Saul's Epitaph
1 Samuel 31:1-10
How you begin your life means little if you do not end well.
In 1 Samuel 31 we see the tragic end to Saul's reign and his life. As he was in battle with the Philistines, he was wounded by arrows and never recovered from the injuries. The Philistines retrieved his body and paraded it around their city before hanging it in the temple of their deity.
While the end of Saul's life was a tragedy, remember that he began his reign as a humble follower of God.
Saul was Israel's first king, and although the people had rejected God's reign, God chose Saul to represent Him as Israel's king, "And ye have this day rejected your God, who himself saved you out of all your adversities and your tribulations; and ye have said unto him, Nay, but set a king over us. Now therefore present yourselves before the LORD by your tribes, and by your thousands" (1 Samuel 10:19)
In his first year as king, Saul listened to Samuel's advice, followed God's commands, and sought to lead Israel in humility. Yet as he begun his second year of reign, his heart grew cold to God's commands and he began following his own path. Saul lost his position and his blessing when he willfully disobeyed God, "And Samuel said, What hast thou done? And Saul said, Because I saw that the people were scattered from me, and that thou camest not within the days appointed, and that the Philistines gathered themselves together at Michmash; Therefore said I, The Philistines will come down now upon me to Gilgal, and I have not made supplication unto the LORD: I forced myself therefore, and offered a burnt offering. And Samuel said to Saul, Thou hast done foolishly: thou hast not kept the commandment of the LORD thy God, which he commanded thee: for now would the LORD have established thy kingdom upon Israel for ever. But now thy kingdom shall not continue: the LORD hath sought him a man after his own heart, and the LORD hath commanded him to be captain over his people, because thou hast not kept that which the LORD commanded thee" (1 Samuel 13:11-14).
After Saul lost his anointing, his life became a display of foolish bitterness. He spent the majority of his last years as king pursuing David, a man who had done nothing wrong and was loyal to Saul. Saul's decision-making abilities were skewed by his fleshly outlook on life.
Saul's life stands as a reminder to all Christians of what happens when a believer willingly turns their back on God and follows their own path. While Saul began his reign in humble obedience, he ended his life in bitter pursuit.
How you begin your life means little if you do not end well. The Christian life is a daily battle that must be continually fought. Victories one day don't lead to automatic victories another day. If you desire to end your life well, seek God's help every day. Determine right now that you will continue the fight even to the last day of your life so that you can look back and honestly say that you sought to please God all the days of your life.
Daily Bible Reading
Exodus 21-22 | Matthew 19
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