The Controversial, Yet Prophetic Life and Death of Saul
9/6 Reading Portions: 1 Samuel 31; 1 Corinthians 11; Ezekiel 9; Psalm 48
Online Bible Audio/Readings Links (ESV)
9/6 Reading Portions: 1 Samuel 31; 1 Corinthians 11; Ezekiel 9; Psalm 48
1 Samuel 31:4
Therefore Saul took his own sword and fell upon it.
ENIGMA
The life and death of Saul, the son of Kish, king of Israel, was a complex one, even an enigma of sorts. Yet it was also prophetic in many ways. I’ve run into Christians who believe that Saul was not saved at all. I beg to differ. Often this belief is predicated upon the assumption that since Saul disobeyed God (1 Sam 15:22), was tormented by a harmful spirit (1 Sam 16:14), was jealous of David (1 Sam 18:8), desire to kill David (1 Sam 18:10-11; 19:1), hunted down David like a dog (1 Sam 23:15, 25), and eventually sought counsel from departed Samuel through a witch at En-dor (1 Sam 28:7). Who among us, as Christians, hasn’t sinned in any or all of these ways before— disobeying Christ? tormented by the spirit of our mortal flesh? being jealous of another Christian? desiring the death of God’s sovereign plan even if we didn’t see it as such? or seeking the guidance and instruction of God apart from Christ and the standard of His holy Scripture— that is, seeking our own wills in the power of our own flesh for our own sake and not for God’s glory in Christ? We all have. God’s Word declares it (Isa 64:6; Rom 3:23; Jas 2:10). Who among us has been saved apart from God’s grace, redeemed by our own righteousness? None of us. Even David, though a man after God’s own heart, was a sinner who needed all of God’s grace. As nasty and vindictive as Saul was, he was still a man whom God’s Word indicates that he was saved because of his prophetic witness. Saul was given a new heart by God (1 Sam 10:9). Not only did Saul prophesy before he was anointed as king (1 Sam 10:10-11), but he did also so during his hot pursuit of David (1 Sam 19:23-24). Even David, who is a prophet of God (Acts 2:29-30), declared on eight occasions that Saul was the Lord’s anointed (1 Sam 24:6, 10; 26:9, 11, 16, 23; 2 Sam 1:14, 16), a term reserved for God’s Messiah and His redeemed children. Even in his final act, by God’s grace, Saul was allowed to be a prophetic foreshadow of Jesus Messiah to come. Saul laid down his life before his enemies, foreshadowing what our Lord Jesus Messiah did in laying down His life for His sheep (John 10:11) while we were yet His enemies (Rom 5:10). Hallelujah! What a Savior!