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Saul Takes His Own Life
This chapter is based on 1 Samuel 28; 31.
“The Philistines gathered themselves together, and came and
pitched in Shunem,” while Saul and his forces camped a few miles
away at the foot of Mount Gilboa. Saul felt alone and defenseless,
because God had forsaken him. As he looked around at the Philistine
army, “he was afraid, and his heart trembled greatly.”
Saul had expected that David would take this opportunity to get
revenge for the wrongs he had suffered, and the king was in great
distress. It was his own unreasonable anger spurring him on to
destroy God’s chosen man that had put the nation in great danger.
While pursuing David, he had neglected the defense of his kingdom.
The Philistines, taking advantage of its unguarded condition, had
gone into the very heart of the country. While Satan had been urging
Saul to destroy David, the same hateful spirit inspired the Philistines
to try to ruin Saul. How often Satan moves upon some unconsecrated
person to start a quarrel in the church, and then, taking advantage of
the divided condition of God’s people, he stirs up his agents to bring
about their ruin.
The next day Saul must fight the Philistines. Dark shadows of
impending doom gathered about him. He longed for guidance, but
even though he looked for counsel from God, “the Lord did not
answer him, either by dreams or by Urim, or by the prophets.”
The Lord never turned away anyone who came to Him in sincer-
ity. Why did He turn Saul away unanswered? The king had rejected
the counsel of Samuel the prophet; he had exiled David, the chosen
of God; he had killed the priests of the Lord. Could God answer him
when he had cut off the channels of communication that Heaven had
established? Saul did not want pardon for sin and reconciliation with
God—he only wanted deliverance from his enemies. By rebellion he
had cut himself off from God, and he could return only by confessing
and forsaking his wrongs.
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