II Samuel 1:1-16 David, Saul, And The Death Of All The Amalekites.

While Israel was being defeated, and Saul and his sons killed, David was slaughtering the Amalekites. A man, who said he was an Amalekite, brought the news to David. Evidently he decided to lie about how Saul died, claiming that he killed him out of concern for him dying a slow and painful death. He added that he took Saul’s crown and bracelet so he could bring them to David, supposing, it would seem, that this would garner him favour with David. Did he know that David had slaughtered his own people? Was this his way of seeking to escape the sword? Clearly his political calculations cost him. David had refused to kill the LORD’s anointed, Saul, even though he bore witness to him of the opportunities he had to do so. David had the man executed, and then sealed the deed with the following words. “So David said to him, ‘Your blood is on your own head, for your own mouth has testified against you, saying, ‘I have killed the LORD’s anointed’’” (v. 16). Saul was judged earlier for not utterly destroying the Amalekites in that he saved Agag the king, and the best of their stock (I Sam. 15). It is therefore ironic that what appears to be the lone survivor from the Amalekites should be the one to claim that he had killed Saul.