1 Samuel 31

Context and Chronology: 1. The gathered to fight against , and Achish informs he and his men will go out with them (1 Samuel 28:1, 2).

2. The Philistine fighting force assembled at Aphek, but David is dismissed over concerns of his loyalty (1 Samuel 29:1-10). About this time, the Israelites set up camp in the vicinity of the .

3. From Aphek, David headed south back to Ziklag (1 Samuel 29:11–30:1) as the Philistines moved north to the Jezreel Valley (1 Samuel 29:11).

4. The Philistines set up camp at Shunem on the northern side of the Jezreel Valley, and the Israelites assembled in the Gilboa hills on the south side of the valley (1 Samuel 28:4).

5. The terrified secretly visited the medium at Endor by night and was told by Samuel that he and his sons would die in the battle (1 Samuel 28:5-25).

6. Meanwhile David reached Ziklag, discovered the camp had been burned and the people had fallen into the hands of the Amalekites (1 Samuel 30). About the time Saul is consulting the witch, David is inquiring of the LORD on how to proceed after the devastation.

7. As David was fighting the Amalekites (more than a hundred miles to the south), the Philistines engaged the Israelites in battle in the Jezreel Valley (1 Sam 31:1).

8. While the Philistines are overtaking Saul and his sons, destroying the army, and taking land and cities, David and his men are recovering ALL the Amalekites had taken plus more.

Who: Saul, Saul’s sons: Jonathan, Abinadab and Malchishua, Saul’s Armor-bearer, Men Of Israel: 1) those with Saul; 2) those on the other side of the valley; 3) those beyond the Jordan, the Valiant Men of Jabesh-Gilead, the Philistines

What: The Philistines defeat Israel and Saul. Three of his sons perish in the battle.

Where: Israel’s territory: , Beth-shan, Jabesh-Gilead (east of the Jordan); and land of the Philistines and the temple of Ashtaroth 1

Words: Saul x11, Saul and his sons x5, Philistines x8, Words Pertaining to Death x13 (fell, slain, struck down, dead, died, thrust threw)

The Death of King Saul

I. Death of the King and His Sons 1 Samuel 1-7 II. Humiliation and Honoring the Slain King 1 Samuel 8-13

Section 1, Death of the King and His Sons

V1 In the very first sentence, the devastating circumstances are presented. Israel’s army is decimated and those who are still alive are fleeing for their lives. Israel is under a massive assault and the dead are piling up quickly.

The battle most likely began in the Jezreel Valley, but as the Philistines gained, the Israel army fled to the higher ground of Mount Gilboa, which was less accessible to Philistine chariots.

(About a hundred miles to the south it was Amalekites (the 400 who survived), who were “fleeing” from David -1 Samuel 30:17).

V2 The Narrator takes us in closer, providing more detail, focusing on Saul’s three sons. The Philistines overtake and strike them down. We are given the sad news: Jonathan, David’s beloved friend, has been killed.

It seems fitting to take a moment and reflect on Jonathan’s life:

- We remember that Jonathan was a man who responded to the purposes of God as they became clear to him, even at great cost to himself. - He perceived Saul’s failure to rule properly and took the necessary steps against the Philistines in Saul’s place (1 Samuel 13:3; 14, especially v. 29). - He was the first to recognize that David would be Israel’s next king. He willingly and gladly took the initiative to commit himself to David (1 Samuel 18:1-4). - He was faithful to that commitment and consistently took David’s side in the conflict between Saul and David (1 Samuel 19:1-3; 20:1-42; 23:16-18) even risking his own life by testifying to Saul of David’s innocence (1 Samuel 19:4-6; 20:26-34). - Jonathan hoped to play a role in David’s coming kingdom (1 Samuel 23:17).

His death will be a terrible and heart-breaking loss for David. 2

V3 The Narrator takes us closer still, and Saul comes into lonely focus, only his armor- bearer is with him. The whole weight of the conflict presses down upon Saul. The Philistine archers have wounded him badly. The archers would have had no trouble scrambling up the higher, rougher terrain of Mount Gilboa.

V4-5 Saul discerns his true situation, he prefers to die rather than face Philistine torture and humiliation. But he doesn’t want to kill himself, that isn’t the course of a warrior, instead he commands his armor-bearer to draw his sword and thrust him threw. The armor-bearer will not obey. Saul quickly takes his own sword and falls upon it, killing himself. His armor-bearer then follows him in death. We still don’t hear the words “God, forgive me!” from the lips of Saul. This chapter is a painful reversal of chapter 17, the David and Goliath story. (Goliath was also killed with his own sword).

V6 “Thus Saul died, and his three sons, and his armor-bearer, and all his men, on the same day together.”

Just five words in the Hebrew text report the death of Israel’s first king. Walter Bruggemann observes:

“The Narrator draws a summary that is majestic in its terseness. The sentence must be spoken slowly. There must be a pause with each phrase to grasp the massiveness of the death, its finality, and its majesty.”

V7 The death of the king brought about panic and hopelessness and caused the Israelites to flee their cities, running for their lives. The Philistines made deep inroads into Israel’s territory by quickly claiming and occupying the cities. Their presence effectively cut off the northern tribes from the southern tribes of Benjamin and Judah. Israel once again lived in territory occupied by the Philistines, the very situation that had led to Saul’s appointment as king. Saul’s sin, hardened rebellion, and eventual ruin affected far more than himself and even his immediate family; it endangered the entire nation of Israel.

At about the same time, 100+ miles to the south, David is succeeding as completely as Saul and his men are failing. “David brought back all” -1Samuel 31:19.

3 Section II, Humiliation and Honoring the Slain King 1 Samuel 31:8-13

V8-10 The practice of stripping the slain soldiers was common. It may have been only now that they discover Saul and his sons are among the fallen. We are told they “cut off his head and stripped off his armor,” as David had done with Goliath.

The death of an enemy king is good news. Strategically, the king’s death means the military has lost its main force. Theologically, it means that the enemy god has been defeated; when the king dies it means the king’s god has failed.

John Woodhouse states: “The Philistines proclaimed the good news, the “gospel” of Saul’s death. That is the language used. It helps us to understand what proclaiming a gospel means. It is to announce momentous news to people. That day there was a gospel for the Philistines and a gospel for their idols!”

Saul’s death gave the Philistine’s an opportunity to mock YHWH, to glorify their own gods and to disgrace the Living God of Israel. The bodies of Saul and his sons, desecrated and hung from the wall of Beth-shan was simply spoil for the gods of the Philistines. In their eyes, YHWH had been as humiliated and defeated as Saul.

V11-13 When the Philistine “gospel” reached the people of Jabesh-gilead, all the valiant men mounted a recovery mission, marching all night through Philistine occupied territory to recovery the bodies. Even in a time of such defeat and disgrace, God still had valiant men to do His work. The people of Jabesh-gilead featured prominently in the very first of Saul’s military exploits when he delivered them from the Ammonites. They feature prominently again here at the end of Saul’s career (see 1 Samuel 11:1-11). Saul may have been a failed king, but this community remembered his bravery in risking his life to rescue them and so they undertake to rescue his body from the humiliation of the Philistines.

The bodies of Saul and his sons are returned to Jabesh and given a proper military burial for fallen warriors. Their bones are buried under a Tamarisk tree and the people observed a 7 day fast.

The respect and dignity given to Saul, the fallen king, are not unlike the later caring removal of another body, that of Jesus. Many years later, another who was “The LORD’s Anointed,” was seemingly defeated by his enemies. He was also handed over, abused and humiliated (Matthew 20:19; Mark 10:33; Luke 18:32). His body was hung as a public object of horror and disgust on a cross (Matthew 27:31; Mark 15:20; Luke 23:33; John 19:18). In his case, too, there was someone who cared and came, at some

4 risk to himself, to take down his body and provide an honorable burial (Matthew 27:57- 60; Mark 15:43-46; Luke 23:50-53; John 19:38-42).

The similarities between the death of Saul and the death of Jesus serve to highlight the stark difference between them. Saul died for his own failure to “fear the LORD and serve him faithfully” (1 Samuel 12:24). In 1 Chronicles 10:13-14, the Chronicler tells us the sad story of Saul: “So Saul died for his breach of faith. He broke faith with the Lord in that he did not keep the command of the Lord, and also consulted a medium, seeking guidance. He did not seek guidance from the Lord. Therefore the Lord put him to death and turned the kingdom over to David the son of Jesse.”

Jesus died as the righteous and faithful one, in complete obedience to his Father’s will (i.e. Matthew 26:39; Romans 5:19; Philippians 2:8; Hebrews 5:7-10; 12:2).

Saul’s life has provided a sad illustration of trusting in human power and human schemes, rather than trusting in God. The people wanted a king “like all the other nations… to go out before us and fight our battles,” (Sam 8:19-20). Israel’s hopes to have a great king and Saul’s story have ended in death and failure, but Saul’s story lies within a bigger story, the story of YHWH’s purposes.

Saul’s failure was not the failure of YHWH’s purpose. The Lord had chosen another whom He would “establish as king over Israel” and “exalt his kingdom for the sake of his people Israel” (2 Samuel 5:12). David, the man after God’s own heart, would be the king who would trust in YHWH’s strength, not his own. In this regard, David’s ascent as a true anointed king foreshadows and points to the coming mighty King, Jesus.

Application:

As you reflect on what we’ve learned over the past months about Saul and his life, what are some of the things that stand out to you?

- What have you learned about God? - What have you learned about yourself? - What significant observations will you apply to your life? - How do you respond when the battle “presses hard” against you? - Read Ephesians 6:10-18. How does this encourage you as you face your battles?

Sources (other than the Bible) used in compiling notes; Interpretation Commentary for Teaching and Preaching 1&2 Samuel, Walter Brueggemann; Verse by Verse Commentary 1 Samuel, David Guzik; 1 Samuel Preaching Outlines, Brian Morgan; 1&2 Samuel Commentary, Eugene Peterson; An Old Testament Theology, Bruce Waltke with Charles Yu; 1 Samuel: Looking for a Leader (Preaching the Word) John Woodhouse

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