Weeping

Meditation
1 Samuel 20:41—When the young man had gone, David got up from the south side of the stone Ezel, fell with his face to the ground, and bowed three times.  Then he and Jonathan kissed each other and wept with each other, though David wept more.
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In my quiet time with the Lord this morning I read 1 Samuel 20.  Here we find the tragic story of Prince Jonathan having to validate David’s fear that King Saul truly did want to kill him.  No longer was it safe for David to serve a jealous leader out for his head.   As the two best friends embraced they understood that life would no longer be the same for them. A deep sadness filled the air.* 

Jonathan wept; shamed by an evil dad who abandoned honor for power.  No doubt his grief and fear swirled with the guilt of a king’s betrayal, the knowledge that David would live like some hunted animal and the realization that the good times they shared hunting, swapping stories and listening to David’s songs were over.  But David wept more.  His grief was the severance of peace, the pain of rejection and premonition of judgment. There could not be two kings and he was anointed.
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In Luke 23:28, Jesus walking towards crucifixion, turned and said,“Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for Me, but weep for yourselves and your children.”   On that fateful Friday, ladies wept: shamed by corrupt religious leaders who abandoned honor for power and embarrassed by men who deserted loyalty to avoid arrest.   No doubt their grief and fear swirled with the guilt of the King’s betrayal, the knowledge that Jesus must die like some despicable criminal and the realization that the good times they shared eating, ministering to Him, and listening to His parables and teaching were over.   But God wept more.  His grief was the severance of Peace, the pain of rejection and foreknowledge of judgment.  There could not be two kings and He was anointed.
 
Inspiration
The ability to weep over the words of Scripture and over our failure to keep God’s Word is something that ought to be cultivated and desired today.  It is not a sign of weakness or emotional instability.  Rather, it is a sign of sensitivity to God’s Word and of our abhorrence of sin.  It is also a sign of spiritual and emotional health.  The inability to weep over these things, on the other hand, is a sign of a traumatized or hardened heart.—Jack Deere in Surprised By The Power Of The Spirit
 
*Don’t let anyone twist your mind with thoughts that this passage validates same gender sex.  Such teaching is a contextual travesty that distorts the enormous respect and friendship two warriors hold as they contemplated parting.  
©2010 Daniel York  ARR. Reveration is the weekly devotional ministry of First Cause.  If you would like to receive these devotionals go to www.firstcause.org and click on the “Click here to receive weekly devotionals” box.  Unlimited permission to copy this devotional without altering text or profiteering is allowed subject to inclusion of this copyright notice.      
 
Ecclesiastes 12:10-The Teacher sought to find delightful sayings and to accurately write words of truth.  (Holman CSB)