1st Samuel 31 ENDINGS The beginning of 1st Samuel has a woman praying for a son who would bring the nation back to the Lord their God. The Lord answered her earnest, passionate prayer with Samuel coming into the world by divine sovereignty. As a small boy at the beginning of his life learns what faith is, he prays, "Speak, Lord, Thy servant heareth." What a contrast at the ending of this book where Saul the king, standing head and shoulders above the people, is cut down on the side of Mount Gilboa and falls on his own sword and dies in disgrace. Samuel was dedicated to the Lord. Saul only considered himself. A revival at the beginning of a work doesn't guarantee a victorious ending. It is possible that we will live to see a drift so far away from truth, from God and His word, that we will not be able to survive the opposition that will arise against the people of God. Thankfully the church will be gone before the Tribulation spreads its evil over the whole world that has rejected the authority of God. In a favored nation like ours, we may personally experience the rotten fruit of our own self-indulgence and self-will.
David emerged from the darkness of fear, unbelief and self-absorbsion, into the light of God again speaking to him and working on his behalf to bring victory over the Amalekites. At the same time Saul went into the moral darkness of communicating with the powers of hell; then into the personal darkness of paralyzing fear; then into the physical darkness of death when he lost the battle and took his own life; and then into eternal darkness of one who does not know God, and even at the end of his life, does not call on God.
In self-will there is a sense in which disobedience has a claim on us that binds us and blinds us to the light of truth. When we are yielded to God's will, even if we have been away from Him for awhile because of a lack of faith, the light and freedom to serve our Lord becomes a joy that again gives meaning and purpose to all we do. One who is big in their own eyes is very small and insignificant in the eyes of God. Such a person cannot be trusted with anything of value nor can they be given a spiritual work to accomplish. To give orders to others and look good on the outside may create a certain amount of fearful obedience in people. But when that is the case, respect and allegiance will be superficial and temporary or perhaps totally missing, and the outcome of such directions will bring disaster. When there is moral decay within, it will not be too long before the effects of that will be seen outwardly.
If a person has the right relationship with the Lord and lives in fellowship with Him, that strength of character and life will produce respect, honor and allegiance that can be counted upon even in the battles of life and service. It was a sad scene on Mount Gilboa, the very place Gideon had defeated the Midianites with three hundred men, where Saul's last battle was the place of his death. Israelite bodies lay on the ground among which were three of Saul's sons. Poor Jonathan's feet would not follow his heart to follow David. If we could look up that hill, we would have seen the tall king struck by an enemy arrow, looking over the battlefield to which his path of disobedience had led. Rather than suffer torture like Samson at the hands of the Philistines, Saul fell on his own sword and died after one last look. What sorrow he must have felt!! What regret!! How much more the sadness when there was no evidence of repentance - only guilt. Guilt is a real thing and is valuable when it leads us to the place of repentance toward God. Without that, to die with a sense of guilt on the soul must be terrible.
Saul died without saying anything about God or calling on His name. At death we have to face what we really are before Him. The actions and attitude of Saul had a disastrous effect on many others. Those who did not die there, fled the area and the Philistines took their cities and moved in. Instead of him leading the people of Israel to overthrow them, they overthrew him and took the land and cities that belonged to Israel. If we allow evil and compromise to continue in our lives, they will become so much a part of us that we will be controlled by them. Saul, the man of the flesh who the Israelis thought would be their ideal king, turned out to be a self-centered man of the world. The people found out that having a king like other nations, and doing things in the way of the world, did not solve their problems, nor did it bring happiness and peace.
No matter how attractive the social world may seem to a child of God, it will never give us satisfaction. No matter how appealing the religious world may seem, that will not bring peace to the heart and mind of one who belongs to the kingdom of God. No matter how much attraction the politics of the world holds for us, a genuine, Christ-exalting Christian realizes the world is getting worse, and the best thing we can do to be a help is to "pray for the powers that be that are ordained of God." "The mighty were fallen" that day, but amidst the darkness that settled over the nation because Saul was dead, there was one believer who had been away from God and had returned in faith to the Lord. From David there was a glimmer of light shining around the far edges of the nation when he returned lost property to the people of Judah and other cities.
The life of faith begins with a consciousness of God in us and then spreads to an awareness of God among His people. Each passing day gives us opportunities to build upon the strength of the day before. Constant, daily obedience and consistent faith provides a basis on which faith can be demonstrated a little here and a little there. When put together with the lives of others of God's people, like candles of light all over the world their testimony shows the way of the path of life that leads to God. When the last "Philistine" has been dealt with, our "David" will sit upon David's throne and bring peace and light that will shine all over the earth.
The ending will be successful even as was the beginning. It is in these interim times that God's people need to lead consistent lives "in all godliness and honesty." Failing people may darken the glory that should have been, but our God will give the final victory at the end. He is a faithful God who intends us to be faithful to Him and "His dear cause."