Text: 2 Sam. 1:17-27
A prime example of my namesake and example's (Rom. 15:4) gracious spirit is his poignant lamentation over Jonathan AND Saul in 2 Samuel 1. All of David's actions after Saul's death confirm that he was genuinely sorrowful over it (and later Abner's; cf. 2 Sam. 3) as well as Jonathan's. While David may not be able to extol Saul's piety, he does liberally acknowledge the scope of what Saul did get right. Here are some of the things I see him acknowledge:
1. Beauty (vv. 19, 23, 26). Saul, a tall, handsome, and powerful man (1 Sam. 9:2, 10:23-24), stood as an emblem of God's goodness to Israel, as did Jonathan his son. Not only did Jonathan love David (v. 26), but Saul did too, beneath his envy (1 Sam. 24:16-21; 26:17, 21, 25).
2. Military might (vv. 19, 21-23, 25, 27). Arguably the grace that David, a warrior himself, magnifies the most here, it was divinely given to Saul and therefore worthy of acknowledgment. Saul was indeed mighty, to some extent, despite his yielding to cowardice on other, more critical occasions.
3. Personal valor (vv. 22-23). Despite a proclivity to cowardice, Saul could fight bravely when he chose to (1 Sam. 11; 14:47-48, 52; 15:1-8). Note that he doesn't run from the battle altogether, when he might have after Samuel's prophecy at En-dor (1 Sam. 28:19).
4. Anointing of God (v. 21). God chose him over everyone in Israel to be king (1 Sam. 9:20, 15:17), and David ALWAYS magnified that (1 Sam. 24:6, 26:9; 2 Sam. 1:14, 16).
5. Generous provision for his subjects (v. 24). Scarlet and gold are connected with royalty (cf. Prov. 31:22-23; Rev. 17:4), so he provided well for his subjects, despite all of his conscriptions (1 Sam. 8:10-18, 14:52, 16:19-22, 18:1-2).
All of us, from least to greatest (e.g. a king like Saul), wage war with our worst enemy... ourselves. Although Satan and the world are formidable enemies, they cannot stand against us if our wills are united with God's. So the greatest battle is to keep our wills in subjection to God, making our selves our greatest foes. Saul overcame himself and did good some of the time; I'm inclined to believe, based on David's lament and other passages, that a part of this man wanted to do right, but that desire was too weak to overcome his sinful proclivities. So while God judges him sternly, as the head of his elect, earthly people, God also acknowledges, through David, the good that he did and hence the struggle inside him.
I welcome your feedback on this assessment of Saul's character in the context of David's graciousness. May God give us victory over ourselves and grace toward others, victorious or fallen.
