I am not trying to bring Saul back from the dead, but I wanted to say a couple of things about the Scripture from last week’s sermon. I did not have time to get into every detail of it, so I am offering a few more comments here. Here are a few things about who is involved and where it happened.
1 Samuel 31 is really a continuation of the story which starts in chapter 28 with Saul seeking out the spirit of now deceased Samuel because Saul is terrified of the Philistine army. The battle is taking place in northern Israel south of the Sea of Chinnereth (called the Sea of Galilee during Jesus’ ministry). In chapter 31 the Israelite army falls slain on Mount Gilboa. This mountain is mentioned about six times in 1 and 2 Samuel and 1 Chronicles. Other than recording the facts of history, the mountain does not seem to have any special significance.
Next it mentions “the other side of the valley” and “those beyond the Jordan river” in verse 7. Heading East from Mount Gilboa the first thing you come to is the Valley of Jezreel and then the city of Beth-Shan. Then comes the “beyond the Jordan area” and then the Jordan. It is apparently called that because when the Israelites first entered Canaan from that point of view this land was in fact beyond the Jordan River. So, the point of these names is to establish that the Philistines had effectively cut western Israel in half as they conquered land from the seacoast all the way to the Jordan river.
Next “the wall of Beth-Shan” is mentioned. This city and its’ wall are only mentioned in this one verse in Scripture so we don’t know much about it. Nearby was “the temple of Ashtaroth.” Ashtaroth was the name given to a pagan God associated with both love and war. Various pagan rites were associated with the temple.
Other than these places the three sons of Saul are mentioned: Jonathan, Abinidab, and Malchi-Shua. Jonathan is the strong supporting character in the story of God giving the throne to David. He is a trophy to the Lord’s mercy in that he became a great man of faith despite having a bad father. This ought to be an encouragement to anyone in leadership. God is not waiting on you as a father to be perfect in order for his purposes of grace to be accomplished.
There are at least two other Abinidabs in Scripture. One had the Ark of the Covenant brought to his house to rest there for a time after God brought it out of the Philistines’ hands. It was this Abinidab who lost his son Uzzah when he presumed to put his hand on it. A different Abinidab is David’s brother and son of Jesse. Is Abinidab the son of Saul the same one who lost his son Uzzah? Probably not. So we really don’t know much about Abinidab the son of Saul. The other son of Saul is Malchi-Shua. He is only mentioned a few times and we know nothing more about him.
Two places I forgot to mention are Jabesh-Gilead and the tamarisk tree. These two places have a little more history attached to them. It was the people of Jabesh Gilead that Saul had rescued as one of his only favorable campaigns. The Philistines were oppressing these people and Saul delivered them. Saul’s cursed dead body being rescued by those he himself had once rescued drives home that Saul had started so well and had now fallen so far.
This tree is significant because it was from this tree in 1 Samuel 22 that Saul had ordered the murder of the priests of the Lord. This drives home the point that God will not be mocked. Saul never dreamed as he ordered the priest’s execution by the tamarisk tree that he would one day have his bones (there was nothing else left of him) buried under the same tree.
