1 Samuel 31:1-7
1 Now the Philistines were fighting against Israel, and the men of Israel fled from the Philistines but fell fatally wounded on Mount Gilboa.
2 And the Philistines also overtook Saul and his sons, and the Philistines killed Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchi-shua, the sons of Saul.
3 The battle went heavily against Saul, and the archers found him; and he was gravely wounded by the archers.
4 Then Saul said to his armor bearer, “Draw your sword and pierce me through with it, otherwise these uncircumcised Philistines will come and pierce me through, and abuse me.” But his armor bearer was unwilling, because he was very fearful. So Saul took his sword and fell on it.
5 When his armor bearer saw that Saul was dead, he also fell on his sword and died with him.
6 So Saul died with his three sons, his armor bearer, and all his men on that day together.
7 Now when the people 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 settled in them.
Death of Saul
Targeted attack
The battle between the Philistines and the Israelites had begun, resulting in a major defeat for the Israelites. (1) The Israelite forces retreated before the enemy and fled to Mount Gilboa, where many were slaughtered. (2) The Philistines specifically targeted Saul and his sons. (3) Out of Saul’s four sons, Ish-bosheth (Eshbaal) was not involved in the battle and thus survived, but the remaining three (Jonathan, Abinadab, Malchi-shua) were all killed in battle. (4) Saul was severely wounded by the Philistine archers. It was only a matter of time before Saul was taken captive and tortured to death. Therefore, he orders his armor-bearer to kill him. (5) However, the armor-bearer, out of fear, could not bring himself to kill Saul. (6) Therefore, Saul took the armor-bearer’s sword, fell on it, and committed suicide. (7) The armor-bearer, after he saw Saul die, he followed his lord and also killed himself. It is natural for the armor-bearer to be afraid of killing Saul. Some people might want to justify Saul killing himself, deeming it an honorable end. However, we must remember that this is an act of suicide and under no circumstances should it be glorified.
Israelites’ flight
The battle that day ended in a complete defeat. Witnessing it, the Israelites on the northern side of the Valley of Jezreel and those on the east side of the Jordan River both abandoned their towns and fled. Then the Philistines came and settled in those places. Thus, the towns that the Israelites had built fell into enemy hands. This chapter marks the end of Saul’s life. Let’s learn from Saul’s life. He started off well, but accumulated small acts of disobedience, and eventually, resisting the Lord became his habit. He reaped what he had sown. Our Heavenly Father does not wish for us to meet such an end. Let’s earnestly repent and return to the Lord now.
Today's prayer
Heavenly Father, may I be able to return to You in this moment. Please deliver me from a miserable end. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen.