“How the mighty have fallen! The weapons of war have perished!” – 2 Samuel 1:27

Today’s Scripture Reading (February 17, 2016): 2 Samuel 1

For some, the term “boots on the ground” is offensive. I get that. The term, and several others like it, hides the reality that there are very real people inside of the boots. The problem is that the euphemism might make it easier to send soldiers into battle. And while all of that is true, the term also reveals another kind of truth. Sometimes we become a little too enamored with the latest developments in weapons; the smart bombs that we can drop, the drones that we can fly, the missiles that we can launch, all in order to achieve our objectives. But the reality is that war, even today, is still fought best with people. And that is the reason why “boots on the ground” is still talked about. The weapons that win wars are still filled with blood and breathe in and out on a regular basis.

David closes his lament with his repeated phrase “How the mighty have fallen!” David’s lament is twofold. He is mourning the fall of the king, but although he doesn’t mention it, the reality is that Saul’s fall had happened a long time ago. His death simply brought to an end a fall that had started many years earlier. But David is also mourning the death of his friend Jonathan. And that death was a lot fresher. Saul and David were the mighty that had fallen.

But David’s next phrase is that “the weapons of war have perished.” And David is not talking about the spears and arrows that Saul and Jonathan had with them. He is still talking about Saul and Jonathan themselves – the boots on the ground. They are the weapons – and they always were. They were the soul of the battle and the reason why the soldiers went to war in the first place. Saul and Jonathan were the confidence of the people and the defense of the nation. And now they were gone.

The reality was that now the enemies of Israel would begin to gather. Now Israel was vulnerable. All because the mighty had fallen, and the weapons of war have perished.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: 2 Samuel 2