And they mourned and wept and fasted until evening for Saul and for Jonathan his son, for the people of the Lord and for the house of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword. 2 Sam 1:12 NKJV
The context of this verse is that King Saul of Israel and his son Jonathan died in battle with the Philistines. David, who would be the next King of Israel, and his men are those who are mourning, fasting and weeping for the two men.
David loved King Saul, and he was a best friend to Jonathan and it hit him harder because he lost both of them.
Those of us who have lost someone dear to us can relate to this verse. And while I have not lost a dear one in battle, there are many that have.
It seems fitting that we talk about men and women lost in battle. Any family who loses a loved one in war is a tragedy. But a family who loses all of their children at one time is unthinkable. That’s just what happened to the Sullivan family during World War II.
While the Sullivan boys stipulated they wanted to serve together in January 1942, they were all lost at sea when their ship, the USS Juneau, sunk in November 1942.
Several years after the Sullivan parents lost their entire family, and another family lost four members of their family, the military adopted the sole survivor policy which is a set of regulations designed to protect members of a family from the draft or from combat duty if they have already lost family members in military service.
Parents who lose a baby or a child are overwrought with the pain of loss but to lose five sons in one fell swoop, I can’t even imagine the pain of suffering that family endured. Some may say, it was a long time ago or time has a way of healing. That may be true to some extent but a parent who loses a child whether that child is a baby, child or an adult, can’t ever be consoled and time doesn’t heal. It only covers the grief until the anniversary of their child’s birth or death.
Parents who have lost children have said it never goes away and I believe them. It’s always there, in the corner of their heart. Jumping into the forefront of their minds when they least expect it. Something or someone will trigger a memory and grief rushes into their hearts.
May we all have an extra measure of compassion for those parents who have lost a child.