Topical Bible: Death: As a Judgment: Saul

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Saul, the first king of Israel, serves as a poignant example of death as a divine judgment in the biblical narrative. His life and reign are chronicled primarily in the books of 1 Samuel and 1 Chronicles, where his disobedience to God leads to his downfall and eventual death.

Anointed as King

Saul was anointed by the prophet Samuel as the first king of Israel, chosen by God to lead His people (1 Samuel 10:1). Initially, Saul showed promise as a leader, demonstrating military prowess and a capacity to unite the tribes of Israel. However, his reign was marred by a series of disobedient acts that ultimately led to God's judgment.

Disobedience and Rejection

Saul's first major act of disobedience occurred when he unlawfully offered a burnt offering in the absence of Samuel, violating the commandment that only priests were to perform such rituals (1 Samuel 13:8-14). This act of impatience and presumption led Samuel to declare that Saul's kingdom would not endure.

The final and most significant act of disobedience was Saul's failure to completely destroy the Amalekites and all they possessed, as commanded by God (1 Samuel 15:3). Instead, Saul spared King Agag and the best of the livestock, rationalizing his actions as a means to offer sacrifices to the Lord. This disobedience prompted Samuel to deliver God's judgment: "Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, He has rejected you as king" (1 Samuel 15:23).

The Spirit of the LORD Departs

Following these acts of disobedience, the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and an evil spirit began to torment him (1 Samuel 16:14). This spiritual abandonment signified God's rejection and foreshadowed Saul's tragic end. Saul's mental and emotional instability grew, leading to irrational behavior and a relentless pursuit of David, whom God had chosen as his successor.

Consultation with a Medium

In a desperate attempt to seek guidance before battling the Philistines, Saul consulted a medium at Endor, an act explicitly forbidden by God (1 Samuel 28:7-19). This further demonstrated Saul's departure from God's commands and reliance on forbidden practices. During this encounter, the spirit of Samuel was summoned, and he reiterated God's judgment: "The LORD has torn the kingdom out of your hand and given it to your neighbor David" (1 Samuel 28:17).

Death in Battle

Saul's death came as a direct result of his disobedience and God's judgment. During the battle against the Philistines at Mount Gilboa, Saul's forces were overwhelmed. Facing imminent defeat and fearing capture, Saul took his own life by falling on his sword (1 Samuel 31:4). The account in 1 Chronicles 10:13-14 summarizes the divine judgment: "So Saul died for his unfaithfulness to the LORD, because he did not keep the word of the LORD and even consulted a medium for guidance, and he did not inquire of the LORD. So the LORD put him to death and turned the kingdom over to David son of Jesse" .

Saul's tragic end serves as a sobering reminder of the consequences of disobedience to God. His life illustrates the principle that divine judgment can manifest in the form of death, particularly when one persistently rejects God's commands and guidance.

Nave's Topical Index

1 Chronicles 10:13,14
So Saul died for his transgression which he committed against the LORD, even against the word of the LORD, which he kept not, and also for asking counsel of one that had a familiar spirit, to inquire of it;
Nave's Topical Index

Library

The Evil one Wailed "Where Now, is There a Place for Me to Flee to ...
... I stirred up Death to slay the Apostles, that I might ... the judgment that is to be,
by our judgment shall they ... For a wolf was Saul the Apostle, and on the blood ...
/.../ephraim/hymns and homilies of ephraim the syrian/hymn xlii the evil one.htm

Death, the Friend
... his sword-bearer, and the servant came, and Saul bade him ... be so with each of
us!"that for us Death may be ... and inactivity, or hales us to a judgment-seat, but ...
/.../maclaren/romans corinthians to ii corinthians chap v/death the friend.htm

Listen, My Brethren, to Death, Mocking the Evil One: that Caused ...
... who overcame anger which is, thy likeness, Death: to his ... S., Saul whom I conquered
by envy, by witchcraft conquered ... in scorn in the day of judgment, before all ...
/.../hymns and homilies of ephraim the syrian/hymn lvii listen my brethren.htm

Cheating and Dishonest Ways of Making Money are Utterly Unfit for ...
... Ye daughters of Israel, weep over Saul, who clothed ... and a divine power filled the
judgment of him ... themselves paid the penalty for witnessing the king's death. ...
/.../ambrose/works and letters of st ambrose/chapter ix cheating and dishonest.htm

Of the Error of Saul and of Ahab, by which they were Deceived ...
... Of the error of Saul and of Ahab, by which they ... Lastly, the man who in the judgment
of God was ... darkness in his whole body, and condemned irreversibly to death. ...
/.../cassian/the works of john cassian /chapter iii of the error.htm

The Young Saul and the Aged Paul [Footnote: to the Young. ]
... cares, and accustomed to look perils and death in the ... in glory, and was revealing
Himself to Saul then and ... light of the great White Throne set for judgment. ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture the acts/the young saul and the.htm

How David, Upon Saul's Laying Snares for Him, did yet Escape the ...
... away, that he might come into the judgment-hall, and so ... wast that I should be saved."
Accordingly Saul forgave the ... and how he was very near to death by Saul's ...
/.../josephus/the antiquities of the jews/chapter 11 how david upon.htm

The Way of Life and the Way of Death.
... ways of those that remember injuries are unto death." [3388] Thou ... not accept persons
in judgment; for the judgment is the ... the fate of Cain, and of Saul, and of ...
/.../various/constitutions of the holy apostles/sec i on the two ways.htm

John 7:37-38. "Let any Man Come. "
... from Egypt, the raising of David to the throne of Saul, the miraculous ... 16:15), that
he shall rest from spiritual anxiety about death, judgment, and eternity. ...
/.../chapter vii john 7 37-38 let.htm

Twelfth Sunday after Trinity Gospel Transcends Law.
... nature flees before God and is incensed at God's judgment. ... it utterly despairs, as
did Judas, and Saul, and perhaps ... heart of man, and sin works death, or kills ...
/.../luther/epistle sermons vol iii/twelfth sunday after trinity gospel.htm