In the story about the Amalekite messenger killing Saul, we have a problem.
It differs from the account of the same story in 1st Samuel 31.
If you recall, in 1st Samuel 31, we’re told Saul didn’t get killed by anyone.
Instead, he killed himself because his armor bearer refused to kill him, even though Saul begged him to.
So does this mean we’ve got a bonafide discrepancy on our hands?
This issue has been debated for a long time, especially since the Enlightenment when literary criticism began scrutinizing the Bible.
Lemme boil it down for you nice and simple.
There are two possibilities.
One is that this is a Scriptural error brought about by mixing two different ancient stories of Saul’s death.
Or the other is the Amalekite man was lying right through his teeth and didn’t really kill Saul.
So which possibility is more plausible?
Well, let’s take a good look at the differences between the two stories of Saul’s death.
In the 1st Samuel 31 account, Saul’s armor bearer is there, Saul kills himself, three of his sons died with him, and there are no chariots mentioned.
But in the account in 2nd Samuel, there ain’t no armor bearer, the young man says he was the one who killed Saul, only one son (Jonathan) died, and there are chariots and cavalry in hot pursuit after Saul.
So what’s the key piece of information that’s the determining factor of truth here?
Here’s the lowdown homies.
One big clue that the story from the Amalekite might not be true is the mention of chariots.
Saul and his sons were on the very STEEP slopes of Mount Gilboa when they were killed.
Keep in mind that chariots were the equivalent of modern tanks in those days.
So it would be a herculean task to drive them up a steep mountain.
Chariots are only effective on flat terrain, like the Jezreel Valley where the main battle happened.
A chariot CANNOT be maneuvered in thick forests, rocky areas…
And MOST DEFINITELY NOT on steep mountains.
Ya feel me?
Even soldiers on horses would have difficulty moving about on the terrain where Saul and his sons were.
It makes sense that a foot soldier with a bow could have shot Saul with an arrow.
But that he was being pursued by chariots and cavalry?
Hmm…me thinks NOT.
On top of that, check out this statement from chapter 4 of 2nd Samuel:
“But David answered Rekhav and Ba’anah his brother, the sons of Rimmon the Be’eroti, “As ADONAI lives, who has rescued me from every kind of difficulty, when someone told me, ‘Here, Sha’ul is dead,’ thinking to himself that he was bringing good news, I didn’t reward him for his news but seized him and killed him in Ziklag.”-2 Samuel 4:9-10
The Amalekite thought that by taking King Saul’s belongings and telling David the “good news” that Saul was dead…
And by saying he was the one who performed the mercy killing on Saul…
He thought he would get a reward and maybe even be promoted to David’s inner circle or something.
Turns out, no such thing.
This Amalekite should have stayed in bed that day.
This man was an opportunist.
What we have here is a man who stumbled across Saul’s body and saw this as a chance to exploit the situation to his benefit.
Well, as we saw, his plan backfired on him badly.
This leads us directly to our takeaway.
Many opportunists attempt to take advantage of God and His Kingdom without having a sincere love for God and His commandments.
These exploiters could take the form of…
Corrupt religious leaders who claim to speak on behalf of God but use their position to manipulate others for personal gain, such as money or power.
Politicians who use religious rhetoric or affiliations to gain support or justify their policies, even if their actions do not align with the moral or ethical teachings of the religion they profess…
Cult leaders who start religious movements and under the guise of spirituality attempt to control and exploit their followers…
Or historical figures, such as kings, presidents, or rulers, who have used religion to consolidate power and manipulate public opinion (Hitler and his partnership with the Catholic Church is a perfect example of this).
While on the surface, these opportunists may have seemed like sincere followers of God, they couldn’t fool the Lord.
In due time, they got what was coming to them
Ya feel me?
Leave a Reply