Israel. Let us first recall that Israel is a person, a people and a place. A nation with the promise of God bears that name and witness of the LORD’s covenant with Abraham and the generations. Israel is the LORD’s name for Jacob, son of Issac, son of Abraham; not any other of the forefathers of history.
Genesis 32:28 Then he said, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with men, and have prevailed.”
The generations of Esau are not included. Nations and tribes beyond the LORD’s covenant are not included. Israel is a people given God’s promise and Israel is a people who have broken their covenant with the LORD. Yet God is a God of mercy.
Numbers 35:34 You shall not defile the land in which you live, in the midst of which I dwell, for I the LORD dwell in the midst of the people of Israel.”
Numbers 36:7 The inheritance of the people of Israel shall not be transferred from one tribe to another, for every one of the people of Israel shall hold on to the inheritance of the tribe of his fathers.
The LORD intended for the generations of Israel to remain separate close families – sons and daughters close to the LORD.
Deuteronomy 3:18 “And I commanded you at that time, saying, ‘The LORD your God has given you this land to possess. All your men of valor shall cross over armed before your brothers, the people of Israel.
Deuteronomy 10:12-14 “And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments and statutes of the LORD, which I am commanding you today for your good?
Behold, to the LORD your God belong heaven and the heaven of heavens, the earth with all that is in it.
The Hebrew slaves who the LORD rescued from the harsh hand of Pharaoh were given the Law through Moses and led into the Promised Land under Joshua. They had NO King. Israel had no Judges even in that time, but only the rule of the LORD and those consecrated to serve the LORD.
The LORD is One King above all earthly kings, One Commander over all armies of earth and heaven, and one God above every High Priest anointed to serve the LORD in the wilderness or in the Promised Land.
Deuteronomy 10:20-21 You shall fear the LORD your God. You shall serve him and hold fast to him, and by his name you shall swear. He is your praise. He is your God, who has done for you these great and terrifying things that your eyes have seen.
Therefore, centuries later during the time of Saul, the King of Israel is not like any other King, but a man anointed to serve the LORD.
We are probably most familiar with David, a man after God’s own heart who succeeded Saul as king. We associate the (first) Temple to Solomon, son of David and Bathsheba, Israel’s most successful, rich and victorious king.
The history of the Kings of Israel after Solomon is sorted, divided and spans several centuries until the fall of the northern kingdom (Israel) and later the southern kingdom (Judah). Most Kings of Israel after Solomon are best described by the oft repeated synopsis of scripture, “And [he, King] ___ did what was evil in the sight of the LORD.”
The King and rulers of the land are ultimately accountable to the LORD God.
Followers of military generals, whether Joshua, Saul, David or another appointed by the King, are ultimately accountable to a man anointed by God.
The lessons of King Saul are best heeded in the reasons for his failings. The warnings of history might be that we would not elevate such a man to leadership who will not be accountable to God.
Let’s fast forward to the death of King Saul and accept the reproof of scripture for our own caution.
1 Chronicles 10
6 Thus Saul died; he and his three sons and all his house died together. 7 And when all the men of Israel who were in the valley saw that the army had fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they abandoned their cities and fled, and the Philistines came and lived in them.
8 The next day, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, they found Saul and his sons fallen on Mount Gilboa.
Israel had won their land from Canaan; however like most countries other lands bordered theirs. Philistia bordered Israel to the west along the coast of the Great Sea (Mediterranean). East of the Jordan Ammon bordered Israel. The Moabites and Amalakites bordered Israel to the South. And the Canaanites lived among the Hebrew people in certain areas and retained some towns of their own.
Now an enemy has defeated the people of God and now mocks their King before their own idols. (Imagine your enemies doing this with the leader of your country.)
9 And they stripped him and took his head and his armor, and sent messengers throughout the land of the Philistines to carry the good news to their idols and to the people. 10 And they put his armor in the temple of their gods and fastened his head in the temple of Dagon.
11 But when all Jabesh-gilead heard all that the Philistines had done to Saul, 12 all the valiant men arose and took away the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons, and brought them to Jabesh. And they buried their bones under the oak in Jabesh and fasted seven days.
It is a skirmish after the loss to recover some of their lost dignity of Israel and to prevent God from being mocked in the temple of idols.
13 So Saul died for his breach of faith. He broke faith with the Lord in that he did not keep the command of the Lord, and also consulted a medium, seeking guidance.
14 He did not seek guidance from the Lord. Therefore the Lord put him to death and turned the kingdom over to David the son of Jesse.
How would you like to have that obituary?
King Saul was NOT faithful to God.
Hebrews 10:30 For we know him who said, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay.”
And again, “The Lord will judge his people.”
To be continued …
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