Bird's-eye view
This brief account records a startling flash of honor and covenant loyalty in the midst of a national catastrophe. King Saul, Israel's first king, has met a disastrous and dishonorable end on the slopes of Mount Gilboa. The Philistines, in their pagan triumphalism, have desecrated his body and the bodies of his sons, hanging them on the wall of Beth-shan as trophies of war. The story of Israel's king has ended in shame. But in this dark moment, the men of Jabesh-gilead rise up. Motivated by a long-held debt of gratitude, these valiant men undertake a perilous night mission deep into enemy-held territory to rescue the bodies of their fallen king and his sons. Their actions, retrieving the bodies, burning them, burying the bones, and fasting, are a profound display of faithfulness. They honor the man who, decades earlier, had saved their city from annihilation. This is a story about remembering, about courage born from gratitude, and about rendering honor even when all seems lost. It is a testament to the fact that even in the wreckage of a failed kingship, the duties of covenant faithfulness still shine brightly.
The Chronicler includes this story not just as a historical footnote, but as a moral counterpoint. Saul's life ended in unfaithfulness to God, as the very next verses will make explicit. But the men of Jabesh-gilead model the very faithfulness that Saul lacked. Their loyalty to Saul, their anointed king, even in his death and disgrace, is a picture of the kind of loyalty that all Israel should have shown to the Lord. This act of piety serves as a bridge, closing the dark chapter of Saul while anticipating the rise of David, who himself will commend these men for their courageous love.
Outline
- 1. A Noble Debt Repaid (1 Chron 10:11-12)
- a. The Report of Desecration (1 Chron 10:11)
- b. The Response of the Valiant (1 Chron 10:12a)
- c. The Rescue and Recovery (1 Chron 10:12b)
- d. The Rites of Mourning (1 Chron 10:12c)
- i. The Burial of the Bones
- ii. The Fast of Seven Days
Context In 1 Chronicles
First Chronicles begins with nine chapters of genealogies, establishing the historical and covenantal lineage of Israel, with a strong focus on the lines of Judah and David. Chapter 10 is the turning point. It abruptly recounts the death of Saul, serving as the formal conclusion to his failed dynasty. The Chronicler's purpose is not to give a detailed biography of Saul but to explain precisely why the kingdom was transferred from him to David. The account of Saul's death is stark and brief, culminating in the theological verdict of verses 13-14: Saul died for his unfaithfulness. The story of Jabesh-gilead is therefore strategically placed. It is the only positive story in the entire chapter. It provides a moment of human decency and covenantal integrity before the narrative moves on to the glorious reign of David, which begins in chapter 11. This act of loyalty by the men of Jabesh-gilead closes the book on Saul with a measure of dignity that he himself had forfeited.
Key Issues
- Covenant Faithfulness and Gratitude
- The Meaning of Valor
- The Sanctity of the Body and Proper Burial
- The Significance of Burning the Bodies
- Biblical Fasting and Mourning
- Honor and Shame in the Ancient World
Covenant Memory
To understand what is happening here, we have to turn the clock back about forty years, to the very beginning of Saul's reign in 1 Samuel 11. The Ammonites had besieged the city of Jabesh-gilead and threatened to gouge out the right eye of every man as a condition of surrender. It was a moment of terror and humiliation for Israel. When the news reached Saul, the Spirit of God rushed upon him, and he rallied the tribes of Israel to a stunning victory, delivering Jabesh-gilead from a horrific fate. It was Saul's first and perhaps finest hour as king.
The men of Jabesh-gilead did not forget. For four decades, they remembered the king who had saved them. Now, that same king lies dead, his body a public spectacle of Philistine mockery. The nation is in disarray. But covenant has a long memory. The love and loyalty we are commanded to have is not an abstract feeling; it is a rugged commitment expressed in concrete action. These men understood that gratitude has a statute of limitations of never. Their loyalty was not to a perfect king, but to their king, the Lord's anointed, the one whom God had used to save their lives. This is ordered love. You don't just love humanity in general; you love your neighbor, your family, your king in particular. Their perilous mission was the long-delayed payment of a noble debt.
Verse by Verse Commentary
11 Then all Jabesh-gilead heard all that the Philistines had done to Saul,
The news travels. Jabesh-gilead was located east of the Jordan, a good distance from the battlefield on Mount Gilboa and the city of Beth-shan. But the report of this national humiliation spreads throughout the land. The Philistines did not win a private victory. They wanted all Israel to see the headless, desecrated corpse of their king nailed to a wall. This was psychological warfare, designed to break the spirit of the nation. For the men of Jabesh-gilead, this was not just news about a distant political figure. It was news about their deliverer. The shame was not just Saul's; it was Israel's, and they felt it personally. To hear of such a thing is to be presented with a choice: cower in fear, or act.
12 so all the valiant men arose and took away the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons and brought them to Jabesh, and they buried their bones under the oak in Jabesh and fasted seven days.
This verse is dense with courageous and pious action. Let's break it down. First, all the valiant men arose. The word for valiant here means men of strength, courage, and substance. These are not hot-headed youths, but the established, brave men of the city. This was a calculated, corporate decision. They arose, which signifies a deliberate resolution to act. Second, they undertook a dangerous mission. They had to travel all night, cross the Jordan River, and infiltrate a Philistine-controlled city to carry out their task. This was no small thing; they were risking their lives to honor a dead man. Third, they took away the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons. They rescued them from shame. In the ancient world, to leave a body unburied was the ultimate curse. By retrieving the bodies, they were defying the Philistine curse and giving honor to their king. The parallel account in 1 Samuel 31 tells us they burned the bodies. This was not the typical Israelite practice, but it was likely a practical necessity. The bodies would have been badly decomposed and mutilated, and burning them was a way to prevent any further desecration. They then buried their bones under the oak in Jabesh. Burial is an act of faith. It is planting a seed in the ground in the sure and certain hope of a future resurrection. They are honoring the man made in God's image and entrusting his remains to the Lord. Finally, they fasted seven days. Seven is the biblical number of completion. This was a full and formal period of mourning. Fasting is an act of humbling oneself before God, acknowledging the gravity of the situation. It is an outward expression of their inward grief over the death of their king and the state of their nation. In one verse, we see courage, loyalty, piety, and profound grief all woven together. This is faithfulness with its sleeves rolled up.
Application
This short passage is a powerful sermon on gratitude and loyalty. The men of Jabesh-gilead provide a timeless example of what it means to be faithful when it costs you something. They remembered a kindness done to them forty years prior and were willing to risk their lives to repay that kindness to a dead man. This is covenantal thinking.
We live in an age of disposable relationships and transactional loyalties. We are faithful as long as it is convenient, as long as the other person is holding up their end of the bargain. But the men of Jabesh-gilead were loyal to a failed king who could do nothing more for them. Their loyalty was rooted in memory and gratitude, not in present utility. This is a picture of how we ought to relate to one another in the church. We are to bear one another's burdens, to honor one another, and to remember the ways God has used others to bless us, even when they are fallen and broken.
More profoundly, their loyalty to a flawed earthly king points us to the loyalty we owe our perfect King, the Lord Jesus. He did not save us from having our right eyes gouged out; He saved us from an eternity in Hell. He rescued us not from Ammonites, but from the dominion of Satan, sin, and death. What is our response to such a deliverance? Is it a forgetful, fair-weather faith? Or is it a rugged, risky, valiant loyalty? Our King was also killed and publicly shamed, hung on a tree for all to see. He endured that for us. Our lives, therefore, should be a continual mission of gratitude, taking His name, His honor, into a hostile world, proclaiming that the one who was shamed is now gloriously enthroned. The men of Jabesh-gilead risked their lives for a dead king. How much more should we offer our lives as living sacrifices for our living and victorious King?