The Piety of the True King
Introduction: The Opportunist's Gamble
We come now to one of the great turning points in the history of redemption. The long and tragic reign of Saul, Israel's first king, is over. The man who began with such promise and ended in such paranoid, spear-throwing madness is dead on the battlefield of Gilboa. For David, the anointed but uncrowned king, the man who has spent years on the run, living in caves and foreign cities, this should be the moment of supreme vindication. The throne is empty. The way is clear. The enemy who hunted him like a partridge in the mountains is gone. A worldly man, a political pragmatist, would throw a party. He would see this as the long-awaited breakthrough, the moment to seize power and settle scores.
But David is not a worldly man. He is a man after God's own heart, and this passage is one of the clearest windows we have into what that actually means. It means his reactions, his instincts, his grief, and his justice are all oriented toward God's reality, not his own personal advantage. Into this pivotal moment walks a messenger, an Amalekite, a man who thinks he understands how the world works. He believes he is bringing the best possible news to the heir apparent. He has a story to tell, a carefully crafted lie designed to secure him a place of honor in the new administration. He thinks he is playing the game of thrones. He does not realize he has just walked into the courtroom of a true and righteous king, and that he will be judged not by the rules of political expediency, but by the law of God.
This chapter is a profound character study. It contrasts the conniving, self-serving heart of a pagan opportunist with the pious, God-fearing heart of David. The Amalekite saw a dead king and a political opportunity. David saw the fall of "the Lord's anointed" and a cause for national lament. The Amalekite thought he could advance himself by claiming responsibility for Saul's death. David knew that to raise a hand against the Lord's anointed, even a failed and fallen one, was a capital crime. This is a lesson in how a godly man handles power, how he processes grief, and how he administers justice. It is a lesson in the fear of the Lord, which is the beginning of all political wisdom.
The Text
Now it happened after the death of Saul, that David returned from striking down the Amalekites. Then David remained two days in Ziklag. Now it happened that on the third day, behold, a man came out of the camp from Saul. And his clothes were torn and dust was on his head. And it happened when he came to David, that he fell to the ground and prostrated himself. Then David said to him, “From where do you come?” And he said to him, “I have escaped from the camp of Israel.” And David said to him, “How did things go? Tell me now.” And he said, “The people have fled from the battle, and also many of the people have fallen and are dead; and Saul and Jonathan his son are dead also.” So David said to the young man who told him, “How do you know that Saul and his son Jonathan are dead?” And the young man who told him said, “By chance I happened to be on Mount Gilboa, and behold, Saul was leaning on his spear. And behold, a chariot and horsemen pursued him closely. Then he turned to look behind him, and he saw me and called to me. And I said, ‘Here I am.’ And he said to me, ‘Who are you?’ And I answered him, ‘I am an Amalekite.’ Then he said to me, ‘Please stand beside me and put me to death, for agony has seized me because my life still lingers in me.’ So I stood beside him and put him to death, because I knew that he could not live after he had fallen. And I took the crown which was on his head and the bracelet which was on his arm, and I have brought them here to my lord.” Then David took hold of his clothes and tore them, and so also did all the men who were with him. And they lamented and wept and fasted until evening for Saul and his son Jonathan and for the people of Yahweh and the house of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword. And David said to the young man who told him, “Where are you from?” And he answered, “I am the son of a sojourner, an Amalekite.” Then David said to him, “How is it you were not afraid to send forth your hand to destroy the anointed of Yahweh?” And David called one of the young men and said, “Approach and fall upon him.” So he struck him and he died. And David said to him, “Your blood is on your head, for your mouth has answered against you, saying, ‘I have put the anointed of Yahweh to death.’”
(2 Samuel 1:1-16 LSB)
The Fabricated Report (vv. 1-10)
The scene opens with David in Ziklag. There is a sharp irony here. He has just returned from destroying a band of Amalekites who had raided his town (1 Samuel 30). He is resting for two days, and on the third day, another Amalekite appears, this one bringing news that will change everything.
"Now it happened that on the third day, behold, a man came out of the camp from Saul. And his clothes were torn and dust was on his head... he fell to the ground and prostrated himself." (2 Samuel 1:2)
This man has all the external signs of a bearer of tragic news. The torn clothes and dust on the head were the culturally recognized symbols of disaster and mourning. He immediately prostrates himself before David, acknowledging him as the new center of power. He is making a calculated political move. He is the first to bring the news, and he wants to be the first to gain favor.
David's questions are direct and military. "From where do you come?" "How did things go?" He wants intelligence. The man's report is grim and climactic: the army fled, many are dead, and then the bombshell, "Saul and Jonathan his son are dead also" (v. 4). David, ever the commander, demands verification. "How do you know?" (v. 5). This is not the response of a man eager to believe good news about his rival; it is the caution of a leader who needs facts.
And here the Amalekite tells his story. We know from the end of 1 Samuel that his story is a lie. Saul, mortally wounded and fearing capture by the Philistines, fell on his own sword (1 Sam. 31:4). He committed suicide. But this Amalekite concocts a tale to make himself the central actor. He says he just "happened to be on Mount Gilboa" (v. 6), a highly improbable coincidence. He claims a wounded Saul asked him for a mercy killing. He presents himself as a compassionate agent of Saul's final request.
"So I stood beside him and put him to death... And I took the crown which was on his head and the bracelet which was on his arm, and I have brought them here to my lord." (2 Samuel 1:10)
This is the climax of his gamble. He presents the royal insignia, the crown and bracelet, directly to David. In his mind, this is a transaction. "I have killed your rival and delivered the kingdom to you. Now, where is my reward?" He has completely misjudged his audience. He sees the world as a raw power struggle, where one man's death is another man's opportunity. He assumes David shares this cynical worldview. He could not be more wrong.
The Covenantal Grief (vv. 11-12)
David's reaction is the opposite of what the Amalekite expected. There is no celebration, no sigh of relief, no quiet satisfaction. Instead, there is an explosion of genuine, heartfelt grief.
"Then David took hold of his clothes and tore them, and so also did all the men who were with him. And they lamented and wept and fasted until evening..." (2 Samuel 1:11-12)
This is not political theater. This is the raw grief of a man who loved his king and his country. Notice that his men immediately follow his lead. David's piety is contagious. He has cultivated a band of men who share his fundamental loyalties. They are not a gang of mercenaries eager for the spoils of a new regime; they are a covenant brotherhood.
And look at the object of their grief. They mourned "for Saul and his son Jonathan and for the people of Yahweh and the house of Israel" (v. 12). This is profoundly important. David's grief was not just for his beloved friend Jonathan. It was for Saul, his persecutor. It was for the people of God. It was for the nation. David saw this event not through the lens of personal gain, but through the lens of covenantal loss. The king had fallen. The army of Israel was defeated. This was a dark day for the people of Yahweh, and David, the true king, felt that loss more keenly than anyone.
The Righteous Judgment (vv. 13-16)
After the period of mourning, David's demeanor shifts from that of a mourner to that of a magistrate. Justice must be done. He turns back to the young man, the self-proclaimed king-killer.
"And David said to the young man who told him, 'Where are you from?' And he answered, 'I am the son of a sojourner, an Amalekite.'" (2 Samuel 1:13)
This was the man's final, fatal error. To be an Amalekite was to be a member of the nation under God's perpetual ban, the archetypal enemy of Israel's God. For this man to boast of killing Israel's king was an act of supreme blasphemy. David's next question cuts to the heart of the matter, revealing his entire theological framework.
"Then David said to him, 'How is it you were not afraid to send forth your hand to destroy the anointed of Yahweh?'" (2 Samuel 1:14)
David's concern is not for Saul the man, but for Saul the office-holder. Saul was "the anointed of Yahweh." The Hebrew word is Mashiach, or Messiah. To strike him was to strike at the God who anointed him. David himself had twice refused to do this very thing, saying, "The LORD forbid that I should do this thing to my lord, the LORD's anointed, to stretch out my hand against him, since he is the LORD's anointed" (1 Sam. 24:6). The Amalekite, in his pagan ignorance and selfish ambition, had no such fear. He saw a man; David saw an office.
The verdict is swift and just. The man's own testimony is the only evidence needed. He boasted of his crime, and now he will pay for it.
"And David said to him, 'Your blood is on your head, for your mouth has answered against you, saying, "I have put the anointed of Yahweh to death."'" (2 Samuel 1:16)
David commands one of his men to execute the sentence. This is not an act of personal vengeance. It is David's first act as the de facto king of Israel, and it is an act of righteous judgment. He is establishing the principle of his reign from the very beginning: his kingdom will be founded on the fear of God and reverence for His established order.
Conclusion: The Anointed and the Anointed
This story teaches us a fundamental truth about godliness. Godliness is having the right set of fears. The Amalekite feared missing an opportunity. He feared obscurity and poverty. He did not fear God. David feared God. He feared laying a hand on God's anointed. He feared dishonoring the office God had established. His fear of God was greater than his fear of Saul, and it was greater than his desire for the throne.
This gives us a category that our egalitarian age has almost entirely lost: respect for office. Saul was a bad king. He was disobedient, unstable, and murderous. And yet, David honored the office he held. This does not mean we obey sinful commands or that we fail to hold rulers accountable. But it does mean we show a fundamental respect for the structures of authority God has placed in the world, in the family, the church, and the state. To despise the office is to despise the God who ordained it.
Ultimately, David's profound respect for "the Lord's anointed" points us to the greater Anointed One, the Lord Jesus Christ. Saul was a flawed Mashiach, a shadow. Christ is the true Messiah, the perfect King. The Amalekite thought he could gain favor by boasting of killing the flawed anointed one. How much greater is the guilt of those who reject and crucify the true Anointed One? And yet, the response of our King was not to strike us down in immediate justice. It was to weep over Jerusalem. It was to say, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do."
David's first act as king was to execute justice on the man who boasted of killing the king. Christ's first act after His resurrection was to offer pardon and peace to the very men who had killed Him. David shows us the heart of a righteous earthly king. But Christ shows us the heart of the King of Heaven. Let us therefore learn from David to fear God and honor the authorities He has established. But let us look past David to the greater David, Jesus the Christ, the true Anointed One, and find in His death and resurrection not a reason for judgment, but the grounds for our forgiveness and everlasting life.