So David said to the young man who told him, “How do you know that Saul and Jonathan his son are dead?” Then the young man who told him said, “As I happened by chance to be on Mount Gilboa, there was Saul, leaning on his spear; and indeed the chariots and horsemen followed hard after him. Now when he looked behind him, he saw me and called to me. And I answered, ‘Here I am.’ And he said to me, ‘Who are you?’ So I answered him, ‘I am an Amalekite.’ He said to me again, ‘Please stand over me and kill me, for anguish has come upon me, but my life still remains in me.’ So I stood over him and killed him, because I was sure that he could not live after he had fallen. And I took the crown that was on his head and the bracelet that was on his arm, and have brought them here to my Lord.” (2 Samuel 1:5-10)

The Consequence Of Lying

Saul was the anointed of God as King of Israel. As the leader of the nation of the Lord, Saul held a position of prominence before the Lord God as leader of His people. His reign would last for forty years and was marked with a spirit of disobedience and arrogance. Saul hated David. Much of Saul’s reign was spent chasing David like a flea in the wilderness. On more than one occasion, David had the opportunity to kill his foe but refused to lay a hand on the anointed of God. David respected the will of the Lord, choosing not to defile the divine ordinance that placed Saul on the throne.

The Philistines fought against Israel with fierce combat, killing many of the Israelite soldiers. Three of Saul’s sons were killed: Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua. Following hard after Saul, archers hit him and severely wounded him. When David returned from the slaughter of the Amalekites, a messenger came to him on the third day. The man’s clothes were torn, and his head was covered in dust. He tells David he has come from the camp of Israel and the battle had not gone well for the people. The man tells David that Saul and Jonathan are dead. To ensure the news was accurate, David asked the man how he knew Saul was dead. The man relates the events of Saul’s death.

Mount Gilboa was the place where Saul died. The stranger was on the mountain by chance and noticed the king leaning on his spear with the chariots and horsemen following hard after him. Saul called out to the man, asking who he was. The man told Saul he was an Amalekite. Saul asked the man to stand over him and kill him. So, the man obeyed the king and killed him. He took his crown and bracelet to prove the king was dead and came to David with the news. Later that evening, David calls for the man and asks him why he killed the anointed of the Lord. Then, David called to one of his soldiers to execute the man, which he did.

David executed the man because he had defiled the covenant of God and killed the anointed of the Lord. Unknown to David, the story the man told was a lie. He did not kill Saul. As the battle grew fierce with the Philistines pressing hard on him, Saul, mortally wounded, commanded his armorbearer to kill him with his sword. The armorbearer refused because he was greatly afraid. It could have been the armorbearer understood the nature of God’s anointed and refused to obey the word of the king. Finding no other alternative, Saul took a sword and fell on it. The Philistines killed the armorbearer that same day.

The Amalekite sought glory for killing Saul and was executed. His lie was for his own self-glory, seeking favor with David. The man did not realize that David’s character was just and truthful. It is possible David did not believe the man’s story. Bragging about killing Saul was a death sentence for harming the anointed of God. Lying served its own purpose. In the account of the early church, Ananias and Sapphira lied to God and were struck down immediately.

Thankfully, God does not strike down liars because fewer people would walk the face of the earth. Lying is a natural part of life that can easily be done without guilt. In some circles, lying is expected and demanded. The problem is the same as the Amalekite. God hates lying. He will not strike someone down if they lie, but those lies will not be forgotten. Liars are always included in the list of those cast into the lake of fire. The sins of the Amalekite were found out at the throne of God when David had him killed. Lie in this life and you will not stand before God guiltless. And be reminded the difference between a white lie and any other convenient lie is still a lie, and God hates lies.