Daily Devotional • July 27
A Reading from 2 Samuel 1:17-27
17 David intoned this lamentation over Saul and his son Jonathan. 18 (He ordered that The Song of the Bow be taught to the people of Judah; it is written in the Book of Jashar.) He said,
19 “Your glory, O Israel, lies slain upon your high places!
How the mighty have fallen!
20 Tell it not in Gath;
proclaim it not in the streets of Ashkelon,
or the daughters of the Philistines will rejoice;
the daughters of the uncircumcised will exult.
21 You mountains of Gilboa,
let there be no dew or rain upon you
nor bounteous fields!
For there the shield of the mighty was defiled,
the shield of Saul, anointed with oil no more.
22 From the blood of the slain,
from the fat of the mighty,
the bow of Jonathan did not turn back,
nor the sword of Saul return empty.
23 Saul and Jonathan, beloved and lovely!
In life and in death they were not divided;
they were swifter than eagles;
they were stronger than lions.
24 O daughters of Israel, weep over Saul,
who clothed you with crimson, in luxury,
who put ornaments of gold on your apparel.
25 How the mighty have fallen
in the midst of the battle!
Jonathan lies slain upon your high places.
26 I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan;
greatly beloved were you to me;
your love to me was wonderful,
passing the love of women.
27 How the mighty have fallen,
and the weapons of war perished!
Meditation
David learns that King Saul and his sons have died in battle, and his feelings reflect the deep and complicated ways he loved his king and his spiritual brother. He does not ignore Saul’s sins or failures, but he does honor the dignity of the Lord’s anointed. David recalls Saul’s strength, his provision, and the beauty he brought to Israel. He even curses the mountains where Saul’s shield was defiled and the mighty had fallen. Yet the most piercing words in the lament are reserved for Jonathan, David’s covenant brother:
“I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan;
greatly beloved were you to me;
your love to me was wonderful,
passing the love of women.”
Verse 26 often unsettles modern readers. Is David implying something sexual? But the real surprise is not his language of grief and love. What’s surprising is how few of us today experience friendship that could sustain such words.
In the ancient world and across much of church history, spiritual friendships like that of David and Jonathan were both normal and necessary: Ruth and Naomi, Jesus and John, and Paul and Timothy. Married or single, these saints embraced chosen family marked by loyalty, kinship, and sacrificial care. These friendships didn’t compete with marriage or devotion to God. They strengthened both.
Jonathan made a covenant with David, gave him his robe and sword, and defended him even to death. Jonathan was the brother David needed to stay faithful. And after Jonathan’s death, David’s life eventually began to unravel, perhaps because the friend who knew him best, who helped him remember who he was, was no longer there.
Today, many Christians live without that kind of brotherhood or sisterhood. We expect friendship to be casual and optional. But what if we didn’t? What if we recovered spiritual friendship in ways that drew us closer to Jesus?
Pieter Valk is a licensed professional counselor, the director of EQUIP, and cofounder of the Nashville Family of Brothers, an ecumenically Christian brotherhood for men called to vocational singleness.
♱
Daily Devotional Cycle of Prayer
Today we pray for:
Christ Church, Oyster Bay, New York
The Anglican Church of Papua New Guinea
Pieter Valk is a Guest Writer. He is a speaker, author, consultant, and licensed counselor. His work is detailed on pieterlvalk.com.
