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David-Saul Dies
August 22, 2020

Last week we saw how Samuel had died and without the prophet, Saul felt alone. Because of Saul’s aggression towards David, David fled with his family and lived among the Philistines living near Achish and becoming a trusted warrior for him. Once again, the Philistines sought to fight the Israelites and because David was from Israel, Achish wanted to confirm David’s loyalty before the battle, and David assured him that he and his men would fight. Back in Israel, people were still mourning the death of Samuel who was buried in his hometown of Ramah. Because of his prior relationship with Samuel who undoubtedly reminded Saul of the need to exile people with familiar spirits and wizards from the land of Israel, Saul had previously followed through and made sure these people were exiled. It was as Israel was still mourning Samuel that the Philistines sought to attack with their armies encamped at Shunem and the armies of Israel encamped at Gilboa.

As was typical of Saul he was afraid of the Philistines and sought a response from God what to do, yet no response came from God either through dreams, oracles, or prophets. Saul had no idea what to do and instead of asking God a second time, or asking God for forgiveness for past actions, Saul instead sought a medium, a person who by scripture he knew he should not consult, and was told there was a medium at Endor. Knowing he had no reason to consult a medium and knowing that consulting with a medium was an abomination, Saul instead of stopping, thinking, and changing his mind, decided to disguise himself so nobody would know it was him, and sought to meet with the medium, sneaking out by night with a few servants so the chances of being spotted were very low. When he met with the medium, she reminded him, not realizing that it was Saul with whom she was speaking, that Saul had exiled the mediums. She shared with him that she was risking her life if Saul were to find out. The medium asked who Saul wanted to talk to, and Saul requested to speak with Samuel.

When the woman conjured up Samuel, she realized the disguised person with her was Saul and immediately became worried probably thinking she was part of some type of police action. Saul told her to not worry and wanted to know what she saw. The medium told Saul she saw gods with a small g ascending out of earth and one of them was an old man with a mantle. Saul perceived that this was Samuel. The medium never told Saul that it was Samuel, Saul jumped to this conclusion by himself, just like he previously jumped to conclusions in understanding God’s will by seeking after a sign or presuming because he was king that God would support his decisions. Saul spoke to the medium who had seen the gods ascending from the earth, and Saul concluded that the old man that she referred to wearing a mantle, was Samuel. Saul bowed on the ground, and told Samuel he had asked for him because God was no more answering him and Saul wanted to know what to do. Through the medium Saul was told that God had departed from him and given the kingdom to David, and that God had become Saul’s enemy.

The medium, speaking like Samuel, went on to state that Israel would lose to the Philistines the next day and that like Samuel Saul and his sons would die. This caused Saul to collapse on the floor and immediately the medium started speaking like the lady and offered Saul some food and he refused until he was convinced to eat by his servants who were with him. After eating, Saul and his servants went back to their camp.

1 Samuel 28:1-25
And it came to pass in those days, that the Philistines gathered their armies together for warfare, to fight with Israel. And Achish said unto David, Know thou assuredly, that thou shalt go out with me to battle, thou and thy men. And David said to Achish, Surely thou shalt know what thy servant can do. And Achish said to David, Therefore will I make thee keeper of mine head for ever. Now Samuel was dead, and all Israel had lamented him, and buried him in Ramah, even in his own city. And Saul had put away those that had familiar spirits, and the wizards, out of the land. And the Philistines gathered themselves together, and came and pitched in Shunem: and Saul gathered all Israel together, and they pitched in Gilboa. And when Saul saw the host of the Philistines, he was afraid, and his heart greatly trembled. And when Saul enquired of the LORD, the LORD answered him not, neither by dreams, nor by Urim, nor by prophets. Then said Saul unto his servants, Seek me a woman that hath a familiar spirit, that I may go to her, and enquire of her. And his servants said to him, Behold, there is a woman that hath a familiar spirit at Endor. And Saul disguised himself, and put on other raiment, and he went, and two men with him, and they came to the woman by night: and he said, I pray thee, divine unto me by the familiar spirit, and bring me him up, whom I shall name unto thee. And the woman said unto him, Behold, thou knowest what Saul hath done, how he hath cut off those that have familiar spirits, and the wizards, out of the land: wherefore then layest thou a snare for my life, to cause me to die? And Saul sware to her by the LORD, saying, As the LORD liveth, there shall no punishment happen to thee for this thing. Then said the woman, Whom shall I bring up unto thee? And he said, Bring me up Samuel. And when the woman saw Samuel, she cried with a loud voice: and the woman spake to Saul, saying, Why hast thou deceived me? for thou art Saul. And the king said unto her, Be not afraid: for what sawest thou? And the woman said unto Saul, I saw gods ascending out of the earth. And he said unto her, What form is he of? And she said, An old man cometh up; and he is covered with a mantle. And Saul perceived that it was Samuel, and he stooped with his face to the ground, and bowed himself. And Samuel said to Saul, Why hast thou disquieted me, to bring me up? And 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 by dreams: therefore I have called thee, that thou mayest make known unto me what I shall do. Then said Samuel, Wherefore then dost thou ask of me, seeing the LORD is departed from thee, and is become thine enemy? And the LORD hath done to him, as he spake by me: for the LORD hath rent the kingdom out of thine hand, and given it to thy neighbour, even to David: Because thou obeyedst not the voice of the 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: and to morrow shalt thou and thy sons be with me: the LORD also shall deliver the host of Israel into the hand of the Philistines. Then Saul fell straightway all along on the earth, and was sore afraid, because of the words of Samuel: and there was no strength in him; for he had eaten no bread all the day, nor all the night. And the woman came unto Saul, and saw that he was sore troubled, and said unto him, Behold, thine handmaid hath obeyed thy voice, and I have put my life in my hand, and have hearkened unto thy words which thou spakest unto me. Now therefore, I pray thee, hearken thou also unto the voice of thine handmaid, and let me set a morsel of bread before thee; and eat, that thou mayest have strength, when thou goest on thy way. But he refused, and said, I will not eat. But his servants, together with the woman, compelled him; and he hearkened unto their voice. So he arose from the earth, and sat upon the bed. And the woman had a fat calf in the house; and she hasted, and killed it, and took flour, and kneaded it, and did bake unleavened bread thereof: And she brought it before Saul, and before his servants; and they did eat. Then they rose up, and went away that night.

Preparing for the battle, the Philistines gathered their armies at Aphek, including the men of David who agreed to fight with Achish, and the Israelites gathered at Jezreel. It surprised the Philistine princes to see David and they asked Achish why they were marching with the Philistines. Achish defended their presence and told the princes they had been loyal to him. It made the princes angry to see David and his men marching with the Philistines, and they told Achish to have David return home. They were concerned that during battle, David would turn on them and attack them as they were attacking the Israelites. Achish told David to return to Ziklag, and the next day, David and his men left as the Philistines marched the other way to fight the Israelites at Jezreel.

1 Samuel 29:1-11
Now the Philistines gathered together all their armies to Aphek: and the Israelites pitched by a fountain which is in Jezreel. And the lords of the Philistines passed on by hundreds, and by thousands: but David and his men passed on in the rereward with Achish. Then said the princes of the Philistines, What do these Hebrews here? And Achish said unto the princes of the Philistines, Is not this David, the servant of Saul the king of Israel, which hath been with me these days, or these years, and I have found no fault in him since he fell unto me unto this day? And the princes of the Philistines were wroth with him; and the princes of the Philistines said unto him, Make this fellow return, that he may go again to his place which thou hast appointed him, and let him not go down with us to battle, lest in the battle he be an adversary to us: for wherewith should he reconcile himself unto his master? should it not be with the heads of these men? Is not this David, of whom they sang one to another in dances, saying, Saul slew his thousands, and David his ten thousands? Then Achish called David, and said unto him, Surely, as the LORD liveth, thou hast been upright, and thy going out and thy coming in with me in the host is good in my sight: for I have not found evil in thee since the day of thy coming unto me unto this day: nevertheless the lords favour thee not. Wherefore now return, and go in peace, that thou displease not the lords of the Philistines. And David said unto Achish, But what have I done? and what hast thou found in thy servant so long as I have been with thee unto this day, that I may not go fight against the enemies of my lord the king? And Achish answered and said to David, I know that thou art good in my sight, as an angel of God: notwithstanding the princes of the Philistines have said, He shall not go up with us to the battle. Wherefore now rise up early in the morning with thy master's servants that are come with thee: and as soon as ye be up early in the morning, and have light, depart. So David and his men rose up early to depart in the morning, to return into the land of the Philistines. And the Philistines went up to Jezreel.

As David and his men were returning to Ziklag, they came across the Amalekites who had invaded in the absence of the Philistine army, burned Ziklag, and taken their wives and daughters as captives, including the wives of David. David asked Abiathar if David and his men would prevail if they went after their wives and daughters, and God told him they would recover all. Asking God what course of action to take is not a sign of lack of faith, but shows faith. Contrasting that to Samuel who instead of making himself right with God when he received no response with his prayers and who relied on a medium for an answer, David trusted God.

Faith requires action, and David took six hundred men with him on the pursuit. When they came to the Besor brook, two hundred had to stay behind because they did not have the stamina to continue. They came across an Egyptian who was captured by the Amalekites who when a few days ago he became sick, he was abandoned in the fields. The Egyptian agreed to show David where the Amalekites were. When they finally caught up to the Amalekites, they were having a huge party because of all that they had captured from the Philistines and Judah. David was able to kill all but four hundred of the men who fled on camels, but these men fled with none of the possession or people they had taken. David was able to recover all.

David herded the livestock and had the people follow him back to the Besor brook. Some of the men who went with David to recover the people, livestock, and property did not want to give to the men who stayed by the brook. David made a decision that all would benefit from the recovery of the people, livestock, and possessions, because the men who stayed behind were guarding supplies. From that day forward it became a law in Israel that all who participated in the battle, whether on the front lines or guarding supplies in the rear would benefit from any plunder of war recovered.

1 Samuel 30:1-31
And it came to pass, when David and his men were come to Ziklag on the third day, that the Amalekites had invaded the south, and Ziklag, and smitten Ziklag, and burned it with fire; And had taken the women captives, that were therein: they slew not any, either great or small, but carried them away, and went on their way. So David and his men came to the city, and, behold, it was burned with fire; and their wives, and their sons, and their daughters, were taken captives. Then David and the people that were with him lifted up their voice and wept, until they had no more power to weep. And David's two wives were taken captives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite. And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the LORD his God. And David said to Abiathar the priest, Ahimelech's son, I pray thee, bring me hither the ephod. And Abiathar brought thither the ephod to David. And David enquired at the LORD, saying, Shall I pursue after this troop? shall I overtake them? And he answered him, Pursue: for thou shalt surely overtake them, and without fail recover all. So David went, he and the six hundred men that were with him, and came to the brook Besor, where those that were left behind stayed. But David pursued, he and four hundred men: for two hundred abode behind, which were so faint that they could not go over the brook Besor. And they found an Egyptian in the field, and brought him to David, and gave him bread, and he did eat; and they made him drink water; And they gave him a piece of a cake of figs, and two clusters of raisins: and when he had eaten, his spirit came again to him: for he had eaten no bread, nor drunk any water, three days and three nights. And David said unto him, To whom belongest thou? and whence art thou? And he said, I am a young man of Egypt, servant to an Amalekite; and my master left me, because three days agone I fell sick. We made an invasion upon the south of the Cherethites, and upon the coast which belongeth to Judah, and upon the south of Caleb; and we burned Ziklag with fire. And David said to him, Canst thou bring me down to this company? And he said, Swear unto me by God, that thou wilt neither kill me, nor deliver me into the hands of my master, and I will bring thee down to this company. And when he had brought him down, behold, they were spread abroad upon all the earth, eating and drinking, and dancing, because of all the great spoil that they had taken out of the land of the Philistines, and out of the land of Judah. And David smote them from the twilight even unto the evening of the next day: and there escaped not a man of them, save four hundred young men, which rode upon camels, and fled. And David recovered all that the Amalekites had carried away: and David rescued his two wives. And there was nothing lacking to them, neither small nor great, neither sons nor daughters, neither spoil, nor any thing that they had taken to them: David recovered all. And David took all the flocks and the herds, which they drave before those other cattle, and said, This is David's spoil. And David came to the two hundred men, which were so faint that they could not follow David, whom they had made also to abide at the brook Besor: and they went forth to meet David, and to meet the people that were with him: and when David came near to the people, he saluted them. Then answered all the wicked men and men of Belial, of those that went with David, and said, Because they went not with us, we will not give them ought of the spoil that we have recovered, save to every man his wife and his children, that they may lead them away, and depart. Then said David, Ye shall not do so, my brethren, with that which the LORD hath given us, who hath preserved us, and delivered the company that came against us into our hand. For who will hearken unto you in this matter? but as his part is that goeth down to the battle, so shall his part be that tarrieth by the stuff: they shall part alike. And it was so from that day forward, that he made it a statute and an ordinance for Israel unto this day. And when David came to Ziklag, he sent of the spoil unto the elders of Judah, even to his friends, saying, Behold a present for you of the spoil of the enemies of the LORD; To them which were in Bethel, and to them which were in south Ramoth, and to them which were in Jattir, And to them which were in Aroer, and to them which were in Siphmoth, and to them which were in Eshtemoa, And to them which were in Rachal, and to them which were in the cities of the Jerahmeelites, and to them which were in the cities of the Kenites, And to them which were in Hormah, and to them which were in Chorashan, and to them which were in Athach, And to them which were in Hebron, and to all the places where David himself and his men were wont to haunt.

Back in Jezreel, the battle between the Israelite and Philistines was heating up, and the Philistines wanted Saul and his sons dead, first killing his sons, including Jonathan. Saul was badly wounded in the fight and asked his armor bearer to kill him lest he be taken alive. The armor bearer couldn’t kill Saul, and Saul fell on his sword taking his own life. When Saul was dead, the armor bearer fell on his own sword. The armies of Israel fled and the Philistines moved in taking the bodies of Saul and his sons and their armor as trophies. When the residents of Jabeshgilead heard what the Philistines did to Saul and his sons, they came to recover the bodies and then cremated them so there would be no more fighting over a body, and buried the remaining bones under a tree at Jabesh. They then fasted for seven days.

1 Samuel 31:1-13
Now the Philistines fought against Israel: and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines, and fell down slain in mount Gilboa. And the Philistines followed hard upon Saul and upon his sons; and the Philistines slew Jonathan, and Abinadab, and Malchishua, Saul's sons. And the battle went sore against Saul, and the archers hit him; and he was sore wounded of the archers. Then said Saul unto his armourbearer, Draw thy sword, and thrust me through therewith; lest these uncircumcised come and thrust me through, and abuse me. But his armourbearer would not; for he was sore afraid. Therefore Saul took a sword, and fell upon it. And when his armourbearer saw that Saul was dead, he fell likewise upon his sword, and died with him. So Saul died, and his three sons, and his armourbearer, and all his men, that same day together. 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, and that Saul and his sons were dead, they forsook the cities, and fled; and the Philistines came and dwelt in them. And it came to pass on the morrow, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, that they found Saul and his three sons fallen in mount Gilboa. And they cut off his head, and stripped off his armour, and sent into the land of the Philistines round about, to publish it in the house of their idols, and among the people. And they put his armour in the house of Ashtaroth: and they fastened his body to the wall of Bethshan. And when the inhabitants of Jabeshgilead heard of that which 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 Bethshan, and came to Jabesh, and burnt them there. And they took their bones, and buried them under a tree at Jabesh, and fasted seven days.

Saul died because he first did not utterly destroy the Amalekites as instructed by God, and this gave rise to David as the next king of Israel. Saul also asked counsel of a medium instead of trusting God, giving a second reason for his death, making David the undisputed king of Israel.

All verses are from the King James Version.
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