eternal there there's no tragedy so great. Takes away. From that eternity that God has planned. But it's different for the wicked. The wicked shall fall by calamity. When the wicked fall, it's different than when the righteous fall. Now the promise here. The guarantee is the rickitt. The wicked shall fall. God promises the wicked will get what's coming to them. But that's not his desire. He doesn't take any pleasure or joy in that. His desire is that the wicked would turn and repent to receive life from him. But God promised to us is that justice will be done. He will take care of those things, and the wicked shall fall. Remember the parable of the wise and foolish builders and part of the point of the parable, was the storms happen to both the wise and the foolish. Tragedy happens to both the righteous and the wicked. Tragedy knocking us back a couple steps in life or tragedy taking away our life from this earth. It happens both to the righteous and to the wicked. But for the wicked is different. The wicked will fall. But when they fall finally permanently. In the stead of. On repentance they perish completely. And God says I don't desire, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked in that way. And so here, the proverb instructs us, do not rejoice when your enemy falls. Talking about an occasion where your enemy falls not in a permanent way, this isn't death, but but they experience some kind of tragedy short of death. Don't don't rejoice in that. Don't let your heart be glad why. 'cause the Lord's watching. And the Lord's looking at you saying OK? This person who has hurt you, this person who has harmed you. This person has attacked you and and done so much evil against you. Are you going to reflect my heart? As they experience tragedy. And if you don't reflect my heart, God says. That displeases me. If you don't. Treat this situation in a way that honors me and and represents me. God says that displeases me. I'm not happy about that. That's wrong. That's wrong to do. It's wrong to respond to this in a way that does not reflect the heart of God. And so the proverb here is warning us, listen, if you displease God by misrepresenting him well, then God may have to deal with your heart. In the midst of this situation, and so he's going to turn away his wrath from. The wicked person. Because although he. Is going to make sure that the justice is done right? He's going to. Make sure that that happens. He's not going to further the issue that is now present by you gleefully enjoying the judgment that is being brought. And so instead God says I, I need. To now deal with your heart. Because you are taking pleasure. You're rejoicing in this calamity, this tragedy. It's not representing me. It's not accurate to my heart you. You're now displeasing me. In your attitude and your heart over the tragedy that's happening in this other person's life. Refrain from rejoicing over tragedy. Watch out guard your heart. Again, I know there must have been such relief in David's heart. And that's right, right? Like the one who tried to kill him is now dead, so he doesn't have to like be. Sleeping with one eye open any longer, right? Like there there is the sense of relief. You might even say joy over that at the same time, he's not rejoicing over the fact that Saul is dead. He's not rejoicing over the tragedy upon Saul, and he's not rejoicing over the tragedy upon Saul family and upon the nation, and all of the impacts that will happen to them. I I think it's something that's really. Really worth considering for us as believers. I think. There is a real issue of US misrepresenting God. In our society as Christians in our society, in the. Year 2021. I think there is a real issue that. We collectively. You can't do you know, fix everybody issues, right? But collectively as Christians. I don't know that we reflect the heart of God all that well. I think the world around us. Has some bad impressions, some misunderstandings about God directly because they're looking at us who call ourselves Christians. And we say we're Christlike. I'm Christian, I'm like Christ. Look at me, that's what Jesus is like and then we behave unlike Christ and the world is. Now, under the impression that. Christ is like something that he's not actually like because we who represent Christ. Misrepresent him, we're his ambassadors. But we behave unlike God. Don't always reflect the heart of God. And of course. That's going to be the case because we fall short and we are sinful. But at the same time, there needs to be a real genuine pursuit of the heart of God. In seeking to honor him. In the way that we behave. In the attitudes of our hearts. In times of tragedy. When the wicked fall. We need to represent God. We need to honor him. And mourn the tragedies of people. Don't celebrate tragedy. Don't rejoice, refrain from rejoicing over the tragedy that happens. Well, finally verses 23 through 27 in this lamentation that David brings gives us the 3rd way. To represent God when the wicked fall and that is to speak well of people in tragedy, to speak well of people who have experienced tragedy. Verse 23 David says 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. There's a place for correction. There's a place for bold declaration contrary to you know what people have said or what people have done there. There's a place for that. But in the time of tragedy. That may not be. The police. For that to happen. Hear it, David. As you walk through these verses, he he talks directly about Saul as. Well as Jonathan. And you can see. He's kind of using his words carefully like he's, he's not being careless with his words. He says Saul and Jonathan were beloved and pleasant in their lives. Saul and Jonathan let let's let's admire. And consider their relationship. Even in death they were not divided. There's a ton of bad things or. Negative things that. David could say about Saul. But he didn't start with one of those he started with, you know. Saul and Jonathan had. A really good relationship. They were they were together they were. They were working together through the reign of solid, so much so that even in their deathly were not divided, and that's that's admirable. Look at the relationship that these guys had father and son. Good strong relationship. Beloved and pleasant. Talking about Saul and Jonathan in verse 23 says they were swifter than Eagles and stronger than lions. Let me let me tell you something about Saul. David says boy, when he got on the run he was swift man. He he could run fast. In the midst of a battle, oh, he was stronger than a lion. He he had strength. He had speed, he was able. To be a mighty warrior. Three times throughout this lamentation, he says, how the mighty have fallen. It's always mighty. He was strong, he was fast. He he was. A great warrior. In verse 24 notice it says oh, daughters of Israel weep over Saul, who clothed you in scarlet with luxury. Who put ornaments of gold on your apparel? He calls the ladies to mourn over Saul. Again, he could be greatly tempted to say rejoice and celebrate, but he says mourn and. He calls them to think about. Impact on their lives for good, he clothed. You in scarlet. He he provided for you luxury. I mean, yes, there's a lot of things that Saul did, and there's a lot of issues that he had in his life. There's a lot of sin that was there in rebellion against God, but one of the things that he did was he did establish Israel as a nation. United Israel as a nation in many ways defeated enemies around them and established them with luxury, so there was. Good things, that's all accomplished. This is ladies. He put ornaments of gold on your apparel. He gave you some lavish things to enjoy. He gave you an environment where you could be blessed and experience bouncy and luxury. Verse 25 how the mighty have fallen in the midst of the battle. Jonathan was slain in your high places. See he shifts. Focus in verse 25 and 26 to Jonathan. Reflecting on his relationship with Jonathan and. The brotherly love that they had together. But again, talking about the mighty have fallen. Now David didn't have a lot to say about Saul here, right? He limited it to. The good things that he could say about Saul. Without slandering him, without pointing out all his faults without you know, describing all of his failures. How the mighty have fallen. And the weapons of war perished. Even though we often see salt avoiding battle. In first Samuel. When he finally. Got into the midst of battle, he was he was mighty. He was successful and. It talks about in his reign the the battles that he fought, the kingdoms that he conquered in. David Onard saw. In that he spoke well of Saul. I think if I was writing this limitation. I'd be going back to OK, so let me go back to the first time's all tried to kill me and tell you about that. And then the second time salt tried to kill me and then the 75th time's all trying to kill me like like I think I would probably be reliving those and talking about that and. David here doesn't do that. He speaks and addresses the issue of salt with. In fact, a few verses before this song, he puts to death the amalekite who claims that he struck down Saul. And he said, you've touched the Lord's anointed. Your blood is on your own head. For all the bad, you might be able to say about him, he was God's chosen man for that position in authority. You should not have touched that man. David tells the amalekite. You should not. Speak evil. Of people experiencing tragedy. Does that does that reflect the heart of God? Is that? Christ, like. Is that the way the. Lord wants us to behave. We have an example of this in the apostle Paul in acts chapter 23. He's on trial. He's being treated poorly unfairly. Even illegally. He's in Star when near him is instructed to to strike him and he says God will strike you. You whitewashed wall for use it to judge me according to the law. Yet you command me to be struck contrary to the law. Those who stood by said, do you revile God High Priest? Paul said I did not know, brethren, that this was the high priest, for it is written, you shall not speak evil of a ruler of your people. The striking of Paul in the New Testament. The striking of Paul was illegal by Jewish law. And so he's correcting the person who. Brought about this illegal activity. Perhaps because of his failing eyesight, we don't know for sure, but unaware that it was the high priest who gave that command. And Paul humbles himself, repents, confesses oh. You know, if I if I. Had known that that was the high priest. That was the Lord's anointed. I wouldn't have said that. Even though it's true. Even though it was illegal, it was done. To me, I wouldn't have said that. Because it would be wrong for me to speak evil. Of a ruler of the people he's quoting from Exodus Chapter 22, verse 28. I think that we as believers. Need to really examine the example of David here. And ask ourselves the question, do we want to represent God? It's never going to be easy. It's always going to be a great challenge, but here David provides a great model for us even when the wicked fall to represent God. Let's learn to follow the heart of God to reflect the heart of God, to mourn the tragedies of people, even those who have hurt us greatly. Let's mourn them. Let's not rejoice and celebrate. Let's refrain from rejoicing over the tragedy. Let's not take the advantage and take the opportunity to now speak ill of people, and to bring out you know, all of the kind of pile on the pain. Let me add to that and and now you know seek to bring you pain and and harm and heartache. In the same way that you brought to me as you go through this time of tragedy now speak, speak well of people in tragedy. Don't lie, David didn't lie right and he was very particular. He he just said a very limited number of. Things about Saul. That that he could say honestly and genuinely. He didn't say Saul was the greatest. King who ever lived. Right? Like no, no. He he didn't lie about Saul, he just. Chose to limit what he would say to the things that would be honorable. For the things that would be. Good things that he could say about Saul. Speak well of people in tragedy. I think these three ways provide a great model for us. A great example for us so that we can represent God when the people have hurt us. The people who have harmed us done a scrape difficult, you know, put us through great difficulty since 2011. Wear the badge with honor. I'm Rick Thorn in the flesh, you know, and they're happy about it. When they fall. Represent God. The wicked show the family of the wicked show the world around you. Show the world around them. What God looks like, what God says does behaves. In the midst of that situation. Let's pray, Lord, I pray that. You would help us. Lord, this call to represent you and to honor you in these times. But this might be the hardest and most difficult thing you ever call us to do. But I pray God. That you would fill us with your holy. Spirit empower us God by your spirit. To be enabled to be empowered to be able. To represent your nature, your character, your love, your grace, your forgiveness, your goodness, your mercy. But we celebrate. Your mercies are new every morning. But in doing so we are reminded. Our mercies. Can be new every morning. To those. Who have wronged us? We celebrate. But your Grace in our lives. And yet, Lord, may that remind us. To be gracious. To do good to those who hurt to do good. To those who have wronged. Lord, you taught us that to pray for those who spitefully use us and speak evil against us and do harm towards us, but. Or that we would seek good. That they might turn. We celebrate Lord that your kindness leads us to repentance. I would let that also be a reminder that, as your representatives, it's our kindness. Your kindness expressed through us. That calls people to repentance. What may we reflect your heart? To people around us, especially those. Who work against us? Who bring us hurt. Who damage us and seek our destruction. May they know you and your hearts. And your nature through our lives. We pray this in Jesus name.