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“Whatever a Man Sows...”

1 Samuel 31

Quiz: The Life of David in 1 Samuel (true or false)

1. David is the main character in 1 Samuel.

2. The example of Jonathan teaches us that loyalty to God must supersede any other loyalty, including family ties.

3. What made David and Jonathan's friendship so strong was that they had a lot in common.

4. Some of the best lessons in life are learned when we are facing a great trial.

5. Abiathar was the informant who massacred 85 priests at Saul's command.

6. The Ziphites were a self-seeking people who notified Saul of David's whereabouts.

7. David could have killed Saul but he didn't because he trusted God to take care of the situation.

8. Next to Jonathan, Nabal was David's most trusted friend.

9. What made David a great man of God was that he never wrestled with feelings of doubt.

10. David's example teaches us that our goal must not be to try to avoid stress, but to be God's kind of person in the midst of it.

Bonus: God used an abandoned Assyrian servant to direct David to the Amalekite raiders that had taken hostage his family.

I. Saul's final battle (1-3)

A. The Philistines attacked (1).

B. The Israelites fled (2-3).

1. Saul's sons were killed.

2. Saul was wounded.

II. Saul's final breath (4-7)

A. Saul's armor-bearer disobeyed an order (4).

B. Saul took his own life (4).

C. Saul's armor-bearer takes his life (5).

D. The battle results are reviewed (6-7).

1. Saul died.

2. Saul's sons died.

3. Saul's armor-bearer died.

4. God's people fled.

5. The Philistines took over.

E. Summary: The Tragic Decline in Saul's Life

1. A Man with great Potential (9:2)

2. Partial obedience (13:9)

3. Total disobedience--rebellion (15:9)

4. Wrong attitudes develop

Anger, Fear, Jealousy (ch 18)

5. Wrong actions follow

Attempted murder of David and Jonathan (ch 20)

Massacre of Priests (ch 22)

Witchcraft (ch 28)

Suicide (ch 31)

III. Saul's final treatment (8-13)

A. Saul's treatment by the Philistines (8-10)

1. They gloated (8-9).

2. They gloried in their false gods (10).

B. Saul's treatment by the people of Jabesh Gilead (11-

13).

1. They jeopardized themselves (11).

2. They showed respect to God's servant (12-13).

Lessons:

1. The men of Jabesh Gilead teach us that…

*We can respect a person's God-given position even though

we may disapprove of the person's behavior.

*Giving respect involves more than saying the right words.

2. We don't sin in a vacuum. Our sin affects those around us, even those we love.

3. But for the grace of God, we'd all be like Saul.