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THE END OF SAUL’S REIGN

I Samuel 31:1-13

Victor M. Eskew

 

1.      Outline of section:

 

i.                    THE PHILISTINES DEFEAT SAUL (I Sam. 31:1-3)

ii.                  SAUL AND HIS ARMOURBEARER DIE (I Sam. 31:4-6)

iii.                THE PHILISTINES DWELL IN ISREAL’S CITIES (I Sam. 31:7)

iv.                THE PHILISTINES DISHONOR SAUL (I Sam. 31:8-10)

v.                  THE MEN OF JABESH-GILEAD DEFEND SAUL’S HONOR (I Sam 31:11-13)

 

2.      T – F    The Israelites prevailed when they fought the Philistines. (I Sam. 31:1)

 

Now the Philistine fought against Israel:  and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines…

 

A.    False

 

3.      Where did the Israelites fall down slain? (I Sam. 31:1)

 

…and fell down slain in mount Gilboa.

 

Image result for mount gilboa

 

4.      Which sons of Saul were slain? (I Sam. 31:2)

 

And the Philistines followed hard upon Saul and upon his sons; and the Philistines slew Jonathan, and Abinadab, and Melchishua, Saul’s sons.

 

A.    Jonathan, Abinadab (Ishui, I Sam.14:49), and Melchishua

 

 

 

5.      “And the battle went sore against Saul…” (I Sam. 31:3)

 

A.    Sore

1.      Strong (3513):  heavy (in a bad sense) burdensome, severe

2.      BDB:  to be heavy, be weighted, be grievous

 

6.      Who hit and wounded Saul? (I Sam. 31:3)

 

…and the archers hit him; and he was sore wounded of the archers.

 

A.    Archers

 

7.      Who did Saul ask to kill him with a sword? (I Sam. 31:4)

 

Then said Saul unto his armourbearer, Draw thy sword, and thrust me through therewith…

 

A.    His amourbearer

 

8.      Why did Saul want his amourbearer to kill him? (I Sam. 31:4)

 

…lest these uncircumcised come and thrust me through, and abuse me…

 

A.    He was fearful of what the Philistines would do to him if they found him alive.

 

B.      At the hand of the Philistines, Saul’s death would have been a horrible experience.  The taunts, the torture, and the final blow would have been difficult to endure.

 

9.      T – F    The armourbearer did has he was commanded. (I Sam. 31:4)

 

…But his armourbearer would not…

 

A.    False

 

10.  Why didn’t the armourbearer kill Saul? (I Sam. 31:4).

 

…for he was sore afraid…

 

A.    He was sore afraid

 

B.      The words “sore” and “afraid” are two different terms. 

1.      Sore means vehemently.

2.      Afraid can involve fear or morally it involves reverence.

3.      His respect for the king made him afraid of killing him.

 

11.  T – F    Saul took his own life. (I Sam. 31:4)

 

…Therefore Saul took a sword, and fell upon it.

 

12.  What did the armourbearer do when he saw that Saul was dead? (I Sam. 31:5)

 

And when his amourbearer saw that Saul was dead, he fell likewise upon his sword, and died with him.

A.     He fell on his sword and died.

 

B.      Clarke makes an interesting comment here.

1.      He says that tradition holds that Doeg was Saul’s armourbearer.

2.      It seems from I Chronicles 10-4-5 that Saul fell on Doeg’s sword.  Then Doeg took the same sword and fell upon it also.

 

Then said Saul to his armourbearer, Draw thy sword and thrust me through therewith; lest these uncircumcised come and abuse me.  But his armourbearer would not.  So Saul took a sword, and fell upon it.  And when his armourbearer saw that Saul was dead, he fell likewise on the sword, and died.

 

a.      NOTE:  Saul fell on “a sword.”  The text does not say “his” sword.’

b.      Then, the armoubearer “fell on the sword, and died.”

3.      If this is the case, the same sword used to kill the priest of Nob was involved in the deaths of Saul and Doeg.

 

13.  Who are said to have died the “same day together”? (I Sam. 31:6)

 

So Saul died, and his three sons, and his armourbearer, and all his men, that same day together.

 

A.    Saul, his three sons, Saul’s armourbearer, and all of Saul’s men

 

B.      Clarke believes that “all of his men” refer to the soldiers who were the body guards of the king.

 

C.     There are days in warfare that end with terrible consequences.  Saul and all his sons died.  The nation of Israel was without a leader at this time. 

 

14.  What did the men of Israel do when they saw Saul and his sons were dead? (I Sam. 31:7)

 

And when the men of Israel that were on the other side of the valley, and they that were on the other side Jordan, saw that the men of Israel fled, they forsook the cities, and fled…

 

A.    When they forsook the cities and fled from them.

 

15.  Who came and dwelled in their cities? (I Sam. 31:7)

 

…and the Philistines came and dwelt in them.

 

A.    The Philistines

 

B.      The spoils of war often involved the taking of cities that one did not build.  These cities contained many valuable resources for the enemy from personal belongings to clothing to furnishing and many kinds of supplies.  This is not to mention the homes and businesses themselves.

 

16.  On the following day, what did the Philistines do to those who had been slain? (I Sam. 31:8)

 

…And it came to pass on the morrow, when the Philistines came to strip the slain…

 

A.    They came to strip the slain

 

B.      They would recover clothing, valuables, and weapons that were needed.

 

17.  As they were stripping the dead, who did they find? (I Sam. 31:8)

 

…that they found Saul and his three sons fallen in mount Gilboa.

 

A.    They found the bodies of Saul and his three sons.

 

18.  What two things did the Philistines remove from Saul? (I Sam. 31:9)

 

And they cut off his head, and stripped off his armour…

 

A.    They cut off his head

 

B.      They stripped off his armor

 

19.  When they sent news of their victory into the land of the Philistines, where were two places the news was published? (I Sam. 31:9)

 

…and sent into the land of the Philistines round about to publish it in the house of their idols, and among the people

 

A.    In the house of their idols  (NOTE:  When the writer of I Chronicles gives this account, he says:  “…to carry tidings unto their idols…”  The heathens believed their idols to be real.  They believed they dwelt in their temples).

 

B.      Among the people

 

20.  Where did they put Saul’s amour? (I Sam. 30:10).

 

And they put his armour in the house of Ashtaroth…

 

A.    In the house of Ashtaroth

 

21.  Define:  Ashtaroth (I Sam. 31:10)

 

A.    Strong (6252):  Sidonian deity

 

B.      BDB: 

1.      Meaning:  star

2.      A false goddess of the Canaanite religion usually related to the fertility cult

 

22.  What did they do with Saul’s body (I Sam. 30:10)

 

…and they fastened his body to the wall of Bethshan.

 

A.    They fastened it to the wall of Bethshan.

 

B.      Meaning:  house of ease, a city of Manasseh, west of the Jordan

 

C.     It may be been placed on a well-traveled road for all to see the demise that had come to Saul and his house.

23.  Who heard what the Philistines did to Saul? (I Sam. 30:11)

 

And when the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead heard of that which the Philistines had done to Saul…

 

A.    The inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead

 

Image result for jabesh gilead

 

24.  Who arose to recover the bodies of Saul and his sons? (I Sam. 30:12)

 

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 Bethshan…

 

A.    The valiant men

1.      Strong (2428):  a force, a band of man, men of virtue and valor, soldiers

2.      BDB:  strength, might, efficacy, army

 

25.  When they brought them back to Jabesh, what did they do with the bodies? (I Sam. 30:12)

 

…and came to Jabesh and burned them there.

 

A.    They burnt the bodies. 

 

B.      They did not bury them lest the enemy should come and steal the bodies away and humiliate them again.

 

26.  What did they do with the bones? (I Sam. 30:13)

 

And they took their bones, and buried them under a tree at Jabesh…

 

A.    They buried the bones under a tree at Jabesh.

 

B.      I Chronicles 10:12 states:  “…and buried their bones under the oak at Jabesh…”

C.     The bones did not remain there (II Sam. 21:12-14)

 

And David went and took the bones of Saul and the bones of Jonathan his son from the men of Jabesh-gilead, which had stolen them from the street of Beth-shan, where the Philistines had hanged them, when the Philistines had slain Saul in Gilboa:  and he brought up from thence the bones of Saul and the bones of Jonathan his son; and they gathered the bones of them that were hanged.  And the bones of Saul and Jonathan his son buried they in the country of Benjamin in Zelah, in the sepulcher of Kish his father:  and they performed all that the king commanded.  And after that God was intreated for the land.

 

27.  How long did they fast? (I Sam. 30:13)

 

…and fasted seven days.

 

A.    Seven days

 

B.      “The seven days' fast kept by the Jabeshites was a sign of public and general mourning on the part of the inhabitants of that town at the death of the king, who had once rescued them from the most abominable slavery” (K&D, e-sword, See I Sam. 11:1-11).