← Back to sermon library
1 Samuel chapter 31, finishing
the story of Saul and David. Remember that chapters 27 to
31 sort of form a unit. Specifically, David is in Philistia,
and here in chapter 31, we pick up the narrative where chapters
28 and 29 left off, and specifically, the Philistines are fighting
against Israel. David Samora says concerning
this section, the present episode describes the final battle between
the Philistines and Saul. Having dealt with David's story
in chapter 30, the storyline now joins together the account
of Saul, which was broken off at the end of chapter 28, and
that of the Philistines, which was broken off at the end of
chapter 29 at Mount Gilboa. Now, as we have seen several
times in our study, beginning in chapter 16 all the way to
the end here, there's a contrast between David and Saul. David is on the rise. and Saul
is on the decline. And that's evident here in chapters
30 and 31. David is engaged in battle against
the Amalekites and he is victorious. Saul is engaged in battle against
the Philistines and he is defeated. So I'll just pick up reading
in chapter 31 at verse 1. It says, now the Philistines
fought against Israel. Or it's better translated, meanwhile,
or now, the Philistines were fighting against Israel. It's
almost as if the author is picking up the action where he left off.
We have seen David go on this incursion to get back his wives
and his property from the Amalekites. And meanwhile, the Philistines
fought against Israel. And the men of Israel fled from
before the Philistines and fell slain on Mount Gilboa. Then the Philistines followed
hard after Saul and his sons. And the Philistines killed Jonathan,
Abinadab, and Malkishua, Saul's sons. The battle became fierce
against Saul. The archers hit him and he was
severely wounded by the archers. Then Saul said to his armor bearer,
draw your sword and thrust me through with it, lest these uncircumcised
men come and thrust me through and abuse me. But his armor-bearer
would not, for he was greatly afraid. Therefore Saul took a
sword and fell on it. And when his armor-bearer saw
that Saul was dead, he also fell on his sword and died with him.
So Saul, his three sons, his armor bearer, and all his men
died together that same day. And when the men of Israel who
were on the other side of the valley and those who were on
the other side of the Jordan saw that the men of Israel had
fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they forsook the cities
and fled. And the Philistines came and
dwelt in them. So it happened the next day when
the Philistines came to strip the slain that they found Saul
and his three sons fallen on Mount Gilboa. And they cut off
his head and stripped off his armor and sent word throughout
the land of the Philistines to proclaim it in the temple of
their idols and among the people. Then they put his armor in the
temple of the Ashtoreths and they fastened his body to the
wall of Beth-shan. Now when the inhabitants of Jabesh
Gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul, all the valiant
men arose and traveled all night and took the body of Saul and
the bodies of his sons from the wall of Beth-shan. And they came
to Jabesh and burned them there. Then they took their bones and
buried them under the tamarisk tree at Jabesh and fasted seven
days. Amen. So essentially, what we
have is the end of Saul. The ultimate point of his decline
is in his demise in this battle against the Philistines. And
certainly, his suicide, his ending his own life, is something that
is frowned upon throughout scripture. As we look at this particular
section, we'll look at it under three considerations. In the
first place, the death of Saul and his sons. Secondly, the response
by the Philistines. And thirdly, the kindness of
Jabesh Gilead. So in the first place, the death
of Saul and his sons. As I've already mentioned, it's
probably going on at the same time that David is facing the
Amalekites in chapter 30. Meanwhile, the Philistines were
fighting against Israel. And we see specifically the death
of Saul's sons. Now again, this is important
information, not only because it's historical in nature, But
remember that the stage is being set for David to ascend the throne
of Israel. For that to take place, obviously
the reigning king must not have any succeeding seed. Though Ish-bosheth
is not mentioned as having died here, he does emerge later in
the narrative. We'll look at Ish-bosheth. later
on, but it does mention specifically three sons of Saul, Jonathan,
Abinadab, and Malkishua, Saul's sons. Now, as we look at this
particular chapter, we ought to spend just a few moments to
consider Jonathan. I mean, Jonathan is dead at this
particular instance, having served God and having lived a faithful
life. Even to the very end, he is faithful
at his father's side. Remember that Jonathan was a
one-time heir to the throne of Israel. We know that he was not
going to receive the throne, but he didn't know that. All
the way back in chapter 13, it was announced that Solomon, or
that rather Saul's dynasty would end. Again, it's repeated in
chapter 14 concerning this particular situation. As well, Jonathan
served faithfully in terms of military service. In chapters
13 and 14 he led assaults against the Philistines and brought victory
to Israel. When it is obvious that David
is on his way to the throne, Jonathan is not a pouting, brooding,
murmuring, whining, complainer, but rather Jonathan recognizes
the hand of God is upon David. Remember that scene in chapter
18, after David comes back from the Valley of Elah, having successfully
battled and defeated Goliath, we see that Jonathan takes off
his robes to hand them over to David. Essentially what he is
doing is he's abdicating the throne to David. He is showing
respect, he is showing esteem, he is showing honor. So Jonathan
is faithful every step of the way. When we get to chapter 19
and Saul is engaged in murderous rage against David, it is Jonathan
who stands up for David and says to Saul that it would be wrong
for him to pursue David's life. And that appeases Saul at least
for a time, so Jonathan is successful there. When we get to chapter
20, Jonathan engages in a covenantal ceremony, or a covenantal ratification
with David, or a renewal with David. He's a friend by covenant
to David. He stands by David. He gives
David information that David needs so that David can make
an effective escape from Saul. As well, in chapter 23, when
David is on the run, he meets again a final time with Jonathan,
and Jonathan reassures David that God has indeed determined
that David would succeed the throne in Israel. And then we see, as I've said,
faithfulness to his father until the bitter end. And I think there's
a good lesson here concerning Jonathan. Sometimes faithful
obedience and steadfastness in the Christian life may not always
yield a whole lot of attendant benefits. In other words, our
faithful obedience to the Lord God may end tragically. It may not be the case that we
get fame, that we get fortune, that we get accolades, that we
have people writing songs about us, or writing biographies about
us, but faithful obedience to the Lord God Most High is what
is required by God. A life lived faithfully before
God may not yield fame, fortune, or even earthly blessing, but
a life lived faithfully before God is required by all who name
the name of Christ, whether The hope for benefits attend that
life or not. So the point is this, you may
serve God and persons may never see it. Persons may never understand
the extent that you went to in order to serve the Lord. Again,
we have the written record, we get a snapshot into the lives
of Jonathan and David, and we see what a sterling fellow and
what a faithful man he really was. But he dies in battle not
having sort of made his impact upon this earth. He was a man
that was destined for the kingship over Israel, but that was cut
short. He dies a faithful man. He dies
without all of the pomp and the show and all of the accolades
that people oftentimes want. So I think there's an encouragement
to each and every one of us. We need to faithfully serve God.
We need to plod on. We need to engage in steadfastness
whether we get all the hope for benefits in this life. We see people at times that do
things for the Lord God and everybody seems to recognize them and they
get accolades. Well, we want to guard our hearts
against desiring those same sorts of things. But we can as well
rest assured in the reality that when Jonathan died on the field
of battle, specifically at Gilboa, he entered into the presence
of the living and the true God. So everything that we attain
in the life that is to come far outweighs anything we might ever
attain in this life in the here and now. So Jonathan is a wonderful
example of steadfast faithfulness until the very bitter end. In
fact, the tragedy in chapter 31 is not the death of Saul.
The tragedy on the human level is the death of Jonathan. The
real tragedy in terms of the divine level is the fact that
the God of Israel is ultimately mocked by these Philistines because
that is precisely what they are doing when they take Saul's armor
into the temple of Ashtoreth, when they take Saul's head into
the temple of Dagon. That is a victory dance, that
is a victory lap to basically extol the God's of Philistia
over the God of Israel. So don't miss the tragedy in
chapter 31. It's not that Saul met his end, it's that Jonathan
met his end, and it was that the glory of God was sullied
at least for a time. It will be regained as a result
of David, the true king of Israel, but nevertheless God is, as it
were, mocked by these Philistines in chapter 31. Now notice specifically
the death of Saul in verses 3 to 6. The archers. The battle became
fierce against Saul. The archers hit him and he was
severely wounded by the archers. Now some translations might indicate
that he was not hit by the archers. There is a what's called a textual
variant there. Some suspect that he wasn't hit
by the archers, but they were certainly in attack mode, coming
in or closing in upon him. Either way, Saul is in a bad
place. Robert Alter surmises that the
battle initially took place on the valley floor. And as a result,
the Philistines, with their superior chariots, were able to mop up. And so Saul and his sons flee
up into the mountains. Well, it would be natural at
that point to send the archers, because that would be the way
to take out your opponent in that particular kind of terrain.
Be that as it may, we see that Saul is either A. threatened by the archers or
B. he's been hit by the archers. I suspect it is that he was severely
wounded by the archers. Now notice in verse 4, Saul said
to his armor-bearer, draw your sword and thrust me through with
it, lest these uncircumcised men come and thrust me through
and abuse me. Again, make no mistake about
it, Saul is asking for someone else to terminate his life. It
would be a form of euthanasia. It would be a form of mercy killing. Now, ultimately Saul engages
in full-on suicide, but in this particular instance he makes
this request. And notice, lest these uncircumcised
men come. It's interesting. To the bitter
end, Saul still seems to retain some semblance of religion. He identifies them as uncircumcised
men. What's the implication? He himself
is a circumcised man. Now, his religious status at
this particular time, as we have seen, is certainly not stellar. I mean, he's consulted a medium.
He has sought help from a witch in chapter 28. And yet, to the
very end, he still has at least this guise or at least this appearance
of a religiosity. And notice, lest these uncircumcised
men come and thrust me through and abuse me. That is not an
unfounded concern. I mean, after Saul is dead, the
Philistines abuse him. That is precisely what takes
place when they lop off his head and they carry it to the Temple
of Dagon, and they put his armor in the Temple of Ashtoreth. That
is abuse. But think as well the way the
Philistines dealt with Samson. It was the Philistines who plucked
his eyes out, or gouged his eyes out. It was the Philistines who
brought him into the Temple to make a mockery out of him. Again,
this was a victory lap designed to indicate that Yahweh, the
God of Israel, had failed And Dagon, the god of the Philistines,
had reigned supreme. So Saul's concern here was certainly
not without warrant or not without ground. And notice in verse 4b,
but his armor-bearer would not. Dill says that the armor-bearer,
at least he cites some Jewish interpreters that say that the
armor-bearer was Doeg the Edomite. It would be difficult for me
to believe that Doeg wouldn't put that sword right through
Saul. Now, some may say, well, he was devoted to King Saul in
a way that he wasn't to the priests at Nob, but be that as it may,
that is certainly a an idea or a view that is out there, but
it doesn't indicate that in the text. But notice, his armor-bearer
would not, for he was greatly afraid. We don't know why he
was afraid. He didn't want to commit regicide.
Maybe he did have devotion to King Saul. We're not told. But notice that Saul takes matters
into his own hand. At the end of verse 4, Saul took
a sword and fell on it. Again, Saul commits suicide,
enters the ranks of others that committed suicide, namely Abimelech. And Abimelech, in Judges chapter
9, went the same way. Remember, a woman threw a millstone
off of the tower wall, or down from the tower, and hit him.
And then he asked his armor-bearer to thrust him through with a
sword, lest it be reported that a woman had killed him. Now,
his armor-bearer obliged him and killed him. But in this instance,
this armor-bearer would not, so Saul took a sword and fell
on it. Other suicides in the Bible.
Ahithophel in 2 Samuel 17, 23. Zimri in 1st Kings 1618 and Judas
of course in the New Testament. Samson is not included there. When we went through judges we
argued that it was not a suicide because the text is specific
that he killed more Philistines in his death than he did in his
life. It was an act of war. It was a means by which he furthered
the kingdom of God by bringing destruction upon the heads of
the Philistines. That's not what's going on in
this particular instance. Saul kills himself. Notice in
verse 5, when his armor bearer saw that Saul was dead, he also
fell on his sword and died with him. Verse 6 is then a summary
statement. So Saul, his three sons, his
armor bearer, and all his men, that does not mean every single
one, every single soldier, probably his entourage, his bodyguards,
those closest to him, and all his men died together that same
day. That brings us to this response
by the Philistines in verses 7 to 10. Notice the Israelites
flee. As far as the Israelites are
concerned, the king is dead, his sons are dead, the Philistines
are mopping up the land with them. Verse 7 says, And when
the men of Israel, who were on the other side of the valley,
and those who were on the other side of the Jordan, saw that
the men of Israel had fled, and that Saul and his sons were dead,
they forsook the cities and fled, and the Philistines came and
dwelt in them." Now that's a powerful statement. Israelites have fled
from their cities and the Philistines have occupied those cities. This
was a strategic win. if you will, for the Philistines.
Robert Vannoy says it this way, the Philistine route of Saul's
troops caused such a panic in Israel that the inhabitants of
villages in the eastern region of the Valley of Jezreel and
even as far away as the eastern side of the Jordan River fled
from their homes. The Philistines quickly moved
into these villages including the important cities of Jezreel
and Beth-Shem. And by so doing, they not only
drove a wedge between the tribes of the far north and the rest
of Israel, remember it's about right here, they've got a wedge
now between the northern tribes and the southern tribes, but
they also gained control of the most important trade route that
ran through Israel. Philistines may not have been
the brightest bulbs in the chandelier, but they weren't complete idiots
either. This was a strategic battle and a good location, and
as Vannoy says, in the aftermath of this important Philistine
victory, Israel was severely weakened, not only militarily,
but also economically. So they dealt a blow to Israel
on that particular day. Now, as a result, the Philistines
celebrate, the Philistines worship, the Philistines praise and adore
their gods, and that is the meaning in verses 8 to 10. Notice in
verse 8, so it happened the next day when the Philistines came
to strip the slain, that they found Saul and his three sons
fallen on Mount Gilboa. I mean, what a find for the Philistines
at this particular time. They cut off his head and stripped
off his armor and sent word throughout the land of the Philistines to
proclaim it in the temple of their idols and among the people.
There's a variant here as well that may indicate that they sent
the head and the armor throughout the cities. The probable reading
is that they sent messengers to proclaim the good news. It
was gospel preaching in Philistia on the heels of this victory
over Israel. So they cut off his head, they
stripped off his armor, they sent word throughout the land
of the Philistines to proclaim it in the temple of their idols
and among the people." Again, the significance is obvious.
It is to say that God, the Lord of Israel, has been defeated
by the gods of the Philistines. We see something similar back
in 1 Samuel chapter 5. Remember, after the Philistines
defeat Israel in chapter 4, they capture the Ark of the Covenant.
They take the Ark of the Covenant and they put it in the Temple
of Dagon. The significance, obviously,
is that Dagon is victorious over Yahweh. But as we know, Yahweh
reverses that sentiment by causing Dagon to fall before the Ark
of the Covenant. They go in the next day to visit
the particulars and they have to pick Dagon up. Again, when
you have to pick up your God, it is a good indicator that you
are serving a false God. The next time they go in, they
find him with his hand broken off, and again, fallen down. So the hand of Dagon is broken
off. When they send away the Ark of
the Covenant, I mean, their response is obvious, get it out of here.
It then says that the hand of the Lord was mighty against them.
So Dagon is this half man, half fish, no hand having idle, and
the arm of Yahweh is strong against the Philistine enemy. Later on,
as I said, David will deal a decisive blow to the Philistines and subjugate
them. But for now, this is the emphasis
of the text that they are celebrating the win of Dagon and Ashtoreth. We know that his head was placed
in Dagon's temple, from a parallel passage in First Chronicles chapter
10 at verse 10. That's why we know, or how we
know, that the head of Saul is in the temple of Dagon. You can
turn there. We're going to quote from it
later on as well. First Chronicles chapter 10,
verse 10. Then they put his armor in the
temple of their gods and fastened his head in the temple of Dagon. So a victory lap, a victory march. And then notice what they do
in verse 10. It says, then they put his armor
in the temple of the Ashtoreths and they fastened his body to
the wall of Beth-shan. Now this wasn't simply a Philistine
convention. Remember when David cut the giant
head off of Goliath, he took it to Jerusalem. Remember that
when David goes to the city of Nob, when he goes to visit the
priest there, the priest says, we have a sword and it's Goliath's. It happens to be in that central
sanctuary or in that place where the priest minister to Yahweh. So this wasn't something confined
to the Philistines, but they certainly did it as well. A sign
that the contrary God had been subjected to or subjugated by
the God of the peoples. So verse 10, Then they put his
armor in the temple of the Ashtoreths, and they fastened his body to
the wall of Beth-shan. But you see, it wasn't just his
body. It was also the bodies of his
sons, as is clear, when the men of Jabesh-Gilead go there to
fetch Saul, they fetch Saul and the bodies of his sons. So this
was a pretty nasty massacre on the part of these particular
wretches. This was a pretty nasty situation
or commentary rather on what they thought of or how they viewed
the God of Israel in this particular instance. And that brings us
finally to the kindness of Jabesh Gilead. It says, now when the
inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead, remember this is on the east
side of the Jordan River. There's a Gilead on the west
side, but this is Jabesh Gilead. It's about 10 miles from the
river. about 20 to 22 miles round trip for the Jabesh Gileadites
to go to Bethshan to get the bodies and to bring them back.
It was about a 20 to a 22 mile journey for these men to go and
fetch Saul and his sons. So verse 11. Now when the inhabitants
of Jabesh Gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul,
all the valiant men arose and traveled all night and took the
body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Beth-shan.
And they came to Jabesh and burned them there. Now Davis tells us
that burning the bodies was not normal Hebrew practice. The Hebrews
typically buried their dead. the pagans typically burned their
dead. But he goes on to say, but it
may have been judged necessary due to decomposition and the
ravages of carrion birds. And remember, these are headless
corpses, or at least Saul's was a headless corpse at this particular
time. The body is fastened on a wall
at Beth-shan. The head is in the temple of
Dagon. So these Jabesh Gileadites go,
fetch the bodies, they burn the bodies, and then they bury the
bones under the tamarisk tree at Jabesh. And it seems a bit
of an interesting way to end 1 Samuel chapter 31. I mentioned
it's an act of kindness. And if we ask the question, why
did the Jabesh Gileadites do this? In fact, if this wasn't
on, I would take a moment to see if anybody wanted to venture
a guess as to why the Jabesh Gileadites did this act of kindness. It is an act of kindness. Because
the bodies, the corpses, are basically being mocked by the
Philistines. So they go under the cover of
night, make this 20 to 22 mile journey, which demands a lot
of courage. If they're found taking this
booty, basically, away from the Philistines, the Philistines
are going to punish them and ultimately kill them, most likely. So they're certainly courageous
men. But we need to remember that they are men who remember
well what Saul had done for them in their past. At the very beginning
of Saul's reign, remember it wasn't always misery in terms
of the reign of Saul. Saul started off well specifically
by delivering the Jabesh Gileadites from Nahash the Ammonite. Remember,
he's the one who basically came to the Gileadites and said, I
want you to be subjugated to me. No, he said, I want you to
give me your eyes. And they said, we don't want
to give you our eyes. And he said, well, I'll give
you a day to think about it. Well, it was Saul that brought
deliverance to the Jabesh Gileadites in 1 Samuel chapter 11. Davis
says it this way. Jabesh Gilead had never forgotten. Nahash, the Ammonite, was as
skilled a mutilator as any Philistine. But when he threatened Jabesh
Gilead, Saul, in the power of the Spirit, that's 11.6, had
marched to their rescue. And a night march at that, 11.11.
Saul's reign began with his deliverance of Jabesh, chapter 11, and ends
with Jabesh's deliverance of Saul in chapter 31. The Spirit
may have departed from Saul, and Yahweh may not answer him,
but time was when Saul was their Savior, and they remain grateful. Proper burial and fasting are
in order. That's a good way to see this
particular section. What Saul had done in terms of
Jabesh Gilead was a good and noble thing. So brethren, when
someone does a good and noble thing for us, it is good. to
remember that it is good to exercise gratitude even if subsequently
they go the way that a Saul went. Notice they don't say, well Saul
ended up like a big wretch, Saul was a big apostate, Saul defected,
Saul did... No, they remembered the act of
kindness that Saul brought in terms of deliverance from these
murderous Ammonites and they respond in kind. They respond
with a genuine kindness They care for Saul and his sons in
their departed state. They burn their bodies, they
bury their bones, and then they fasted for seven days as a result
of this particular activity. So that's the exposition. It's
a short chapter, so we'll probably end early tonight, but we should
make just a few observations before we end our study. So I've already said we ought
to remember the faithfulness of Jonathan. Brethren, it is
easy to, at times, fall into a sort of a mercenary mindset. Roger just alluded to it, or
our brother just alluded to it. You know, there are persons who,
they want to go to heaven because of the things they think they'll
get, or they want to go to heaven because of the, you know, it's
a big basketball court in the sky. And then there are those
who want to go to heaven because that's where Jesus is. Well,
there are those who serve in the Christian life for what they
get. There are those who serve in
the Christian life for the sort of accolades they might receive.
Or they'll serve in the Christian life because they want to have
a particular posture or to be recognized within the context
of the local church. Perhaps this has never risen
up in your hearts, and praise God that's the case, but there
are some that ought to watch themselves that they are not
serving to be seen by men. We are serving to be seen by
the living and true God, and I think that Jonathan typifies
that depicts that, evidences that, and manifests that all
too clearly. Here was a man who, as far as
this earth is concerned, had everything going for him. He
didn't complain about Saul. He didn't grumble about his father.
He didn't say, if you wouldn't have been such a meathead, I
would have taken the throne like I was destined to do. You ruined
everything. No, after all of the difficulties,
Incurred by Jonathan, we find him at Mount Gilboa next to his
father, serving in battle and dying at the hands of these godless
men. We ought to dare to be Jonathan. Steadfast faithfulness, faithful
plotting over the long haul to serve the living and true God,
not to gain the praise or the accolades or the adoration of
men in this world. As well, we ought to remind ourselves
ultimately of the decline of Saul, the contrast with David
until the end. I think if you look all the way
back to chapter 16, you will see that time and time and time
again. The narrator, the author, the
writer is telling us that Saul has declined and David is on
the rise. We see that not because of political
savvy. We see that not because of military
strategy. We see that because of theological
commitment. David is a man after God's own
heart. David responds to the living
and true God the way that a man of God ought to. But Saul, every
step of the way, rejects God's prophet, kills God's priests,
and hunts God's anointed. Certainly, it is not going to
go well for a man who engages in that sort of a manner. And
then we see here the bitter end of Saul, as I mentioned, the
parallel in 1 Chronicles 10, specifically verses 13 and 14,
make a summary statement that just truly captures chapters
16 to 31 in the book of 1 Samuel. The Chronicler writes, So Saul
died for his unfaithfulness which he had committed against the
Lord, because he did not keep the word of the Lord, and also
because he consulted a medium for guidance. but he did not
inquire of the Lord, therefore he killed him and turned the
kingdom over to David the son of Jesse." We see there as well
God's providence that has been conspicuous throughout this book. This wasn't a lucky venture on
the part of the Philistines This was the wrath and judgment of
God against a wicked king in Israel. God is sovereign in His
providence. From the donkeys that were lost,
to the identification of Saul, and to every step of the way,
everything has transpired under the absolute control of the living
and true God. We need to understand that. The
Philistines don't get glory in 1 Samuel 31. God gets the glory
for bringing an end to this wicked apostate who had made a mockery
out of the throne in Israel. As well, as we've already mentioned,
we ought to see the glory of God is a concern, if not the
foremost concern in this particular chapter. We need to ask ourselves,
is that our concern? Are we about the glory of God?
When we read this chapter, do we say, oh, it's pretty sad what
we see concerning Saul, the end of a man who started off well
and, you know, took some wrong turns. We should ponder and we
should consider the tragedy that is involved with Jonathan. But
it really ought to get our goat when we see the living and true
God mocked. When we see the living and true
God mocked in terms of Dagon and Ashtoreth being given the
glory for bringing victory to the Philistines on that particular
day. Paul the Apostle in 1 Corinthians
10 says, so then whether you eat or drink or whatever you
do, do all to the glory of God. That ought to be the uppermost
concern for the people of God. It ought not to be our comfort,
our security, our blessedness, but it ought to be the glory
of God. These are tough lessons, brethren, to be a faithful Jonathan
and to be a man or a woman consumed first and foremost with the glory
of God. But there are lessons that are
set before us in 1 Samuel and lessons that we would do well
to internalize and seek by the grace of God and the power of
the Holy Spirit to put into practice. Is it the case in your life and
mine that everything we do, we do for the glory of God? Now, there may be a cursory glance
and say, yeah, well, yeah, of course. But do we drive to the
glory of God? I have to confess I'm guilty
here. I drive with not the glory of
God in mind. I am increasingly more disturbed
in my lack of patience when I drive. I have to confess my sins to
the Lord God Almighty. Whether you eat, whether you
drink, or whether you drive, do all to the glory of God. Be
careful when you're pointing fingers, brethren. If it ain't
driving, it's probably something else. Do you parent? To the glory
of God. Are you a son or a daughter?
To the glory of God. Are you an employee? To the glory
of God. Isn't that what Paul tells us
in Ephesians? We are to render service, not
I service, but service unto the Lord God. So all that we do,
we do to the glory of God. I think as Christians we just
sort of adopt these slogans, but we don't contemplate them,
we don't consider them. I guarantee you that these Philistines
were doing what they did to the glory of their false gods. And Israel, defeated in that
particular battle, had to face reality that the Philistines
were mocking their God. We need to consider that reality
and we need to live in light of it. As well, we ought to learn
from the Jabesh Gileadites that we ought to be a thankful people.
We ought to express kindness. We ought to express gratitude
to those or for those who do kind things for us. In this instance,
a man had committed utter apostasy and defection from the living
and true God. But the Gileadites didn't write
him off. They didn't say, well, you know, that's the way it goes.
No, they remembered 1 Samuel chapter 11. They remember that
they almost lost their eyes to an Ammonite madman. And as far
as they were concerned, that they were able to see the trees
and see the sun and see each other, that meant, you know,
we ought to do a solid back for Saul and for his sons. As well, we ought to observe
in this particular chapter the relentless fulfillment of God's
Word. the relentless fulfillment of
God's Word. 1 Samuel 13, verses 13 and 14,
the first announcement that Saul would not be king, or rather
Saul's family. would not be king. 1 Samuel chapter
15, another one, when Samuel tears the piece of Saul's robe
and says, the Lord God is tearing the kingdom from you and He's
going to give it to a neighbor who is better than you. 1 Samuel
chapter 16, the anointing of David. 1 Samuel chapter 23, when
Jonathan reassures David that he would, in fact, be king. And,
of course, 1 Samuel 28, verse 19. When Saul goes to consult
the medium, she calls up Samuel. What does Samuel say to Saul?
Samuel says that tomorrow you and your sons will die. So whether
for good or for ill, whatever God's Word says comes to pass. That message may be one of blessing,
that message may be one of love, that message may be one of encouragement,
that message may be one that brings great hardship to bear
on the recipient, but trust in the reality that God's Holy Word
will come to pass. And then finally, and I'm going
to lean on Davis here, this is a good summary of 1 Samuel. Not a summary so much as to its
essential parts, but just an overall assessment of the tenor
of first Samuel. Excuse me. He says first Samuel. is not a biblical book in itself. Remember, we noted that 1 and
2 Samuel go together. The chapter and verse divisions
were added later. If you were contemporaneous to
the author, you would have got 1 and 2 Samuel in a Cambridge
goatskin leather. in just one volume. It wouldn't
have been two separate... Just kidding there. Just to make
sure you're all with me here. He says 1st Samuel is not a biblical
book in itself. 1st and 2nd Samuel constitute
the whole document. That's why next Wednesday night
we're going to jump right into the text. Typically, when we
start new books of the Bible, we do introduction. We don't
need to do introduction because 2 Samuel just continues. It would be 1 Samuel 32 if we
weren't going to get rid of some of these divisions. So understand
that. But Davis goes on to say, nevertheless,
there is something appropriate about the imposed division of
the books after 1 Samuel 31. It will not do to smile the tragedy
away. Modern fattest notwithstanding,
Israel needs far more than a shot of self-esteem. The picture is
hardly sunny. Leadership annihilated, territory
evacuated. Some fled, others couldn't. Their
bodies litter the slopes of Gilboa. It is a sad sight. Israel scattered
like sheep without a shepherd. In fact, 1 Samuel is simply a
sad book of one disappointment after another. The judgment on
ungodly leadership, Hophni and Phinehas, chapters 1 to 4, the
rejection of prophetic leadership, Samuel in chapters 8 and 12,
and the disintegration of royal leadership, Saul, chapters 13
to 31. He says, here is the kingdom
of God enduring one failure after another. Yet Yahweh, who looks
on the heart, has chosen a shepherd for these scattered sheep. Psalm
80, 70, and 71. Presently, nothing looks quite
so dismal as Gilboa, but then it's not what man sees. Isn't that the point? 1 Samuel
16.7, God is not like man. God looks on the heart, and that
sets the stage for what the Lord God will do as He raises up this
shepherd for Israel, namely David, and that's what 2 Samuel highlights. And 2 Samuel indicates that the
Philistines get their comeuppance. In 2 Samuel 8.1, we find that
they are subjugated by David and no longer a threat. to Israel,
at least at that particular time. So again, I think some fitting
words as we conclude this study in 1 Samuel 31. Well, let us
pray. Our Father, we thank you for
this book that has been such a challenge and an encouragement.
It has been a blessing to go through it, and we know that
you are the God who has given us this for doctrine, for for
reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness.
May we see the obvious lessons concerning your sovereignty,
concerning providence, concerning your kingdom, concerning righteousness
in terms of those who serve you. I pray, Father, that you would
help us to internalize these truths, help us to walk accordingly,
help us to be men and women that are consumed with your glory
and for your glory. Help us as well to be a people
of thankfulness and gratitude and kindness. And as well, our
God, may we be steadfast and faithful to the very end. You
call us to perseverance, You call us to faithful plotting,
and we pray for Your Spirit to be upon us so we may do that
very thing, and thus bring glory and honor and praise to our great
God. And may it be the case that one
day we would hear the Savior say, well done, good and faithful
servant, enter into the joy of your rest. We ask that you would
go with us now and pray again for the entirety of our local
church, that you'd watch over our brothers and our sisters,
that you would encourage your people and cause us to shine
as lights in this increasingly crooked and perverse generation
and give us boldness and opportunity to hold forth the word of truth.
And we pray in Jesus' name. Amen.
