1 Samuel 31 Bible Study (The Death of Saul) | Pastor Daniel Batarseh

Well, we've arrived. The last chapter of our study in the book of first Samuel. And so I hope you have your bibles because we are going to cover this verse by verse. First Samuel chapter 31. Last week, you and I received a glimpse of David's life, a final glimpse of his life in this story.

And it was themed by repentance, renewal, restoration, and that should encourage our hearts because as we come to the close of this book, we know that David was fully restored in his walk with the Lord. But the Holy Spirit, before the the curtain completely falls and the lights turn off on this stage of this section of an epic redemptive portion of, God's history and his work in the world, we are going to get a glimpse of Saul's final moments of his life. Not in the same way of David, because David is going to be reintroduced to us in second Samuel, but that is not the case for Saul. This chapter is where it all ends for the man. This is where we will never see of him again.

This is a detailed account of Saul, the first king of Israel's death. And just like every other portion of scripture, though it is a historical account, it still has so much to offer us regarding our own walk with the Lord, especially the life of Saul who lacked that walk with the Lord. And it should cause us to cling to the Lord all the more when we see just what is possible, when we turn away from God, when we walk away from our king, when we choose to be sovereign over our own lives, it is a very, very dangerous direction that one would head into. But I think it's fitting that as we as we close this book tonight, that we would just pray. Thank God and ask him to help us in the remainder verses here, and then trust that he will speak to us as he has in the past few months.

Can we pray together? Let's pray. God, we thank you for this book. Lord, we are so prone to forget all that we hear. Even even by tomorrow, we can forget what we hear.

But we ask that you would be so gracious to us, and that these things would be etched on our hearts. Lord, write them on the tablets of our hearts. Let them be remembered. Let them make such an impression on us that it would change the course of our lives. Lord, we pray, oh, how we need the presence of the Holy Spirit.

How we need the power of God. Lord, we confess our weakness. We confess that a church service can be so dead. It can be so repulsive because it lacks your presence, your truth, your love in our hearts. Lord, breathe on us afresh.

Breath of God, breathe on us. You alone can make dry bones live again. You alone can bring a reviving to our hearts. You alone can ignite a fire in our bosom. And we just ask that your word would do that because Jeremiah says, it is like a fire.

And Jeremiah says, it is like a hammer that smashes the rock. Lord, we just pray that this bible study would not become like an ordinary study. Just a transfer of data, but no life. Lord, let life be known here. We beg of you.

We just pray that tonight would be a monumental, not just moment for this ministry, but for our own lives. Only you can do it. Only you can do it, Lord Jesus. In your name we pray. Amen.

Let's read verse one. Now the Philistines were fighting against Israel. And the men of Israel fled before the Philistines and fell slain on Mount Gilboa. And the Philistines overtook Saul and his sons, and the Philistines struck down Jonathan and Abinadab and Melchishua, the sons of Saul. The battle pressed hard against Saul and the archers found him and he was badly wounded by the archers.

Then Saul said to his armor bearer, draw your sword and thrust me through with it, lest these uncircumcised come and thrust me through and mistreat me. But his armor bearer would not, for he feared greatly. Therefore, Saul took his own sword and fell upon it. And when his armor bearer saw that Saul was dead, he also fell upon his sword and died with him. Thus, Saul died, and his three sons, and his armor bearer, and all his men on the same day together.

I will tell you ahead of time that we may not be able to cover all that these verses can offer. And that is certainly true when we revisit texts. The Holy Spirit seems to bring new light. But look at verse one with me very quickly. This is what I take out of it.

When there's a summary of what's happening in this verse, now the Philistines were fighting against Israel, and the men of Israel fled before the Philistines, and fell slain on Mount Gilboa. The first thing that my mind goes to, and perhaps your mind goes somewhere else, is how David was planning to be a part of this war. It's almost unthinkable that that righteous man was going to participate in this battle against his own people, that David was actually going to have blood on his hands because he would be associated with those who have killed the Lord's anointed and his sons and the people of Israel altogether is just a horrific thought. But you've heard it so many times when we came to that study of of where our hearts can take us. When we separate ourselves from God's rule and law and his spirit having control over us, we can we can do unspeakable things.

I I can tell you that there are Christians who have done things that even the world hasn't done because they have left the comfort of the Holy Spirit and his fear. And even Paul has seen that. Remember when Paul with the Corinthian church, he says, this is this is not even stuff that the world does in first Corinthians five. He's like, how are you guys even tolerating this sin? The world the world would blush at this.

And so when I look at this, I I not only think of what David could have been doing, I also think of God's mercy. Because the only reason why David is not participating in this activity is because God intervened with his love. God providentially came in with his power and created a conflict, so that when David was with the Philistines, the leader says, you gotta get out of here. You have no right to be with us. And you and I see it through the lens of God's power and control, and we recognize that was God.

That was the Lord making sure that David would not move forward in his sin in his sin. And you and I know something of God's mercy, the greatest manifestation of God's grace in our lives, the Jesus Christ. And if we're thinking, what could have David done if God had not intervened? What could have shame would he have brought to his name? What could have what kind of consequences could have resulted if he had participated in this war?

Won't you do something devotional and ask yourself, where do you think you would be if you did not realize God's mercy in the cross of Jesus Christ? Have you ever thought about that? Have you ever thought where you would be right now on a Friday night if Jesus Christ didn't change your heart? Have you ever thought where you would be, what kind of decisions you would be making, what kind of consequences you would be living with if Christ did not come and flood your heart with the revelation of his love? I wonder.

If my heart ever becomes dull, I tend to think about it. Lord, where would I be right now in this very moment, this hour? What would I be thinking? Who would be in my company? What would my decisions look like?

What would what would my convictions be? What kind of scars would I have inherited? And David, if you were to ask him, where would you be apart from the grace of God? He would tell you, I probably would have such a wretch of a testimony because I would have been part of a great act of treason and disgrace. And you and I can think and think often of how God's mercy has saved us from so much, saved us from so much.

But we read here in verse two, before we recognize that Saul and learn of his death, we are told that his sons have died. Three of his sons have died. Jonathan Abinadab and Melchishua. Now, here's the thing. I can understand Saul dying.

To be honest, I don't really have much issue with it. That man had it coming. All the blood that he sheds have died. Three of his sons That that seems just. That seems right that punishment would come.

With no repentance, after so many chances, you still resist. This makes sense. But but my heart is a little honest with you and I maybe it's it's it's true and it resonates with your own heart. Why his sons? Why did they have to die the same death as their father?

Now, we could take it further and say, Abinadab Melchishua, I don't know much about them. I'm gonna make the conclusion that they were in full participation with their father. That they were willing to join him on his quest to hunt for an innocent man, the Lord's anointed in David. And so they had that coming too. Your allegiance is with evil.

You will inherit evil. That just makes sense. But oh, Jonathan, precious Jonathan, God fearing Jonathan, humble Jonathan, how can this man be numbered among the transgressors? How can this man be found on the same hill, bloodied and bruised and destroyed among the wicked? You know what some people say?

The popular interpretation of this is that God foresaw the trouble that would come if Jonathan had continued to live. In other words, there would have been per potential division in Israel. If Jonathan, Saul's son, continued to live while David occupied the throne, perhaps there would have been a civil issue in Israel concerning who the true successor was. And so God spared much, much, much trouble knowing ahead of time what was to come about. And so he removes Jonathan off the scene in order that David's journey, not just to the throne, but on the throne would be much easier and less turbulent.

That is the popular interpretation. I don't know if I can I can lean towards that? Why would that be the case? Maybe you agree with that, and I I can give you at least two reasons why I don't. Number one, hasn't Jonathan already proven his loyalty?

If Jonathan really wanted to get rid of David, it was it was when his dad was in power. No. That's the time when you're gonna do it. Now when David becomes king and he has everybody on his side, you wanna do it when it's in seed form. That would make sense, but we see the exact opposite.

He humbles himself. He says, I I wanna be second in command. I wanna be by your side. I wanna be your aid. I recognize God's hand on your life.

Makes sense? But there's even a second reason I believe and it's a very strong one. If God really wanted to eliminate the threats from Saul's line that potentially could cause issues down the road with David being on the throne, then why didn't he take care of the other one? How many sons were killed in the battle? Is that all of Saul's sons?

Would you like to know the answer? It's in second Samuel chapter two, just a few chapters to the right, and notice what happens. In second Samuel chapter two verse eight, but Abner the son of Ner, commander of Saul's army, took Ishbosheth, the son of Saul, and brought him over to Mahanaim and made him king over Gilead and Ashurites and Jezreel and Ephraim and Benjamin and all Israel. So there was another son of Saul who for whatever reason was not in battle on this particular day. And when Saul was eliminated, Adner, the commander of his army, took Ishbosheth and made him king over the remainder lands of Israel.

So hold on for a second. If the popular interpretation is God wanted to remove the threats in David's life moving forward, then he missed somebody. No? Maybe you agree. I don't know.

We can talk about it afterwards. So then why? Why why did why did Jonathan die? Here's my answer. I don't know.

You can appeal to mystery sometimes because there are some things that we just don't know. And that troubles us, especially when it comes to the righteous suffering. When there is something that's premature concerning someone's life, whether it's death, or disease, or trauma, we wonder why. A lot of things have explanation. You made sinful choices that led to this.

But when you have a man who had moments where he showed greater faith than even David, who is willing to risk so much to be associated with him, To be taken at such a a young age, at the prime of his life. And let's take it even further. I I think David could have really used Jonathan in his life moving forward. Jonathan offered so much to David and I'm sure he had so much yet to offer with all the challenges that lay ahead, with all the temptations that lay ahead. If if he was able to speak into his ear at critical moments in his life that changed his his vision and and gave him faith?

Why would God remove somebody so precious and beneficial to a man of God like David? And here's the here's the answer. I don't know. I don't know. And sometimes, that's where we will find ourselves with with God's leadership in our lives or in other people's lives.

We we're almost stunned. He was in the prime of his ministry. Why did God take him? She was a mother of two young children. Why is she gone?

Serving the Lord with everything within them. This generation could have used that voice. We just don't know. And sometimes the scripture gives us hints, lets us peek into God's mind to see that he obviously knows something that we do not, and he calls us to just rest in the way he orchestrates his people in this life. Can I show you one example of that?

It's in a powerful portion of scripture that actually has brought many answers to these conflicts in my own heart. Not giving me the exact commentary on every particular circumstance, but enough for me to say, God, you clearly know what's happening and you are incredible in your dealings with man, even though it may it may cause some friction to my faith. Isaiah chapter 57. Take it to your to your heart, and let it live there for the rest of your life. In chapter 57 verse one and two, look at this glorious insight of how God deals with the righteous in mysterious ways, and yet at the same time, lets us get a little glimpse into the way he works.

Notice what is said in Isaiah 57 verse one. The righteous man perishes, and no one lays it to heart. Devout men are taken away, while no one understands. For the righteous man is taken away from what? Calamity.

I like how the King James puts it. That the righteous man is taken away from the evil to what? To come. He enters into peace. They rest in their beds, who walk in their uprightness.

Do you understand what the Lord is saying here? We don't understand why devout men are taken away. We don't understand why the righteous are taken away, the righteous in the land. And here's one reason among a thousand. For the righteous man is taken away from a future evil that will come, and God wants to spare them from that suffering.

God does not want certain people to endure certain kinds of evils, whether it's societal or personal, and so death for the righteous is a means to rescue them so that they can be protected from something that otherwise could have caused unnecessary harm or pain. That's just a drop in the bucket of how God works in the lives of the righteous. So why did God take Jonathan? I don't know. But all I do know according to a verse like this among many others is that there is something very good that he has in mind for doing so.

I hope that blesses your heart. Never forget that scripture. And so three of his sons died including Jonathan. It is tragic, but God is wise, and he is still in control, and he is still righteous. And we read on, and what do we see?

That the battle pressed hard against Saul. And then in verse four, we read something interesting. Saul said to his armor bearer, draw your sword and thrust me through with it, lest these uncircumcised come and thrust me through and mistreat me. But he wouldn't do it. He it says he would not do it for he feared greatly.

And so just imagine this king with arrows and his body bleeding knowing that he's going to die. And so he calls upon his armor bearer, his assistant, and he says, just finish me off. Rid me of the earth. Let me die. And there's some irony here.

He would not touch him because he feared greatly. And listen, the fear that this armor bearer had, this unnamed man was a righteous holy fear. He would not touch Saul. Do you know how I know that this was a good fear? Because when you go to chapter one of the next book, notice what David says.

Because apparently somebody did touch Saul. Somebody did do what this armor bearer would not do and kill Saul even though he was in his dying moments. And the news came to David, and when David heard it, he condemned the man who did it by saying what? In fur in second Samuel one fourteen, David said to him, how is it you are not afraid? Not afraid to put out your hand to destroy the Lord's anointed.

He condemned it. He didn't commend him. He rebuked him. In fact, he had him executed. And so you take that truth with this armor bearer and what he did not do, and you realize that what he did was a very good thing, a very holy thing.

And it's because he possessed something that Saul himself lacked, a fear. A holy, righteous fear, something that you've heard many times from this pulpit. And here's just one example of how this fear, this sense of reverence, this awareness of God's ability to hold us accountable for what we do, what we don't do, it prevents you from moving forward and doing certain things. It paralyzes you in a holy way. Wrong fear paralyzes you from doing right.

Good holy fear paralyzes you from doing that which is wrong. Do you understand? It it freezes you in that moment, and you realize I can't move forward. It makes makes your feet as though it was just swallowed with cement, and I can't keep going in this direction. That's what that's what holy fear does.

And Saul lacked it his whole life. And because he lacked it, he'd come to this moment where he's asking somebody to assist him in his suicide. If Saul had what this armor bearer had, perhaps he would not be in this desperate, devastating situation asking to be helped to kill himself. And so, this armor bearer is someone to be more noble and honored than this king. He is more royalty than this leader.

I don't care what kind of crown he was wearing. I don't care what kind of throne he sits on. This armor bearer was more rich, more prosperous, more valiant, and more strong than King Saul ever was because he had something that King Saul never had, a fear of God. A fear of God. Get this fear.

Ask God to make this fear real in you, and you will see the great prevention and protection that will come from it, one that Saul obviously did not have and it led him into great danger. But notice the motive of why Saul is asking for this this armor bearer to slay him. He says, so that these uncircumcised come and thrust me through. I don't want them to mistreat me. I don't want them to humiliate me.

And it makes you wonder if he remembered the days of judges when when Samson was taken by the Philistines and he was made a fool. He was turned into a clown. Saul says, I would not have it. Kill me. Kill me so that they would not have a chance at me, but I think it's even more than that.

So that the story would be told that I died in this way and not in a way that would humiliate my name for the rest of history. Do you know what I see here? Saul, since we've known him, except for the first few steps of his rule as a king, had a a priority in life that superseded all other motives, all other desires, and that was this. I want to win the honor of man no matter what it costs me. I want people to love me.

I want people to praise me. I want people to adore me. So much so that even if it costs me to displease God, I will do it. And he has proven it in so many ways. He took the credit from his own son, Jonathan, when he took over at Gerasene of the Philistines.

He said, Saul has done this. Move forward and what happens? Saul himself creates a monument after a failed attempt to take over the Amalekites. Move forward a little bit after that, when Samuel rebukes him and says, you disobeyed God, Saul was not concerned by the fact that he sinned against God. He says, okay.

Okay. Yeah. I sinned. But would you walk with me back so that the elders and the rest of the people know that I still have favor with you and favor with God? Though he had fractured his relationship with the Lord.

It wasn't about the relationship with the Lord. It was my reputation. Samuel, please let's go to the house of God together so people don't think that you're angry with me. Saul spent years chasing a man because they sang more about him than himself. And here is Saul.

Listen to this. In his final moments of life, What's rushing through his mind? I wanna make sure that I die with a certain dignity. What should have you been doing, Saul? Crying out to God for mercy.

You're about to meet your maker. And God was merciful enough to you to tell you prophetically that you were going to die in this way, and yet with all the heads up and all the warning, you were still concerned about how your name will be treated, how your body will be handled, what kind of dignity you will die with. So this man went to the grave with this self absorption, with this longing for his legacy to be recognized in a certain way. And so severe was this, so cancerous was this desire. You know what he's willing to do?

He's not now willing to kill a man like David. He's willing to kill himself. I'm willing to kill myself so that I can I can leave behind a certain taste in people's mouths? And you know, when I looked at this, I thought it is no different today. The great lengths that people are willing to go to in order to win the approval of man.

The praise of man, the love of man, the recognition of man. You know, we've come to a point in our society that the things that go viral today are just people embarrassing themselves. Do you not recognize that? Things that are viral today are not talented things. They're not noble things.

They're not holy things. They're stupid things. And sometimes they destroy that person's reputation. Sometimes it destroys their own bodies. The great lengths that people are willing to go to.

Do you know that even suicide attempts listen listen to how messed up this is. That when people kill themselves, they do it for attention? That they didn't get any recognition throughout their lives, so they think to themselves, at least when I do this, I can get some people to recognize my life and recognize me and to mourn over me and to lament over me, so I will kill myself. And so, I wanna tell you today that there is nothing that I can think of apart from sin itself that is more deadly than to be dominated by this desire. Oh, if people would just love me.

Oh, that people would just recognize me. And and I just need this attention. You're headed for some dangerous decisions. This man went from willing to destroy his family, David, to now willing to kill himself for the sake of not being known as a failure. I don't want to read too much into this, but I'm wondering.

Saul's calling, according to first Samuel nine, was that he was anointed to take care of the Philistines, to get rid of them. That's exactly why he was anointed. And here he is being overtaken by the Philistines. He's a failure. He's a failure.

And he'd rather be known as dying from his own men than dying from his enemies. The enemies that he was anointed to destroy. But no concern about eternity. No concern about meeting God. All he's concerned about is me.

Me. Me. Until his dying moments. If you and I think that it will take a death bed for somebody to truly repent, you're wrong. People will die with their pride.

People will die with their love for money. People will die with their lust. People will die in their sin. We scroll down and notice something in verse six. That Saul died and his three sons and his armor bearer and all his men on the same day together.

On the same day, Saul, his sons, and his army were annihilated. And that that's a very grim picture, but you know what? I see something quite amazing about it. All his men and this is the beauty about studying the Bible. This is the beauty about being familiar with the text.

Because in your devotional time, you're not just getting something in the immediate context, you're connecting truths that you've gathered over the weeks, and then you're able to come to certain revelations. So here's an example of that. I read this. That Saul died and his three sons and his armor bearer and all his men, and this thought comes to mind, except 600 of them, who were once pledged to him, but fled him and were now joined to David. Remember that man that band of men.

Right? 600 men who were once under the rule of Saul who decided this man is not God's chosen one. He is God's chosen one. And so we will leave with our families to join and pledge our allegiance to him no matter what it cost us. And it cost them a lot.

For years, they went from cave to cave living in discomfort, misery, the fear of the unknown. For years, they didn't know what was gonna happen next. There was challenging circumstances. They didn't know how they were gonna feed their families. They didn't know when they were gonna settle.

They didn't know when this was gonna come to an end. And with all of that, when you look at the end of the story, was it worth it? Was it worth it to disconnect from Saul and to choose David? And the answer is obviously to the same person, yes. Because judgment came, and they were rescued from that judgment because of one decision that they made years ago.

We will side with David, the anointed one of God. And you're a believer that has pledged your allegiance to the anointed one of God, have you not? In the person of Jesus Christ. And you and I, even in the promised land America, are still in a wilderness. And there is much trouble being associated with this Jesus.

It is unpopular. At times, it is uncomfortable. At times, it invites trials and tribulations that perhaps you would have not walked through if you would just live for your little American dream and your nice little stuff and your sin. But the same way that it was worth it for these men, so shall it be with those who are under King Jesus' rule and reign today. Because just around the corner, David is going to be exalted.

And he's gonna sit upon a throne, and he will usher in peace and security, and surely these men will know a certain reward for choosing to serve David when it cost them so much. So now it's hard. Now it's difficult. You have to put up with a lot. But what is this brief moment?

It is literally a breath and compared to eternity. And there is a time when Jesus will come and rule and reign in this world, and he will rid of Satan who has been ruining this world as he's running this world. And you and I will know a sigh of relief that will echo down into the ages, and we will, I'm sure, if our minds allow us to, think to ourselves, why did we complain? Why did we pout? Oh, that I would have suffered more.

Oh, that I would have sacrificed more. In light of the glories that we are enjoying today, we are not judged for all eternity. We are spared. And not just spared, but we are enjoying the riches of Christ being exalted, like these men will enjoy so much reward for choosing David and not being among those who were slain. And so, we see that, yeah, all his men did, but there was a little remnant, a small little pocket of men who avoided it.

Who avoided it. Yeah, it's a small little pocket. You know, pocket. You know, the more I walk with Jesus, the more I realize how narrow the narrow road is, man. It it's really narrow.

More narrow than I thought when I start walking with Jesus. But what keeps a believer walking when they feel their shoulders rubbing against the very narrowness of that path? What's to come? It'll be worth it when we see Jesus exalted. And so we see that in verse seven, we're not gonna cover that men of Israel fled certain men knowing what happened and the Philistines came and occupied certain regions.

But look at verse eight. The next day when the Philistines came to strip the slain, they found Saul and his three sons fallen on Mal Gilboa. So they cut off his head and stripped off his armor and sent messengers throughout the land of the Philistines to carry the good news to the house of their idols and to the people. So, hey, Saul, you're you're worried about being mistreated? They decapitated you and they're about to hang you like an ornament in their walls.

But I looked at this and a certain portion of it stood out to me. In the King James and New King James, it doesn't say to carry the good news. It would just say to publish it, which is the same concept. The ESV and the NASB would say, they came to carry the good news to the house of their idols and to the people. We killed Saul.

We killed his sons. We got their king. We got their leader. And here's what came to mind when I read this today. What was good news for the enemies of God is bad news for the people of God.

What was good news for the enemies of God is bad news for the people of God. Now flip it. It is often the case that what is good news, what is good news for the people of God, is seen as horrific news for those who are unbelieving and are enemies of God. And I can't think of a more relevant application to that principle than the recent leak of the document from the Supreme Court that is planning to overturn Roe v Wade. I I mean, you wanna see how an Old Testament story can apply to today?

There is one example. Oh, do you think that wicked people are some fringe minority that live in maximum security prisons? No. All you gotta do is just take a little peek into society itself and realize that people who have nice jobs and nice cars and nice little white picket homes are exploding with rage because they have just learned that it's now possible for them to not have the easy access to murder babies like they would like to. Evil is in your neighborhood.

Wickedness is just around the corner. And you see it in the ancient times where it was good news to kill those who belong to the true God. You and I are seeing it today, and we will see it only intensify in the days to come. But I want to tell you that this warped mentality is a result of the same result of what these men are doing, worshiping false gods in the form of idolatry or in the form of self worship. When you do that and you deviate from the Lord, you inherit strange ways of thinking.

And you believe and fight for that which is evil and that which God condemns. When this whole thing was really at its peak, and I'm sure it's gonna revisit us when it really comes closer to the date where they're gonna actually make this law, I thought to myself, all these people chanting, we must defend a woman's right to choose. I thought you couldn't define a woman. Oh, no. But, men have no right to weigh in on the abortion issue.

Well, I thought men can now get pregnant. Well, you know, a fetus is not a human being. Oh, really? So why is it that in many places you can be prosecuted for double homicide if you kill a pregnant woman? This is the inconsistency, the self sabotaging logic that a society inherits when they reject God.

They can't even keep up with themselves. And I'm gonna tell you, if you think it's ridiculous today, it's only gonna get crazier. It's only gonna get more maniacal and evil and twisted and warped. Let me give you an example. I want you to actually answer this question.

On what occasion would you give a gift to somebody? Christmas, birthday. Yeah. Happy occasions for you romantics when you just want to surprise your loved one and just give something to show your appreciation. Right?

Have you ever thought about giving gifts to someone because two preachers died and they're happy that they don't have to hear your sermons anymore? Some of you look stunned. I didn't just come up with that. That's in the Bible. Yes.

Let me show you just an example of what we're headed towards. You think we're living in evil days today? Go to Revelation chapter 11. I want to show you something that's quite astounding. In Revelation 11 verse nine, we read of we read of these two witnesses that have unusual power and ability during the end times, who will preach in a certain way and even perform certain miracles that will be a testimony to a generation that the true God is in fact alive and well, and he he commands for your repentance.

And he calls for you to turn from your ways before it's too late. But in God's perfect sovereign plan, he, after their testimony is complete, will allow Satan to kill these two witnesses. And we're not gonna cover who these witnesses could be. There's a principle that we wanna see here. After these two witnesses are slain, notice what happens in verse nine of Revelation 11.

For three and a half days, some of the peoples and tribes and languages and nations will gaze at their dead bodies and refuse to let them be placed in a tomb. This is why we gotta read our bible slowly. Think about it. Peoples and tribes and languages and nations. Is that one nation or plural nations?

Can you explain how John, just under a hundred years before cry or after Christ, saw something where nations at the same time were able to look at one event in one part of the world and be able to simultaneously, at the same time, get a feed of what's happening. Any idea? Yes. The very thing that's in your phone and some in our hands. And so John even foresaw that there was gonna be an ability for nations and tribes and peoples to look at one event at the same time, and and leading up to our day, perhaps thing.

What is John seeing? And now it's like, oh, yeah. It's the iPhone. The Bible is amazing, isn't it? In verse 10, and those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them and make merry and exchange presents because these two prophets have been a torment to those who dwell on the earth.

So not only are they gonna broadcast it live, the people around the world were were it's gonna be so depraved, so ugly, so dark, that when these two holy, righteous men who will perform miracles are finally dead, they will send gifts to each other as though it was Christmas. And I looked at that word torment. They were a torment to those who dwell on the earth, and that word torment is not used often in the book of Revelation. And when I said, where else is tormented used? The exact same word.

Where is it used in the even in the original, and I and I realized just three chapters later, you see it again, and notice the context in which the same word torment is brought up when it speaks about hell. To those who take the mark of the beast, to to those who worship the antichrist, in verse 10 of Revelation 14, look what the Bible says. He will also drink. This is the consequence, the judgment. The wine of God's wrath poured full strength into the cup of his anger, and he will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the lamb.

The same word torment. So make the connection. Check this out. The word used to describe the the horrible pain and suffering that will come upon those who reject Christ and embrace the antichrist is the very same word that is used to describe the reaction of those who hear the preaching of two godly men. It was hell to them.

They didn't wanna hear the truth. They didn't wanna hear that they needed to repent. They didn't wanna hear that God was coming. And so it was held to their soul. The same way it will be literal hell for those who reject Christ.

Can you imagine that? Can you imagine being so depraved to be tormented by something that is happening right now? I've seen some really disappointed faces while preaching. I've seen some up but I've never seen somebody tormented. And that day is coming.

Consider that. And we scroll down here in our text as we close very briefly, very soon rather. In verse 10, they put his armor in the Temple of Ashtaroth, and they fastened his body to the wall of Beth Shan. But when the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead heard what the Philistines had done to 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 Bethshan, and they came to Jabesh and burned them there. The reason why they burned them is perhaps the stench.

They were so decomposed, they were so rotting that the best thing to do was to just burn them. It wasn't because that was their primary choice. Verse 13, and they took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree in Jabesh and fasted seven days. Look at verse 12. All the valiant men arose.

Very dark chapter. I mean, it's it's it ends the book in a low. But there's a glimmer of hope here. And somebody made the wonderful observation. Remember, Saul the king died.

All of Israel's army vanquished. Yet at the same time though it seems such so despairing and so filled with hopelessness, God had a king ready to be exalted. He's he's waiting there. And so these men thought that they had the king and the kingdom destroyed. And yet, God in in a moment has another king ready to be raised up.

Destroyed all the armies of Israel? Well, look at verse 12. There are, there are valiant men still in Israel. And here's the point. God always has a people.

God always has a people. Listen. I don't know about you. That blessed me, especially with the condition of the church in the West, when all we've been seeing is a highlight reel of failures in ministries and in ministers, all we've seen is one giant fall after the next, some even questionable in their walk with the Lord to begin with, but who have a name big enough to cause the the Philistines of our generation to boast in their gods and boast in their way of life to say, this is what this is the failure that the people of God are. We want nothing to do with them.

They're weak. They can't even stay consistent with their own convictions. With all of that that's happening, God still has a people. God is still raising up faithful, anointed leaders, and God still has a remnant of valiant, courageous, God fearing people. Always, throughout all of history, that has always been the case.

The choice you and I have is whether we want to be a part of that or not. And we all have that choice. But here's my question. Why the men of Jabez Gilead? Why did they honor Saul?

Why did they show this great respect even risking their own lives to go into enemy territory and to try to pull down their bodies? Why? Any idea? Very good, Lord. Did you hear the answer?

This is not the first time that we see Jabesh Gilead. In fact, Jabesh Gilead is found just a few moments after Saul was truly anointed to be king. And that's in first Samuel 11. And I want you to turn there very briefly just to see what's happening there. In first Samuel 11, the Ammonites threatened a group of Israelites from Jabesh Gilead.

In verse one, the Nahash the Ammonite went up and besieged Jabesh Gilead, and all the men of Jabesh said to Nahash, make a treaty with us and we will serve you. But Nahash the Ammonite said to them, on this condition I will make a treaty with you that I gouge out all your right eyes and thus bring disgrace on all Israel. You wanna make a deal? Here's the deal. I won't kill you, just let me make you all blind, at least with half your vision.

They bring this news to Saul. The Spirit of God rushes upon Saul and he brings a mighty deliverance for the the citizens of Jabesh Gilead. Years pass by. Saul looks a lot different than he did in first Samuel 11. And yet in his death, the citizens and the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead said, he delivered us.

We must honor him. We must respect him. He did something for us. We must do something for him. Now we can apply that principle in our need to honor on a horizontal level, But what greater motivation than to realize what we what we must give to Christ, what we must give to him?

He is not an imperfect king. He is not a sporadic king. He always is faithful. He doesn't just deliver us at one time. He continues to deliver us, and save us, and rescue us.

And if that is the case, then should we not risk it all to to honor him? Should we not? I remember when I first got saved, and we did some little thing at a church, a little skit, and they asked me to do it. I was like, okay, I'll do it. So I just wanted to be nice.

And they asked me to share a few lines at the end of the skit, so I did. And it was all about how Christ sacrificed for us, and and so I made the point. If Christ had sacrificed so much for him, for us, how much more should we sacrifice for him? Amen. Amen.

Amen. Current's closed, you know. And I guess somebody in the crowd didn't like what I said. Know, you said, if Christ sacrificed so much for us, what should we sacrifice for him? And he said, Brother, Christ sacrificed everything.

We don't need to do anything for him. And I had so many questions in that moment. But I thought to myself, do you understand the depth of the sacrifice? Do you understand the depth of the sacrifice? Does it make you immobile?

Is that the revelation that you have that it it it makes you just sit on your your hands? You see, what Jabesh Gilead did, this great campaign to honoring Saul was all pumping from a heart filled with one thing, and that's gratitude. And that is the greatest quality of service to Christ when it comes from the stream of thanksgiving. If not, you will burn yourself out. If not, you will easily fall into the pit of legalism.

If what we're doing is not from the place of Thanksgiving, then why are we doing it? Is it performance based? Is it because it's our duty? What everything that you and I do comes from gratitude. And the depth of our gratitude comes from the depth of the revelation of what he's done, and that will affect the depth of our service to him.

And so when somebody says something like that, to me, it just, I don't know what it was, but the only thing I left from there was perhaps this man does not understand what Christ deserves. Yes, we don't work to save ourselves. That's that's basic. But what comes about in your life when you reflect on what he's done? And what Jabesh Gilead is doing was something that happened years ago.

And you and I, likewise, do something today based on what happened two thousand years ago that affected you now, that changed you now. I would love to end there, but there's a verse left in verse 13, and that's where I would like us to end. And they took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree, and Jabesh and fasted seven days. The bible does not give details for no reason. Sometimes, the revelation is in the small minute details, and here's the detail.

Why do I need to know what kind of tree Saul was buried under? Do you know why? Because this is not the first time that a tamarisk tree is mentioned alongside with Saul. And it's very significant to realize the last place where Saul is mentioned sitting under this kind of tree and connecting it with where he ends his life. The last time where Saul is seen with a tamarisk tree is in first Samuel twenty two six.

And that is the official last verse of this Bible study. When you go there, you'll notice something quite powerful. Chapter 22 verse six. Now Saul heard that David was discovered, and the men who were with him. Saul was sitting at Gibeah under the tamarisk tree on the height with his spear in his hand, and all his servants were standing about him.

Do you remember this study? Saul was at one of his greatest heights, or you can say greatest lows, with his jealousy, and his pride, and his envy. And here he is sitting underneath this tree with a spear in his hand, and he is so consumed with rage, and so overwhelmed with evil, that he even commands the priests from Nob to be slaughtered because he thought that they were conspiring against him by helping David. And so this man who is sitting in this position of authority, but not just authority, who is sitting and using his authority to perform great evil, to satisfy his pride, to satisfy the lust of the flesh. Check this out.

God has a such a wonderful sense of humor, kills him, and has him buried by the bones under the same type of tree. And I think there's a statement there. And here's the statement. God knows how to humble the proud. And the very same place where you exercised your evil and your sin and thought that you were untouchable and thought that you were surrounded by supporters and thought you had so much authority, that very same place can become your grave.

Listen, God knows how to humble the proud, and he can do it in very creative ways. And so he would not be known as the great commander who sat under the tamarisk tree. He would be known as the man who was decapitated, brutalized, who failed in his mission, and was buried under the tamarisk tree. May God help us finish well. May God help us finish well.

I don't wanna just start really well. I wanna finish well. I wanna finish with honor, not before men. I wanna finish with with God's commendation in my life. What use is it?

What use is it if men write about you or praise you? Who cares? But to know that we bring a smile to his face face, because no matter what Saul knew in his life, no matter what kind of satisfaction that he would enjoy with the moments that he received some kind of recognition, all of that would fade as he stood before the glory of God. So keep that in mind as we end this book. What better way of ending it with the thought of, Lord help me finish well.

And please, if you are sitting in a position like Saul was at one point, where you think you can hold on to your sin and cause more sin and entertain it with no consequence, the Lord is so merciful. He will get your attention. He will let you experience his mercy. He will wake you up with his goodness. All these things will come about, but there comes a point where he says enough is enough.

I have to put an end to this. And he did it with Saul. And what awaits us? What awaits us? Saul was the big problem.

Right? He's out of the way. He's out of the way. It's done now. It's just gonna be a utopia in Israel?

No. No. No. No. No.

We have a whole another book with brand new challenges, with brand new revelations that come with it. Let's just ask the Lord to to help us. Lord, we thank you for this study. And we ask you from the bottom of our hearts, oh God, please please help us live for you right. Thank you, Lord, that you still have a remnant.

Thank you, Lord, that you still have a plan that in these dark days, Lord, things are still under your control. Lord, we just ask that in these times, we would be found among those who are courageous and faithful unto you. Oh, Lord, we thank you for Jesus. We choose to live for him now before heaven, before painless existence, before glories that will enrapture us. Lord, when it's difficult, when it's hard, when it's challenging, we choose to pledge our allegiance to the Lord Jesus Christ.

And even if it's a small number, oh, God, we still wanna be in that number. Lord, let these truths change us, And Lord, prepare us for this next study. Be with us as you've been with us in first Samuel. In Jesus mighty name we pray. Amen.

Amen. Even before we sing, here's there's there's benefit to this from time to time. Sometimes I I don't want us to just go with the routine because we we go in autopilot mode. Just just where you're sitting right now, as we end this book, reflect on all that you've heard in the past few weeks and months. I know it can be overwhelming to think about, but just something that you maybe even just from today, apply it and then bring it before the Lord and just speak to the Lord and just we'll just spend a few moments doing that.

Lord, I believe you're the same God that I that I just heard about. And Lord, I'm just asking you to do a work in my heart. And even if you're dull and even if you're distracted this entire bible study, which is very possible, tell him. Tell him to help you. Tell him to rescue you from that place.

After that, we will fellowship and we will laugh and we will enjoy ourselves. But just in this moment between you and God, and just if you guys can play softly, just something softly, just even the guitar, and then we will sing together and then we will move forward. Okay? Just fellowship with the Lord.