April 7 Daily Devotional

1 Samuel 28 – 2 Samuel 1

The Philistines gathered their hosts together, to fight with Israel. When Saul saw the large army, he was afraid and his heart trembled greatly. And he enquired of the Lord, but he answered him not, neither by dreams, nor by high priest, nor by prophets. Then Saul said to his servants, “Seek me a woman that hath a familiar spirit (fortune teller), that I may enquire of her.” They directed him to a woman at Endor. He came to the woman by night. He asked her to bring up Samuel, who had died some time ago. A little later she pretended to see Samuel. Saul said, “God is departed from me … therefore I have called thee, that thou mayest make known unto me what I shall do.” The reply that was given to him, was, “The Lord is departed from thee … because thou obeyedst not the voice of the Lord … He hath rent the kingdom out of thine hand and given it to David … Moreover the Lord will also deliver Israel with thee into the hand of the Philistines; and tomorrow shalt thou and thy sons be with me.”

Now the Philistines fought against Israel: and the men of Israel fled before the Philistines, and fell down slain at mount Gilboa. And the battle went sore against Saul: he was severely wounded by the archers. When he saw that he could not escape, he took his own sword and killed himself, that the Philistines might not slay and abuse him. Also three sons of Saul—one of them was Jonathan—were killed in this battle. When the Philistines found the body of Saul, they stripped it of its armor and fastened it to the wall of Bethshan. But the valiant men of Jabesh­gilead came and took it down. They buried it under a tree at Jabesh.

After the death of Saul, behold, on the third day, a man came out of the camp with his clothes rent, and earth upon his head. He came to David and bowed to him. David said to him, “How went the matter? I pray thee, tell me.” He answered, “The people are fled from the battle, and many of the people also are fallen and dead; and Saul and Jonathan, his son, are dead also.” Then David rent his clothes and lamented with this lamentation:

Ye mountains of Gilboa, let there be no dew, neither let there be rain, upon you:
For there the shield of the mighty is vilely cast away.
Jonathan is slain upon thy high places.
I am distressed for thee, my brother Jonathan:
Very pleasant hast thou been unto me:
Thy love to me was wonderful, passing the love of women.
How are the mighty fallen, and the weapons of war perished.