10 They put his armor in the temple of the Ashtoreths and fastened his body to the wall of Beth Shan.
11 When the people of Jabesh Gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul, 12 all their valiant men marched through the night to Beth Shan. They took down the bodies of Saul and his sons from the wall of Beth Shan and went to Jabesh, where they burned them. 13 Then they took their bones and buried them under a tamarisk tree at Jabesh, and they fasted seven days.
Saul’s death was a death of an ideal. Israel thought that having a king like the other nations would solve their problems. Saul had spouts of religiosity and did not build his life around God. The real ideal is consistent obedience. Heroic spiritual lives like Samuel’s are built by stacking days of obedience one on top of the other. Each act of obedience is like a brick, and as you add brick by brick, you start to see a very well built structure. In time you will build up a strong character. Do not look to worldly ways. They come and go, as well as, ebb and flow. Look to building consistent obedience to God’s commands and each day your character will become more and more solid.
