How Long Will You Mourn?

A couple months ago Jared and I felt directed to do a thorough reading and meditation on 1 and 2 Samuel. I believe we were brought to these books, because we have been attacked on an ongoing basis this year by a specific source. It has been blow after blow and has taken us through a place of pain and weariness.

In a recent conversation with my parents, the discussion turned to what was recently going on regarding this situation. My dad asked us a rhetorical question: "Just as God asked Samuel, how long will you mourn over this?" In I Samuel 16:1, Samuel was mourning over Saul (whom had become wicked) and the mourning had gone on for far too long. God asked Samuel, "How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and be on your way; I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem. I have chosen one of his sons to be king."

Samuel had a choice to make, he could continue to mourn, or he could make the choice to move on and accomplish God's calling.

In 2 Samuel 19:1-7 we see a similar situation. To set the stage, Absalom turned against King David and pursued him to kill him to take his throne. David's men were greatly out numbered, but they were victorious in killing Absalom and the battle was won. When David heard the news of Absalom's death, he cried out in mourning. The men that had fought in his army came back, victorious and ready to party, but instead, when they found out that David was mourning, they felt ashamed and their rejoicing turned to mourning. The highlight of this short story is that Joab, one of the commanders in David's army, stormed into David's room and said to David, "Today you have humiliated all your men, who have just saved your life and the lives of your sons and daughters and the lives of your wives and concubines. You love those who hate you and hate those who love you. You have made it clear today that the commanders and their men mean nothing to you. I see that you would be pleased if Absalom were alive today and all of us were dead. Now go out and encourage your men. I swear by the Lord that if you don't go out, not a man will be left with you by nightfall. This will be worse for you than all the calamites that have come upon you from your youth until now." (Joab had guts!)

In 1 Samuel 16:4, the story goes on to say that, "Samuel did what the Lord said...". (He decided to move past his mourning to be obedient to God's calling)

In 2 Samuel 19:8, the story goes on to say that, "So the king (David) got up and took his seat in the gateway. When the men were told, "The king is sitting in the gateway" they all came to him." (He chose to not focus on the negative, but chose to rejoice in his blessings, which allowed him to be restored.)

Just as Samuel and David were invited to move past their circumstance, so are we. It is a daily choice to choose to move on, to end the time of mourning when we get stuck and to be faithful to God's calling. It is tough, we have to choose daily to give up our right to justice, our right to vengeance, our right to play the role of the victim, our right to wallow in self pity, but it is a calling that we will never regret.