1 00:00:00,800 --> 00:00:05,000 Speaker 1: Let us pray. Then said Saul, unto his armor bearer, 2 00:00:05,640 --> 00:00:09,360 Speaker 1: draw thy sword and thrust me through therewith lest these 3 00:00:09,600 --> 00:00:14,240 Speaker 1: uncircumcised come and thrust me through and abuse me. But 4 00:00:14,400 --> 00:00:17,840 Speaker 1: his armor bearer would not, for he was sore afraid. 5 00:00:18,560 --> 00:00:23,000 Speaker 1: Therefore Saul took a sword and fell upon it First 6 00:00:23,120 --> 00:00:28,840 Speaker 1: Samuel thirty one for my God, as I listened to 7 00:00:28,960 --> 00:00:32,360 Speaker 1: day's reading, a First Samuel thirty one and First Chronicles 8 00:00:32,400 --> 00:00:36,400 Speaker 1: tend help me to recognize which battle to fight and 9 00:00:36,440 --> 00:00:39,640 Speaker 1: who to stand shoulder to shoulder with. I will not 10 00:00:39,840 --> 00:00:42,160 Speaker 1: use to stand by some one who does not carry 11 00:00:42,159 --> 00:00:47,000 Speaker 1: your spirit, as Jonathan did, as hard as it may seem, 12 00:00:47,400 --> 00:00:50,920 Speaker 1: give me the strength to detach from wrong relationships, no 13 00:00:51,000 --> 00:00:54,200 Speaker 1: matter how close they may be. As I rely on 14 00:00:54,360 --> 00:00:58,200 Speaker 1: your spirit, Lord, I will attach myself to individuals who 15 00:00:58,240 --> 00:01:01,440 Speaker 1: have your hand on their lives and on their endeavors. 16 00:01:01,720 --> 00:01:05,039 Speaker 1: Like myself. I will not die in the battle field 17 00:01:05,080 --> 00:01:08,000 Speaker 1: of life without having fulfilled all that I have been 18 00:01:08,040 --> 00:01:11,480 Speaker 1: created to fulfill. I will rest in the fact that 19 00:01:12,120 --> 00:01:16,319 Speaker 1: even in wrong relationships, you always provide a way out. 20 00:01:17,319 --> 00:01:20,200 Speaker 1: I declare that your partnerships are better than any I 21 00:01:20,240 --> 00:01:24,280 Speaker 1: can find on my own. Therefore, I will lean on 22 00:01:24,480 --> 00:01:28,200 Speaker 1: you and your understanding so that I can gain the 23 00:01:28,280 --> 00:01:32,920 Speaker 1: victory in any valley I walk through. I decree that 24 00:01:33,040 --> 00:01:37,840 Speaker 1: I am aligned and assigned to the right people in 25 00:01:38,000 --> 00:01:45,199 Speaker 1: Jesus name. Amen, thank you for making prayer a priority 26 00:01:45,240 --> 00:01:48,600 Speaker 1: in your day. To learn more about the Bible, stay 27 00:01:48,640 --> 00:01:52,040 Speaker 1: tuned for to day's story, brought to you by Bible 28 00:01:52,040 --> 00:02:02,120 Speaker 1: in a Year dot com. 29 00:02:02,640 --> 00:02:06,920 Speaker 2: The end of Saul and Jonathan. In our last story, 30 00:02:06,960 --> 00:02:11,280 Speaker 2: we learned about David's fractured identity among the Philistines. He 31 00:02:11,400 --> 00:02:14,919 Speaker 2: played the part of loyal's servant to Akish the Philistine king, 32 00:02:15,240 --> 00:02:18,320 Speaker 2: but was still loyal to Israel at heart. When the 33 00:02:18,400 --> 00:02:23,079 Speaker 2: Amlekites rayed David's town and steal all their families, David's 34 00:02:23,080 --> 00:02:26,840 Speaker 2: heroic spirit is rekindled and he mounts a rescue mission. 35 00:02:27,280 --> 00:02:29,560 Speaker 2: In this story, we learn about the death of Saul 36 00:02:29,639 --> 00:02:33,040 Speaker 2: and Jonathan, inspired by the Book of First Samuel and 37 00:02:33,360 --> 00:02:34,399 Speaker 2: First Chronicles. 38 00:02:38,280 --> 00:02:41,080 Speaker 3: Hello, I'm Pastor Jack Graham with today's episode of the 39 00:02:41,080 --> 00:02:45,760 Speaker 3: Bible in a Year podcast. In yesterday's story, we learned 40 00:02:45,800 --> 00:02:49,280 Speaker 3: that Saul consulted a medium, a woman devoted to the occult, 41 00:02:49,360 --> 00:02:52,120 Speaker 3: in order to speak to Samuel. It was not the 42 00:02:52,160 --> 00:02:54,760 Speaker 3: woman's power that summoned the prophet from the realm of 43 00:02:54,800 --> 00:02:57,760 Speaker 3: the dead. Rather, it was God who willed this to 44 00:02:57,840 --> 00:03:01,840 Speaker 3: happen and used it to deliver a devastating message to Saul. 45 00:03:02,480 --> 00:03:05,800 Speaker 3: His time was up, death would soon come to him 46 00:03:05,880 --> 00:03:09,320 Speaker 3: and his son's In today's scripture, we will hear of 47 00:03:09,360 --> 00:03:12,600 Speaker 3: the death of Saul and of David's dearest friend, Jonathan, 48 00:03:13,080 --> 00:03:16,720 Speaker 3: the son of the King. So let's listen to today's reading. 49 00:03:18,600 --> 00:03:22,760 Speaker 2: The battle raged on violently, and steel clashed against steel, 50 00:03:23,120 --> 00:03:25,200 Speaker 2: and the men of Israel were choked under the weight 51 00:03:25,240 --> 00:03:30,079 Speaker 2: of the Philistine horde. Jonathan fought alongside his brothers. Jonathan's 52 00:03:30,120 --> 00:03:34,600 Speaker 2: sword flew through the battle. His strength was inspiring but waning. 53 00:03:35,040 --> 00:03:39,600 Speaker 2: His brothers had fallen, but Jonathan pressed on. Two Philistines 54 00:03:39,680 --> 00:03:43,520 Speaker 2: came towards him. He ran towards one, dodged his advance, 55 00:03:43,720 --> 00:03:46,600 Speaker 2: and drove his sword into his back. He delivered a 56 00:03:46,640 --> 00:03:49,120 Speaker 2: blow to the shield of the other Philistine, but he 57 00:03:49,200 --> 00:03:53,040 Speaker 2: parried with a swing to Jonathan's left calf. Jonathan wailed 58 00:03:53,080 --> 00:03:56,280 Speaker 2: in pain and knelt to the floor. Then, with one swoop, 59 00:03:56,360 --> 00:04:00,680 Speaker 2: the Philistine stood and struck Jonathan's chest. One than knelt 60 00:04:00,680 --> 00:04:04,480 Speaker 2: there holding his chest, and the Philistine delivered a second blow, 61 00:04:05,000 --> 00:04:08,560 Speaker 2: driving the sword into him. Jonathan lay in the dirt 62 00:04:08,600 --> 00:04:12,280 Speaker 2: of the battlefield, choking on his own blood until eventually 63 00:04:12,320 --> 00:04:16,160 Speaker 2: breathing his last to be with his God. The battle 64 00:04:16,160 --> 00:04:19,120 Speaker 2: pressed on and Saul was fighting behind the battle with 65 00:04:19,200 --> 00:04:22,599 Speaker 2: his back to the valley for easy escape. Saul struck 66 00:04:22,640 --> 00:04:25,200 Speaker 2: down a Philistine and knelt down behind a crack in 67 00:04:25,240 --> 00:04:28,039 Speaker 2: the canyon to catch his breath, but the archers could 68 00:04:28,080 --> 00:04:31,520 Speaker 2: see him from a distance. A Philistine archer drew his 69 00:04:31,600 --> 00:04:34,839 Speaker 2: bow and released an arrow through the sky, a direct 70 00:04:34,960 --> 00:04:39,040 Speaker 2: hit into Saul's abdomen. Saul writhed in pain on the floor. 71 00:04:39,520 --> 00:04:42,440 Speaker 2: His armor bearer, who was fighting beside him, knelt over 72 00:04:42,520 --> 00:04:46,360 Speaker 2: him trying to stop the bleeding. Saul's eyes were glazing 73 00:04:46,400 --> 00:04:50,560 Speaker 2: over in pain, and his breathing became miserable. Saul grabbed 74 00:04:50,560 --> 00:04:53,800 Speaker 2: his armor bearer by the tunic and said, draw your 75 00:04:53,880 --> 00:04:56,960 Speaker 2: sword and kill me now, lest I die by these 76 00:04:57,000 --> 00:05:01,640 Speaker 2: worthless philistines. They will capture me, shame me. But his 77 00:05:01,800 --> 00:05:04,600 Speaker 2: armor bearer could not kill his king. He would not. 78 00:05:05,480 --> 00:05:08,679 Speaker 2: Saul let him go, and the armor bearer ran away. 79 00:05:09,640 --> 00:05:12,000 Speaker 2: Saul turned on to his side and looked at the battle. 80 00:05:12,560 --> 00:05:16,080 Speaker 2: The men of Israel fought valiantly. Everything began to blur 81 00:05:16,240 --> 00:05:18,640 Speaker 2: for Saul as he propped himself up with a boulder 82 00:05:19,040 --> 00:05:22,840 Speaker 2: and drew his sword. Saul's heavy breathing began to slow, 83 00:05:23,160 --> 00:05:24,920 Speaker 2: and he thought of all he had done in his 84 00:05:24,960 --> 00:05:28,440 Speaker 2: life until that point. He remembered his journey to find 85 00:05:28,480 --> 00:05:32,160 Speaker 2: his father's donkeys, his meal with Samuel, and his first 86 00:05:32,279 --> 00:05:35,960 Speaker 2: victory in battle. Oh, how the people loved him back then, 87 00:05:36,600 --> 00:05:38,960 Speaker 2: back when he had the spirit of God guiding his 88 00:05:39,040 --> 00:05:42,880 Speaker 2: every step. Tears fell from Saul's eyes as he clenched 89 00:05:42,880 --> 00:05:46,040 Speaker 2: his sword in his right hand. Saul raised his sword 90 00:05:46,080 --> 00:05:49,040 Speaker 2: towards him, and with a final push, fell on to 91 00:05:49,160 --> 00:05:52,719 Speaker 2: his blade. The dead king lay there, motionless on the 92 00:05:52,720 --> 00:05:56,600 Speaker 2: floor of the battlefield. Dirt and blood covered him as 93 00:05:56,640 --> 00:06:01,039 Speaker 2: the Philistines began to overtake the entire army. When the 94 00:06:01,040 --> 00:06:03,520 Speaker 2: men of Israel saw that Saul and his sons had 95 00:06:03,560 --> 00:06:07,560 Speaker 2: perished along with all the other soldiers, they fled. So 96 00:06:07,640 --> 00:06:11,080 Speaker 2: the Philistines sauntered into the cities of Israel and lived 97 00:06:11,080 --> 00:06:14,600 Speaker 2: among them. They cut up Saul in Jonathan's bodies and 98 00:06:14,680 --> 00:06:16,839 Speaker 2: mounted them in the land of the Philistines as a 99 00:06:16,880 --> 00:06:21,440 Speaker 2: symbol of victory. A few brave men stole away the 100 00:06:21,480 --> 00:06:24,800 Speaker 2: body parts and buried them in Jabesh, but the Philistines 101 00:06:25,200 --> 00:06:28,960 Speaker 2: still had power over much of Israel. Israel once again 102 00:06:29,000 --> 00:06:32,560 Speaker 2: found themselves under the boot of another evil nation. Yet 103 00:06:32,600 --> 00:06:36,120 Speaker 2: God would not abandon them, as he had every time before. 104 00:06:36,240 --> 00:06:39,760 Speaker 2: God would send a hero, a man of bravery, wisdom, 105 00:06:39,880 --> 00:06:43,320 Speaker 2: and purity of heart. David, a shepherd from the town 106 00:06:43,360 --> 00:06:46,279 Speaker 2: of Bethlehem, would rise up as a savior to the 107 00:06:46,320 --> 00:06:50,839 Speaker 2: oppressed and enslaved people, an image that would echo throughout 108 00:06:50,960 --> 00:06:51,960 Speaker 2: all history. 109 00:06:55,720 --> 00:06:59,680 Speaker 3: Today's story begins on the battlefield. The Philistines are far 110 00:06:59,720 --> 00:07:03,120 Speaker 3: too powerful for Israel's army, and man after man falls 111 00:07:03,160 --> 00:07:06,560 Speaker 3: dead in the fight. This was the battle that David 112 00:07:06,680 --> 00:07:09,960 Speaker 3: narrowly avoided fighting in, as God intervened to keep him 113 00:07:10,000 --> 00:07:14,000 Speaker 3: from joining the Philistine army in battle, and this grace 114 00:07:14,160 --> 00:07:18,600 Speaker 3: proves even greater as Jonathan, David's closest friends, one who's 115 00:07:18,720 --> 00:07:22,520 Speaker 3: like a brother, falls to the Philistine's swords. One can 116 00:07:22,600 --> 00:07:25,240 Speaker 3: only imagine the guilt David would have felt had he 117 00:07:25,280 --> 00:07:27,880 Speaker 3: been on the wrong side of this fight when Jonathan died. 118 00:07:29,000 --> 00:07:32,760 Speaker 3: Jonathan's death reminds us that sin not only hurts the 119 00:07:32,760 --> 00:07:36,640 Speaker 3: ones that commit them. Saws rejection of God cost him 120 00:07:36,680 --> 00:07:40,480 Speaker 3: the throne and ultimately his life, but it also cost 121 00:07:40,600 --> 00:07:44,960 Speaker 3: his sons, including Jonathan, even though Jonathan had stood faithfully 122 00:07:44,960 --> 00:07:49,200 Speaker 3: by David through it all. He had imagined ruling alongside 123 00:07:49,240 --> 00:07:52,280 Speaker 3: of David, serving the man of God chosen to lead Israel. 124 00:07:52,880 --> 00:07:56,080 Speaker 3: But none of that would ever happen, all because of 125 00:07:56,440 --> 00:08:02,280 Speaker 3: his father, Sauls unfaithfullness. He heard in yesterday's story, God 126 00:08:02,280 --> 00:08:04,440 Speaker 3: had told Saul that he and his sons would die 127 00:08:04,480 --> 00:08:08,240 Speaker 3: the very next day. Jonathan's death was just the beginning. 128 00:08:09,120 --> 00:08:11,720 Speaker 3: As the battle went on, Saul was hit by an 129 00:08:11,840 --> 00:08:14,720 Speaker 3: arrow and fell to the ground. He knew the end 130 00:08:14,840 --> 00:08:18,480 Speaker 3: was near. Death had finally come for him. Surely, in 131 00:08:18,520 --> 00:08:21,040 Speaker 3: that moment, he remembered many of the things that had 132 00:08:21,080 --> 00:08:24,040 Speaker 3: led him to this point, how he had followed his 133 00:08:24,080 --> 00:08:29,000 Speaker 3: own impulses and desires, rejecting God's rule in his life. 134 00:08:29,080 --> 00:08:32,360 Speaker 3: He had no one to blame but himself. In a 135 00:08:32,400 --> 00:08:35,280 Speaker 3: final act of pride, not wanting to be humiliated by 136 00:08:35,320 --> 00:08:37,800 Speaker 3: the enemy, or maybe it was just the fear of 137 00:08:37,880 --> 00:08:41,320 Speaker 3: torture that would befall him had he been captured, Saul 138 00:08:41,440 --> 00:08:45,080 Speaker 3: asked his armor bearer to kill him, but the young 139 00:08:45,120 --> 00:08:48,080 Speaker 3: man would not strike the king dead, so Saul fell 140 00:08:48,200 --> 00:08:51,600 Speaker 3: on his own sword, taking his life. His armor bearer 141 00:08:51,679 --> 00:08:55,760 Speaker 3: followed suit and died with Saul. The rest of Israel's army, 142 00:08:55,800 --> 00:08:58,400 Speaker 3: seeing what had happened, fled, along with the people living 143 00:08:58,400 --> 00:09:02,239 Speaker 3: in the cities nearby. So the Philistines conquered the territory 144 00:09:02,320 --> 00:09:05,720 Speaker 3: and lived in the cities. But they were not content 145 00:09:05,800 --> 00:09:09,920 Speaker 3: with victory. They wanted to humiliate their foe, so they 146 00:09:09,960 --> 00:09:12,360 Speaker 3: took the bodies of Saul and his sons and cut 147 00:09:12,400 --> 00:09:15,240 Speaker 3: them up, displaying them as a trophy of their victory. 148 00:09:15,960 --> 00:09:19,880 Speaker 3: But faithful Israelite stole the bodies and returned them to Jabesh, 149 00:09:19,920 --> 00:09:23,760 Speaker 3: where they were buried. Israel lay in shambles under the 150 00:09:23,760 --> 00:09:28,080 Speaker 3: cruel torture of the enemy, but God's faithfulness never wavered. 151 00:09:29,000 --> 00:09:31,880 Speaker 3: His plans could not be stopped, and soon David would 152 00:09:31,920 --> 00:09:34,640 Speaker 3: emerge as savior to his people, rescuing them from the 153 00:09:34,760 --> 00:09:38,760 Speaker 3: enemy and foreshadowing another David who would come one day 154 00:09:38,800 --> 00:09:42,240 Speaker 3: at Bethlehem and then to Calvary and deliver us from 155 00:09:42,280 --> 00:09:45,080 Speaker 3: the clutches of evil the power of Satan, and give 156 00:09:45,160 --> 00:09:50,400 Speaker 3: us eternal life. Dear Lord, thank you for your word today. 157 00:09:50,559 --> 00:09:54,160 Speaker 3: Thank you for reminding us of the consequences of disobedience, 158 00:09:54,520 --> 00:09:57,560 Speaker 3: but also of the grace that is supplied to all 159 00:09:57,800 --> 00:10:01,200 Speaker 3: who look to you. May we look to you, Savior 160 00:10:01,240 --> 00:10:05,319 Speaker 3: and Lord Jesus Christ, for our salvation, our deliverance, our 161 00:10:05,400 --> 00:10:10,320 Speaker 3: strength and our hope forever. Amen. Thank you for listening 162 00:10:10,360 --> 00:10:13,920 Speaker 3: to today's Bible in a Year podcast. I'm pastor Jack 163 00:10:13,960 --> 00:10:18,319 Speaker 3: Graham from Dallas, Texas. Please download thepray dot Com app 164 00:10:18,360 --> 00:10:22,280 Speaker 3: and make Bible study and prayer a priority in your life. 165 00:10:22,679 --> 00:10:25,280 Speaker 3: And if you enjoyed this podcast, share it with someone 166 00:10:25,360 --> 00:10:28,600 Speaker 3: you love. And if you want more resources as to 167 00:10:28,640 --> 00:10:31,720 Speaker 3: how to live abundantly in Jesus Christ, be sure to 168 00:10:31,840 --> 00:10:35,200 Speaker 3: visit Jack Graham dot org. God bless you. 169 00:10:40,440 --> 00:10:44,280 Speaker 1: This episode is sponsored by Meta Share, an innovative healthcare 170 00:10:44,280 --> 00:10:48,400 Speaker 1: solution for Christians to save money without sacrificing quality. 171 00:10:49,800 --> 00:10:52,880 Speaker 4: Welcome to the previous podcast, where Hope is Our only bias. 172 00:10:54,040 --> 00:10:57,120 Speaker 4: Each day, we'll unpack the most prominent stories happening in 173 00:10:57,160 --> 00:11:00,680 Speaker 4: the news and offer a Christian perspective. We won't shy 174 00:11:00,760 --> 00:11:03,320 Speaker 4: away from the hard topics, and we won't dilute the 175 00:11:03,320 --> 00:11:06,839 Speaker 4: hopeful message of christ. This is more than a daily 176 00:11:06,840 --> 00:11:09,439 Speaker 4: brief on the news. It's a way to be informed 177 00:11:09,640 --> 00:11:14,160 Speaker 4: and transformed. Listen to Pray News on the iHeartRadio app, 178 00:11:14,320 --> 00:11:17,199 Speaker 4: Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.