1 Samuel 31: The King is Dead

​Now the Philistines were fighting against Israel, and the men of Israel fled before the Philistines and fell slain on Mount Gilboa. 2 And the Philistines overtook Saul and his sons, and the Philistines struck down Jonathan and Abinadab and Malchi-shua, the sons of Saul. 3 The battle pressed hard against Saul, and the archers found him, and he was badly wounded by the archers. 4 Then Saul said to his armor-bearer, “Draw your sword, and thrust me through with it, lest these uncircumcised come and thrust me through, and mistreat me.” But his armor-bearer would not, for he feared greatly. Therefore Saul took his own sword and fell upon it. 5 And when his armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he also fell upon his sword and died with him. 6 Thus Saul died, and his three sons, and his armor-bearer, and all his men, on the same day together. 7 And when the men of Israel who were on the other side of the valley and those beyond the Jordan saw that the men of Israel had fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they abandoned their cities and fled. And the Philistines came and lived in them. 
 
8 The next day, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, they found Saul and his three sons fallen on Mount Gilboa. 9 So they cut off his head and stripped off his armor and sent messengers throughout the land of the Philistines, to carry the good news to the house of their idols and to the people. 10 They put his armor in the temple of Ashtaroth, and they fastened his body to the wall of Beth-shan. 11 But when the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul, 12 all the valiant men arose and went 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. 13 And they took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree in Jabesh and fasted seven days. 
 
 
Meditation
Never lose hope, even when everything you see leads you to believe the enemy has won. When the situation seems bad and you are tempted to wave the white flag- never lose hope. God’s promises will turn the page. The death of the king is not the end of the story.
 
The army of the Lord retreated (1). Jonathan, David’s intimate ally, is the first of Israel’s leadership to be killed (2). Saul soon follows in death and the people scatter, left without a shepherd. The enemy inhabited the cities of Israel (7) and the body of king Saul, desecrated by suicide, decorated the wall of the temple of Philistine’s false gods. The day is dark. Dawn is on the horizon. 
 
The death of Saul’s house was immanent because of his disobedience (1 Samuel 28) and God had already chosen and anointed David to shepherd the sheep of Israel (Psalm 78:70-72). When we turn the page of this difficult circumstance, we see the death of the king is not the end of the story. In arresting contrast to Saul, David is a “king after God’s own heart” and he will rise-up to lead God’s people.
 
In greater contrast, Jesus is a King whose death gives birth to an eternal kingdom. When the true “King of the Jews” died on the cross, His disciples were despondent and believed themselves to be in a dead end. As we turn the page, we see the resurrection of the Son of God, our king rising to lead us in a newness of life. 
 
Richly Dwelling
-What stands out to you from today’s reading, especially the seeming finality of the narrative?
 
-Why is it tempting to live in despondency, as if death is the end of the story?
 
-How does the gospel, the finished work of Jesus, birth hope in your heart- so much so that you see even death as a doorway to life? Where do you (specifically) need to see and believe this reality?
 
Key Verse
6 Thus Saul died, and his three sons, and his armor-bearer, and all his men, on the same day together.