Tag: Saul

Supposed Bible Contradictions – How Did Saul Really Die? (1 Sam. 31:4; 2 Sam. 1:10)

4 Then Saul said to his armorbearer, “Draw your sword, and thrust me through with it, lest these uncircumcised men come and thrust me through and abuse me.” But his armorbearer would not, for he was greatly afraid. Therefore Saul took a sword and fell on it.

(1 Samuel 31:4)

10 So I stood over him and killed him, because I was sure that he could not live after he had fallen. And I took the crown that was on his head and the bracelet that was on his arm, and have brought them here to my lord.”
(2 Samuel 1:10)

Have you ever told a story to make yourself look better than you are? Have you ever changed certain details while recounting a personal story in the hopes that you’d win favor, or approval, or applause with your hearer(s)? That appears to be exactly what the young man in 2nd Samuel was doing – a strategy which didn’t work out well for him. But nonetheless, his fabrication provides an explanation for the different accounts of Saul’s demise.

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RESOURCE FRIDAY: Power Plays (2 Samuel 3:1-11)

Today we return to our Friday series through 2nd Samuel! Having left off at the conclusion of chapter two we pick up today in chapter three and the moment when the ‘anti-Christ’ partnership between Abner and Ishbosheth goes south. It’s amazing how little holds together godless unions; and such a contemplation ought to provoke appreciation for all that holds together Christ-centered relationships! That is just one of the lessons illustrated for us in this passage. There are examples of God’s awe-striking sovereignty, encouragement as it relates to the Christian’s expectation of sanctification, and a reminder that long before David’s fall in 2nd Samuel 11 there was his disobedience to Deuteronomy 17 recorded in 2 Samuel 3. Such a reminder should help us catch the little foxes of ‘unremarkable sin’ that can not only spoil the vines of fruitful Christian living but can lead to a fall with far-reaching consequences.

With that being said, may you be edified and enamored as you behold and study the revelation of God in 2nd Samuel 3:1-11.

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RESOURCE FRIDAY: One King Too Many (2 Samuel 2:1-11)

After a week’s intermission to consider the subject of the limitless knowledge of God we continue our Resource Friday study through 2 Samuel. It’s hard to communicate in a brief intro all the aspects of this text that are worthy of contemplation and meditation. But to highlight some: in this study you will see David demonstrate dependence on God and be reminded how the Son of God perfectly practiced such dependence; you will see why those who claim to live in Christ must not walk as Abner walked; and how, although the Christian life may feel like a series of marathons, and ‘waiting seasons’ may seem renewed over and over again, God is infinitely worthy of trust, and we, like David, should pursue being faithful to the commitments we’ve made and helpful to those around us while we wait.

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RESOURCE FRIDAY: David’s Greatest Victory (2 Samuel 1:17-27)

What do you think was David’s greatest victory? Granted, the text of Scripture doesn’t quantify David’s successes in such a way so as to definitively say, but nonetheless, such a contemplation could help us see the uniqueness of what of we read in 2nd Samuel 1:17-27. There is, indeed, much to see in this passage including: why it’s important to sometimes look on the gloomy side and not only the bright side, a reminder of how Jonathan’s death was not a failure but an outworking of uncommon faithfulness, why David’s love for Jonathan is not to be mistaken for homosexual love, and David’s ‘Gospel-mindset’, to name a some things. May you be you edified and may Christ be treasured as you read this teaching on 2nd Samuel 1:17-27.

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Resource Friday: Aftermath and the Amalekite (2 Samuel 1:1-16)

Today’s resource is the first message from our study of 2nd Samuel. Sometimes it can be seemingly forgotten that Old Testament Scripture, like New Testament Scripture, is profitable for doctrine, correction, reproof, and instruction in righteousness (2 Tim. 3:16) and that through it, like the New Testament, the man of God is made complete for every good work (vs.17). So, for at least some of the upcoming Fridays we plan to provide you with teaching from 2nd Samuel. Walking through books of the Old Testament not only affords readers the opportunity to hear from and interact with the sanctifying word of God but it also provides opportunities for instruction and exhortation using events and/or imagery from Old Testament narrative. Likewise there is a broad array of topics that can be considered; and, when appropriate, there are numerous parallels or prophecies or explicit types-and-shadows of the Lord Jesus Christ.

With that being said, today we begin with the message “Aftermath and the Amalekite (2 Sam. 1:1-16).” In it you will be exhorted to snuff out the sparks of rebellion at Gilgal before they catch fire at Gilboa, you will see why there is no contradiction of inspired Scripture as it pertains to the way Saul died, and you may be surprised how the story of the untrustworthy Amalekite should remind us of God’s care for His church.

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