THE TRAGIC END OF SAUL AND HIS SONS Saul tried in vain to kill David; Yet when David put the matter in God’s hand, Saul, his sons, and his armor bearer, all fell in one day, without interference from David, whose heart harbored no hatred, but love (2 Samuel 1). He mourned, wept, fasted, and lamented over Saul and over Jonathan his son (2 Samuel 1: 12, 17). 1- Saul’s sons slain 1 – 2. 2- Saul wounded and killed 3 – 7. 3- The inhabitants of Jabesh take their bodies 8 – 13. 1- SAUL’S SONS KILLED After talking about how David conquered the Amalekites, recovered the captives, and took much spoil that he distributed among many, the holy inspiration resumed its dealing with the war between Israel and the Philistines on the mountain of Gilboa and Jezreel. The Philistines Killed Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua, Saul’s sons (1 Samuel 31: 2). All the human accounts of Saul came to no avail, while those spiritual accounts of David the man of faith were all realized. According to Saul’s accounts, David had to be killed, so that after Saul’s death, he would not take the kingdom from Jonathan (1 Samuel 20: 31); Yet here there were, the mighty Jonathan, and his two brothers, killed before the eyes of their father, while David was kept safe to receive the kingdom in due time. Saul chased David away from his home, through his evil envy, and did not realize that by that, he kept him away, until the time came, for Saul and his sons to die, and for David to receive the kingdom after him. David’s accounts of faith, on the other hand, were not to stretch his hand to the Lord’s anointed; but as he said: “The Lord shall strike him, or his day shall come to die, or he shall go out to battle and perish” (1 Samuel 26: 10). And here had come the day when the Lord knocked him out to get wounded by the hands of the archers of his enemies’; and to die falling on his sword.... I wish we leave our affairs in God’s hands, believing in His work for us. 2-SAUL WOUNDED AND KILLED The enemies concentrated their attack on Saul (1 Samuel 31: 3); so that if he fell, all his army would fall (1 Kings 22: 31). When he was severely wounded by the archers, he asked his armor bearer to draw his sword and thrust him through with it, lest those uncircumcised men, would come and abuse him [He probably recalled what they did to Samson, when they put out his eyes, bound him with bronze fetters, made of him a grinder in the prison; and brought him over to the temple of Dagon their god to perform before 3000 men and women to mock him (Judges 16: 21; 21)]. When Saul’s armor bearer got greatly scared and would not abide to his Master’s command, Saul took his sword and fell on it. When the armor bearer saw that Saul was dead, he also fell on his sword and died with him. According to the Jewish tradition, that armor bearer was Doge the Edomites who killed the priests of Nob (1 Samuel 22: 18, 19). Saul, his three sons, his armor bearer, and his royal guards, died (1 Samuel 31: 6); But Saul’s handicapped son Ishbosheth and Abner, the commander of his army did not die. It was a bitter defeat for Israel; and the men of Israel who were on the other side of the valley, (North of the valley of Jezreel; namely the tribes of Nephtali, 2 Zebulun, and Jessacher), forsook their cities and fled; and the Philistines came and dwelt there. 3- THE INHABITANTS OF JABESH TAKE THE BODIES When the Philistines came the next day to strip the slain of everything of value, they found Saul and his three sons fallen on Mount Gilboa. They cut off Saul’s head, and stripped off his armor, and sent word throughout the land of the Philistines to proclaim it in the temple of their idols and among the people. They put Saul’s armor in the temple of Ashtoreth, referring their conquest to it (probably in the temple at Ashkalon, as was mentioned by Herodot); and fastened his body to the wall of Beth Shan - the nowadays city of Bissan, 5 miles west of the River Jordan; called Skethopolis after captivity, and was considered the capital of ‘Decapolis’. The inhabitants of Jabesh paid back their debt to Saul, who rescued them from Nahash the Ammonite, who accepted to make a covenant with them, and enslave them, on one condition: that he might put out all their right eyes, and bring reproach to all Israel (1 Samuel 11: 1, 2). Now, they refused to leave the bodies of Saul and his sons fastened to the walls of Beth Shan in humiliation; Their valiant men arose and traveled all night, took the bodies, came to Jabeth, and burned them there. Then they took the bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree at Jabeth, then fasted seven days. This book started by the birth of Samuel, as a divine gift, not only to his mother Hannah, but to all the people, having been the fruit of the prayers, tears, and piety of his mother, to become a blessing to his people; He worked, and still is, working by his prayers for the kingdom of God. the book ended by Saul’s suicide and the cutting off of his head by the hands of the enemy. Indeed, what an amazing difference between the ordinance of God, and that of man.
Welcome