SAUL’S DEATH 

1 Samuel 31:1-13 / Keywords 31:12a

all their valiant men journeyed through the night to Beth Shan.

 

Saul Takes His Life

31:1 Now the Philistines fought against Israel; the Israelites fled before them, and many fell dead on Mount Gilboa. 2 The Philistines were in hot pursuit of Saul and his sons, and they killed his sons Jonathan, Abinadab and Malki-Shua. 3 The fighting grew fierce around Saul, and when the archers overtook him, they wounded him critically.

4 Saul said to his armor-bearer, “Draw your sword and run me through, or these uncircumcised fellows will come and run me through and abuse me.”

But his armor-bearer was terrified and would not do it; so Saul took his own sword and fell on it. 5 When the armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he too fell on his sword and died with him. 6 So Saul and his three sons and his armor-bearer and all his men died together that same day.

7 When the Israelites along the valley and those across the Jordan saw that the Israelite army had fled and that Saul and his sons had died, they abandoned their towns and fled. And the Philistines came and occupied them.

8 The next day, when the Philistines came to strip the dead, they found Saul and his three sons fallen on Mount Gilboa. 9 They cut off his head and stripped off his armor, and they sent messengers throughout the land of the Philistines to proclaim the news in the temple of their idols and among their people. 10 They put his armor in the temple of the Ashtoreths and fastened his body to the wall of Beth Shan.

11 When the people of Jabesh Gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul, 12 all their valiant men marched through the night to Beth Shan. They took down the bodies of Saul and his sons from the wall of Beth Shan and went to Jabesh, where they burned them. 13 Then they took their bones and buried them under a tamarisk tree at Jabesh, and they fasted seven days.

1. What Samuel spoke through the medium of Endor came to pass. The Philistines pursued and killed Saul and his three sons. Saul was critically wounded, but still alive. He commanded his armor-bearer to kill him, but the armor-bearer feared God and could not. So, Saul fell on his own sword and died. The Philistines put his armor in the temple of their god and fastened his body to the wall of Beth Shan. This was how they celebrated their victory over the Israelites.

 

2. Saul had begun his reign with a heroic act. He had rescued the city of Jabesh Gilead from the sadistic Ammonite king Nahash (1Sa 11). The men of Jabesh Gilead did not forget this. They risked their lives to recover the bodies of Saul and his sons from being shamefully exposed by the Philistines. They gave them a decent burial. They remembered God’s saving grace and gave honor to Saul and his sons.

 

Prayer Lord, help me to remember your grace and honor those who serve you.

One Word Remember God’s grace