Saul on Mt Gilboa

Saul loses his crown, his sons & his lifebecause he lost his way & his soul.

I Samuel 28, 31; I Chronicles 10

  1. I Samuel 23:1-29; I Sam 27
  1. David is on the run from King Saul, who wants to [murder] him.
  2. David rescues the city of Keilah from the Philistines, yetKeilah was going to surrender David and his men to Saul.
  3. David finds refuge by living with the Philistines, under King Achish of Gath.
  1. I Samuel 28:1-2, David and the Philistines
  • Achish trusts David to take him into battle with him against Israel.
  1. I Samuel 28:3-19, Saul looks for answers
  1. Philistines moved against Israel at Shunem, north side of Jezreel Valley.
  2. Saul was terrified, but he was in his place with his people to inquire of God.
  3. Saul seeks a medium to contact Samuel.His servants know just where to go.
  4. Saul disguised himself to see a witch near the Philistine army’s gathering place.
  5. Deuteronomy 18:9-14, God forbids all witchcraft sorcery, and the people who use it. They’re not tolerated. Those that heed such are condemned by God.
  6. Saul assures the witch that she will not be punished for what she does, but in truth they will all be punished for it.
  7. Samuel says there’s nothing new to say. Saul left God made God his enemy.
  8. Samuel says that by tomorrow Saul and his sons will be in Sheol, and the army of Israel will be delivered to the Philistines.
  1. I Samuel 28:20-25, the comfort of a witch
  1. Samuel’s news was hard for Saul to deal with. He was already stressed.
  2. The witch tries to get Saul to eat. His servant help.
  3. The witch kills the fatted calf for Saul and his servants. They eat leave.
  4. With all of the bad news from God, the witch wanted him to “eat, that you may have strength when you go on your way.” What a shallow perspective.
  5. Could Saul have repented and asked for God’s forgiveness?
  1. I Samuel 31:1-7, the death of Saul
  1. Israel fled before the Philistines and were slaughtered.
  2. Saul was severely wounded and asks his armor bearer to [murder] him.
  3. When Saul commits suicide, his armor bearer follows his example.
  4. I Chronicles 10:6, all of Saul’s house died together.
  5. The Israelites fled their cities at the Philistine victory, so they lost those cities.
  1. I Samuel 31:8-10, Philistine victory over Israel celebrated
  1. Philistines apparently did not know of the death of Saul sons until next day.
  2. They proclaimed the good news in the temple of their idols and among the people. They credited their idols with this victory.
  3. I Chronicles 10:8-10, fastening a head inside the temple of their idol seems gruesome, but it helps us understand who the Philistines were.
  4. Saul his sons’ bodies were hung on the wall of Beth Shan as trophies of war.
  1. I Samuel 31:11-13, Jabesh-Gilead honors Saul greatly
  1. Jabesh Gilead was the city Saul had saved from the Ammonites.
  2. They dropped what they were doing & traveled all night to retrieve the bodies.
  3. Carrying traumatized bodies is messy difficult, but they do so through great threat of hostility with peril of going through Philistine territory in darkness.
  4. Cremated the bodies before burying their bones, (what’s left after cremation).
  1. I Chronicles 10:13-14, Saul was killed by God because he did not inquire of the Lord. After all of Saul’s jealousy and efforts to destroy David…
  2. I Samuel 29-30, Meanwhile, where was David?
  1. As Philistines gathered at Aphek, David and his men were sent back to Ziklag.
  2. When David and his men get back home (Ziklag), the Amalekites had burnt their city and taken every person captive.
  3. There’s a lot of detail to note, but David and his men slaughtered Amalekites all day long and rescued their families and material goods.
  1. I Chronicles 10:14, CONCLUSIONS AND APPLICATIONS:
  1. Who would think that David would seek protection among Philistines?
  2. See how the Philistines had encroached upon the land God gave to Israel.
  3. Stress or urgency never allow for SIN.
  4. Saul’s concerned with doing God’s Will, but NOT with doing it God’s Way!
  5. When God does not answer within our timeline, it does not mean no answer.
  6. When certain destruction is pronounced against Saul the witch wants him to feel good enough to ‘get up and go.’ The world still thinks that way.
  7. We cannot break one of God’s rules in order to better keep another one.
  8. We cannot promise clemency. Only God can pardon & He says how it’s done.
  9. Saul’s bad decisions had far reaching consequences upon good people.

WHAT MUST I DO TO BE SAVED?

Hear The Gospel (John 5:24; Romans 10:17)Believe the Word of God (John 3:16-18; John 8:24)

Repent Of Your Sins (Luke 13:1-5; Acts 2:38)Confess Jesus as Christ (Matthew 10:32; Romans 10:10)

Be Baptized (Acts 22:16; Galatians 3:27)Remain Faithful for Life (John 8:31; Rev. 2:10)

FOR THE ERRING CHILD OF GOD:

Repent (Acts 8:22), Confess (I John 1:9), Pray (Acts 8:22)

Greg Madden PO Box 1914 Soldotna, AK 99669-1914 Funny River Rd church of Christ