Saul Takes His Own Life
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Samuel as he could assume that of an angel of light when he tempted
Christ in the wilderness.
The message to Saul from the pretended prophet was, “Why hast
thou disquieted me, to bring me up?” Saul answered, “I am sore
distressed; for the Philistines make war against me, and God is departed
from me, and answereth me no more, neither by prophets, nor dreams:
therefore I have called thee, that thou mayest make known unto me
what I shall do.”
When Samuel was living, Saul had despised his counsel. But now,
in order to communicate with Heaven’s ambassador, he had recourse
to the messenger of hell! Saul had placed himself fully in the power of
Satan, and now he whose only delight is misery and destruction made
the most of his advantage to ruin the unhappy king. In answer came
the terrible message, professedly from the lips of Samuel:
“The Lord is departed from thee, and is become thine enemy... .
The Lord hath rent the kingdom out of thine hand, and given it to thy
neighbor, even to David: because thou obeyedst not the voice of the
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Lord, nor executedst His fierce wrath upon Amalek, therefore hath the
Lord done this thing unto thee this day. Moreover the Lord will also
deliver Israel with thee into the hand of the Philistines.”
Satan had led Saul to justify himself in defiance of Samuel’s re-
proofs and warning. But now he turned on him, presenting the enor-
mity of his sin and the hopelessness of pardon, that he might goad
him to desperation. Nothing could better drive him to despair and
self-destruction.
Saul was faint with fasting, terrified, and conscience-stricken. His
form swayed like an oak before the tempest, and he fell prostrate to
the earth.
The sorceress was filled with alarm. The king of Israel lay before
her like one dead. She besought him to partake of food, urging that
since she had imperiled her life in granting his desire, he should yield
to her request for the preservation of his own. Saul yielded, and the
woman set before him the fatted calf and bread hastily prepared.
What a scene! In the wild cave of the sorceress, in the presence
of Satan’s messenger, he who had been anointed of God as king over
Israel sat down to eat, in preparation for the day’s deadly strife.
By consulting that spirit of darkness, Saul had destroyed himself.
Oppressed by the horror of despair, it would be impossible to inspire