Faithful to God
“O daughters of Israel, weep over Saul, who clothed you in scarlet, with luxury; who put ornaments of gold on your apparel. How the mighty have fallen in the midst of the battle! Jonathan was slain in your high places.” - 2 Samuel 1:24-25
David called the women of Israel to mourn for the loss of Saul and Jonathan, who were mighty men. They were cut off in their high places, which speaks of their position in the nation. They were leaders of the nation.
Notice, David was exalting Saul and Jonathan. He was lifting them up to the people, calling for them to mourn the tremendous loss of their king and his sons. Even though God’s anointing had been removed from Saul, he was still the king and he was serving the nation of Israel.
With the death of Saul and his sons, including Jonathan, this could have been a time for David to exalt himself. He was anointed by the Lord to be the next king of Israel. Instead, he made sure Saul and his sons were remembered as great leaders of the nation.
This truly shows the character of David. He did not have to teardown Saul to be lifted up as king. He knew the anointing came from the Lord. His responsibility was to be faithful to the Lord. God would lift him up in His time.
God is in control. He lifts one man up and takes another man down. We do not have to exalt ourselves. We have to be faithful men and women of good character and allow God to lift us up in His time.
Faithfulness is our business; fruitfulness is an issue that we must be content to leave with God.
~J. I. Packer~
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