I am using this title, because David did more to please God as a king of Israel than any other king, until Jesus shall come back to be the best King Israel will ever have. II Samuel 2:5-7 says, “And David sent messengers unto the men of Jabesh-gilead, and said unto them, Blessed be ye of the LORD, that ye have showed this kindness unto your lord, even unto Saul, and have buried him. And now the LORD show kindness and truth unto you: and I also will requite you this kindness, because ye have done this thing. Therefore now let your hands be strengthened, and be ye valiant for your master Saul is dead, and also the house of Judah have anointed me king over them.” The attitude of David toward Saul and toward the men who buried Saul’s body is amazing, for David could have had every reason to speak against Saul and all of his kingdom. Saul tried over and over to kill David, even though he had married the daughter of Saul. In all of David’s time of fleeing from Saul, he never allowed his men to kill Saul or to speak evil of him. The mark of a man can be seen clearly in his attitude toward his enemies, for though Saul was the enemy of David, David never became the enemy of Saul. The respect that David had for the position that Saul held as king of Israel is remarkable and may teach us some lessons on how we should respect the position of national leaders, even if we may disagree with their life styles or their ways of doing things.
David promised to “requite”, or to provide something in return, for the men who buried Saul. Most people would have said they were glad that their enemy was dead and that he did not deserve a descent burial, but not David. The one word that might well characterize the entire life of David is that he was a man who had great respect for others, especially for those in authority over him, and Saul had that position as long as he was the king of Israel. David actually sent messengers to the men who buried Saul and asked God’s blessing on those men. He asked that the kindness of God and his truth be with them. Then David encouraged those men who buried Saul to be strong and valiant, yet he reminded them that the house of Judah had anointed him to be their king. So, David was reminding these men that he was king, but not yet king over all Israel, as Saul had been. He told them that Saul was dead, indicating that their allegiance to Saul was now ended and they could follow him as the king of Judah, if they would.
By J. Briggs King
Evangelist
Rainsville, AL
(678) 451-0921