Thoughtful Grief

Earthly realities should lead the church to rally behind God’s power and authority.   #daybydaylw   Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org!   ~~~   At the end of 2 Samuel 1 we have a song written by David. So David didn’t just sing a song, he wrote a song. Processing our grief important. And one of the ways David is known for processing and expressing emotion is through writing poetry and song. Take note of what David says about this song in verse 18—“he said it should be taught to the people of Judah;” He wrote it to remember and motivate the people of God; to motivate towards holiness, godliness; motivate to uphold the fame of God—tell it not in Gath, publish it not in the streets of Ashkelon. These are Philistine locations. David does not want the news of Saul and Jonathan’s death to be known in Philistine areas. He doesn’t want the daughters of the Philistines to rejoice, to gloat, to proclaim that their god, Dagon, was more powerful than Israel’s God. But they would surely find out. How would they not? So David is communicating to His people that the gloating, the mocking, the exalting of false gods, should motivate God’s people to uphold God’s fame, and to make sure that nothing like this happens again, that God’s people themselves do not disregard, do not put themselves in a position to be under the discipline of God. This is to serve as motivation towards trust and holiness. And church, we are to be thinking these things as well! Will we let earthly realities like death wreck us, or rally us? We will see the holes that have been created as a result of living in a sinful world and just walk off in despair, or will we rise to the level of godliness and strength and trust in God to fill those vacancies in brotherly and sisterly love? Will we trust Him when he calls us to these areas?