“When the people living in Yavesh-Gil‘ad heard what the P’lishtim had done to Sha’ul, all their warriors set out, traveling all night. They took the body of Sha’ul and the bodies of his sons off the wall of Beit-Sh’an, returned to Yavesh, and burned them there.“-1 Samuel 31:11-12
The last time we met, Saul and his sons’ headless bodies were hanging from the wall of Beit-Sh’an, left to be eaten by wild scavengers.
However, they wouldn’t stay hanging there for long.
Soon after, we’re told some warriors from Yavesh-Gil’ad, the city on the other side of the Jordan River, weren’t about to let this insult stand without doing something about it.
You’re probably thinking these men from Jabesh-Gilead were super-patriots for Israel, right?
That they would risk their lives to make sure no Israelite suffered the humiliation of being hung on display for their enemies to mock?
Well, yes, but there’s more to it than just that.
See, here’s the thing.
The people of Jabesh-Gilead and the tribe of Benjamin had a strong connection long before Saul’s death.
It all started when Israel went to war with the tribe of Benjamin over the rape of a concubine that happened in the city of Gibeah (which was Saul’s hometown in Benjamite tribal territory).
Do you recall this story from the Book of Judges?
The men of Gibeah gang raped a concubine to death.
What they did was so horrific that all the other tribes of Israel demanded they be punished.
There was just one little problem.
The tribe of Benjamin refused to hand these rapists over.
So the other 11 tribes went to war with Benjamin and almost wiped them out completely.
Afterward, the Israelites felt sorrowful that one of their tribes was on the verge of extinction.
To help the Benjamites rebuild, they needed to find wives for the remaining Benjamin men.
So what did they do?
They attacked the Trans-Jordanian city of Jabesh-Gilead with the intent of killing every male.
Why was Jabesh-Gilead singled out for this treatment?
Their justification was that no man from Jabesh-Gilead had participated in the assembly at Mizpah where an important vow was made.
Long story short, every male and married female resident of Jabesh-Gilead was exterminated…
But 400 virgins were spared.
These virgins were then given as wives to the surviving Benjamites to prevent the tribe from dying out.
Because of this, the people of Jabesh-Gilead and the tribe of Benjamin (including Saul’s family) were connected by blood.
Bottomline, the tribe of Benjamin and Jabesh-Gilead only survived because of these intermarriages.
Later on, when Jabesh-Gilead was attacked by an enemy king named Nahash, Saul, who was from Gibeah, led his soldiers all night to rescue them.
This further strengthened the bond between the people of Jabesh-Gilead and King Saul.
So can you see why the warriors of Jabesh-Gilead went out of their way and risked their lives traveling all night to retrieve Saul and his sons’ bodies?
It’s because of the very close ties and deep affection the residents of Jabesh-Gilead had for Saul.
They say that blood is thicker than water.
Well, here’s a perfect example of that.
When the men of Jabesh-Gilead heard what happened to Saul’s body, they couldn’t let it stand.
They knew they had to act.
And act they did.
They crossed the Jordan River and waited until the people of Beth Shean were asleep behind their walls.
Then like a pack of ninjas, they climbed up the walls and took down the bodies of Saul and his sons and carried them back to Jabesh-Gilead for a proper burial.
So what’s the takeaway to be had here?
This passage underscores why it’s important to study the ENTIRE Bible.
Cause I betcha 99.9% of Christians would have absolutely no idea what’s going on here unless they connected this story with what happened way back in the book of Judges.
For sure, the men of Jabesh-Gilead performed a praiseworthy act by retrieving the bodies of Saul and his sons.
But if you really wanna grasp the full significance of what’s going on…
You need to understand the deep historical and emotional ties between Jabesh-Gilead and the tribe of Benjamin.
This is a connection rooted in events from earlier books of the “Old” Testament.
When you start your Scripture studies from the later parts of the Bible (like the New Testament) and neglect everything that came before, you’re missing a lot of key details and nuance homies.
Ya feel me?
Done.
CONNECTING THIS TEACHING TO THE NEW TESTAMENT
“All Scripture is God-breathed
and is useful for teaching, rebuking,
correcting and training in righteousness,
so that the servant of God
may be thoroughly equipped
for every good work.”
-2 Timothy 3:16
Leave a Reply