Daily Devotional for Monday, August 21

The Death and Burial of 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 came to Jabesh, and burnt them there. And they took their bones, and buried them under a tree at Jabesh, and fasted seven days,” 1 Samuel 31:12, 13.

In the past decade or so, we were made aware of a group known as ISIS primarily in Iraq and Syria. Though their name had different variations at times, their actions remained the same. We were all horrified at the news and scenes of public beheadings and how they would kill their adversaries and hoist them up on poles and buildings in cities as a warning to all that might oppose them. Like ISIS, the Philistines both beheaded Saul and put his body up on a wall for all to see that they had killed the one who had opposed them. 

When Saul heard that the Philistines had gathered themselves together to go to war, he gathered Israel together to go against them. “And when Saul saw the host of the Philistines, he was afraid, and his 
heart greatly trembled” (1 Samuel 28:5). He knew he and his sons would die in this battle and the Philistines would triumph over Israel (1 Samuel 28:19). Saul did not die in the most royal or regal manner but became wounded in battle and ultimately fell upon his own sword because he did not want the Philistines to come and thrust him through and abuse him (1 Samuel 31:4). The irony of Saul’s life was that he was more worried about what others might think of him in life, and how he might die, than what God thought and would do to him.

THOUGHT: “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matthew 10:28).

Tim Chambers