Bible 203:  Death of Saul and Jonathan

2 Samuel 1:17-27

LOT OF WATER GONE UNDER THE BRIDGE SINCE JULY 13

SOME WATERS SMOOTH, SOME CHOPPY, SOME TROUBLED

Smooth waters slid under bridge over the Church

            Thank you very much

            Nobody had serious emergencies

            Worship last Sunday was magnificent I hear

            Smooth waters slid under bridge over St. Andrew’s

Choppy waters churned under bridge over Havelock , NC

            Spent several day with daughter and three granddaughters

            Cannot live in new house full of boxes, three little kids and big dog without a few chops

            At least it’s only a two-story house and not third-floor walk-up apartment!

            Choppy waters churned under bridge over Havelock NC

Troubled waters torpedoed under bridge spanning OT story

            Nothing but trouble in chapters between last text and this text

                        After David killed Goliath > fame spread and he became very popular

                                    He and Saul’s son, Jonathan, became fast friends

                                    And Saul gave his daughter Michal to be David’s wife [first of 8 wives]

                        In short order Saul became jealous > tried at every turn to kill David

                                    But David stayed safe

                                    Over and over again, text says “Saul acted foolishly;

But David acted wisely; and God was with David”

                        David managed to get away from Saul > gathered his own band of outlaws

                                    They found refuge with the Philistines, of all people

                        In the battles that followed, David had two opportunities to kill Saul >

                                    Both times said “I cannot do this to God’s anointed”

                        Finally Philistines killed both Saul and his son Jonathan

                                    David grieved deeply

                                    Record of that grief remains for us in 1^st chapter of Second Samuel

Read text > 2 Samuel 1:17-27

Grief is like a treacherous body of troubled water that divides our past from our future

Bridges are the best way to get across any body of water > calm, choppy, troubled

David’s lament built a bridge across his troubled waters

            The waters that separated his past from his future

 

BUILDING OUR OWN BRIDGES

Today we’re going to build our own bridge

            A bridge across the waters of our own lives

            waters that divide our past from our future

Think about bridges

            Before we begin building > we need to think about bridges

Basically two kinds of bridges

1.    some cross creeks/small rivers > built higher up > anchored to shore

2.    some cross large rivers > built even higher and sturdier > anchored and piered

So > the deeper and more treacherous the water > the higher and stronger the bridge

            But > No matter the height and length > two truths remain

                        1.  Every bridge gets us from where we have been to where we are going

2.  Every bridge is built in stages

Building bridges = grieving

I’m going to shift gears a bit > I don’t want to lose you

You build a bridge in stages and you grieve your losses in stages

There are stages to grieving just as there are stages in building bridges

            We can look at this lament David wrote and find the stages of grief

                        1^st stage > numbness > verse19 > “They’re dead!  I don’t believe it!”

                        2^nd stage > emotional release > verse 24 > “Weep over Saul”

                        3^rd stage > guilt/shame > verse 20 > “Don’t tell our enemies > they’ll rejoice.”

                        4^th stage > loneliness > verse26 > “Greatly beloved were you to me!”

                        5^th stage > anger > verse 21 > “Let there be no dew or rain upon you!” [your fault]

                        6^th stage > idealize the past > verse 23 > “Saul and Jonathan, beloved and lovely!”

                        7^th stage > finally a reaffirmation of life > “I want to live!”

                                    but David is not there yet > his lament only contains the first six stages

                                    he is building his bridge from days with S & J into days without them

Losses in our own lives

We experiences losses of one sort or another > some small, others big

            We lose our keys or glasses

            We lose a job or a house

            We lose a spouse or a child or a parent or a pet

Building a bridge over our loss

Whatever the loss, tho, the process of building bridge over the waters of grief is the same

We build our bridge in stages

            We find ourselves numb > “_____ is gone!  I don’t believe it!’

            Then we yell or cry or scream > some kind of emotional response to our loss

            We feel guilty > “It’s my own fault > I should keep my keys in one special place!”

            We feel inadequate or lonely > “I’m such a dork” or “I’m lost without ___________.”

            We find ourselves angry and filled with blame > “If ______ then _______!”

            We idealize the past > forget about problems

“That was the best job I ever had.” or “We had perfect life.”

            Finally the bridge over the waters of our grief is finished > we can cross over to new life

 

WHAT TO REMEMBER

You’ve listened to a lot of words this morning > you may not remember any of them

But if you remember anything about what I’ve said, remember this:

David could build his bridge because his foundations/anchors were solid

            God was his strong foundation from the past

            God would still be his strong foundation in the future

            That kind of security [faith in God] made David’s bridge possible

Faith in God enabled him to build this bridge of grieving over his troubled waters

Same is true for you and me

Because you and I have faith in God through Christ > we can survive the losses of our lives

            No matter what the loss > lost wheels > lost job > lost partner > lost parent > lost child

            No matter how long it takes to build the bridge over the waters of our grief

            We can do it > and our future lies ever before us!  Thanks be to God!!