Bible Commentaries
2 Samuel 1

Versículos 1-27

Segundo Samuel, capítulo uno.
Primero Samuel trata del reinado del rey Saúl sobre Israel, y termina con la muerte de Saúl a manos de los filisteos. Saulo, la trágica historia de un hombre que tenía muchas habilidades naturales y muchas oportunidades dadas por Dios; sin embargo, la suya fue una vida desperdiciada, y nunca alcanzó el pleno potencial de su ser. Una vida de fracaso porque no se sometió totalmente a Dios.

Como le dijo el profeta Samuel: "Porque has rechazado que el Señor gobierne sobre ti", y ese era el defecto básico de la vida de Saúl, él había rechazado que el Señor gobernara sobre su propia vida. Era un hombre autodeterminado, autogobernado, obstinado, y eso lo impedía lograr y alcanzar aquellas cosas que Dios tenía para su vida. La historia del fracaso. Muriendo a manos de los filisteos, su cuerpo fue mutilado y colgado en la pared del templo en Bethshan, hasta que los hombres de Galaad vinieron y lo cortaron y lo enterraron en Galaad, al otro lado del Jordán.

Ahora, el hecho de que los hombres de Jabes de Galaad atravesaron las líneas de los filisteos y rescataron los cuerpos de Saúl y sus hijos es interesante porque la carrera de Saúl como rey comenzó con la situación que se desarrolló en Jabes de Galaad. Hubo un rey invasor que vino a Jabes de Galaad y exigió que los habitantes de Jabes de Galaad se rindieran, o que capitularan ante él, sobre la base de sacarles los ojos a todos los hombres, y sacarlos, los ojos derechos, y ponerles ellos fuera antes que ellos.

Así que clamaron a Saúl por ayuda, quien vino con el ejército de Israel y destruyó este ejército invasor.
Así que la ciudad de Jabes de Galaad fue salvada por Saúl, y eso fue lo que catapultó a Saúl a la prominencia y a la aceptación del pueblo como rey sobre Israel. Hasta ese momento había hombres que decían: "Saulo gobierne sobre nosotros, ¿quién es él?" y había quienes se oponían al reinado de Saúl.

Pero cuando vino al rescate de Jabes de Galaad, condujo a los ejércitos de Israel a la victoria, luego fue catapultado al centro de atención, se convirtió en el rey de Israel. Entonces, es significativo que los hombres de Jabes de Galaad que vinieron y rescataron su cuerpo, por supuesto sintieron una gran obligación y deuda con Saúl.
Ahora, el mayor fracaso de Saúl quizás fue su fracaso en obedecer el mandamiento de Dios, de aniquilar por completo a los amalecitas.

Dios lo envió contra Amalec. Con las instrucciones, debe acabar con ellos por completo. Cuando regresó de la victoria, y Samuel salió a recibirlo, lo saludó con las palabras: "Vive el Señor, que he hecho todo lo que el Señor me ordenó que hiciera". Esa fue una gran mentira. No había hecho todo lo que el Señor le había mandado hacer. No había destruido completamente a los amalecitas. A muchos de ellos los había dejado vivos.

Destruyó por completo el ganado más débil, las ovejas desfavorecidas, pero se quedó con el mejor ganado, las mejores ovejas, mantuvo vivo al rey Agag, además permitió que vivieran muchos de los otros amalecitas.
Ahora bien, en las Escrituras hay tipologías interesantes, de modo que Egipto se convierte en un tipo de nuestra antigua vida en la esclavitud del pecado en el mundo. El Mar Rojo se convierte en un tipo de bautismo en el que salgo de la vida anterior y entro en una nueva relación con Dios.

El desierto se convierte en un tipo de esa vida, aunque redimido; pero todavía dominado por la carne. Entrar en la Tierra Prometida es un tipo de entrar en el andar y la vida plenos del Espíritu. En la tipología bíblica, Amalek es un tipo de la vida carnal. Hay muchos lugares en las Escrituras donde Amalek se da como un tipo de la carne y la vida de la carne. Así, cuando Dios ordenó la destrucción total de los amalecitas, Dios estaba ordenando en cierto sentido, la destrucción total de la carne.

En Romanos ocho, dice: "Si de este modo mortificamos las obras de la carne", o si hacemos morir "las obras de la carne, viviremos. ¿No sabéis que vuestro viejo hombre fue crucificado con Cristo?" Como Pablo declara: "Con Cristo estoy juntamente crucificado, pero vivo yo, pero no yo, sino Cristo en mí".
Ahora bien, Dios no ha desarrollado ningún programa de reforma para tu carne. Dios tiene un solo edicto para tu carne, y es que sea crucificada.

La Biblia dice: "No deis lugar a la carne para cumplir sus deseos". Dios ordenó su destrucción total. No es para gobernarte. Por el Espíritu mortificad las obras de la carne, para que viváis. Porque la mente de la carne es muerte. Dios no busca reformar, ni modificar nuestras actividades carnales, Él dijo: "No les deis lugar, sea crucificado". Por lo tanto, el mandato de aniquilar por completo a los amalecitas es un mandato importante en un sentido espiritual.
A medida que nos adentramos en el primer capítulo de segundo de Samuel, vemos algo muy interesante.

Aconteció después de la muerte de Saúl, cuando David volvía de la matanza de los amalecitas ( 2 Samuel 1:1 ),

Now you see the Amalekites were still very much alive, David had had an experience with them when he took his men and went up to join with Achish in the battle because the city of Ziklag where he was living was emptied of all of the men. The Amalekites came in and stole all of their things, burned their city, and took all of their wives and children captive. Now had Saul utterly destroyed the Amalekites, they couldn't have done this. You know if you leave a place for the flesh, it's going to come back to haunt you. If you leave a foot hold of the flesh in your life, it's gonna come back to destroy you.

So David and his men were two days in Ziklag; And it came to pass on the third day, that, behold, a man came out of the camp from Saul with his clothes torn, and he had earth upon his head: [Or he put dirt upon his head.] and so it was, when he came to David, that he fell to the earth, and he did obeisance. And David said unto him, Where have you come from? And he said, Out of the camp of Israel I have escaped.

David said unto him, How did the battle go? I pray thee, tell me. And he answered, The people are fled from the battle, and many of the people are fallen and dead; and Saul and Jonathan his son are dead also. And the young man that told him said, As I happened by chance there on mount Gilboa, behold, Saul leaned upon his spear; and, lo, the chariots and the horsemen were following hard after him.

And when he looked behind him, he saw me, and he called unto me. And I answered, Here I am. And he said unto me, Who are you? And I answered him, I am an Amalekite. [One from that nation that God ordered Saul to utterly destroy.] And he said to me again, Stand, I pray thee, upon me, and slay me: for anguish is come upon me, because my life is yet whole in me. So I stood upon him, and slew him, because I was sure that he could not live after that he was fallen: and I took the crown that was upon his head, and his bracelets, and I have brought them to you ( 2 Samuel 1:1-10).

Now one of two things here. In the last chapter we read that Saul fell on his sword and died. It may be that this Amalekite is making up this story about Saul, thinking that he's gonna get in good with David, because he killed David's-it would be wrong to say David's enemy, because actually Saul was never David's enemy. David was an enemy of Saul. But the one who had been trying to destroy David, David's adversary.

And maybe he felt that by making up a story, "I killed him," that he would find favor in David's eyes. It could be this is a lie, and it could be that it is true.
In the last chapter we read that Saul turned to his armourbearer and said, "Kill me," because he had been shot through with an arrow. He figured he was gonna die, and he didn't want the Philistines to catch him, and torture him actually.

He was afraid of being tortured by them, as they'd get him alive. So he asked his armourbearer to kill him, but the armourbearer was afraid to do it. So Saul set out his sword in front of him, and he lunged himself out on his sword to run it through him to kill himself. When his armourbearer saw that Saul had fallen upon his sword, he set his sword out and he fell upon his sword also.
Now it could be that the young man is telling the truth.

Even after running himself through with his own sword, falling on his sword, it could be that still he had not fully, still he was still alive, and he saw this young man, said, "Who are you?"
"I'm an Amalekite."
"Kill me please I don't want the Philistines to torture me, catch me and torture me." It could be that he did slay him, or it could be that he's making up this story, that he came and found Saul dead, ripped off his crown and bracelets and made up the story.

I don't know. You're only left to conjecture. Nobody really knows for certain.
However there is an interesting thing here, if indeed this young man did kill Saul, it would make an interesting spiritual analogy concerning our flesh, and that is if we don't utterly destroy the flesh, ultimately the flesh is going to destroy us. Had he utterly wiped out the Amalekites, then this young Amalekite boy could never have killed him.

But his failure to obey the Lord, and utterly wipe out the Amalekites, it came back and a young Amalekite boy killed him. It is true that God tells us to put to death the flesh, the things of the flesh because if we don't, if we keep making allowances and tolerate our flesh, you can be sure the flesh is gonna come back and destroy you. Make no provisions for the flesh life, walking after the flesh, but walk after the Spirit.
So David, when he got this news, wept and he fasted. He wouldn't eat anything. And he began to mourn the death of Saul and Jonathan.

Then David took hold of his clothes, and he just ripped them; [Of course this was always a sign of great emotion and feeling, you just ripped your clothes.] he mourned, and wept, and fasted until the evening, for Saul, and Jonathan, and for the people of the LORD, and for the house of Israel; because they had fallen by the sword. And David said to the young man that told him this, Who are you? And he answered, I am the son of a stranger, I'm an Amalekite.

And David said to him, Weren't you afraid to stretch forth your hand against the anointed of the Lord ( 2 Samuel 1:11-14)?

"How is it that you would destroy God's anointed?" Now again it is interesting the tremendous respect David had for the anointing of God. This marvelous respect for God's anointing upon a person's life. Because of that anointing upon Saul, because he had been anointed to be king, David wouldn't touch him.
Now David did prophesy, "God will either strike him, or he may fall in battle," and as David said, "he may fall in battle," exactly what did happen to Saul, he fell in battle.

But David wouldn't touch him. "I'll not stretch forth my hand to touch God's anointed."
So when this young man came and said that, "He begged me, and I killed him." David said, "Weren't' you afraid to touch God's anointed?"

And he called one of his young men, and he said, Fall on him [with your sword because he dared to touch the anointed of God. And so one of David's young men fell upon him,] and killed this young man. [Who thought no doubt that David would promote him, and give him a position of honor, maybe even give him a reward for what he had done, and David rewarded him, but not as he thought.] And David said, Your blood be upon your head; because from your own mouth you've testified against yourself that you have slain the Lord's anointed.

And David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and over Jonathan his son: [This beautiful lamentation of David.] (Also he had them teach the children of Judah the use of the bow: behold, it is written in the book of Jasher.) [And this is his lamentation.] The beauty of Israel is slain upon thy high places: how are the mighty fallen. Tell it not in Gath, [Which was one of the principal Philistine cities.

] publish it not in the streets of Ashkelon; [Which was another of the five major cities of the Philistines.] lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice, lest the daughters of the uncircumcised triumph ( 2 Samuel 1:15-20).

Actually when the men came back from the war with the victories and all, the young girls would get their tambourines and they would come out in their dances. They would go through their dances praising the men for their battle, and their valor, and their victories and all. David could see the celebrations in his mind that were going on in these Philistine cities. Because this mighty man Saul, and this beloved friend Jonathan were slain.

So he's crying out, "Don't publish it in Gath. Don't publish it in Ashkelon lest the daughters of the Philistines come out in their dances, and they rejoice."
Then he turned to the Mount Gilboa where Saul fell, and he said,

Ye mountains of Gilboa, let there be no dew, neither let there be rain, upon you, nor fields of offerings: for there the shield of the mighty is vilely cast away, and the shield of Saul, as though he had not been anointed with oil. From the blood of the slain, and from the fat of the mighty, the bow of Jonathan turned not back, and the sword of Saul returned not empty. Saul and Jonathan were lovely and pleasant in their lives, and in their death they were not divided: they were swifter than eagles, they were stronger than lions ( 2 Samuel 1:21-23).

Now this sort of curse upon Mount Gilboa, because Saul had fallen. "Let there not be the dew of heaven, or rain fall upon thee. Let there not be wheat fields grow upon thee." Very interesting because you go to Israel today, and look at Mount Gilboa, and it's barren, a rocky, barren mountain. Now all around it the mountains are just covered with trees lush, beautiful, and green. But Gilboa stands out because of its barrenness.

Now I guess the people of Israel sort of helped this prophecy out because in all the reforestation of Israel, they planted millions of trees, but they won't plant trees on Mount Gilboa because of this lament of David.
So it is interesting that Mount Gilboa remains barren to the present day, in fulfillment of this lament of David. It's always just sort of interesting to look at Gilboa, and see the barrenness of it, and then remember "Ye mountains of Gilboa, let there be no dew, neither let there be any rain upon you, or fields of offerings."
Then he addresses himself to the daughters of Israel,

Ye daughters of Israel, weep over Saul, who clothed you in scarlet, and with other delights, who put on ornaments of gold upon your apparel. How are the mighty fallen in the midst of the battle. O Jonathan, thou wast slain in thine high places. I am distressed for thee, my brother Jonathan: very pleasant hast thou been unto me: thy love to me was wonderful, passing the love of women. How are the mighty fallen, and the weapons of war perished ( 2 Samuel 1:24-27).

Now there are some perverted minds who declare that David and Jonathan had homosexual relationships, a homosexual relationship going between them because of this declaration of David, and such thing is the worst kind of trash. It's blasphemous. No such thing is inferred from this in the Hebrew text at all. It's blasphemous. "