1st SAMUEL - CHAPTER 31

Bill Fritz

Adult Education

Fellowship Bible Church

Saul’s Army Defeated at Gilboa

(1Sa 31:1 ESV) 1 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. (UNK n.d.)

“The second of Jesse’s eight sons (1 Sam 16:8; 1 Chron 2:13)” [1].

The Philistine archers killed many Israelites, causing the Israeli army’s fear to grow into panic.  Seeing so many of their comrades in arms fall many Israelites fled the battle field.

Saul and Johnathan stood their ground and were killed on the mount Gilboa.

(1Sa 31:3,4 ESV)
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.

Saul feared death at the hands of the Philistines, who he believed would disgrace him in death.

Saul would rather die at the hands of a servant preserving his honor as a valiant warrior.

Saul’s armor bearer is believed to be Doeg’s  son who also fell on the same sword after Saul. (Elkanah and Hannah 2011)

(1Sa 31:5,6 ESV)
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.

Is it coincidental that all three sons of Saul were killed, and would it not have been prudent of Saul to leave one son behind to preserve the throne?

All the heirs to the thrown were killed not coincidentally but rather by divine plan.  The death of Saul and his three sons would leave the throne open for David.

(1Sa 31:7 ESV)
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.

(1Sa 31:8-9 ESV)
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.

We see this story repeated in 1 Chronicles 10:1-10. Not only did they take the head of Saul to show off as a trophy but they also fastened his head to the temple of Dagon.   This would have been the ultimate insult to the Israelites.

(1Sa 31:10 ESV) 10 They put his armor in the temple of Ashtaroth, and they fastened his body to the wall of Beth-shan.

It is presumed they did this so as not to slight any of their gods.

(1Sa 31:11 ESV) 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.

It was the Israeli custom was to bury the dead.  The bodies may have been in such a state that they had to be burned for health reasons.  Scripture does not give us the reason for their action. 

Bibliography

[1] author UNK.Bible encyclopedia. https://www.biblegateway.com/.../encyclopedia-of-the-bible/Abinadab  (accessed March 20 2018)III. SAMUEL AND SAUL

[2] authored by ELKANAH AND HANNAH. internet sacred archives. published by Evinity Publishing INC 2011.  III. SAMUEL AND SAUL. http://www.sacred-texts.com/jud/loj/loj404.htm . Accessed March 20, 2018)