WEDNESDAY October 30, 2019
The Battle With Self
And when the men of Israel who were on the other side of the valley, and those who were on the other side of the Jordan, saw that the men of Israel had fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they forsook the cities and fled; and the Philistines came and dwelt in them.
1 Samuel 31:7
Saul and three of his sons lay dead on Mount Gilboa. They were killed in a fierce battle against the Philistines. However, in 2 Samuel 1:6-7, we read that Saul was not dead. It seems there is a contradiction in the Scriptures, but there is not.
An Amalekite servant had found King Saul wounded, but still alive. Saul had not died when he had fallen on his sword. In anguish, Saul had asked the Amalekite servant to finally kill him. The Amalekite gave more details about Saul’s death to David. Perhaps he sought a reward for his death?
“Now when he [Saul]looked behind him, he saw me and called to me. And I answered, ‘Here I am.’ And he said to me, ‘Who are you?’ So I answered him, ‘I am an Amalekite.’ He said to me again, ‘Please stand over me and kill me, for anguish has come upon me, but my life still remains in me.’ So I stood over him and killed him, because I was sure that he could not live after he had fallen. And I took the crown that was on his head and the bracelet that was on his arm, and have brought them here to my lord” (2 Samuel 1:7-10).
Remember who the Amalekites are in Scripture? The Amalekites are a type of the flesh. Saul should have taken care of the Amalekites in 1 Samuel 15. God had commanded Saul to annihilate them. Now at the end of Saul’s life, an Amalekite killed him. There is an important lesson to be learned from Saul’s life. Saul could not get rid of his flesh––his carnality controlled and destroyed him. How is your battle against your flesh?
I have more trouble with myself than with any other man.
~D.L. Moody~
For more from Raul Ries, please visit Somebodylovesyouradio.org!