The death of King Saul

The death of King Saul

Read 1 Samuel 31

1. King Saul died tragically, a sad end to his wickedness against David, who he pursued to kill without cause.
2. The end of all evil men is always sorrowful and sad.
3. King Saul pleaded to be killed by his armour bearer, when the enemies advanced against him – vs 4. Then said Saul unto his armourbearer, Draw thy sword, and thrust me through therewith; lest these uncircumcised come and thrust me through, and abuse me. But his armourbearer would not; for he was sore afraid. Therefore Saul took a sword, and fell upon it.
4. King Saul committed suicide by falling on his sword when his armour bearer refused to kill him – vs 4. Then said Saul unto his armourbearer, Draw thy sword, and thrust me through therewith; lest these uncircumcised come and thrust me through, and abuse me. But his armourbearer would not; for he was sore afraid. Therefore Saul took a sword, and fell upon it.
5. King Saul lost his three sons same day. Jonathan, Abinadab, and Melchishua were all murdered by the Phillistines before his eyes – vs 2. And the Philistines followed hard upon Saul and upon his sons; and the Philistines slew Jonathan, and Abinadab, and Melchishua, Saul’s sons.
6. King Saul died in pain. Before he committed suicide, he had been badly wounded by the Philistines’ archers – vs 3. And the battle went sore against Saul, and the archers hit him; and he was sore wounded of the archers.
7. The personal assistant of King Saul, his armour bearer also killed himself dying with the King – vs 5 And when his armourbearer saw that Saul was dead, he fell likewise upon his sword, and died with him.
8. Even in death, King Saul’s body was decimated as the Philistines cut off his head and sent it to the house of their idols – vs 9 And they cut off his head, and stripped off his armour, and sent into the land of the Philistines round about, to publish it in the house of their idols, and among the people.
9. The Philistines further humiliated his headless corpse by fastening it the city wall in Bethshan – vs 10 And they put his armour in the house of Ashtaroth: and they fastened his body to the wall of Bethshan.
10. Eventually inhabitants of Jabesh took his headless body and that of his sons, cremated the corpses and buried the bones under a tree at Jabesh – vs 12 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 came to Jabesh, and burnt them there.