Day 95, 1 Samuel 28-31

At this point, the Philistines had gathered their forces for war, to fight against Israel. When Saul saw the army of the Philistines, he was afraid, and his heart trembled greatly. He inquired to the Lord, but the Lord would not answer him.

Saul told his servants to seek out a woman who was a medium so he could go and inquire of her. All of this is ironic that Saul would seek the help of a medium, when the beginning of this chapter said how he had all the mediums and necromancers put out of the land.

Anyway, so Saul disguised himself and went to see the woman. He said to her, “Divine for me by a spirit and bring up for me whomever I shall name.” The woman was hesitant and said to him that he surely had known what Saul had done, by cutting off the mediums and necromancers from the land. She was worried he was trying to trap her.

Saul swore that no harm would come to her for helping him. He asked her to bring up Samuel for him. When the woman saw Samuel she cried out saying that he was Saul and asked why he had deceived her.

He told the woman not to be afraid and to tell him what she saw. She said she saw an old man wearing a robe, and Saul knew it was Samuel. Samuel asked him why he was disturbing him by bringing him up.

Saul explained how he was in distress because the Lord would not answer him and the Philistines were bringing war against Israel. He asked Samuel what he should do.

Samuel explained that the Lord would not help him because Saul had made enemies with the Lord by not obeying His voice. He had ripped the kingdom away from Saul and given it to his neighbor David.

He continued saying that the Lord would give Saul, the armies, and Israel into the hands of the Philistines. The next day they would all join Samuel. Saul was filled with fear at the words of Samuel, and because he had not eaten all day he had no strength and fell to the ground.

The woman tried to get him to eat but he refused. Eventually he was convinced and she took a fattened calf and made unleavened bread to feed them before they left.

Now the Philistines had gathered all their forces together, including David because he had been living with them. However, the commanders decided they did not want David with them and did not approve of him. He set out with his men early the next morning to return to the land of the Philistines.

When David returned to the city, they realized that it had been raided and all the women were taken and the city was burning. They did not kill anyone, but David and his men found that all the woman, sons, and daughters were taken captive; including his two wives.

David and all the people were greatly distressed, “but David strengthened himself in the Lord his God.” Then David inquired of the Lord as to whether he should pursue them.

The Lord responded by saying David should go after them and he would overtake them, rescuing them all. So David and six hundred men set out. They got to a resting point, and two hundred of them couldn’t go any further. So, David and four hundred men continued.

They came across an Egyptian who was weak and left behind by his people. David fed and revived him, and when he was well he would take him to the band of people that had taken the women.

When the man took David to the band of Amalekites, he struck them down until none were left standing. Except four hundred men had mounted camels and escaped. David retrieved everything that was taken from them including his two wives.

There was nothing missing small or great, and he returned with all the sons and daughters. David brought back all the spoils and also captured all the flocks and herds. The people said, “This is David’s spoil.”

When they were on their way back, they met the two hundred who were left behind. Some of the men said that the two hundred did not deserve any of the spoils because they did not go with them to get it. David disagreed and allowed everyone to have equal shares; and it was made a statute for Israel from that day forward.

When David returned, he sent a part of the spoil to his friends, the elders of Judah, as a gift. He said, “Here is a present for you from the spoil of the enemies of the Lord.”

Now the Philistines fought against Israel, and the men of Israel fled before them and fell slain. The Philistines over took Saul and his sons and struck them down. Saul was badly wounded by archers.

Saul told his armor-bearer to take his sword and thrust him with it, in case the uncircumcised came and did it first. His armor-bearer was afraid and would not kill him. So, Saul took his sword and fell upon it himself. When the armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he too took his sword and fell upon it and died with him.

Thus Saul died, and his three sons, and his armor-bearer, and all his men, on the same day together. When the men of Israel on the other side of the valley and those beyond the Jordan saw that the men of Israel had fled and that Saul and his son were dead, they abandoned their cities and fled too. The Philistines came and lived them.

The next day when the Philistines came to strip the slain, they found Saul and his three sons dead. They cut off his head and stripped off his armor and sent messengers throughout the land of the Philistines to carry the good news.

They put his armor in a temple and fastened his body to a wall. When others heard what they had done to Saul, all the valiant men arose and went at night to take the bodies. They took them home and burned them there. They took the bones and buried them and fasted for seven days.

This is the end of First Samuel.