Final Chapter

Final Chapter
Words of Faith 12-27-24
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2024
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL
www.faithfellowshipweb.com
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1 Samuel 31:1-13
[1] Now the Philistines fought against Israel; the Israelites fled before them, and many fell slain on Mount Gilboa. [2] The Philistines pressed hard after Saul and his sons, and they killed his sons Jonathan, Abinadab and Malki-Shua. [3] The fighting grew fierce around Saul, and when the archers overtook him, they wounded him critically. [4] Saul said to his armor-bearer, "Draw your sword and run me through, or these uncircumcised fellows will come and run me through and abuse me." But his armor-bearer was terrified and would not do it; so Saul took his own sword and fell on it. [5] When the armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he too fell on his sword and died with him. [6] So Saul and his three sons and his armor-bearer and all his men died together that same day. [7] When the Israelites along the valley and those across the Jordan saw that the Israelite army had fled and that Saul and his sons had died, they abandoned their towns and fled. And the Philistines came and occupied them. [8] The next day, when the Philistines came to strip the dead, they found Saul and his three sons fallen on Mount Gilboa. [9] They cut off his head and stripped off his armor, and they sent messengers throughout the land of the Philistines to proclaim the news in the temple of their idols and among their people. [10] They put his armor in the temple of the Ashtoreths and fastened his body to the wall of Beth Shan. [11] When the people of Jabesh Gilead heard of what the Philistines had done to Saul, [12] all their valiant men journeyed through the night to Beth Shan. They took down the bodies of Saul and his sons from the wall of Beth Shan and went to Jabesh, where they burned them. [13] Then they took their bones and buried them under a tamarisk tree at Jabesh, and they fasted seven days.

In this final chapter, Samuel's prophecy regarding Saul's demise was fulfilled. The Philistines quickly and easily defeated the Israelites in the broad plains of the Jezreel Valley. The Philistines had an overwhelming tactical and technological advantage because of the use of iron chariots, but we must also recognize that this was an unwinnable battle, no matter the technology or sophistication. This was God's judgment.
The judgment of the Lord was finally meted out upon Saul. He and three of his sons fled from Mount Gilboa but were overtaken. The sons, including Jonathan, died in battle, and Saul was mortally wounded. Fearing that he might be mocked and tortured, Saul asked his armor-bearer to kill him, but the attendant refused to obey. Saul then committed suicide in violation of Israelite beliefs. His death by his own hand climaxed a life which had been led in independence of God.
There are very few instances in Scripture in which a Jewish person committed suicide. Suicide is forbidden by Jewish law and is viewed as a grave sin. It is not seen as an acceptable alternative, even if one is being forced to commit serious sins for which one must give up one's life rather than sin. In this situation, Saul's death was an act of cowardice. His sons and armor bearer faced death more valiantly than Saul.
All this was a conclusion that David had hoped to circumvent by his last-ditch effort to join the Philistine army and create a "pincer" attack from the rear. Still, the leaders of the Philistine army refused to be vulnerable to such a trick. Not even David could save Saul from himself.
One of the big lessons in this final chapter is that there are some situations in which we cannot save a person from themselves. This was the case with Saul. There is a point at which we cannot get in the way of the judgment a man has brought upon himself.
David tried again and again to reach Saul, but he was not receptive. There came a time when Saul's self-centered nature drew an earthly consequence from a divine source. Sadly, we can find ourselves in similar situations in which we may try every possibility, but we cannot rescue a person from their own wrong perceptions and poor judgments.
The story of Saul is a sad one. He was the first king of Israel, the king Israel demanded of God, which God reluctantly granted them. He was a highly promising leader, especially in terms of the qualities that the world looks for, but his heart was never directed toward God. Saul never looked beyond his own self-interest. He began with much promise and ended in cowardly shame.
The death of Saul represents a significant turning point. Now, the second king of Israel, David, the man after God's own heart, could shepherd the people of God. Now, the Davidic line could be in place that would lead to the coming of the One they would call King of kings and Lord of lords, Mighty Counselor, and Prince of Peace.

Father God, help me always hear You. Help me understand the times when You are calling me to intervene and the times when You must exercise the consequence of a person's choices. Help me know when to have mercy and when to step back. Help me see the bigger picture. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

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© Jeffrey D. Hoy 2024
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy - Faith Fellowship Church (EFCA)
2820 Business Center Blvd.
Melbourne, Florida 32940 (321)-259-7200
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
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The Words of Faith devotion is published five days a week by E-mail, excluding Federal holidays. Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend who might be blessed by this devotion. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2024 Jeffrey D. Hoy. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to forward this copyrighted material or use portions of it with appropriate notation of the source for non-profit purposes.