Saul, David’s enemy for years, is dead. Slain on the battlefield. And his body desecrated by the Philistines! Shameful treatment, especially for a King!

Yet David, in the Spirit of the Lord, called his potential murderer, “the beauty of Israel!” He earnestly lamented “the mighty have fallen!” (2 Samuel 1:19)

What sad news for the people of Israel.

Then comes verse 20 of 2 Samuel chapter 1, the “point” of today’s little Bible Study here. Concerning the King’s death … “Tell it not in Gath, publish it not in the streets of Askelon; lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice, lest the daughters of the uncircumcised triumph.”

Wow!

In essence, David just wrote … DO NOT TELL YOUR BAD NEWS TO YOUR ENEMIES!

In fact, be careful where you tell any bad news!

Do not give the devil’s crowd (exactly what the Philistines symbolized) reason to rejoice over your failures, your catastrophes!

If we would resolve to be more careful anytime the temptation came to spread bad news … Christianity might be transformed! Our local Churches certainly would!

David simply would not publish the bad news of (even) Saul’s death! What godly wisdom!

Paul, in Philippians 4:8, even teaches us not to “think” on anything of a “bad report!” That is, think only on items that have a “good report!”

And John elsewhere urges us to live so that we have “good report” of the brethren! (3 John Verse 12, to be specific.)

Look what a “good report” does in Proverbs 15:30 … “A good report maketh the bones fat.” Sounds healthy!

Minimize “bad reports!”

Maximize “good reports!”

End of today’s Lesson.

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

(Do NOT tell at the beauty shop or barber shop the bad news from Church! Or the latest gossip on some struggling Chrisitan! Adopt this prayer about negative conversation … “Let the words of my mouth be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.” Psalm 19:14)

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