Ep 628 – 1 Samuel 31:8-13

First Samuel 31:8-13 brings this portion of the life of David to a close. But it is far from the end. In fact, it represents a new beginning. Saul is dead and the path is now open for David to become king. God is implementing His divine will and setting in motion all the plans He has laid out for David’s ascension to the throne. But the book of 1 Samuel ends with a stark portrayal of Saul’s demise, and it is not a pretty picture. His body was mutilated and decapitated by the Philistines and hung on the wall of one of their cities. He was stripped of his armor, which was put on display in the temple of their god. The former king of Israel was ridiculed and mocked, his body hung as a public display of disdain for Israel’s king and a sign of disrespect for their God. And had the residents of Jabesh-gilead not risked their lives to rescue the body of Saul and his three sons, there would have been no funeral for this former king of Israel.