1 Samuel 28 & 31

In 1 Samuel 27, David finally decided he needed to get away from Saul; so he and his men went to live with the Philistines for a year and 4 months. In 1 Samuel 28:1-2 Achish, a Philistine leader, declares David as his bodyguard and invites him to help them fight Saul's army. A flash forward to Chapter 29 shows us that the other Philistine commanders did not trust David. So they made Achish send him back home. I see this as God's protection for David. If David had helped pursue Saul's army, he would have been fighting his own countrymen, and perhaps his own brothers. God kept David away from the scene of Saul and Jonathan's death, and for that I am very glad.

1 Samuel 25:1a and 1 Samuel 28:3a are the only description we have of Samuel's passing. That's not fair! Samuel deserved a hero's burial, and I don't like that God only gave him two partial Scriptures. It is a reminder to me that Samuel's treasure was stored up in heaven. He did not waste any reward on the temporal praise of men here on earth. Oh, that I would learn this lesson!

The remainder of 1 Samuel 28 is another example of Saul not practicing obedience. Saul himself had banned the practice of sorcery in Israel. Yet, he resorts to consulting a witch when God does not answer his selfish prayers. At first, verses 6 & 15 really bothered me. Why wouldn't God answer Saul's prayers? Saul was finally seeking God; so why would God not want to respond? God knew that Saul's heart was still unchanged, and God is not obligated to work on behalf of anyone who is asking for selfish gain. It really bothers me when nonbelievers get mad at God for not answering their prayers. If you are not willing to give your life to God, why would you expect Him to give you anything?

Verses 12-14 are very intriguing. The woman is shocked when Samuel really does appear. I don't think she expected her incantation to produce real results. Then she is furious at Saul for tricking her. Turnabout is fair play, don't you think? And her description of Samuel cracks me up! "An old man wearing a robe." Wouldn't that describe just about any dead soul? Saul had never asked Samuel for advice before. Why does he think he should consult him now that he is dead? All Samuel does in this chapter is reconfirm what he had already told Saul before. The LORD had torn the kingdom from Saul and given it to David. And now Saul and his sons would meet their Maker.

1 Samuel 31 is a sad ending to a sad story of a sad man. Saul, his three sons, and his armor-bearer all die in the battle against the Philistines. Then the Philistines greatly dishonor them in a postmortem display. Why did the people of Jabesh Gilead care about Saul? Glance back at 1 Samuel 11. Saul had come to their rescue before he was confirmed as king. And 42 years later, they were able to repay his act of kindness.

Today we said goodbye to the prophet Samuel and to King Saul. Tomorrow we will see David take the throne in 2 Samuel 5-8. However, before we leave 1 Samuel, I want you to notice a couple of things David did to help ensure the successful start of his kingdom. In Chapters 24 & 26 of 1 Samuel, David spared Saul's life twice. Why??? Because David believed Saul to be God's chosen man for the time being. I am so impressed that David did not try to hurry God's plan for his own life. I am often guilty of asking God to fast-forward to the good part so I don't have to endure the tough parts of life. David had the spiritual maturity to pray for his enemy Saul. Jesus asks us to do the same. At the end of 1 Samuel 30, David also demonstrates his wisdom by sending gifts to all the people in the region who had helped David and his men. This will pave the way for David to have plenty of allies when he becomes king. However, I believe David gave the gifts out of genuine gratitude with no strings attached. He was generous without expecting anything in return. LORD, help us to model our lives after David, a man after Your own heart.