Unless otherwise stated, all citations are taken from the New International Version (NIV).
1 Samuel 27 (David Escapes to Gath)
Summary: David knows that Saul will continue to try to kill him, so he travels to Gath with his 600 men into the land of the Philistines (vv.1-3), and Saul stopped searching for him (v.4). David lived there for over a year (v.7). Achish believes that David will serve him in Gath, because of his poor reputation in Israel (v.12). David would kill Amalekites who were attacking the Philistines (v.8), but he would tell Achish that he was killing people from Judah or Judah’s allies (v.10). Thus, he is serving Achish, but he is also serving the Israelites.
(27:1) Saul has broken his promise of repentance multiple times at this point. David gives up on trying to trust him. He sees that his best option is to flee from Israel. This strategy works because Saul grows weary of chasing David (v.4).
(27:2) David had stayed with Achish earlier, so they knew each other (1 Sam. 21:10). Gath is about 30 miles northwest of Ziph.[1]
(27:3) See “What about Polygamy?”
(27:4) See verse 1. Saul gave up searching for David like a “partridge in the mountains” (1 Sam. 26:20). Saul likely feared going into Philistine territory as well.
(27:5) Why wouldn’t David prefer to live in Achish’s palace? As it turns out, David wants to be away from Achish’s oversight, so that he can double-cross him.
(27:6) Ziklag originally belonged to the territory of Judah. It was 23 miles south-southwest of Gath,[2] so David had a considerable distance between himself and Achish.
(27:7) David lived in exile for over a year.
David spends his time fighting Israel’s enemies
(27:8) The Amalekites were themselves raiders (1 Sam. 14:48; 30:1).
(27:9) David was incredibly violent. He didn’t leave a man or woman alive, so that there would be no witnesses to report to Achish (v.11).
(27:10) David lies to Achish, telling him that he is actually attacking the men of Judah in the Negev. This is the second time he has deceived Achish (1 Sam. 21). Youngblood writes, “[David] implies to Achish that Judahite hostility toward David is increasing, and at the same time he gains the appreciation and loyalty of Judah toward himself by raiding their desert neighbors.”[3]
(27:11) David didn’t want his cover to be blown.
(27:12) Achish underestimates David by calling him a mere “servant.”
Concluding insights
It would have been easy for David to turn bitter toward the nation of Israel. After all, he had been fighting for Israel for a long time, and yet, he was repaid with nothing but death threats. Instead of turning bitter, David continues to serve God—even in exile.
1 Samuel 28 (Saul Visits a Medium for Help)
Summary: Achish drafts David into his army (v.1) and makes him his bodyguard (v.2). The Philistines gathered their army to fight Israel. When Saul heard this, he panicked. He tried to contact God, but there was no answer (v.6). So, Saul contacted a medium instead (!!). Samuel preached judgment on Saul. He tells him that God has given the kingdom to David (v.17). He also predicts the death of Saul and his sons and the demise of Israel (v.19). This chapter shows us Saul’s final night on Earth.
(28:1-2) In those days the Philistines gathered their forces to fight against Israel. Achish said to David, “You must understand that you and your men will accompany me in the army.” 2 David said, “Then you will see for yourself what your servant can do.” Achish replied, “Very well, I will make you my bodyguard for life.”
Achish trusts David so much that he’s willing to make him his personal bodyguard. David and his men form a sort of “sleeper cell” inside of the Philistine army. David was fighting the Amalekites, but telling Achish that he was fighting the Israelites (1 Sam. 27:8-10). At this point, it’s unclear which side David is on, because he’s serving a Philistine while also defending Israel.
“You will see for yourself what your servant can do.” This is an intentionally vague reply: “David’s answer, designed to avoid a straight reply, satisfied Achish but left David wondering how he would escape this dilemma.”[4]
“Bodyguard” literally means “keeper for my head.”[5] This is ironic in view of how David was the “bodyguard” for another Philistine by the name of Goliath!
Will David turn against Israel? Will he remain loyal to this Philistine king? We discover his decision in chapter 29.
(28:3) Now Samuel was dead, and all Israel had mourned for him and buried him in his own town of Ramah. Saul had expelled the mediums and spiritists from the land.
What are “mediums and spiritists”? Mediums were people who contacted the dead, and spiritists were “ones who had [occult] knowledge.”[6] They were forbidden in Israel (Lev. 19:31; 20:6; Deut. 18:10-11).
Why does the text mention the death of Samuel alongside the expulsion of the “mediums and spiritists”? Samuel was a strong reason for why the spirituality in Israel was so high. Even after his death, Saul honored Samuel’s commitment to God.
(28:4-5) The Philistines assembled and came and set up camp at Shunem, while Saul gathered all Israel and set up camp at Gilboa. 5 When Saul saw the Philistine army, he was afraid. Terror filled his heart.
“Saul was afraid. Terror filled his heart.” Fear can lead us to make terrible decisions. Saul’s actions in this chapter were motivated by fear.
Shunem is 20 miles north of Aphek, which was the most northern Philistine city.[7]
(28:6) He inquired of the Lord, but the Lord did not answer him by dreams or Urim or prophets.
“But the Lord did not answer him.” Saul wouldn’t listen to what God had already spoken to him. So, God went silent.
Did Saul inquire of God or not? In the parallel account, we read, “Saul died because he was unfaithful to the LORD; he did not keep the word of the LORD and even consulted a medium for guidance, 14 and did not inquire of the LORD” (1 Chron. 10:14). How do we reconcile these accounts? Youngblood notes that a different verb is used. This passage uses one verb (wayyišʾal šāʾûl), while 1 Chronicles uses another (drš). He also notes that Samuel could be capturing the action of Saul inquiring, while the Chronicler could be commenting on the sincerity of Saul’s inquiry.[8] That is, Saul had already rejected God’s counsel so many times that his inquiry was insincere. Proof of this is found in the fact that he seeks a medium.
Urim. This was a way to gain God’s will through the agency of the priests (Ex. 28:30; Num. 27:21). The problem is that Saul had slaughtered 85 priests (1 Sam. 22:17-19). It’s no wonder that God had stopped speaking to him through the priests!
Prophets. Saul had rejected Samuel’s words, and now Samuel was dead. So, he couldn’t turn to him. Samuel had a school of prophets (1 Sam. 19:20), but these men surely would’ve sided with Samuel’s verdict against Saul (1 Sam. 15:24, 28-29).
Saul’s problem was that he believed that he didn’t have enough information to follow God. Not true. He had heard from God plenty of times. His problem was that he wouldn’t trust God and follow him.
(28:7) Saul then said to his attendants, “Find me a woman who is a medium, so I may go and inquire of her.”
“There is one in Endor,” they said.
Endor is modern day “Khirbet Safsafeh, located four miles northeast of Shunem.”[9] This means that Saul was very close to the Philistines when he sought out this woman. Youngblood adds, “The narrator, perhaps deliberately, uses a different Hebrew word for ‘inquire of’ in v.7 than he does in v.6, where the Lord is the object.”[10]
(1 Sam. 28:7ff) How could the spirit of Samuel appear to Saul? Yes, this is the true spirit of Samuel. This isn’t a demonic deception. Rather, the narrator tells us that this is actually Samuel. How can this be if God prohibits occult mediums?
For one, God has allowed the dead to return to Earth to accomplish his purposes before. For example, even though Moses and Elijah are dead, he allowed them to return to visit Jesus and the disciples on the Mount of Transfiguration (Mt. 17; Mk. 9; Lk. 9; Mal. 4:5). So, it isn’t as though it is impossible for God to send someone to return to Earth after death. If God chooses to break the normal rules, that is his prerogative.
Second, this miracle wasn’t performed through the witch, but in spite of the witch. In fact, even the occult witch was surprised when Samuel actually appeared (v.13). This communicates that Samuel was not raised by occult power, but by the power of God.
Third, while God works through this event, he does not condone this event. It’s important to recognize that Saul doesn’t get special revelation from Samuel; instead, he only gets judgment (28:19). Chronicles gives commentary on this passage, saying that God took away Saul’s kingdom precisely because he did this! Chronicles says, “Saul died because he was unfaithful to the Lord. He failed to obey the Lord’s command, and he even consulted a medium 14 instead of asking the Lord for guidance. So the Lord killed him and turned the kingdom over to David son of Jesse” (1 Chron. 10:13-14 NLT).
(28:8) So Saul disguised himself, putting on other clothes, and at night he and two men went to the woman. “Consult a spirit for me,” he said, “and bring up for me the one I name.”
Saul likely travelled “at night” to retain anonymity and to avoid running into his Philistine enemies. This could also contain symbolic value in the fact that this Satanic operation occurred under the cover of darkness.
Samuel had earlier referred to Saul’s sin of sacrificing the animals as a “sin of divination” (1 Sam. 15:23). Now, Saul is literally practicing divination. What on Earth could he hope to gain from this? Saul must have “hoped that Samuel would somehow reverse the judgment which he had pronounced.”[11]
(28:9) But the woman said to him, “Surely you know what Saul has done. He has cut off the mediums and spiritists from the land. Why have you set a trap for my life to bring about my death?”
“Cut off” could mean expelled, or perhaps killed (Josh. 13:22).[12] This woman wants to make sure that this isn’t a sting operation.
(28:10) Saul swore to her by the Lord, “As surely as the Lord lives, you will not be punished for this.”
“As surely as the Lord lives, you will not be punished for this.” Consider the blasphemous irony: Saul is swearing by the Lord to talk to an occultic medium. This is the last time Saul will ever speak “in the name of the Lord.”
(28:11-12) Then the woman asked, “Whom shall I bring up for you?”
“Bring up Samuel,” he said.
12 When the woman saw Samuel, she cried out at the top of her voice and said to Saul, “Why have you deceived me? You are Saul!”
Occult practitioners desire to gain control over the spiritual realm. But far from being in control, this medium is scared to death. This shows that this event was outside of her power. Baldwin writes, “This was an extraordinary event for her, and a frightening one because she was not in control.”[13]
How does the medium recognize Saul at this moment? Perhaps Samuel addressed Saul by name.
(28:13) The king said to her, “Don’t be afraid. What do you see?”
The woman said, “I see a ghostly figure coming up out of the earth.”
“Ghostly figure” is the typical word for “god” (ʾĕlōhîm). She describes Samuel as a divine figure. Of course, this woman isn’t theologically astute. She is an occult witch after all! Indeed, Bergen writes, “The writer, wishing to demonstrate linguistically that she was speaking heretically, employed a plural verb form with the subject ʾĕlōhîm.”[14]
“Don’t be afraid.” There is irony in the fact that a scared man (v.5, 20) is telling the medium not to be afraid.
“What do you see?” Apparently, Saul can’t see the apparition. Later, however, he seems to be able to talk to Samuel directly.
“Coming up out of the earth.” The “earth” (hāʾāreṣ) is “a word often used in the ancient Near East to refer to the netherworld, the realm of the dead.”[15]
(28:14) “What does he look like?” he asked.
“An old man wearing a robe is coming up,” she said. Then Saul knew it was Samuel, and he bowed down and prostrated himself with his face to the ground.
Samuel was still wearing the “robe” of a prophet when he last saw Saul (1 Sam. 15:27-28). In that interaction, Samuel told Saul that God was going to tear away the kingdom from him. This is precisely what happened.
(28:15) Samuel said to Saul, “Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?”
“I am in great distress,” Saul said. “The Philistines are fighting against me, and God has departed from me. He no longer answers me, either by prophets or by dreams. So I have called on you to tell me what to do.”
“Why have you disturbed me?” Apparently, the afterlife is a great place to be!
Saul might include “prophets” first on his list to play to Samuel’s profession.
Saul didn’t just feel like God had “departed” from him. He knew this was true.
(28:16) Samuel said, “Why do you consult me, now that the Lord has departed from you and become your enemy?”
Samuel asks the obvious question: “If God isn’t speaking to you, then why would you expect me to speak to you?” Saul’s activity only reveals the bankruptcy of his spiritual life.
(28:17) “The Lord has done what he predicted through me. The Lord has torn the kingdom out of your hands and given it to one of your neighbors—to David.”
Samuel repeats what he told Saul 20 years before: “The LORD has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today and has given it to one of your neighbors—to one better than you” (1 Sam. 15:28).
(28:18) “Because you did not obey the Lord or carry out his fierce wrath against the Amalekites, the Lord has done this to you today.”
Saul didn’t obey Samuel when he was alive (1 Sam. 13, 15), but now he’s seeking his counsel now that he’s dead.
(28:19) “The Lord will deliver both Israel and you into the hands of the Philistines, and tomorrow you and your sons will be with me. The Lord will also give the army of Israel into the hands of the Philistines.”
Samuel doesn’t come to give special occultic insight. God allowed Samuel to return to pronounce judgment. This shouldn’t encourage seeking out occult mediums. Rather, it shows that doing such a thing only results in judgment from God.
(28:20) Immediately Saul fell full length on the ground, filled with fear because of Samuel’s words. His strength was gone, for he had eaten nothing all that day and all that night.
Saul knew that he only had 24 hours to live. What if you knew that you were going to face God in 24 hours? What would you do? Surely it would be a good time to get right with God! But not Saul. He is grieved and terrified, but not repentant.
Why didn’t Saul eat? Saul may not have eaten anything because he was following the rules of the occult,[16] or he might have been trying to perform some legalistic action to give him victory in battle (1 Sam. 14:28). In our view, he was probably too anxious to have an appetite. Saul is probably worried sick.[17]
(28:21-23) When the woman came to Saul and saw that he was greatly shaken, she said, “Look, your servant has obeyed you. I took my life in my hands and did what you told me to do. 22 Now please listen to your servant and let me give you some food so you may eat and have the strength to go on your way.” 23 He refused and said, “I will not eat.” But his men joined the woman in urging him, and he listened to them. He got up from the ground and sat on the couch.
What a sad scene: The only person who is merciful to Saul is an occult witch.
(28:24-25) The woman had a fattened calf at the house, which she butchered at once. She took some flour, kneaded it and baked bread without yeast. 25 Then she set it before Saul and his men, and they ate. That same night they got up and left.
Saul is a “dead man walking.” Consequently, he gets his “final meal” before facing the executioner.
Concluding insights
What do we learn about Saul? Saul was led by fear. The text states, “When Saul saw the Philistine army, he was afraid. Terror filled his heart” (1 Sam. 28:5). When you are being led by fear, you do stupid things. In this case, Saul’s disobedience led all the way to witchcraft (1 Samuel 15:23; 28:8). This chapter shows just how far Saul had fallen, contacting a medium. Baldwin writes, “[Saul] did himself no good by doing what he had decreed to be unlawful. God’s word stood and could not be altered. He should have believed it instead of thinking that by further consultation he could reverse its judgment. The Lord did not answer him, because there was no more to be said.”[18]
Saul knew that he only had 24 hours to live. What if you knew that you were going to face God in 24 hours? What would you do? Surely it would be a good time to get right with God! But not Saul. He is grieved and terrified, but not repentant.
What does this tell us about the afterlife? We should exercise extreme caution at drawing theological principles from this bizarre passage. This is a highly unusual event, and this is also in the old covenant. So, this is before Jesus opened the present heaven. That being the case, since we believe God allowed Samuel to return, this must show us some insights into the afterlife. First, Samuel didn’t die; he just changed locations. Second, Samuel was happy in the afterlife, and he didn’t want to return to Earth: “Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?” (v.15) Third, Samuel remembered his life before he died, and he repeats his words to Saul. Fourth, Samuel still had his gift of prophecy—even in death. He knows that Saul is going to die “tomorrow,” along with his sons (v.19). Fifth, wouldn’t it be interesting to hear from a man from heaven? You shouldn’t reach for a Ouija board or visit a psychic. God has already spoken to you through a man from the world beyond: Jesus Christ. He is the one who has “come down from heaven” (Jn. 6:38).
1 Samuel 29 (Achish releases David from Service)
Summary: The Philistines build an army to fight Israel (v.1). The Philistines worried that David would turn on them in battle (v.4), so Achish releases him (v.7). David protests sounding like he did with king Saul (v.8). David seemed like a man that was looking for a fight—no matter who it was.
(29:1) The Philistines gathered for war with Israel. The chapter begins and ends at Jezreel. Regarding Jezreel, Youngblood writes, “Jezreel (not to be confused with the southern site of the same name; see 25:43 and comment), located in the tribal territory of Issachar (Josh 19:17-18), is modern Zerin, on a spur of Mount Gilboa three miles south of Shunem.”[19]
(29:2) David remains closest to Achish as his personal bodyguard. Achish even places David at the “rear” of the army, so that he wouldn’t be killed as quickly as the others.
(29:3) The Philistine rulers become suspicious that Achish is too trusting of David. They probably don’t like the fact that David is in the “rear” of the army, rather than being “cannon fodder” out front (v.2).
(29:4-5) The Philistine rulers remembered how fiercely David had fought against them in the past (1 Sam. 18:30).
(29:6-7) Achish swears by the name of Yahweh. Had David been sharing about God with Achish?
Achish breaks the news to David that the Philistine rulers don’t want him involved in the battle. So, Achish needs to let him go (v.7).
(29:8) David seems pretty upset. Is this because he wanted to double cross the Philistines in war, trying to save face? Is he actually upset?
(29:9) Achish doesn’t budge on his decision. David is like a person begging for their job with their boss. Achish is like the boss who simply says, “I like you, but you’re still fired.”
(29:10-11) Achish tells him to leave in the morning (v.10), and David complies (v.11). He goes home to Ziklag, but he can’t expect what he would’ve found…
1 Samuel 30 (The Women and Children Raided!)
Summary: The Amalekites raided Ziklag and took all of the women and children and supplies (v.1). The men were weeping over this (v.4). Both of David’s wives were taken (v.5), and his own men were thinking of stoning him (v.6). David received insight from the ephod to overtake the raiding party (v.8). David found one of the servants of the raiding party, which led him to the raiders. David fought the raiders and took everything back (vv.17-18). David gave the plunder to the men who were too weak to fight (v.24).
(30:1-3) David and his men reached Ziklag on the third day. Now the Amalekites had raided the Negev and Ziklag. They had attacked Ziklag and burned it, 2 and had taken captive the women and everyone else in it, both young and old. They killed none of them, but carried them off as they went on their way. 3 When David and his men reached Ziklag, they found it destroyed by fire and their wives and sons and daughters taken captive.
David and his men walked 55 miles from Aphek to Ziklag (~20 miles a day).[20] After that long march, and they get home, but no one comes out to greet them. Instead, they see smoke rising over the horizon. They must’ve burst into a run as it dawned on them what had happened.
They arrive to find that their homes are burned to the ground. The Amalekites plundered their possessions, their wives, and their children. This is a living nightmare!
Why did the Amalekites attack David? Bergen writes, “This attack on David’s base of operations was no doubt in retaliation for assaults David and his men had carried out against the Amalekites during the past sixteen months (cf. 27:8) and was timed to coincide with David’s expected northern tour of duty.”[21]
(30:4) So David and his men wept aloud until they had no strength left to weep.
These men were some of “the toughest men on the planet.”[22] Yet, even these battle-hardened men cried like babies. David wept alongside his men. He had no problem shedding tears publicly. This makes sense of his writing in the psalms, where we often find him crying.
(30:5) David’s two wives had been captured—Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail, the widow of Nabal of Carmel.
David’s wives were both taken. So, he wasn’t exempt from the suffering.
(30:6) David was greatly distressed because the men were talking of stoning him. Each one was bitter in spirit because of his sons and daughters. But David found strength in the Lord his God.
“The men were talking of stoning him.” When you’re in pain, you want someone to be responsible. Someone is to blame. Grief can do strange things to people, and we don’t think straight. In this case, these men want to take out their anger on David. Leaders sometimes pay a high price—even from their own people.
“David found strength in the Lord his God.” David had wept until “there was no strength” (v.4). Now, he “found strength in the Lord his God” (v.6). Every support system that David could turn to was gone. He hit rock bottom. He can only turn to God as his strength and his refuge.
(30:7-8) Then David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelek, “Bring me the ephod.” Abiathar brought it to him, 8 and David inquired of the Lord, “Shall I pursue this raiding party? Will I overtake them?”
“Pursue them,” he answered. “You will certainly overtake them and succeed in the rescue.”
Saul had “inquired” the Lord, but he received no answer (1 Sam. 28:6). David, however, receives a clear and immediate answer. Bergen writes, “During a time of great distress both men sought supernatural guidance for battle. Chronologically, they probably were seeking guidance on the very same day. However, one defied the Torah; the other utilized its gracious provision. Saul sought help from a medium and received the promise of death; David sought help through an Aaronic priest using the ephod and received the promise—later fulfilled—of life and blessing.”[23]
David leads a pursuit of the raiders
(30:9) David and the six hundred men with him came to the Besor Valley, where some stayed behind.
Besor is 16 miles south, and it is likely the modern Wadi Ghazzeh—though this is uncertain.[24]
(30:10) Two hundred of them were too exhausted to cross the valley, but David and the other four hundred continued the pursuit.
“Too exhausted to cross the valley.” David’s men were emotionally exhausted (v.4) and physically exhausted after a 55 mile walk from Aphek to Ziklag. Then, this was a fast-paced 16-mile race to catch the Amalekites. The raiders had a big head start on them. So, David’s men were marching double-time to catch up. It’s no wonder that these men were “too exhausted to cross the valley.”
(30:11-13) They found an Egyptian in a field and brought him to David. They gave him water to drink and food to eat— 12 part of a cake of pressed figs and two cakes of raisins. He ate and was revived, for he had not eaten any food or drunk any water for three days and three nights. 13 David asked him, “Who do you belong to? Where do you come from?” He said, “I am an Egyptian, the slave of an Amalekite. My master abandoned me when I became ill three days ago.”
David finds a rogue Amalekite slave—an Egyptian—who was wandering without food or water for three days (v.12). In addition, the slave had been sick before he was thrown away to die in the wilderness (v.13). David gives the young slave food and water, and he revives him. It was mandated to aid foreigners like this (Ex. 22:21; 23:9; Lev 19:34; Deut. 23:7). However, David also probably wanted to get information from this man to fight the Amalekites.
(30:14-15) “We raided the Negev of the Kerethites, some territory belonging to Judah and the Negev of Caleb. And we burned Ziklag.” 15 David asked him, “Can you lead me down to this raiding party?” He answered, “Swear to me before God that you will not kill me or hand me over to my master, and I will take you down to them.”
“We burned Ziklag.” This Egyptian slave was culpable for attacking the Israelite town. It would’ve been easy for David and his men to take out their vengeance on him. However, David spares the man’s life in exchange for directions to the real culprits.
“Swear to me before God that you will not kill me.” The Egyptian slave tells David where the Amalekites have gone, but he first makes David swear that he will protect his life. David turned this enemy into a friend.
(30:16) He led David down, and there they were, scattered over the countryside, eating, drinking and reveling because of the great amount of plunder they had taken from the land of the Philistines and from Judah.
When they find the Amalekites, they are in a drunken stupor. This was early in the morning. So, the Amalekites were probably vulnerable from working off a wicked hangover.
(30:17) David fought them from dusk until the evening of the next day, and none of them got away, except four hundred young men who rode off on camels and fled.
David accomplished what Saul failed to do. He killed these brutal ancient Near Eastern plunderers. Indeed, if Saul had killed the Amalekites in the first place (1 Sam. 15), these innocent women and children never would’ve been put in harm’s way.
(30:18-20) David recovered everything the Amalekites had taken, including his two wives. 19 Nothing was missing: young or old, boy or girl, plunder or anything else they had taken. David brought everything back. 20 He took all the flocks and herds, and his men drove them ahead of the other livestock, saying, “This is David’s plunder.”
400 Amalekites escaped. However, David beat the Amalekites so fiercely that they don’t reappear in the biblical narrative until the reign of Hezekiah (1 Chron. 4:43).
(30:21-22) Then David came to the two hundred men who had been too exhausted to follow him and who were left behind at the Besor Valley. They came out to meet David and the men with him. As David and his men approached, he asked them how they were. 22 But all the evil men and troublemakers among David’s followers said, “Because they did not go out with us, we will not share with them the plunder we recovered. However, each man may take his wife and children and go.”
The fighting men had turned bitter. Their reasoning is somewhat sound. After all, why would these men share in the spoils of war if they didn’t join the war?
(30:23) David replied, “No, my brothers, you must not do that with what the Lord has given us. He has protected us and delivered into our hands the raiding party that came against us.”
While the men called this “David’s plunder” (v.20), David knew this victory belonged to God.
(30:24-25) “Who will listen to what you say? The share of the man who stayed with the supplies is to be the same as that of him who went down to the battle. All will share alike.” 25 David made this a statute and ordinance for Israel from that day to this.”
Why would David make a policy to divide the plunder with non-combatants? There are several plausible reasons for this.[25] First, when the Israelites defeated an enemy, this was because God had empowered them. To take the credit for the victory would be egotistical and wrong. Second, the plunder was far less important than keeping their lives. If the combatants were alive, they should be grateful that God protected them (v.23). Third, the plunder belonged to the men beforehand. It would be quite odd for others to own your possessions. This could lead to in-fighting later. Fourth, the non-combatants weren’t cowards. Rather, they were too physically exhausted to fight.
David shares with Judah
(30:26-31) When David reached Ziklag, he sent some of the plunder to the elders of Judah, who were his friends, saying, “Here is a gift for you from the plunder of the Lord’s enemies.” 27 David sent it to those who were in Bethel, Ramoth Negev and Jattir; 28 to those in Aroer, Siphmoth, Eshtemoa 29 and Rakal; to those in the towns of the Jerahmeelites and the Kenites; 30 to those in Hormah, Bor Ashan, Athak 31 and Hebron; and to those in all the other places where he and his men had roamed.
David shares the plunder with the men of Judah. He was gaining allies with all of the cities around Judah before he took the throne.
What can we learn from David’s leadership in this chapter?
(1) Even though his own men were doubting him, this didn’t stop David as a leader. He moved forward despite the fact that his own men were turning against him.
(2) David took strength from God—even when his own people had turned against him (v.6). He didn’t take his value from people, but from God (Gal. 1:10).
(3) David was a giver—not a taker. He gave them plunder because they were too weak to make it into battle—not because they were too cowardly.
(4) David’s mighty men were ready to kill him. But God delivers David through prayer. This might have been the first time in a long time that David prayed.
(5) All of David’s worries were useless. Truly, the situation was dire. But they were only a couple days from seeing this tragedy turned completely around. Nothing was lost, and everything was returned.
1 Samuel 31 (Death of Saul)
Summary: The Philistines chased down Saul’s sons and killed them (v.2). Instead of being killed by the Philistines, Saul killed himself (v.4). When the people saw that Saul and his sons were dead, they fled, and this led to Philistine occupation of Israel. The Philistines hung Saul’s body on the wall out in public (v.10). The men of Jabesh-Gilead (Saul’s old friends) pulled his body down, buried him, and mourned over the state of their fallen kingdom.
(1 Sam. 31 & 2 Sam. 1) How did Saul die?
(31:1) Now the Philistines fought against Israel; the Israelites fled before them, and many fell dead on Mount Gilboa.
The threat of Philistine occupation has cast a long shadow over the story since the beginning (1 Sam. 4:1-2). Now, the fight has come to a culmination.
“Mount Gilboa” was the Israelite “base camp.”[26] This means that the Israelites are in full retreat at this point.
(31:2) The Philistines were in hot pursuit of Saul and his sons, and they killed his sons Jonathan, Abinadab and Malki-Shua.
Saul had four sons total. Ishbosheth must not have been on the battlefield. He shows up later in the story (2 Sam. 2:8).
(31:3) The fighting grew fierce around Saul, and when the archers overtook him, they wounded him critically.
Once those arrows pierced his torso, he couldn’t pull them out without doing more damage. Medicine was a joke at this time. So, it was only a matter of time before Saul would die.
(31:4-5) Saul said to his armor-bearer, “Draw your sword and run me through, or these uncircumcised fellows will come and run me through and abuse me.” But his armor-bearer was terrified and would not do it; so Saul took his own sword and fell on it. 5 When the armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he too fell on his sword and died with him.
Saul had been anointed to fight the Philistine threat (1 Sam. 9:16), but because of his insanity and unbelief, he fails to do so.
“Run me through.” Saul was still taking his life in his own hands—all the way to the end.
“Abuse me” (ʿālal) refers to torture.[27] Judges uses this term to refer to how the Philistines mutilated Samson—plucking out his eyes and mocking him publicly (Judg. 16:25). It also appears to refer to the torture and rape of the Levite’s concubine (Judg. 19:25). In the ancient Near East, torture would include the “mutilation or removal of genitalia” and “decapitation.”[28]
“Saul was dead.” Saul reigned for 40 years (Acts 13:21).
“The armor-bearer was terrified and would not do it.” Like David, the armor-bearer had a major problem killing God’s anointed. David was Saul’s original armor-bearer (1 Sam. 16:21-22).
“[The armor-bearer] fell on his sword and died with him.” This young man must’ve been in a complete state of panic.
(31:6-7) So Saul and his three sons and his armor-bearer and all his men died together that same day. 7 When the Israelites along the valley and those across the Jordan saw that the Israelite army had fled and that Saul and his sons had died, they abandoned their towns and fled. And the Philistines came and occupied them.
This fulfills Samuel’s prediction (1 Sam. 15:27-28; 28:19).
(31:8-9) The next day, when the Philistines came to strip the dead, they found Saul and his three sons fallen on Mount Gilboa. 9 They cut off his head and stripped off his armor, and they sent messengers throughout the land of the Philistines to proclaim the news in the temple of their idols and among their people.
This shows how quickly the Israelites escaped. They didn’t even have time to scoop up the bodies of their royalty.
David had decapitated the Philistine champion Goliath (1 Sam. 17:51). Now, the Philistines return the favor for Saul.
(31:10) They put his armor in the temple of the Ashtoreths and fastened his body to the wall of Beth Shan.
The parallel passage tells us that they put Saul’s head “in the house of Dagon” their “god” (1 Chron. 10:10; cf. 1 Sam. 5:4). They hung his head as a trophy of war. They also decapitated Saul’s sons and hung their heads on the walls (v.12), and the Philistines boasted of their victory to all of their people.
(31:11-12) When the people of Jabesh Gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul, 12 all their valiant men marched through the night to Beth Shan. They took down the bodies of Saul and his sons from the wall of Beth Shan and went to Jabesh, where they burned them.
The men of Israel risked their lives to retrieve the bodies. The expression “valiant men” is a Hebrew idiom that implies “unusual courage.”[29] The men of “Jabesh Gilead” were likely braver than others because they had a fortified and walled city (1 Sam. 11:1). Moreover, Saul had rescued the people of “Jabesh Gilead” years earlier (1 Sam. 11:1). This is why God wanted to reach these people. This was a 15 mile hike to get the bodies.
“They burned them.” The cadavers were so poorly abused that they incinerated them, rather than immediately burying them.
(31:13) Then they took their bones and buried them under a tamarisk tree at Jabesh, and they fasted seven days.
They collected the bones from the fire, and buried them.
Concluding Insights
20 years earlier, Saul heard that he was under judgment. Because it didn’t happen right away, he probably thought it wasn’t going to ever happen or that he could worm his way out of it. He was dead wrong.
Saul’s commission was to fight the Philistines (1 Sam. 9:16), but he was so obsessed with killing David that he utterly failed.
[1] Ronald F. Youngblood, “1, 2 Samuel,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 & 2 Samuel, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 3 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1992), 774.
[2] Ronald F. Youngblood, “1, 2 Samuel,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 & 2 Samuel, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 3 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1992), 774-775.
[3] Ronald F. Youngblood, “1, 2 Samuel,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 & 2 Samuel, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 3 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1992), 775.
[4] Joyce G. Baldwin, 1 and 2 Samuel: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 8, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1988), 169.
[5] Robert D. Bergen, 1, 2 Samuel, vol. 7, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1996), 262.
[6] Ronald F. Youngblood, “1, 2 Samuel,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 & 2 Samuel, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 3 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1992), 778.
[7] Joyce G. Baldwin, 1 and 2 Samuel: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 8, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1988), 169.
[8] Ronald F. Youngblood, “1, 2 Samuel,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 & 2 Samuel, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 3 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1992), 779.
[9] Ronald F. Youngblood, “1, 2 Samuel,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 & 2 Samuel, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 3 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1992), 780.
[10] Ronald F. Youngblood, “1, 2 Samuel,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 & 2 Samuel, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 3 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1992), 780.
[11] Joyce G. Baldwin, 1 and 2 Samuel: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 8, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1988), 170.
[12] Ronald F. Youngblood, “1, 2 Samuel,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 & 2 Samuel, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 3 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1992), 781.
[13] Joyce G. Baldwin, 1 and 2 Samuel: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 8, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1988), 170.
[14] Robert D. Bergen, 1, 2 Samuel, vol. 7, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1996), 268.
[15] Ronald F. Youngblood, “1, 2 Samuel,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 & 2 Samuel, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 3 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1992), 781.
[16] Ronald F. Youngblood, “1, 2 Samuel,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 & 2 Samuel, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 3 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1992), 784.
[17] Joyce G. Baldwin, 1 and 2 Samuel: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 8, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1988), 171.
[18] Joyce G. Baldwin, 1 and 2 Samuel: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 8, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1988), 175.
[19] Ronald F. Youngblood, “1, 2 Samuel,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 & 2 Samuel, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 3 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1992), 787.
[20] Robert D. Bergen, 1, 2 Samuel, vol. 7, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1996), 275.
[21] Robert D. Bergen, 1, 2 Samuel, vol. 7, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1996), 275.
[22] Robert D. Bergen, 1, 2 Samuel, vol. 7, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1996), 275.
[23] Emphasis mine. Robert D. Bergen, 1, 2 Samuel, vol. 7, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1996), 276.
[24] Robert D. Bergen, 1, 2 Samuel, vol. 7, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1996), 276.
[25] I am indebted to Bergen for a few of these points. Robert D. Bergen, 1, 2 Samuel, vol. 7, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1996), 279.
[26] Robert D. Bergen, 1, 2 Samuel, vol. 7, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1996), 281-282.
[27] Ronald F. Youngblood, “1, 2 Samuel,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 & 2 Samuel, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 3 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1992), 798.
[28] Robert D. Bergen, 1, 2 Samuel, vol. 7, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1996), 282.
[29] Ronald F. Youngblood, “1, 2 Samuel,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 & 2 Samuel, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 3 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1992), 800.