Lament
Of The Bow
David
took up this lament concerning Saul and his son Jonathan, and he ordered that
the people of Judah be taught this lament of the bow (it is written in the Book
of Jashar):
“A
gazelle lies slain on your heights, Israel. How the mighty have fallen!
“Tell
it not in Gath, proclaim it not in the streets of Ashkelon, lest the daughters
of the Philistines be glad, lest the daughters of the uncircumcised rejoice.
“Mountains
of Gilboa, may you have neither dew nor rain, may no
showers fall on your terraced fields. For there the shield of the mighty was
despised, the shield of Saul—no longer rubbed with oil.
“From
the blood of the slain, from the flesh of the mighty, the bow of Jonathan did
not turn back, the sword of Saul did not return unsatisfied.
Saul
and Jonathan— in life they were loved and admired, and in death they were not
parted. They were swifter than eagles, they were stronger than lions.
“Daughters
of Israel, weep for Saul, who clothed you in scarlet and finery, who adorned
your garments with ornaments of gold.
“How
the mighty have fallen in battle! Jonathan lies slain on your heights.
I
grieve for you, Jonathan my brother; you were very dear to me. Your love for me
was wonderful, more wonderful than that of women.
“How
the mighty have fallen! The weapons of war have perished!”
2 Samuel 1:17-27
We
find poetry used throughout the Bible to express deep emotion, ranging from
joyful praise to anguished loss. When Saul and his son Jonathan were killed in
battle, David was overwhelmed with grief. He poured out his soul in a poem he
called “the Song of the Bow.” “Saul and Jonathan were beloved and pleasant in
their lives, and in their death they were not divided…How the mighty have
fallen in the midst of battle?...I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan;
you have been very pleasant to me.”
When
we face “an emergency of the spirit” – our prayers can be a poem to the Lord.
While we may stumble to articulate what we feel, our heavenly Father hears our
words as a true expression of our hearts.
God does more than hear words; He reads hearts.
Our
Daily Bread – September 23, 2014