Episode Details

Sin and its Consequences

1 Samuel 31, Remsen Bible Fellowship, 05/30/2021

Introduction:

As we come to the end of 1 Samuel, we need to recognize the ground we’ve covered. This book chronicles for us the transition of Israel from being a nation led by a series of God-appointed judges to becoming a monarchy like all the other nations. In the early pages of the book the nation is an absolute wreck with a priesthood that is corrupt, a judge who can’t rule his own sons, and the threat of the Philistines a very real and present one. 

Fast-forward some 70 years, and here we are at Mount Gilboa. The situation for the people isn’t nearly as different as they had hoped. Whereas in times past there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes (Judges 21:25), now there is a king in Israel and he does what is right in his own eyes, and everyone suffers the consequences. The priesthood is no longer corrupt, because they’ve nearly all been slain. The king can’t govern his own temper, let alone anything else. And the Philistines? They’re back at the door.  Let’s read 1 Samuel 31. 

Now the Philistines were fighting against Israel, and the men of Israel fled before the Philistines and fell slain on Mount Gilboa. 2 And the Philistines overtook Saul and his sons, and the Philistines struck down Jonathan and Abinadab and Malchi-shua, the sons of Saul. 3 The battle pressed hard against Saul, and the archers found him, and he was badly wounded by the archers. 4 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. 5 And when his armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he also fell upon his sword and died with him. 6 Thus Saul died, and his three sons, and his armor-bearer, and all his men, on the same day together. 7 And when the men of Israel who were on the other side of the valley and those beyond the Jordan saw that the men of Israel had fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they abandoned their cities and fled. And the Philistines came and lived in them. 

8 The next day, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, they found Saul and his three sons fallen on Mount Gilboa. 9 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. 10 They put his armor in the temple of Ashtaroth, and they fastened his body to the wall of Beth-shan. 11 But when the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul, 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 Beth-shan, and they came to Jabesh and burned them there. 13 And they took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree in Jabesh and fasted seven days. 

I think we can organize the lessons in this chapter under four headings, the first of which is this: Sin has devastating consequences. 

The Devastating Consequences of Sin

Remember from last week that the night before the battle Saul is so afraid that he sneaks behind enemy lines at night in order to access a medium in hopes of gaining guidance from the dead, namely, Samuel the prophet. However, while God does allow this medium to call the soul of Samuel back to talk to Saul, the message he brings is not one of hope, or even guidance. Samuel simply reiterates what God had told Saul already: you have been rejected from your place as king due to your disobedience. But now the prophet adds one little tidbit: Moreover, the LORD will give Israel also with you into the hand of the Philistines, and tomorrow you and your sons shall be with me. The LORD will give the ar