Today we begin 1st Samuel Chapter 31.
For the Complete Jewish Bible, click HERE.
For the King James version, click HERE.
One of Yeshua’s famous sayings is…
“He who lives by the sword will die by the sword.”
This is an apt description of Saul’s life…
For his life ended as violently as he had lived it.
In his final narrative, there is no sense of judgment or condemnation.
His account is tinged with a bit of sadness but still respectful.
The description of the battle is brief but we can imagine what happened.
The main fighting occurred in the Jezreel Valley.
This was a huge open area where many battles had been fought before, and many more would come.
This is also the place where Yeshua, Israel’s Warrior King, will soon return to lead us in the final battle against the allied forces of evil.
That’s right folks.
This is the place of Armageddon.
In those days, battles lasted for hours, sometimes even days, usually starting at sunrise.
For obvious reasons, fighting at night was tough.
How can you fight an enemy you can’t see?
Answer: You can’t.
All day long, King Saul’s army and the Philistines fought each other tooth and nail just to survive.
But eventually, the Philistines began to gain the upper hand.
Saul and his men were forced to flee.
They high-tailed it away from the flat land and climbed back up to their camp in the hills of Gilboa.
As the sun began to set, the Philistines, sensing victory was in their grasp, cornered the Israelites.
What followed was a horrific slaughter.
The fighting didn’t stop until darkness settled in.
At that point, only the cries of the wounded could be heard.
Who was injured?
Who was alive?
How many were lost?
The answers would only become clear when the sun rose again the next morning.
As the night turned into day, the bodies of the dead were scattered all over the landscape.
King Saul and his three sons – Jonathan, Avinadav, and Malkishua – weren’t able to escape.
They had become the main targets for the Philistine archers.
We’re spared the gory details of how they died, but we are told the archers focused on King Saul.
At least one arrow hit him in a fragile part of his body, seriously wounding him.
Some ancient versions of the Scriptures say he was shot in the gut.
So what’s the takeaway for today?
It goes back to Yeshua’s saying I quoted above:
“He who lives by the sword shall die by the sword.”
Or another way to put it:
“Ye shall reap what ye sow.”
In the days of our youth, that’s a concept we don’t seem to grasp too well.
We spend money frivolously, engage in tons of promiscuous sex, and act like a bunch of baboons thinking there will be no consequences…
Or we treat people horribly or harbor feelings of hate toward others…
And then we wonder why at a later stage in our lives we’re broke and without any friends.
The lesson is clear.
How you live your life in the first half of your life will pretty much determine how the latter half of your life ends.
But, I don’t wanna end this post on a negative note.
Let’s end this post positively.
So listen, we all make mistakes.
We’ve all done dumb things in our lives.
All of our Bible heroes have.
Just look at the lives of Abraham, David, and all the 12 sons of Jacob.
The Bible makes it clear that we are imperfect and fallen men and women.
But the Bible also makes it clear, there is redemption and restoration for those who repent.
If you have been a prodigal son, there can be a happy ending for you…
Both this side of heaven and in the life to come.
So focus on God and not your failures…
And surrender yourself to the salvation your Father in heaven is dying to give you.
His son DIED to give it to you.
See ya all next time.
CONNECTING THIS TEACHING TO THE NEW TESTAMENT
“For God so loved the world,
that he gave his only begotten Son,
that whosoever believeth in him
should not perish,
but have everlasting life.”
-John 3:16
P.S. The same story of Saul and his three sons’ deaths on the battlefield is told almost word for word in the book 1st Chronicles 10, with just a little extra information added.
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