You learn a lot about people when they die. For instance, you find out how well loved somebody was—or not. You begin to hear about skeletons as they’re brought out of closets. You learn stories—good, bad, and ugly—that fill in the gaps of that person’s life.
You also learn a lot about people when they talk about those who have just died.
The book of 2 Samuel opens with David learning about the death of King Saul. David responds with a poetic eulogy, but it says more about David—and, in fact, about God—than it does about Saul.
Saul’s death, you see, was personally good for David. For years Saul had been tracking David in the wilderness, trying to kill him. If this had been me, I would definitely have been relieved, if not downright jubilant, to learn that Saul had died. My “eulogy” would probably open like this: Finally, that colossal, bloodthirsty monster got what was coming to him! I don’t have to hide in caves anymore!
(Don’t act like you’re holier than me on this one. You’d probably feel the same way.)
Not only did Saul’s death eliminate a key threat to David, but it also opened up David’s path to the throne. Maybe that would be part two of my eulogy: Oh, I just can’t wait to be king!
But David doesn’t mention a single word about any of that. No dancing around in smug victory. No excited anticipation of his upcoming coronation. So what does David say in his eulogy in 2 Samuel 1?
Your glory, O Israel, is slain on your high places! How the mighty have fallen! Tell it not in Gath, publish it not in the streets of Ashkelon, lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice, lest the daughters of the uncircumcised exult. (vv. 19–20 ESV)
Saul goes down, and David says, “God, your glory was just struck down.” Not “my enemy” or “my roadblock to the throne.” But your glory.
Paul Tripp writes, “You can know all you need to know about a man’s heart by what he celebrates and what he mourns.” When David mourns, he mourns for what Saul’s death means for God’s reputation in the world. David wasn’t erasing any of the evil that Saul did. But he managed to see Saul’s life from a God’s-eye view. And he knew that God’s anointed one being struck down was bad news for God’s people.
In other words, David wrote a eulogy that ignored his own glory and looked squarely in the face of God’s glory.
I’m not sure many of us are there yet. I know I’m not.
Sure, you might say you want to be focused on God’s glory above all, but in reality, you know that’s not true. Maybe you get angry at God when things don’t go well for you. Maybe you feel betrayed when he doesn’t show up in the way you thought he would. Maybe you’re jealous of others because of the blessings they’ve received.
Here’s the thing: God might glorify himself by making you prosperous or giving you the thing you desire most. But he also might give you a chance to bring him glory by how you suffer with joy and patience. As the Westminster Confession says, your chief purpose is to glorify God.
So how high is your glory and personal benefit on your priority list? And how high is God’s glory?
