1 Samuel 31

1 Samuel 31

Meyer - 1 Samuel 31:11–12 All the valiant men… This was a noble and generous act. At the beginning of his reign, in the early dawn of youthful promise and prowess, when he was the darling of the nation, Saul had interposed to deliver their beleaguered city. And now, as the awful tidings of his defeat and suicide spread like fire through the country, the men whom he had succored remembered his first kingly act, and showed their appreciation for his kindness by doing a strong and chivalrous deed in rescuing his remains from dishonor. They could not help him, but they could save his honor. When David heard of this act, he sent messengers to the men of Jabesh-Gilead, thanking them for their chivalrous devotion to the memory of the fallen king, and promising to requite the kindness as one done to the entire nation, and to himself. Are we careful enough of the honor and name of our dear Lord? He has done for us spiritually all that Saul did for Jabesh-Gilead, and more. He has delivered our soul from death, our eyes from tears, and our feet from falling. Let us be swift to maintain the honor of His name among those who are so apt at making it their scorn. It was well that these men did not wait for others to act. Had they done so, the body of Saul might have rotted piecemeal on the walls of the temple at Bethshan. If they had left this act of reparation for Abner, or Ish-bosheth, it would never have been done. There is no order of precedence, when a wrong has to be righted, or a friend vindicated. The man who is next must act. Let us strike into the fray, and count that our opportunity is warrant enough. He who can, may. 1 Samuel 31:12 all the valiant men rose and walked 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. burned: 2Ch 16:14 Jer 34:5 Am 6:10 1 Samuel 31 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries NIGHT RAID RETRIEVES BODIES OF SAUL & SONS all the valiant men rose and walked all night, and took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Beth-shan - Here we see the added detail that not only had the Philistines fastened Saul's body, but also the body of his 3 slain sons. While the text does not state explicitly, undoubtedly the sons were also beheaded as depicted above in Dore's gory woodcut. and they came to Jabesh and burned them there - In other words, the men of Jabesh-Gilead cremated the remains of their bodies. QUESTION - What does the Bible say about cremation? Should Christians be cremated? SEE ACCOMPANYING VIDEO ANSWER - The Bible does not give any specific teaching about cremation. There are occurrences in the Old Testament of people being burned to death (1 Kings 16:18; 2 Kings 21:6) and of human bones being burned (2 Kings 23:16-20), but these are not examples of cremation. It is interesting to note that in 2 Kings 23:16-20, burning human bones on an altar desecrated the altar. At the same time, the Old Testament law nowhere commands that a deceased human body not be burned, nor does it attach any curse or judgment on someone who is cremated. Cremation was practiced in biblical times, but it was not commonly practiced by the Israelites or by New Testament believers. In the cultures of Bible times, burial in a tomb, cave, or in the ground was the common way to dispose of a human body (Genesis 23:19; 35:19; 2 Chronicles 16:14; Matthew 27:60-66). While burial was the common practice, the Bible nowhere commands burial as the only allowed method of disposing of a body. Is cremation something a Christian can consider? Again, there is no explicit scriptural command against cremation. Some believers object to the practice of cremation on the basis it does not recognize that one day God will resurrect our bodies and re-unite them with our soul/spirit (1 Corinthians 15:35-58; 1 Thessalonians 4:16). However, the fact that a body has been cremated does not make it any more difficult for God to resurrect that body. The bodies of Christians who died a thousand years ago have, by now, completely turned into dust. This will in no way prevent God from being able to resurrect their bodies. He created them in the first place; He will have no difficulty re-creating them. Cremation does nothing but “expedite” the process of turning a body into dust. God is equally able to raise a person’s remains that have been cremated as He is the remains of a person who was not cremated. The question of burial or cremation is within the realm of Christian freedom. A person or a family considering this issue should pray for wisdom (James 1:5) and follow the conviction that results. GotQuestions.org 1 Samuel 31:13 They took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree at Jabesh, and fasted seven days. bones: Ge 35:8 2Sa 2:4,5 21:12-14 fasted seven: Ge 50:10 1 Samuel 31 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries BONES BURIED UNDER A TAMARISK TREE They took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree at Jabesh, and fasted seven days - The efficient high temperatures of a crematorium (up to 1,800F) can reduce the bones to bone fragments/ashes but does not destroy the bone material per se. Presumably there were more intact bones after burning Saul's and his son's headless bodies (temperatures would be in range of 500-800F, not as efficient as a crematorium) and thus the men of Jabesh-Gilead gave them a proper burial in their hometown of Jabesh. Is the fact that the men of Jabesh-Gilead put Saul to "rest" under the tamarisk tree not a slight touch of irony, as 1Sa 22:6+ records that is where he was sitting when the Philistines had raided years before! Fasted seven days indicates a time of mourning. It is interesting that in both records of Samuel's death, while it says they lamented and mourned (1Sa 25:1, 1Sa 28:3), it does not specifically say they fasted (although presumably that was part of their mourning and lamenting for their beloved prophet). The parallel passage in 1 Chronicles 10:13-14 gives us information for why Saul died and Who put him to death... So Saul died for his trespass which he committed against the LORD, (1) because of the word of the LORD which he did not keep (1Sa 13:13+, 1Sa 15:3, 8, 9, 19-23, 24, 26+, 1Sa 28:18); and also (2) because he asked counsel of a medium (1Sa 28:7-14, cf Dt 18:9-14+), making inquiry of it, 14 and (3) did not inquire of the LORD (cf 1Sa 28:6). Therefore He killed him and turned the kingdom to David the son of Jesse. John Barnett - The ominous warning of Saul’s life is that he had everything going for him possible. He was big, strong, blessed, gifted, chosen, empowered, and given every opportunity to serve God. But he didn’t. Saul failed because there were severe deficiencies in his character. God doesn’t need brains—He wants character. God doesn’t need brawn (huge strong muscles)—He wants integrity. God doesn’t need anyone’s wisdom, power, or wealth—He wants obedience. God doesn’t need ambitious confidence—He wants humble dependence.