How the Mighty Have Fallen (2 Samuel 1:1, 17-27)
At the moment I came from my mother’s womb on July 31, 1974, Richard M. Nixon was the President of the United States. However, that very Wednesday, Gen. Alexander Haig, Nixon’s chief of staff, tried to telephone Vice President Gerald Ford to tell him to prepare to assume the Presidency at a moment’s notice. Haig reached one of Ford’s aides, whom Haig didn’t trust, so Haig didn’t actually speak to Ford until my first full day on this planet.
President Nixon announced his resignation one week and one day after I was born. Dad got me up out of my crib, sat me in front of the television, and had me watch President Nixon’s resignation speech; after all, he said, I would be learning about that historical moment in school, and he wanted me to experience it.
Well, to be honest, because I heard from Mom and Dad so often about being awoken as a one-week old baby to watch President Nixon’s address to the nation, I’ve become something of a Watergate junkie. I have some memorabilia from Nixon’s first inaugural, and, you may not know this, but Leon Jaworski, the special prosecutor who argued before the Supreme Court to get Nixon’s tapes, is buried here in Houston. Yes, Tammy and I have been to his grave, and I have pictures to prove it.
If I may be perfectly honest: I believe Richard Nixon was a smart and effective President who did a lot of good stuff for this country. But, most of the good he did is forgotten because of Watergate. “How the mighty have fallen!”
You’ve surely seen the mighty fall before. Maybe you witnessed the downfall of a local politician who became embroiled in scandal. Possibly you know a preacher who had to step down from the pulpit because of his sin. You might have known a teacher who had to resign her position because of a scandal. Maybe you know a coworker who had to leave because he got caught violating company policy. “How the mighty have fallen!”
Saul’s life is a tragic tale of the mighty taking a big fall. God chose him to be the first king of the tribes of Jacob. Yet, Saul sinned from a heart not attuned to Yahweh; therefore, the Lord rejected him as king.
In this morning’s passage, David lamented the deaths of King Saul and his son Jonathan. Prior to this battle, Saul had an encounter with the deceased prophet Samuel, and Samuel told Saul that he would die in the battle. Why would Saul die? Here’s what Samuel told him: “Because you did not obey the voice of the LORD and did not carry out his fierce wrath against Amalek, therefore the LORD has done this thing to you this day” (1 Sam 28:18). Saul, the king of God’s chosen people, was mighty—he had been chosen by God himself to reign. Yet, Saul lost his way and fell.
This morning, I want you to learn an important truth: “Even the mighty can take a big fall.”
Scripture (2 Samuel 1:1, 17-27)
verses 17-18:
David wanted all the people of Judah to learn his lament.
verses 19-20:
As he began his lament, David used an ancient literary device called inclusio. With an inclusio the author opened a poem or a story with a word or phrase, and he then closed his poem or story with the same word or phrase. The important thing for us this morning is that the word or phrase which formed the inclusio was the theme of that poem or story.
David opened and closed his poem with the phrase: “How the mighty have fallen!” That’s the theme of this lament, and David wanted his readers and hearers to understand that Saul had been mighty, but he had fallen. “Even the mighty can take a big fall.
Gath was the easternmost city of the Philistines, and Ashkelon was the westernmost city of the Philistines. It would be like our saying, “From New York to L.A.” By using those two geographical points, David made clear he didn’t want any Philistine to hear about Saul’s death and rejoice.
verse 21:
David asked that there be no natural blessings on the mountains of Gilboa, the place Saul died.
verses 22-25a:
David praised the valiant and heroic exploits of Saul and Jonathan, and he noted how they were together in death.
The daughters of Israel should weep over Saul’s death, for they had a life of ease during his reign. Saul had clothed the daughters of Israel in scarlet. Scarlet dye was made from insects and was difficult to obtain; therefore, it was a sign of luxury. Gold, of course, was valued in antiquity as well as in our own day.
verses 25b-26:
As David remembered his “brother Jonathan,” he was reminded of Jonathan’s love, a love which, for David, was “surpassing the love of women.” Yes, there have been some who have attempted to make this mean that David and Jonathan had a sexual relationship; you’re too smart to believe that nonsense. The word “love” was often used to express loyalty in legal documents. Jonathan was extremely loyal to David; in fact, Jonathan risked his life for David, and Jonathan willingly gave up his claim to the throne for David (1 Sam 23:17). Jonathan showed more loyalty, devotion, and sacrifice to David than any woman ever did.
verse 27:
David ended his lament the same way he began it: “How the mighty have fallen!”
Application
The text before us this morning is a funeral lament for a king and his son, but let’s explore the lament in broader terms. Three times David cried out, “How the mighty have fallen!” Saul was so mighty, for he was God’s anointed king and in God’s protection; therefore, he could go forth and conquer kingdoms in Yahweh’s name. How had Saul “fallen?” He fell, for he died in battle. But why did he die in battle? He recklessly disregarded the word of the Lord.
I don’t want to see you in Saul’s situation. Understand: “Even the mighty can take a big fall.” You may be so strong in Christ, but you can take a big fall. Paul told the Galatians: “You have fallen away from grace” (Gal 5:4); for the Galatians, falling wasn’t just a theoretical possibility, it was their reality. “If we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries” (Heb 10:26-27). You don’t want to fall from grace. You don’t want to face nothing but a fearful judgment and God’s “fury of fire.”
How can you not fall? The answer is easy: 2 Peter 1:5-11. Notice what Peter said: “If you practice these qualities you will never fall.” Peter laid out the formula never to fall—you add Christian graces to your life. You need to spend some serious time with this text; let me urge you to read this text a few times this week. As you read 2 Peter 1:5-11, take a close look at the Christian graces Peter listed and ask yourself these questions:
- Where am I strong according to these graces?
- Where am I weak according to these graces?
- What do I need to do to grow in these graces?
If you are practicing these graces, no one will ever be able to say of you: “How the mighty have fallen!” Are you fallen this morning? Do you need to come and rise again as we stand and sing?
This sermon was originally preached by Dr. Justin Imel, Sr., at Church of Christ Deer Park in Deer Park, Texas.