Scripture: 1 Samuel 31:1-13
Sermon Series: 1 Samuel: God of Reversals – Sermon 32
As a teen, he was a shepherd in a small village. He grew up as the Middle East was in turmoil and breaking free from British colonialism. He was a revolutionary and became the 5th president of Iraq in July of 1969. He ruled Iraq with an iron hand for 24 years – Saddam Hussein (pictures).
He was known as The Glorious Leader, Direct Descendant of the Prophet, the Lion of Babylon, the Anointed One, the Successor of Nebuchadnezzar, the Modern Saladin of Islam until he was captured like a wild animal.
In a part of the world where pride and dignity mean everything, images of his capture were intended to shame. A nameless medical technician, wearing rubber gloves, was seen closely examining his hair, perhaps looking for vermin. Prodded with a tongue depressor, the man opened his mouth; the doctor peered at the pink flesh of his throat and scraped off a few cells for DNA identification. Then the world saw the man’s face (picture). Haggard, defeated, slightly disgusted but unquestionably Saddam Hussein, tyrant and terrorist, sadist and murderer, object of one of the greatest manhunts in history. He was found hiding in a mudhole.
Gone were his fleets of Mercedes, battalions of secret police, and gold-encrusted palaces. He stood trial and would later be hung for crimes against humanity. It was a humiliating death for a very proud man and proud ruler.
After ruling Israel for some four decades, King Saul’s reign ended in a similar humiliating fashion. He didn’t stand trial in a human court. He stood trial before God. Saul was judged and executed by God Himself.
This morning we’re finishing our series on 1 Samuel: God of Reversals (logo). We want to talk about How NOT to end from 1 Samuel 31:1-13 (p. 252) with the tragic ending of King Saul. Please turn there.
God’s first anointed king dies in a battle with the Philistines, defeated by the very ones that were the reason he was chosen to reign. It’s a military catastrophe. In the Jezreel Valley (map) Saul, his sons and the army of Israel are fleeing and dying before the superior Philistines.
One day each of us will take our last breath. We need to prepare for that day now. Ecclesiastes 7:2 counsels us, “It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting, for this is the end of all mankind, and the living will lay it to heart.” What do you think those who survive you will write for your epitaph? What will your obituary say? What words will be said in your eulogy?
May none of us end up like Saul. His epitaph is tragic summing up the sad end of one who started so well. Saul could have been a great leader for God and Israel. He could have been a role model and mentor for his successor, David. Instead, he almost became David’s killer. What can we learn that will help us end well and not end like Saul. If you’re taking notes…
1.Bible prophecy is always fulfilled, vs 1-2. I can’t think of anything worse than watching your children die. Yet, Saul did and he knew it was coming.
The Philistines didn’t remove him from his throne. David didn’t remove him from his throne. God did and Saul did it to himself because of his disobedience. His death is symbolic and prophetic.
Almost two decades earlier Samuel told Saul that because of his disobedience, “The Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel from you this day and has given it to a neighbor of yours, who is better than you” (1 Samuel 15:28). Less than 24 hours before Samuel warned Saul again, “Moreover, the Lord will give Israel also with you into the hand of the Philistines, and tomorrow you and your sons shall be with me. The Lord will give the army of Israel also into the hand of the Philistines” (1 Samuel 28:19).
It’s estimated that 27% of the Bible is prophetic. This means that over one fourth of the Bible—more than one in four verses—is prophetic. Professor and theologian J. Barton Payne (picture) lists 1,817 prophecies in the Bible.
What’s more stunning is the amazing accuracy of those detailed prophecies. I’d encourage you to read Josh McDowell’s book, Evidence That Demands a Verdict (pictures) and his chapter on the many Old Testament prophecies already fulfilled. That’s not including all the prophecies fulfilled at Christ’s first coming. Conservatively, Jesus fulfilled at least 300 prophecies when He came the first time.
Bible prophecy is always fulfilled, yet most would rather believe this world’s foolish predictions than the Bible. For example, did you know that it was predicted in 1910 that when Halley’s Comet (picture) passed by the earth, it would destroy our planet? December 21, 2012, marked the end of the first “Great Cycle” of the Mayan Calendar (picture). Many believed it was the end of the world. Want more? In the 1970’s it was predicted that a coming Ice Age would freeze us to death by 2,000. Worldwide famine was forecast by 1975. By 1980 acid rain would kill everything in our lakes. Rising sea levels would obliterate nations by 2000. And who can forget the coming end of the world with Y2K? We laugh at such silliness, yet many Christians pay more attention to economists’ predictions than Scripture. Do you remember the book that was all the rage in the 1980’s, The Great Depression of 1990 by Dr. Ravi Batra (picture).
2 Peter 3:3-4 warns us to not blow off God’s Word: “Knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. They will say, ‘Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation’.” No one knows when the end will be or when Jesus is coming back. We do know the Bible describes His return as imminent. That means it can happen at any moment. It’s 2,000 years closer than it was.
Saul’s reign was a dark time for Israel, but Scripture shows that even darkness isn’t outside God’s purpose. A key word in 1 Samuel 31 is fall/fell/fallen. Israel’s army fell slain. Saul fell on his sword. His armor-bearer fell on his sword too. Saul’s sons fall in battle. But one thing did not fall that day, the Word of God. Scripture was fulfilled. It’d been prophesied that Saul’s dynasty was over. God had rejected his rule because of his sin.
God’s Word is absolutely reliable. God will always do as He’s promised. He’ll deal with sin in judgment and deal with trust and obedience in blessing.
God gave Saul lots of time to repent, but he refused. My friend, God is giving you time to repent. What will you do? If you’ve never trusted Christ for salvation, God is now giving you the opportunity to repent.
Be assured that God’s promises – both of judgment and of salvation – are certain. Isaiah 55:11, “So shall my word be that goes out from My mouth; it shall not return to Me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.” The Bible’s promises and prophecies will all come true. Saul ignored them. He wasn’t ready. Are you?
2. It is easier to start well than to end well. While competing in the marathon in the 1968 Mexico City Olympics, John Stephen Akhwari (picture) of Tanzania cramped up. Later in the race, when there was some jockeying for position between runners, he fell badly wounding his knee and dislocating the joint. But he continued running, finishing last among the 57 competitors who completed the race (75 had started).
The winner of the marathon finished in 2:20:26. Akhwari finished over an hour later. Only a few thousand were left in the stadium and the sun had set. A TV crew was sent out when word came that there was one more runner about to finish. As he finally crossed the finish line a cheer rose from the small crowd. When Akhwari was asked later why he continued running, he said, “My country did not send me 5,000 miles to start the race; they sent me 5,000 miles to finish the race.”
It’s graduation season. We know that many graduates will start well, but not all will finish well. Saul started so well. When the Ammonites surrounded Jabesh-Gilead, they asked for terms. The Ammonites evil leader, Nahash, told them he’d let them live if all of them poked out their right eyes. Saul heard of it and was righteously incensed. He rallied Israel and rescued Jabesh-Gilead. It was his finest hour. But it was a downward trend from there on until the scene before us.
It’s easy to start well. William Culbertson (picture), late president of Moody Bible Institute, said, “Lord, help us to end well.”
The Philistines had a major advantage. They came with 30,000 chariots, swords, and body armor while the Israelites’ primary weapons were sticks and stones. Iron chariots on the flat ground of the valley between the two mountains were extremely effective. They were like tanks, mowing over the Israelites. At this point the Israeli army was in full retreat up Mount Gilboa. Chariots couldn’t go uphill across the rocky mountain hillside.
The next verse zooms in giving us a glimpse of the fighting taking place on the side of the mountain. “And the Philistines overtook Saul and his sons” (vs. 2). Among the soldiers scrambling up the hillside was a small group that the Philistines had a special interest in killing, Saul and his sons. The Philistines were like the Ukrainians fighting the Russians. Just as the Ukrainians try to kill Russian generals because they’re the most valuable targets, they were after King Saul and his sons. “And the Philistines struck down Jonathan and Abinadab and Malchi-shua, the sons of Saul” (vs. 2b).
All three of Saul’s sons fought to the death defending their father. None of them ran away. They protected him with their lives. While the death of these men is tragic, it’s also heroic. Today how many children would be willing to die for their parents? How many children would be willing to die defending a messed-up Dad like King Saul?
Of those who died, the son we’ve become most familiar is Jonathan, Saul’s oldest son. His death appears to be the greatest tragedy. We know he was a man of godly character. Jonathan was known for his faithfulness to God. That’s what defines a successful life according to God’s viewpoint, faithfulness to the end. Today we think a successful life is a big house, nice cars, a huge retirement account, vacationing in Florida in the winter, maybe even a yacht. All those things may be true of you, but it doesn’t mean your life was a success. Success is faithfulness to the end, even when it’s hard.
A successful life is someone who married their spouse for better or worse, then their spouse gets sick and they stay by their side until death. That’s a successful end of life because they’re faithful to the end.
A week ago Saturday we watched Sam and Katie Pittsenbarger (picture) vow “until death do us part.” Some of you started the same way. How are you doing today? Is your marriage in a slow death? How will it end? If you need help, get help! Don’t blame your spouse. Take personal responsibility
Some of you started out so well in your Christian life. You were so in love with Jesus, so excited, you almost glowed. Today those close to you wonder if you even have a spiritual pulse. Your spiritual life is a flicker not a flame. You’re just going through the motions. You’re not ending well. My friend, please don’t be a Saul.
In my office I have a poem posted by one of my spiritual heroes, Robertson McQuilkin (picture). His prayer is my prayer. Let me share a portion of it:
It’s sundown, Lord.
The shadows of my life stretch back
into the dimness of the years long spent.
I fear not death, for that grim foe betrays himself at last,
thrusting me forever into life:
Life with You, unsoiled and free.
But I do fear.
I fear the Dark Spectre may come too soon
– or do I mean, too late?
That I should end before I finish or
finish, but not well.
That I should stain Your honor, shame Your name,
grieve Your loving heart.
Few, they tell me, finish well . . .
Lord, let me get home before dark.
Saul didn’t get Home before dark. Will you? Will I?
3. The great warning of Saul is to the religious lost. Saul would have made a great church member in most churches. Basically, he’s a moral person. Other than his vendetta against David, morally he’s a better person than David. He doesn’t commit adultery, murder or do a big cover up.
Saul is an example of what’s dubbed, Moralistic Therapeutic Deism. Our churches are filled with those who hold to Moralistic Therapeutic Deism or MTD but they’re not Christians. MTD isn’t biblical. I hope you’re not holding on to MTD, somehow thinking it’ll get you to heaven. It won’t. What are the core beliefs of Moralistic Therapeutic Deism or MTD?
God created and ordered the world. He watches over human life on earth.
God wants people to be good, nice, and fair to each other, as taught in the Bible and by most world religions.
The goal of life is to be happy and to feel good about yourself.
God doesn’t need to be particularly involved in one’s life except when God is needed to resolve a problem.
Good people go to heaven when they die.
MTDs place a high value on morality or “being good.” Not “good” as defined by God’s Word but by popular culture. Tolerating morality and behaviors the Bible calls sin may be seen as “good” while calling those behaviors “sin” is often seen as intolerant or even hateful which is bad.
The beliefs of MTD are “therapeutic” in that the primary value is feeling good about yourself. God’s “job” is to take care of us.
Deism means that God exists as the Creator, but He is relatively uninvolved in our lives and doesn’t really care how we live. God exists and He can and does intervene from time to time when needed, in answer to prayer, etc.
Saul was religious but lost. He lived out Moralistic Therapeutic Deism.
Saul used God rather than serving God. Someone who uses God, prays but is really only interested in God when they need something. They’re like how most of us use a plumber. When things are really plugged up and we can’t fix it, then we call a plumber. Many treat God like that. They simply view God as a “cosmic genie,” a “divine bellhop,” or a roadside assistance mechanic—you don’t talk to Him or need to, but you can call Him when you’re broken down and He’ll come and rescue you.
Saul kept up religious practices without ever knowing God. He fought the Philistines as God commanded. He eliminated witches and sorcerers from the land. He even prayed to God, even earnestly, when he was in trouble. Today he’d have been a churchgoer, served at church and even gone on missions trips. But he lacked two essentials to actually knowing God.
First, he lacked trust in God. Every time he was given an opportunity to obey God, he goes his own way. He’s never fully convinced that God’s ways are right and trustworthy. Saul wanted solutions to problems, not God.
His lack of trust stemmed from missing satisfaction in God. God was never enough for Saul. He disobeyed God and enriched himself off the Amalekites. It wasn’t enough that he was king. Then, he was envious of David because he wanted all of the praise and glory for himself. Trust in God and satisfaction in Him are indispensable if we’re going to truly know God. And all of our spiritual problems can be traced back to a lack of trust or satisfaction in God. When God is not enough, nothing will ever be enough.
Saul never learned how to repent. Saying you’re sorry is not the same as repenting. It’s not feeling bad or vowing to change. Repentance means changing your behavior and direction of your life. It doesn’t rationalize or blame shift. It doesn’t bargain with God and do conditional obedience. “God if you do this for me, then I’ll do this for you.” It’s not partial obedience. “Okay, I’ll stop lying most of the time.” Real repentance results in total obedience. Can you imagine a spouse saying that they’ve changed because they’re mostly faithful? Either you’re faithful or you’re not. Marriage is one of the main analogies God uses to describe our relationship with Him. It’s all or nothing. Either Jesus is Lord of all or He is not Lord at all.
Saul died a tragic death. It’s called “recompose” (picture). Last year New York State adopted what is a growing funeral option. It’s known as “human composting.” A dead body is surrounded with wood chips, alfalfa and straw and then slowly rotated until the body turns into soil.
Saul believed when you’re dead you’re dead. He believed in a commonly held myth – that death is the end. Yet according to God’s Word, death is the beginning. Saul foolishly preferred death rather than loss of control of his life. He didn’t realize that when he died, his eternal future began. His final thought was not that he needed to get right with God but that he needed to die before the Philistines could get their hands on him and mock him.
Death is not the end of our story. Saul didn’t take sin seriously and now he doesn’t take death seriously. He’s a fool! Death is the destiny of every one of us and while we’re alive, we should take this to heart. The tragedy of death in the Bible is a reminder that every death is a tragedy.
It’s common to hear the view espoused that death is simply the end of life. It’s a natural part of things. But the Bible challenges such erroneous thinking.
Humanism, which is really another name for a form of atheism, is very clear in standing opposed to the instruction of the Bible that human beings are simply another part of nature. According to humanism death is nature’s way of cleansing. It’s part of the circle of life.
But God’s Word says that death is not the cessation of existence. In fact, the very reverse is the case. Jesus said: “I tell you my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can do. But I will warn you whom to fear: fear Him who, after He has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear Him!” (Luke 12:4-5).
The Bible knows nothing of death as the cessation of existence. In Scripture you will find no indication that death is inherent in creation or part of creation’s grand design. Genesis 2 unpacks that God spoke to Adam and Eve in the garden, telling them, “In the day that you disobey Me—in the day that you do what I’m telling you not to do—you shall surely die.” Romans 5:12, “Just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, … so death spread to all men because all [men] sinned.” Death is part of the curse for our sin and disobeying God.
To quote J. I. Packer (pictures) from his book, 18 Words: “In the deepest sense, all death is unnatural….It is a dissolving of the union between spirit and body….It is sometimes said that the dead look peaceful, but [that] is hardly correct. What is true is that corpses look vacant. It is their evident emptiness that we find unnerving—the sense that the person whose body and face this was has simply gone.” At funerals there are attempts to make us feel better as we show pictures and videos of a loved one when they were robust and alive. It’s the great disguise, the great escape. It’s an attempt to sequester death, hiding it, putting it away, so that we never have to face what we face in this story with Saul, “thus Saul died.”
We may not like to think about it. We may live like it won’t happen, but death is coming for us all. That’s the testimony of Saul’s death. It’s the testimony of every graveyard, funeral home and hospital. Death is coming and you and I had better be ready when it does! Hebrews 9:27, “And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment.” It’s not how you start that’s important. It’s how you end.
Saul’s tragic end cost others, the very ones he was to rule and rescue. “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” (vs. 7). You never sin alone. You never just hurt yourself. Sin always has a ripple effect.
How sad that others had to suffer because of Saul. Israelites had to abandon their homes and flee for safety. That made the rest of the war an easy victory for the Philistines. All they needed to do was move into the abandoned cities. Their victory cut Israel in half, separating the northern from the southern tribes, diminishing them economically and militarily.
When we sin, others suffer. When we follow God, others are blessed.
David cut off the Philistine giant, Goliath’s head. Now the Philistines cut off Saul’s head. He was the Israeli giant. They put his armor in the temple of their gods and fastened his head in the temple of their idol, Dagon. They sent messengers throughout Philistia to carry the good news that their enemy was dead. It was their gospel. They wanted everyone to know their gods were superior to Israel’s. Their gods defeated the God of Israel. One of the results of our sin is that God’s name is diminished. The Philistines made a theological statement. When we blow it, pagans have a “gospel” to share.
The bodies of Saul and his sons were fastened to the wall of Beth-shan. That means they were skewered on a tree that was stuck in the side of a wall, so the bodies hung like flags. The bodies were left to rot and birds ate their flesh. It was a way to disrespect Saul and his sons.
4. Even in the darkest times, God always has His people. Verses 11-13: “But when the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul, 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. And they took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree in Jabesh and fasted seven days.”
The very ones Saul had rescued at the beginning of his career from the Ammonites now bravely make sure his body and sons’ bodies are not further desecrated. Gratitude is a great motivator.
These last verses are full of hope. It was a round trip of 20 miles, all behind enemy lines. It’s a bold move. In his death these courageous citizens repay Saul’s kindness. Due to the advanced state of decomposition, along with the threat of further humiliation, the bodies are cremated and bones buried. It was kindness and gratitude! Well done, Jabesh!
These heroic men prove that even in the darkest times, when ungodliness seems to have prevailed and even the Church seems to have succumbed to pagan assaults, God always has those who will stand, even if they must stand alone for the cause of Christ. Wherever Christ is served in true faith and obedience to His Word, there is hope. There is a new beginning in which the grace of the kingdom may grow. And it will with the coming of King David!
Conclusion: What do you want on your tombstone? What will your obituary say? Death is not the end of our story. Like Saul, we’re all going to die. That means that rather than denying death, we must come to terms with it.
Sometimes death is sudden. Sometimes it’s long and drawn out. Occasionally, it’s beautiful, sweet and peaceful. At other times it is wrenching, hideous, bloody and ugly. There are times, from our view point, that it comes too early. On other occasions it seems like the cold fingers of death linger too long as some dear soul endures pain and sadness, loneliness and senility. Yet, however it comes – it always comes to us all. There is no escape. Death is coming and you and I had better be ready.
An old legend tells of a merchant in Baghdad who one day sent his servant to the market. Before very long the servant came back, pale and trembling. In great agitation he said to his master: “Down in the market place I was jostled by a woman in the crowd, and when I turned around I saw that it was Death that jostled me. She looked at me and made a threatening gesture. Master, please lend me your horse, for I must hasten away to avoid her. I will ride to Samarra and there I will hide, and Death will not find me.”
The merchant lent him his horse and the servant galloped away in great haste. Later the merchant went down to the market place and saw Death standing in the crowd. He went over to her and asked, “Why did you frighten my servant this morning? Why did you make a threatening gesture?”
“That was not a threatening gesture,” Death said. “It was only a start of surprise. I was astonished to see him in Baghdad, for I have an appointment with him tonight in Samarra.”
Each of us has an appointment in Samarra—an appointment we can’t avoid or escape. Here’s the good news for Christians. We who know the Lord Jesus carry within ourselves a renewed soul and spirit, that part of us which Jesus Christ invaded the moment we committed our lives to Christ and were born from above, when we became Christians. He’s given us a new nature. Though our outer shell hurts and groans and is dying, our inner person is alive and vital, awaiting its eternal Home with the Lord. That moment occurs the moment we close our eyes in this life and open them in glory!
My friend, are you ready? The coming of David’s greater Son, Jesus Christ, with His death and resurrection has given us reason for hope that a new day will dawn in which death will have no claim on us.
As we close 1 Samuel, the text is clear that while Saul was to save his people, that he began well, he failed miserably in the end. In 2 Samuel, King David will have the task of saving God’s people. He also will fail miserably. All the kings God put over His people failed to one degree or another.
There is only one King who will not fail us. He’s the One worth following. His name is Jesus. My friend, is Jesus your King? Saul wasn’t ready to die are you?