Join us as we delve into the final chapter of 1 Samuel, where the fate of Saul and his sons is sealed amidst a fierce battle with the Philistines. We explore the spiritual struggles and triumphs that defined Saul’s reign, reflecting on pivotal moments through the lens of scripture and personal journal entries. How do the narratives within 1 Samuel inspire us to lead more consistent spiritual lives, and what legacies do Saul, Jonathan, David, and Samuel leave behind?
Welcome to Add Bible, an audio daily devotion from the Ezra Project. We join Allen J. Huth as he shares Bible passages and comments from over 30 years of his personal Bible reading journals.
SPEAKER 01 :
Today we come to the conclusion of 1 Samuel. We’re in 1 Samuel chapter 31 and there are only 13 verses to wrap up this book. So let’s listen in. The faith comes by hearing as we conclude 1 Samuel.
SPEAKER 02 :
Now the Philistines fought against Israel, and the men of Israel fled before the Philistines and fell slain on Mount Gilboa. And the Philistines overtook Saul and his sons, and the Philistines struck down Jonathan and Abinadab and Melchizedek, the sons of Saul. The battle pressed hard against Saul, and the archers found him, and he was badly wounded by the archers. 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. And when his armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he also fell upon his sword and died with him. Thus Saul died, and his three sons, and his armor-bearer, and all his men on the same day together. 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. The next day, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, they found Saul and his three sons fallen on Mount Gilboa. 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. They put his armor in the temple of Ashtaroth, and they fastened his body to the wall of Beth-shan. But when the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul, 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. And they took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree in Jabesh and fasted seven days.
SPEAKER 01 :
I will conclude 1 Samuel by looking into the three journals that we’ve walked through this whole book. So let’s go back to 1983. I do have more than one line on this chapter as we wrap up 1 Samuel. I wrote back when I was 28 years old. Jonathan and Saul are killed fighting the Philistines. It’s sad to finally see Saul die. What a spiritual struggle he had most of his life. Jonathan, a man of love, who knew David was destined for the throne, and said, I will be next to you. These deaths paved the way for David to become king. and when I was 47 years old. In 2002, I wrote, Saul and all his sons die in battle. God finally takes Saul’s life. Rather, Saul is severely wounded in the battle, then takes his own life. The bodies were cremated. With no survivors, God opens the way for David to become king. And lastly, at 57 years old, I wrote 1 Samuel 31. Jonathan gets a one-line obituary. David’s friend dies in battle. All the sons of Saul die leaving no heir to the throne, opening the way for David. Saul, wounded in battle, takes his own life. Is Saul in heaven? Not because he took his own life, but did he live for God, give his life to God? Was he favored enough by God as Israel’s first king to get to heaven? His spiritual life was inconsistent. I don’t know. It’s certainly not up to me or up to us to decide anyone’s fate. It is up to us to decide how we’re going to live our own lives. There are many models in 1 Samuel. Saul, Samuel, David, Jonathan. Who did you like? Who would you like to model your life after? Maybe you want to be completely consistent like the prophet Samuel. Maybe you’d like to have the love of a Jonathan. Or maybe you’d like to strengthen yourself in the Lord like David did over and over in this book. But the fact is, most of us are probably more like Saul. We struggle to maintain consistency in our spiritual lives. Remember early, the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon Saul. God gave him everything. He was going to be the first king of Israel. But also, remember those very difficult lines, when an evil spirit came from the Lord upon Saul because of his disobedience, his inconsistency with his walk with the Lord. God finally removed his spirit and removed his blessing, removed his favor, and removed the throne from the household of Saul. We probably really don’t know the struggle of Saul, but we’re probably like him. In our own heart of hearts, can we maintain consistency in our spiritual walk with the Lord Jesus Christ and God Almighty? I hope from 1 Samuel that you’ve been encouraged or you’ve been challenged to strengthen your walk in the Lord and become far more consistent in your faith, in your love, in your walk with God Almighty. And one way to do that is to stay in the Word of God each and every day. Like Saul, the Philistines were after him all the days of his life. We are the same. Satan, our enemy, is after us every day of our lives. God loved us enough to give us his word. I pray that you’ll stay in it consistently each and every day of your life. Well, we can’t leave the story here, can we? So join us for 2 Samuel, where we will continue the story about David as he becomes the king of Israel. Father, thank you for the great lessons we’ve learned from this book, 1 Samuel. Help us, Lord, to become more consistent in our spiritual lives. Draw us to your word where we can learn more about you. We love you, Lord. Thank you for loving us. In the name of Jesus, we pray. Amen. Thank you for listening to AdBible. Though the Bible can be read at the speed I’m speaking in about 78 hours, surveys show we don’t read it. How many of you have ever read the Bible cover to cover? How many have tried and failed? I want to encourage you to try it again. I want to share with you what I call the Triple I Doctrine and some powerful reasons to stay in your Bible daily. I begin with a verse from 2 Peter 1.21. But holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. That’s how we got the Bible. The Holy Spirit moved holy men of God to write it, all of it. Because he did, we can now look at the Triple I Doctrine, the inspired, infallible, inerrant Word of God. But what do these terms mean? Inspired means God breathed. 2 Timothy 3.16 says, All scripture is given by inspiration of God. What does infallible mean? It means no potential or ability to err. Totally reliable. It cannot contradict itself. And Hebrews 6.18 says, It is impossible for God to lie. And the last one is inerrant. What does that mean? It means it’s technically correct. It’s free from falsehood and deceit. Wholly true. It’s doctrine. It’s history. It’s science. It’s geography. And Matthew 5.18 says, For assuredly I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. And Revelation 22, 18 and 19 say, For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book, if anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book. And if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the book of life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book. So the Triple I Doctrine is reason enough to be in God’s Word each day. But in case you need more encouragement, here are three more thoughts. First, improve your spiritual maturity. According to Barna Research, of the seven dimensions in which Americans were asked to rate their faith maturity, Bible knowledge ranked dead last. So if you want to improve your spiritual maturity, stay in God’s Word daily. Number two is develop a dynamic relationship with God. Dr. Woodrow Kroll, former president of Back to the Bible, wrote a book called Taking Back the Good Book. He said, When people tire of reading the Bible, it’s because they read it for the wrong reasons or in the wrong way. They read the Bible to gain knowledge, store facts, or pick up a few principles to live by. When you see the Bible as a means to a dynamic relationship with God, you can’t get enough of it because you can’t get enough of Him. And the third thought is to be transformed. Don’t read the Bible to be informed. Read it to be transformed. And I’m going to share a fun little story with you about being transformed by the Word of God. It’s about an old man who lived on a farm in the mountains of Kentucky with his young grandson. Each morning, Grandpa was up early, sitting at the kitchen table reading from his old worn-out Bible. His grandson, who wanted to be just like him, tried to imitate him in any way he could. One day the grandson asked, Papa, I try to read the Bible, just like you, but I don’t understand it, and what I do understand I forget as soon as I close the book. What good does reading the Bible do? The grandfather quietly turned from putting coal in the stove and said, Take this coal basket down to the river and bring back a basket of water. The boy did as he was told, even though all the water leaked out before he got back to the house. The grandfather laughed and said, You’ll have to move a little faster next time and send him back to the river with the basket to try again. This time the boy ran faster, but again the basket was empty before he returned home. Out of breath, he told his grandfather that it was impossible to carry water in a basket, and he went to get a bucket instead. The old man said, I don’t want a bucket of water. I want a basket of water. You can do this. You’re just not trying hard enough. And he went out the door to watch the boy try again. At this point, the boy knew it was impossible, but he wanted to show his grandfather that even if he ran as fast as he could, the water would leak out before he got far at all. The boy scooped the water and ran hard, but when he reached his grandfather, the basket was again empty. Out of breath, he said, See, Papa, it’s useless. So you think it’s useless, the old man said. Look at the basket. The boy looked at the basket, and for the first time, he realized that the basket looked different. Instead of a dirty old coal basket, it was clean. Son, that’s what happens when you read the Bible. You might not understand or remember everything, But when you read it, it will change you from the inside out. So read the Bible so you can improve your spiritual maturity, develop a dynamic relationship with God, and be transformed, not informed. The Bible came to us from the Holy Spirit, directed by holy men of God. The Triple I Doctrine reminds us it’s inspired, God-breathed, infallible, without error, and inerrant, technically correct, and wholly true. Read it to grow spiritually, develop a dynamic relationship with God, and be transformed.
SPEAKER 03 :
I know you’re going to enjoy it and want to share it with others.
