Dead End

Reflections on 1 Sam. 31:1-13 [1 Chron. 10:1-14]

When the battle was finally engaged, the Philistines prevailed and overtook Saul and his sons on Mt. Gilboa. His sons were killed, but Saul continued to fight. He himself was not overpowered in hand-to-hand combat, but archers found their mark and Saul was badly wounded. “Badly wounded” suggests that he was writhing in great pain (BDB, ?ûl, p. 296-97) and so was unable to continue fighting. In that condition, he feared that before killing him, the Philistines would mistreat, abuse, or humiliate him because he could no longer defend himself.

A LIFE SHORTENED. Knowing that he was unable to defend himself and fearing the agonies of torture and ridicule more than death, Saul asked his armor-bearer to kill him. The armor-bearer, however, was greatly afraid to kill the king whom he was bound by devotion and duty to defend (contrast him with the armor-bearer who killed Abimelech whose skull had been cracked when a woman threw a millstone from a tower – Judges 9:54-55). Saul then fell on his own sword, and his armor-bearer did the same.

A DREAM SHATTERED. Saul’s death was premature not only because he died by his own hand, but also because he died without fulfilling the dream of Israel when they made him king. They wanted a king to give them victory on the battlefield. God gave them Saul, and told Samuel, “You shall anoint him to be prince over my people Israel. He shall save my people from the hand of the Philistines” (1 Sam. 9:16). Saul showed promise of fulfilling the dream against the Philistines (1 Sam. 14:47-48), but then he acted presumptuously and lost the Lord’s blessing (1 Sam. 13). He became indecisive, but Jonathan took the initiative and won a great victory (1 Sam. 14). On another occasion, he was afraid, but David slew Goliath and initiated a great victory (1 Sam. 17). His final battle was a disastrous defeat. When the victorious Philistines returned to the battleground the next day to strip the dead, they found Saul’s body. They cut off his head and sent it with messengers to their cities as evidence of their great victory. They hung Saul’s body and the bodies of his sons from the walls of Beth-shan, a city about six miles east of Mt. Gilboa. The dream was shattered.

A FAMILY FALLEN. Not only did a man and a dream die on Mt. Gilboa, but a dynasty also died. Saul fell on his own sword and three of his sons including the valiant heir apparent, Jonathan, died in battle. Only one rather weak son continued as king for a short time. In this way, the book ends much the same way it began. The book begins with the high priest Eli and his sons not giving honor to God as they should. When the Philistines attacked Israel, his sons carried the ark into the battle where they died at the hands of the Philistines. When news of the Philistine victory reached Eli, he fell from his chair and died. His family continued in the priesthood only a short time. As it had been with the high priest who did not honor God, so it was with the king who did not honor God. Their families were no longer allowed to serve God as priests or kings.