The Death Of A King And The Cost Of Disobedience (1 Samuel 31:1-13)

1 Samuel 31 records the death of King Saul and his three sons, including the man who was David's dearest friend, Prince Jonathan. When David heard of Saul's death at the hand of Israel's bitter enemy, the Philistines, there was no joy in his soul nor sense of relief from having been pursued by Saul and his army for ten years. He had even spared Saul's life on two occasions when he could have easily taken his life, ridding himself of a mad king who many people saw as an obstacle in his path to the throne. However, David had sworn not to touch ' the LORD's anointed' but would allow God to handle the situation. The path to royalty would be in the timing of God, and not made by the sword of a man. The Bible's description of the death of Saul contains an important message and a lesson in the price of disobedience, allowing raw emotion to override reason.

David sang a song of lament over Saul' death. it is recorded in 2 Samuel 1:17-27:

"Then David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and over Jonathan his son, and he told them to teach the children of Judah the Song of the Bow, as it is written in the book of Jasher:

'The beauty of Israel is slain on your high places! How the mighty have fallen!

'Tell it not in Gath, proclaim it not in the streets of Ashkelon - lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice, lest the daughters of the uncircumcised triumph.

'O mountains of Gilboa, let there be no dew nor rain upon you, nor fields of offerings, for the shield of the mighty is cast away there! The shield of Saul, not anointed with oil, from the blood of the slain, from the fat of the mighty, the bow of Jonathan did not turn back, and the sword of Saul did not return empty.

'Saul and Jonathan were beloved and pleasant in their lives, and in their death, they were not divided. They were swifter than eagles; they were stronger than lions.

'O daughters of Israel, weep over Saul, who clothed you in scarlet, with luxury, who put ornaments of gold on your apparel. How the mighty have fallen in the midst of the battle! Jonathen was slain in your high places.

'I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan. You have been very pleasant to me; your love to me was wonderful, surpassing the love of women. How the mighty have fallen, and the weapons of war perished!" (NKJV)

Three times David says, "How the mighty have fallen!" This is a cry of pity and sorrow that did not have to end in such a cruel and harrowing manner. Saul's life could have been one of triumph and devotion to the LORD and His direction. Instead, it ended for him in a battlefield where the army of the Philistines beheaded Saul, desecrating his body and those of his sons as a gruesome and humiliating symbol of victory by the hands of cruel pagans who mocked and derided the name and character of the LORD. Saul's life did not start out like it finished. Forty years earlier, he had been a handsome young man who was humble, brave, and obedient when first anointed as king. But, little by little had allowed compromise into his life, descending into both weakness and wickedness. When Saul died, he was a short distance away from the city of Ramah, where he had been crowned king of Israel all those years before. Spiritually speaking, he might as well have been living on another world.

There is a reminder in Saul's death, and that is that death is approaching for every one of us, unless the Rapture comes in our lifetime (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). Death holds no prejudices and grants no exceptions for anyone. It comes for both saint and sinner, rich and poor, young and old, the weak and powerful, kings and commoners, and it can arrive unexpectedly or anticipated. Except for Enoch (Genesis 5:24) and Elijah (2 Kings 2:11), nobody has gotten out of this world alive. Even the Lord Jesus underwent the agony of death on the cross for our eternal benefit (Romans 5:6-11) but rose from the dead as the sign that our sins had been forgiven by God (John 19:30; Romans 10:9-10, 13). We cannot wish death away, and we can make claims all day that suffering and its fruits are not allowed, as some "word of faith" heretics would like many to believe, but the fact is that we are going to take our last breath someday, and then either spend eternity in the presence of God or in the fires of hell (Luke 12:13-21; 16:19-31; 2 Corinthians 5:10; James 4:13-15; Revelation 20:11-15).