A sad ending…

 A sad ending…

1 Samuel 31 is such a sad chapter….death, suicide, war…

In recent years we have seen death on the news ..parading of the dead victims on streets by barbarian victors, a show of power and pride…those pictures flashed through my mind as I read about the Philistines and what they did to Saul, his family in war…taking their bodies to their idol temple as victors …apparently people really haven’t changed over the years…the hatred exhibited…over and over again…

Saul the first chosen king, a half hearted leader, one whom people  thought was their “Saviour”, one whom they literally looked up to…one whom the people thought would solve all their problems and be like other nations…

But,  instead he was inconsistent, disobedient, ruled by self rather than God, took matters into his own hand to the very end…

“Heroic spiritual lives are built by stacking days of obedience one on top of the other. Like a brick, each obedient act is small in itself, but in time the acts pile up, and a huge wall of strong character will be built—-a great defense against temptation. We should strive for consistent obedience each day” . 

Study Bible…

Saul did not do that…his wall was not a wall of obedience…a sad commentary…about a life not well lived…

We build each day…what will it look like?

Thank YOU…

On Christ the solid rock I stand….

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GswGE6rQhmE

 Now the Philistines fought against Israel; the Israelites fled before them, and many fell dead on Mount Gilboa. The Philistines were in hot pursuit of Saul and his sons, and they killed his sons Jonathan, Abinadab and Malki-Shua. 

The fighting grew fierce around Saul, and when the archers overtook him, they wounded him critically. Saul said to his armor-bearer, “Draw your sword and run me through, or these uncircumcised fellows will come and run me through and abuse me.”But his armor-bearer was terrified and would not do it; so Saul took his own sword and fell on it. When the armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he too fell on his sword and died with him. So Saul and his three sons and his armor-bearer and all his men died together that same day. 

When the Israelites along the valley and those across the Jordan saw that the Israelite army had fled and that Saul and his sons had died, they abandoned their towns and fled. 

And the Philistines came and occupied them. The next day, when the Philistines came to strip the dead, they found Saul and his three sons fallen on Mount Gilboa. 

They cut off his head and stripped off his armor, and they sent messengers throughout the land of the Philistines to proclaim the news in the temple of their idols and among their people. 

They put his armor in the temple of the Ashtoreths and fastened his body to the wall of Beth Shan. 

When the people of Jabesh Gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul, all their valiant men marched through the night to Beth Shan. 

They took down the bodies of Saul and his sons from the wall of Beth Shan and went to Jabesh, where they burned them.

Then they took their bones and buried them under a tamarisk tree at Jabesh, and they fasted seven days.

1Sam.31:1-13