What led to the death of Saul?

THE DEATH OF SAUL

There was a battle between Israel and the Philistines on Mount Gilboa. The Philistines defeated the people of Israel totally and the Israelis fled before them.

The Philistines chased Saul and his sons. They killed Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchi-shua, the sons of Saul. Saul was severely wounded. He told his armour-bearer to kill him so that the Philistines would not have the opportunity to kill him and make fun of him. The armour-bearer feared to kill his king so he refused. Saul put his sword on the ground, fell upon it and died. Then his armour-bearer also did the same thing and died. When the men of Israel on the other side of the valley and beyond the Jordan saw this, they deserted their cities and the Philistines came to dwell in them.  

The next day, when the Philistines came out to take the spoils of war, they found the body of Saul and his three sons on Mount Gilboa. They cut off Saul’s head. They stripped him of his armour and sent it around the land of Philistine as a display. They displayed the armour in the house of their idol and hanged Saul’s body and that of his children to the wall of Beth-shan.

The people of Jabesh-Gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul so their valiant men traveled throughout the night to where Saul’s body was hanging. They removed Saul’s body and that of his children from the walls of Beth-shan and took them back to Jabesh-Gilead.

The bodies were burned and the bones buried under a tree at Jabesh. After that, they fasted for seven days.

LESSONS TO BE LEARNED FROM SAUL’S EXPERIENCE

1. Disobedience leads to suffering and condemnation from God.

2. Disobedience can lead to a tragic end.

3. The disobedience of one man can lead to the destruction of many people, Saul’s sins led to the death of his three children.

4. God’s plan for our life can be distorted by our own disobedience.

5. Obedience is better than sacrifice.

6. One must accept one’s responsibility for actions taken instead of pushing the blame on other people.

SAMPLE QUESTION(S)

1. How did Saul meet his death?

2. Narrate the account of the battle between Israel and the Philistines on Mount Gilboa?

3. Give an account of the death of Saul and his sons on the same day.

4. a. Describe Saul’s battle with the Philistines on Mount Gilboa.

    b. Give two reasons why the outcome of this battle could be blamed on Saul.

<<Back to Home Page
Go to other topics in Christian Religious Studies>> 

Go to the list of other subjects>>