10 They put his armor in the temple of their gods and hung up his head in the temple of Dagon.
11 When all the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul, 12 all their valiant men went and took the bodies of Saul and his sons and brought them to Jabesh. Then they buried their bones under the great tree in Jabesh, and they fasted seven days.
13 Saul died because he was unfaithful to the Lord; he did not keep the word of the Lord and even consulted a medium for guidance, 14 and did not inquire of the Lord. So the Lord put him to death and turned the kingdom over to David son of Jesse.
Dagon was the Philistine god where they had twisted forms of entertainment and sacrifice, and they even sacrificed children to this pagan, powerless god. Israel’s valiant warriors brought back Saul’s body and his son’s body to be buried with dignity and respect. Why does it say that the Lord killed Saul? God had rejected Saul because of his stubbornness and rebellion against him. He allowed the consequences of his choices to play out. Saul would not seek God for guidance and went his own way without God. God arranged a defeat in battle so that Saul would die and his kingdom would be taken from his family. David trusted in God’s promise that he would be king in God’s good timing. It was not up to David to decide when Saul’s reign would end, so during the battle, God ended Saul’s reign just as he said he would. As a believer in God, we have a choice to follow God or to go our own way. God does not force you to love and obey him. It is your choice. God has plans to prosper you and not to harm you. He has plans for a hope and a future for you. You can go your own way and see how that works for you, or you can seek to trust and obey God and reap the blessings of righteous, peace, and joy.
