1 Samuel 31

1 Samuel 31

Morgan - So Saul died.—1 Sam. 31.6 This closing • chapter of the Book is draped in sackcloth, and covered with ashes. It tells the tragic story of the last act in the career of a man who was a ghastly failure. Defeat at the hands of the Phi]is tines drove Saul to uttermost desperation. Wounded in the final fight, and fearing that the last blow might be struck by an enemy, he called upon his armour-bearer to slay him. Upon his refusing to do so, Saul died by his own hand physically, as he had already perished as to purpose and possibility by his own sin and his own folly. Suicide is always the ultimate action of cowardice. In the case of Saul, and in many similar cases, it is perfectly natural; but let it never be glorified as heroic. It is the last resort of the man who dare not stand up to life. Schopenhauer once said that suicide is not the result of hatred of life, but rather of love of it. A man loves life and because he cannot live, as he considers, full life, he will not live at all. There is a great element of truth in that; but still it leaves the brand of the coward upon the suicide. It ever seems to me that the chief spiritual value of this first Book of Samuel lies in the solemn lessons taught by the story of the life and failure of this man Saul. It proclaims in clarion tones the arresting and searching truth, that great advantages and remarkable opportunities are in themselves no guarantees of success. Unless the heart be firm and steady in its allegiance to principle and its loyalty to God, these things will only be weights and burdens, crushing the soul, and assuring the uttermost ruin of the man to whom they come. (Borrow Life applications from every chapter of the Bible) Gleason Archer - page 185 of New International Encyclopedia of Bible Difficulties - First Samuel 31 gives account of Saul’s death that conflicts with another given in 2 Samuel 1. How can both be correct? 1 Samuel 31:3–4 informs us that Saul was fatally wounded by a Philistine arrow at the disastrous battle of Mount Gilboa. Realizing that he was about to die, Saul himself appealed to his own armorbearer to thrust his sword through his heart and kill him immediately—“lest these uncircumcised [Philistines] come and pierce me through and make sport of me” (NASB). But since the armor bearer could not bring himself to take the life of his king, Saul took his own sword, fastened its hilt firmly in the ground, and then fell on it in such a way as to end his misery right then and there. In 2 Samuel 1 we read that a certain Amalekite who had served in Saul’s bodyguard fled from the battlefield and made his way to David’s camp, in order to bring him news of Saul’s death. According to the account he gave to David (vv. 6–10), he was summoned by King Saul to his side while he was hopelessly surrounded by the triumphant Philistines; and he was ordered by the king to take his life immediately, in order to end his misery from his fatal wounds. The Amalekite then complied with his request (v.10): “So I stood beside him and killed him, because I knew that he could not live after he had fallen. And I took the crown which was on his head and the bracelet which was on his arm, and I have brought them here to my lord” (NASB). This presents obvious discrepancies with the account in 1 Samuel 31, but it is not presented as being an actual record of what happened during Saul’s dying moments; it is only a record of what the Amalekite mercenary said had taken place. Coming with Saul’s crown and bracelet in hand and presenting them before the new king of Israel, the Amalekite obviously expected a handsome reward and high preferment in the service of Saul’s successor. In the light of the straightforward account in the previous chapter, we must conclude that the Amalekite was lying in order to gain a cordial welcome from David. But what had actually happened was that after Saul had killed himself, and the armorbearer had followed his lord’s example by taking his own life (1 Sam. 31:5), the Amalekite happened by at that moment, recognized the king’s corpse, and quickly stripped off the bracelet and crown before the Philistine troops discovered it. Capitalizing on his good fortune, the Amalekite then escaped from the bloody field and made his way down to David’s headquarters in Ziklag. But his hoped-for reward turned out to be a warrant for his death; David had him killed on the spot, saying: “Your blood is on your head, for your mouth has testified against you, saying, ‘I have killed the LORD’s anointed’ ” (2 Sam. 1:16; NASB). His glib falsehood had brought him the very opposite of what he had expected, for he failed to foresee that David’s high code of honor would lead him to make just the response he did. It should be added that this particular Amalekite came from a different Amalekite tribe from that which Saul had earlier destroyed at God’s command—the tribe over which Agag had ruled (1 Sam. 15:7–8). Those Amalekite lived between Havilah and Shur. But there were other Amalekites not involved in this campaign, some of whom raided David’s settlement at Ziklag (1 Sam. 30). 1 Samuel 31:7 When the men of Israel who were on the other side of the valley, with those who were beyond the Jordan, saw that the men of Israel had fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they abandoned the cities and fled; then the Philistines came and lived in them. cities: 1Sa 13:6 Lev 26:32,36 De 28:33 Jdg 6:2 1 Samuel 31 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Related Passages: 1 Samuel 13:6+ When the men of Israel saw that they were in a strait (for the people were hard-pressed), then the people hid themselves in caves, in thickets, in cliffs, in cellars, and in pits. Leviticus 26:32; 36 ‘I will make the land desolate so that your enemies who settle in it will be appalled over it. ....36 ‘As for those of you who may be left, I will also bring weakness into their hearts in the lands of their enemies. And the sound of a driven leaf will chase them, and even when no one is pursuing they will flee as though from the sword, and they will fall. Deuteronomy 28:33 “A people whom you do not know shall eat up the produce of your ground and all your labors, and you will never be anything but oppressed and crushed continually. ISRAELITES FLEE THEIR CITIES When the men of Israel who were on the other side of the valley, with those who were beyond the Jordan, saw that the men of Israel had fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they abandoned the cities and fled - The battle had taken place on Mount Gilboa and Israelites would have been watching from across the valley. To their horror they witnessed the total defeat of Saul's forces, so that surviving soldiers fled, then the citizens fled for fear of further Philistine reprisals! That was a wise move for them to run for their lives, because the Philistines clearly had a take no prisoner's policy! Then - When? When the Israelites fled. Presumably the soldiers sent word back to their home bases and Philistine pilgrims came into the land of milk and honey and possessed God's Land. the Philistines came and lived in them - The promised land was now occupied by uncircumcised Philistines. This was a consequence of the sins and poor leadership of King Saul, who became more obsessed with killing David he thought was his enemy then will killing the true enemy, the Philistines. 1 Samuel 31:8 It came about on the next day when the Philistines came to strip the slain, that they found Saul and his three sons fallen on Mount Gilboa. to strip: 1Ch 10:8 2Ch 20:25 1 Samuel 31 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries PHILISTINES SEEKING SPOIL FIND SAUL'S CORPSE It came about on the next day when the Philistines came to strip the slain, that they found Saul and his three sons fallen on Mount Gilboa - Saul and sons would have been recognized by their more royal apparel. The Philistines realized they had cut the nation off at it head so to speak, by killing their king. Little did that know that God was behind the scenes in full control of the scenes He was behind, and He was in the process of raising up a man after his own heart to fill the void left by Saul a man after man's heart. Mount Gilboa - (boiling spring or bubbling spring), is a peak in the mountain range on the eastern side of the plain or valley of Esdraelon (Jezreel), rising over the city of Jezreel. Mt Gilboa is mentioned in Scripture only in connection with memorable as the scene of Saul's disastrous defeat by the Philistines, where he and his three sons were slain (1Sa 28:4; 31:1-8; 2Sa 1:6-21; 21:12; 1 Chr. 10:1, 8). When the tidings of this defeat were conveyed to David, he gave utterance to those pathetic words in the "Song of the Bow" (2 Sam. 1:19-27). 1 Samuel 31:9 They cut off his head and stripped off his weapons, and sent them throughout the land of the Philistines, to carry the good news to the house of their idols and to the people. cut off: 1Sa 31:4 17:51,54 1Ch 10:9,10 to carry the good news: Jdg 16:23,24 2Sa 1:20 1 Samuel 31 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries SAUL DECAPITATED AND DE-ROBED They cut off his head and stripped off his weapons, and sent them throughout the land of the Philistines, to carry the good news to the house of their idols and to the people - The very thing Saul had feared was taking place. They ridiculed Saul by sending his head and armor throughout Philistia. Note the phrase to carry the good news to the house of their idols which is based on their pagan belief that their gods (Dagon, etc) had given them the victory over Israel. Thus Saul's head and armor would sever almost as thank offerings to their gods. Carry the good news in the Septuagint is ironically the great NT word euaggelizo/euangelizo for proclaiming the good news of the Gospel! 1 Samuel 31:10 They put his weapons in the temple of Ashtaroth, and they fastened his body to the wall of Beth-shan. they put: The Philistines placed the armour of Saul in the temple of Ashtaroth as a trophy of victory, and a testimony of their gratitude, in the same manner as David placed the sword of Goliath in the tabernacle. 1Sa 21:9 Ashtaroth: Jdg 2:13 Bethshan: Jos 17:11 Jdg 1:27 2Sa 21:12-14 1 Samuel 31 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Related Passage: 1 Samuel 21:9 Then the priest said, “The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you killed in the valley of Elah, behold, it is wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod; if you would take it for yourself, take it. For there is no other except it here.” And David said, “There is none like it; give it to me.” Location of Beth-shan W of Jabesh-gilead Dore Woodcut of Saul & son's Bodies on Wall TROPHIES OF PHILISTINE VICTORY They put his weapons in the temple of Ashtaroth ('ashtaroth/astarot - fertility goddess) - Even as David had placed Goliath's sword in the Tabernacle, the Philistine do so as a testimony to the superior (they thought) power of their god Ashtaroth compared to the Living God of the Hebrews. The omnipotent God is allowing all of these blasphemous activities to take place. and they fastened his body to the wall of Beth-shan - Note location of Beth-shan on map above, in Jordan Valley, 16 miles S of Sea of Galilee, in the Jordan valley and just W of Jabesh-gilead. Beth-shan is listed in Josh 17:11, 16; Jdg 1:27 among those cities that resisted Israelite occupation and remained Canaanite and Philistine strongholds. This would be a public disgrace for the king of Israel. Even worse before the pagan nations this would result in profaning the Name of the God in Whose place the king ruled. (cf Ezek 36:20-22, 39:7) Reformation Study Bible summarizes Saul's Decline and Fall - CAUSE RESULT A presumptuous sacrifice (1Sa 13:7–14) Loss of kingdom foretold (1Sa 13:14) A foolish curse (1Sa 14:24–28) Curse falls on Jonathan (1Sa 14:43–45) Spared Agag and flocks (1Sa 15:7–9) Loss of kingdom (1Sa 15:27, 28) Lost fellowship with God (1Sa 28:16, 17) Unanswered prayer (1Sa 28:6) Visits a medium (1Sa 28:7, 8) Doom predicted (1Sa 28:19) Takes his own life (1Sa 31:4) End of dynasty (1Sa 31:4–6) 1 Samuel 31:11 Now when the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul, Jabesh-gilead: 1Sa 11:1 2Sa 2:4 1 Samuel 31 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Jabesh-Gilead just east of Beth-shan in Manasseh MEN OF JABESH-GILEAD HEAR OF OF SAUL'S IGNOMINIOUS TREATMENT Ignominious means deserving or causing public disgrace or shame. Now when the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul - The mention of inhabitants of Jabesh-Gilead is significant as (1) Beth-shan was visible from their town and (2) many years prior Saul had delivered these residents from oppression by the Ammonite Nahash. Jabesh-Gilead - was a town to the east of Jordan River, on the top of one of the green hills of Gilead, within the limits of the half tribe of Manasseh, and in full view of Beth-shan. It is first mentioned in connection with the vengeance taken on its inhabitants because they had refused to come up to Mizpeh to take part with Israel against the tribe of Benjamin (Jdg. 21:8-14). After the battles at Gibeah, that tribe was almost extinguished, only six hundred men remaining. An expedition went against Jabesh-Gilead, the whole of whose inhabitants were put to the sword, except four hundred maidens, whom they brought as prisoners and sent to "proclaim peace" to the Benjamites who had fled to the crag Rimmon. These captives were given to them as wives, that the tribe might be saved from extinction (Jdg. 21).This city was afterwards taken by Nahash, king of the Ammonites, but was delivered by Saul, the newly-elected king of Israel. In gratitude for this deliverance, forty years after this, the men of Jabesh-Gilead took down the bodies of Saul and of his three sons from the walls of Beth-shan, and after burning them, buried the bones under a tree near the city (1 Sam. 31:11-13). David thanked them for this act of piety (2 Sam. 2:4-6), and afterwards transferred the remains to the royal sepulchre (21:14). F B