The Aftermath of a Wreckage Text: 1 Samuel 31:8-13
Introduction: The Wages of Unbelief
As we come to the end of 1 Samuel, we are confronted with the grim and bloody conclusion to the reign of King Saul. The story of Saul is a tragedy, a long study in self-destruction. He began with great promise, anointed by God, filled with the Spirit, and given a kingdom. But his reign was a slow-motion collapse, a consistent pattern of disobedience, envy, and rebellion against the God who had established him. And here, on the slopes of Mount Gilboa, we see the final invoice for his sin. He died the way he had lived, destroying himself.
We must not read this as a detached, historical account of a distant battle. This is a picture of the end of every man who rejects the word of the Lord. The Philistines, the perennial enemies of God's people, are here the instruments of God's righteous judgment. But even in this dark chapter, amidst the carnage and pagan mockery, we see glimmers of covenant faithfulness. We see the stark contrast between the desecration of the ungodly and the loyalty of the valiant.
This passage forces us to confront several realities. First, the reality of pagan triumphalism. The enemies of God love to gloat when a leader in Israel falls. They take the head, the armor, the body, and they make a spectacle of it, proclaiming the good news of their victory to their false gods. Second, we see the reality of covenant memory. A good deed, an act of deliverance, is not forgotten by grateful men. And third, we see the reality of valiant piety. In the darkest night, courageous men will rise to honor the fallen and defy the pagan's contempt. This is a story about endings, but it is also a story that points to the kind of loyalty that endures beyond the grave.
The Text
Now it happened on the next day, that the Philistines came to strip the slain, and they found Saul and his three sons fallen on Mount Gilboa. Then they cut off his head and stripped off his weapons and sent them all around the land of the Philistines, to proclaim the good news to the house of their idols and to the people. And they placed his weapons in the house of Ashtaroth and fastened his body to the wall of Beth-shan. Then the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul, so all the valiant men arose and walked all night, and took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Beth-shan, and they came to Jabesh and burned them there. And they took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree at Jabesh, and fasted seven days.
(1 Samuel 31:8-13 LSB)
Pagan Desecration and Idolatrous Evangelism (vv. 8-10)
The day after the battle reveals the grim business of war and the spiritual conflict that underlies it.
"Now it happened on the next day, that the Philistines came to strip the slain, and they found Saul and his three sons fallen on Mount Gilboa. Then they cut off his head and stripped off his weapons and sent them all around the land of the Philistines, to proclaim the good news to the house of their idols and to the people. And they placed his weapons in the house of Ashtaroth and fastened his body to the wall of Beth-shan." (1 Samuel 31:8-10)
The Philistines come to do what victors do: they strip the slain. This is the final humiliation, the plundering of the dead. And in their grisly work, they find the jackpot. They discover the bodies of Saul and his three sons, Jonathan included. The fall of a king is a great victory, and the Philistines intend to leverage it for maximum propaganda value.
Their actions are systematic and deeply religious. They cut off Saul's head, a symbolic act of ultimate defeat, reminiscent of what David did to their champion, Goliath. They strip his armor, the very emblem of his royal power. And then they turn these spoils into a traveling roadshow of idolatrous evangelism. They send word "all around the land of the Philistines, to proclaim the good news." The language here is striking; it's the language of gospel proclamation. This is the anti-gospel. They are preaching the good news of Dagon and Ashtaroth, declaring that their gods have triumphed over Yahweh and His anointed king.
They put Saul's weapons in the temple of Ashtaroth, offering them as a tribute to their goddess of war. This is a direct theological challenge. They are saying, "Our god has disarmed your God." Then, in a final act of public shaming, they fasten his headless body, and the bodies of his sons, to the wall of Beth-shan, a prominent city near the Jordan. This was meant to be a permanent spectacle of contempt, a warning to all Israelites of the futility of trusting in Yahweh. The world always does this. When a prominent Christian falls, the world does not just report it; they nail the body to the wall. They parade the failure to proclaim the good news that their idols, be they secularism, hedonism, or power, have won the day.
This is the natural end of a life lived in rebellion to God. Saul rejected God's authority, so his own authority is stripped from him. He lived for his own glory, and so his body is subjected to the greatest public shame. The judgment of God is always fitting. It is always poetic.
Covenant Memory and Valiant Gratitude (v. 11-12)
But the story does not end with pagan mockery. News travels, and it reaches the ears of men who remember.
"Then the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul, so all the valiant men arose and walked all night, and took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Beth-shan, and they came to Jabesh and burned them there." (1 Samuel 31:11-12)
Why Jabesh-gilead? To understand their actions, you must go back to the beginning of Saul's reign, back to 1 Samuel 11. The Ammonites had besieged their city and offered them a treaty of servitude on the condition that every man have his right eye gouged out, a reproach on all Israel. In desperation, they sent for help, and it was Saul, freshly anointed and filled with the Spirit of God, who rallied Israel and won a mighty deliverance for them. Saul saved them from humiliation and slavery.
And the men of Jabesh-gilead did not forget. Decades had passed. Saul's reign had curdled into tyranny and madness. But these men possessed a long memory. They remembered the covenant kindness shown to them. Their loyalty was not to Saul's sin, but to the office he held and the deliverance he had once brought them in the name of the Lord. Gratitude is a cornerstone of covenant faithfulness.
Notice who acts: "all the valiant men." True masculinity, biblical valor, is not found in brute strength for its own sake. It is strength in the service of loyalty, piety, and duty. These men see an injustice, a dishonor, and they resolve to act. This is not a state-sanctioned mission. This is a covert operation, undertaken at great personal risk. They "arose and walked all night." They traveled deep into enemy-controlled territory, to a fortified city, to perform a dangerous act of piety. This is what valiant men do. They don't wait for a committee to approve. They don't conduct a risk-assessment. They see what must be done, and they do it.
They take down the bodies from the wall, defying the Philistines and their gods. They are undoing the public shame. They are saying, "You will not have the last word. Our God's anointed, however fallen, will not be a permanent trophy on your pagan wall." They bring the bodies back to Jabesh, and there they burn them. This was not the typical Israelite practice, which was burial. But this was an emergency measure. The bodies were likely mutilated and decomposed, and cremation was the only way to prevent further desecration by the enemy. It was an act of honor in extreme circumstances.
Honorable Burial and Covenant Grief (v. 13)
The final act of the men of Jabesh-gilead is one of solemn piety and remembrance.
"And they took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree at Jabesh, and fasted seven days." (1 Samuel 31:13)
After the burning, they gather the bones. This is crucial. The burning was to dispose of the flesh, but the bones are preserved for a proper burial. This shows their intent was not to obliterate the remains, but to honor them. They bury them under a significant tree, a landmark, a place of remembrance. It was under a tamarisk tree in Ramah that Saul used to hold court (1 Samuel 22:6). This act is full of meaning. They are giving the king a final, honorable resting place.
And then they "fasted seven days." Fasting in Scripture is an expression of deep grief, repentance, and dependence on God. Seven days is a period of complete mourning. They are not just disposing of a body; they are grieving the fall of their king. They are mourning the state of Israel. This is not a political statement in favor of the house of Saul over the coming house of David. It is a profoundly human and covenantal act of sorrow. A great man, a tragic man, has fallen, and with him his noble son Jonathan. The nation is in disarray. This is a time for grief.
David himself will later hear of this and praise the men of Jabesh-gilead for their loyalty. He says to them, "May you be blessed of the LORD, because you have shown this kindness to Saul your lord, and have buried him. Now may the LORD show lovingkindness and truth to you" (2 Samuel 2:5-6). Their risky act of loyalty was seen and honored, not just by David, but by God Himself.
Conclusion: Loyalty Beyond the Grave
So what do we take from this bloody scene? Saul's end is a stark warning. If you reject the word of the Lord, your life will end in a wreck, and the enemies of God will hold a parade. Sin always promises freedom and glory, but it delivers slavery and shame. The Philistines will always be there to nail your failures to the wall for all to see.
But the actions of the men of Jabesh-gilead are a shining example for us. We live in a world that loves to desecrate. Our age delights in tearing down heroes, mocking the fallen, and displaying the sins of the church on the public wall. The Philistines are still broadcasting their anti-gospel.
In the face of this, we are called to be valiant men. We are called to have long memories. We are called to remember the kindness of God and to show loyalty to His covenant people, even when they are fallen and broken. Our duty is not to join the mockers, but to risk our comfort and reputation to retrieve the bodies from the wall. We are to give an honorable burial to those who have fallen, to cover their shame, and to grieve the tragedies that sin brings into our midst.
Ultimately, this story points us to a greater King and a greater act of valor. Our Lord Jesus Christ saw us, not just dishonored on a wall, but dead in our trespasses and sins. He saw us publicly shamed and held captive by the enemy. And He, the ultimate valiant man, walked, not just through a dark night, but into the jaws of death itself to rescue our bodies. He took our shame upon Himself on the cross, and He descended into the grave to bring us out. He did not burn our remains, but He has promised to raise our bodies, to gather our bones, and give us a glorious and incorruptible form.
The loyalty of Jabesh-gilead is a faint echo of the covenant loyalty of Christ. Because of His valor, we will not be left on the wall of shame. We will be gathered, honored, and buried with Him in baptism, only to be raised to walk in newness of life. Let us therefore be men of courage, men of long memory, men of fierce loyalty, because our King was such a man for us.