A DISCOURSE ON DYING
1 SAMUEL 31
INTRODUCTION:
I enjoy reading interesting and humorous tombstones. A tombstone in England reads: "Remember friend, as passing by, as you are now so once was I. As I am now, so you will be, prepare for death to follow me." And someone scribbled in chalk below that message: “To follow you I’m not content, until I know which way you went." But maybe one of the best was written by a Christian, by the name of Solomon Peas, in Alabama. He had written on his stone: "Here lies Solomon Peas. Peas is not here, only the pod, Peas shelled out and went home to God."
Well, as we conclude our study of the life of David I want to take a step back chronologically and go back to the death of his predecessor, King Saul. I want to do that for a couple of reasons. (1) David apparently died a natural death. Before he went to be with God he passed on, in a very smooth transition, the Kingship of Israel to his son Solomon. But David had to deal with death and one of his most poignant dealings and most uncomfortable was dealing with the death of Saul and his best friend, Saul’s son, Jonathan. I think that makes it worthwhile to look at that situation. (2) Death is the great equalizer. All of us face it and talking about it can be uncomfortable. Maybe that’s why we like the humorous epitaphs. We may think If we make light of it perhaps it won’t weigh too heavily upon us. But since it is such a part of life I believe we need to discuss it openly and honestly. We especially need to talk about it in light of the Scripture. After all, if the Bible is going to be our source book for life we ought to know what it also has to say to us about death. There is a sense in which King Saul wrote his own epitaph and it is far from humorous. In 1 Sam. 26:21 there is a statement given by Saul that kind of summarizes the monarch’s life. Saul tells David, "I have sinned... Surely I have been a fool and very, very wrong." Saul began his Kingship with all kind of advantages. He was physically impressive, he had the charisma to lead people and he had the support of God but he played the fool. He became so self-centered, so egotistical, so jealous, so disobedient to God that he ended up frittering it all away. Of Saul it was true, as it is of so many today, that passage in Proverbs 16:25 that says -"There is a way that seems right to a man but in the end it only leads to death." And although Saul looked good to the world, deep in his soul he knew that God observed his heart and said, "What a foolish and empty life!"
Let’s examine the events that surround King Saul’s death and use them to engage in a Biblical discourse on dying. I think this incident has some vital lesson that should interest us. Here are four principles that this passage gives us to ponder.
I. SUICIDE IS NOT WHAT GOD WANTS FOR US:
The first is: that suicide, the taking of one’s own life is certainly not what God wants for us. King Saul died a foolish death. Our text tells us that the army of Israel was engaged in a disastrous battle with the Philistines. Saul’s troops were outclassed and out numbered and the enemy killed three of Saul’s sons, including Jonathan, who was David’s best friend. And I imagine that Saul with a view from the mountain, witnessed the death of his own sons. And in the midst of that slaughter, Saul himself was wounded. The Latin Vulgate says that "he caught an arrow in the abdomen and it was a mortal wound." And as so often happens with a wound like that Saul did not die immediately but clung, painfully to life. When Saul realized he could not escape the Philistines, a pathetic scene followed. Saul asked his armor bearer to kill him but the young man could not do it. And so rather than turn his life over to God the King fell upon his own sword in order to commit suicide.
You see, he was concerned that the enemy not humiliate him by torturing him, so he took it upon himself to end it all. Hitler was a mad dictator and exhibited that in his life and reveals his instability in his infamous death. Apparently, like Saul, Hitler did not want the enemy to sport with his body. He thought they would embalm it and strut it across the countryside. So, he and is wife sat in a room and she took poison and he shot himself with a revolver. Hitler had instructed his aides that when they found him dead to drench his body with gasoline and set the body afire. Then they were to place his ashes in a bag and bury them so that they could never be found. And that was Saul’s attitude. He was so concerned about his image before the enemy that he was not concerned about his relationship with God. Isn’t that sad? Here’s a man who was experiencing his last moments on this earth. And rather than praying to God to have mercy on his soul, he was worried about what the enemy was going to do with him. I think Saul had drifted so far away from what was right that he didn’t even have his priorities straight when his life ebbed away.
There are 5 suicides recorded in the Bible. Here are two of them, Saul and his armor bearer falling on their swords. In 2 Sam. 17, there is a man by the name of Ahithophel who because his military advice wasn’t taken became despondent and hung himself. In 1 Kings 16, Zimri, King of Israel, sees his city completely surrounded by the enemy and so he goes into his palace, locks it and sets fire to it. And then there is the most infamous suicide in the Bible - that of Judas Iscariot in Matt. 27, one of Jesus’ own disciples, who after he betrayed Jesus, hung himself. Now, all of these were under extreme pressures when they took their own lives. Some were non-believers and some were believers. And in the two of the most detailed cases the Bible makes it clear that Satan had a hand in it. King Saul visited a witch in 1 Sam. 28. And just before Judas died the Scripture says, "and satan entered into him." I think that is important because in a number of suicides you’ll find satanic or occult practices have been involved. In John 8:44, Jesus described satan saying, "He was a murderer from the beginning and has always hated the truth. There is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies murderer and a liar." And when we conclude that we are better off dead, the devil accomplishes both the lying and the murder.
Now, you don’t hear much about the subject of suicide from the pulpit. That is fairly understandable because it is such a depressive topic. We’ve had a couple of funerals in this very room recently, sad cases of those who became so hopeless that they took their own lives. So we can’t just stick our heads ostrich-like in the sand and pretend this doesn’t happen. This is a real and relevant problem in our culture. According to the 2001 Statistical Abstract of the U.S there were almost 31,000 (30,775) people who took their own lives in our country. Over 4000 (4135) of those were by people between the ages of 15-24, young men and women in the prime of their lives. The Western States have the highest rates of suicide, far above any other region of the country. And in the 90’s our State every year was above the national average in this malady. Some of you sitting here today have experienced this horrible tragedy in your family. Some of you sitting here today have contemplated suicide and some of you may do so in the future in a moment of distress. So, please listen to some spiritual principles regarding the taking of your own life.
(1) Understand that suicide is not the unpardonable or unforgivable sin. We have no way of knowing what happens in the mind when it is under extreme pressure or depression. But God knows the heart and the blood of Christ cleanses from all sin, so we can say to the families who are the victims of suicide, that God is merciful and He will do what is just in each situation. It is not our place to judge what happens when someone gets so despondent that their mind snaps and they do something as horribly irrational as to take their own life.
(2) But having said that, we must realize that suicide is considered murder. As an ex-detective who worked murders we often called suicide the “homicide of self.” Sometimes people say, "Well, it’s my life and I ought to be able to do with it as I please." But you need to understand that’s not how God sees it. The Bible says in 1 Cor. 6 that "You don’t belong to yourselves. You were bought for a price. So bring glory to God in the way you use your body."(GW) And when you destroy yourself you have violated a right that was never yours. It is God’s right to give life and to take it away. And while suicide is surely not unforgivable I don’t want anyone to have to stand before Almighty God and explain why their last act on earth had been an absolute denial of His possibilities and work in their life.
(3) And suicide deeply wounds your loved ones. It may be one of the worst things you can do to them. In fact, some call suicide the “ultimate act of cowardice.” Why? Because it’s your loved ones that find the body, they are the ones who have to fumble for an explanation, they are the ones who have to live in the wake of guilt and uncertainty. And let me also say that suicide deeply wounds and leaves a horrible stigma against Christianity. How the enemies of Christ must have gloated over the fact that Judas killed himself. They could now say, "Here was a man who was with Jesus for 3 years, look what it did to him." And make no doubt about it, Satan still exploits the suicide of a believer today. It is his testimony that Christianity doesn’t work. It doesn’t bring peace or joy.
So, if there ever comes a time when you have suicidal thoughts understand that they are not from God. And take some encouragement that some of history’s greatest men have had times where they had contemplated suicide and they have grown out of that to make significant contributions. Abraham Lincoln confessed that he had melancholy periods so deep that he feared he might take his own life. The great prophet Elijah in the O.T. was threatened by Jezebel because he had killed 400 of her prophets and so in fear Elijah ran for days into the wilderness. Finally, in despair, he sat under a Juniper tree and said, "God, I wish I were dead." But God fed Elijah, let him rest and gave him a friend in Elisha. And he went on to do great things. Oh, give God a chance to work in your future and it is amazing what some time and the Lord can do if allowed to work together.
II. CREMATION IS NOT CONDEMNED BY SCRIPTURE:
Now, the second thing that I want you to see is that cremation is not condemned by Scripture. When the Philistines found the bodies of Saul and his sons they did what Saul had feared most. They made a side show of them. They paraded all four of their decapitated bodies publicly, and they made sport of Saul’s armor by putting it in the temple of Ashtoreth, the goddess of sex and they nailed their bodies to the wall of Beth Shan of which this is a modern picture of it’s ruins. Do you know where Beth Shan was? Just a stones throw away from the very spot where Saul had been inaugurated as King. Now, just down the road from where the crowd had him crowned, his body rotted in the public eye. But some Israelites from Jabesh Gilead heard of the desecration and stole into the city, took down the bodies of the King and his sons and burned them. Then they buried the ashes of Saul and his sons.
Now, some wonder about cremation and some actual condemn it. They argue that it is disrespectful to the body, that the body should always be buried. But here in 1 Samuel 31 is the only account of cremation and it is neither pro or con. So, if you argue that cremation is wrong you are arguing about an issue in which the Scripture is silent and actually has this one incident where it is not condemned.
I think the important point here is that although the body should be treated with respect it should not be idolized for it is the spirit or the soul that lives on. Paul said in 2 Cor. 5:8- "We would rather be away from these bodies, for then we will be at home with the Lord." I once heard at a funeral a simple but good illustration of what the body is to the spirit. The preacher said that when it’s cold or you’re handling something harmful you wear gloves on your hands. The glove takes on the form of the hand, even moves like the hand. But then when it warms up or you’re done you take off the glove and the hand is still there, the real hand. Well, that’s the way it is with the spirit to the body. The body takes on the form of the individual. But when death comes, we take off the body but the real person, the spirit lives on. Since we are so accustomed and limited by the physical we have a difficult time disassociating the one who lived in the body and animated it from the physical body itself. But the body is really only a worn out garment that has been cast aside. So, whether the body is buried and decomposes in the ground or whether that process is expedited by the furnace is of little consequence. One thought: With today’s medical technology I think we have an opportunity to be good stewards of our bodies after we die. Because of organ donor programs we have the ability to allow someone else to make good use of what God gave us to use while living on this earth. And remember, the reason we no longer have any use for these physical tents, is because if you are in Christ, 1 Cor. 15:53 says: “..our perishable bodies will be transformed into heavenly bodies that will never die.” So, I don’t think it is critical what we do with the body after death.
III. GRIEF IS NECESSARY BUT NOT PERMANENT:
But, I go hurriedly on to the next principle because I think it’s important that we make some provision for grief, no matter how we take care of our loved ones physical remains. Vs:13 -“Then they took their remains (ashes) and buried them beneath the tamarisk tree at Jabesh, and they fasted for seven days.” The fasting here was a display of grief for the passing of Saul. Here’s 2 things from vs:13 I see about grief.
(1) Grief is normal. It is a healthy response to death and it needs to be expressed. Even though we believe in life after death, there is a sense of loss and it is proper
to express sorrow. Jesus stood at the tomb of his friend Lazarus and wept. 1 Thess. 4:13 says, "We don’t want you to grieve like other people who have no hope."(GW) Did you hear what Paul says? He doesn’t say don’t grieve.. But He talks about how there are two kinds of people.. Those with hope because of their belief in Jesus and heaven and those with no hope.. Who think once you die this is it. Who would grieve harder? Of course, those.."..who have no hope."
Some grief is absolutely necessary. It is important that loved ones have a time to say good-bye. I used to tell Deborah that when I died, I did not want any kind of funeral or memorial service because I would be with the Lord and better off than she was, so there was no need to have any type of maudlin "goings on." And then my father said, "Well, isn’t that great to be so spiritual... but it is also very selfish. Your loved ones need to be able to grieve, to be able to have a time when there is a finality to what has happened. Plus, there needs to be a time set aside so that friends can come and comfort the family over your passing." Then he added with a smile, “Now, I didn’t say to expect a big crowd." But what he was saying was right There needs to be that final act that helps us express our sorrow and grief. Our sorrow, especially if the person who dies is a Christian, may indeed be somewhat selfish but it is because we will miss our loved ones presence for awhile not because they are dead, for we know they are really not. And that brings me to the second thing I see in this verse.
(2) That although grief is natural and important, there is a time to return to the mainstream of life. There is a prolonged sorrow that is unhealthy. A preacher friend of mine tells of a grandmother who grieved for years over the death of her grandson. Her grandchild’s favorite song was "Majesty.” Several years after the death when the Church had a choral presentation and purchased books that contained that song the grandmother actually went in and ripped that page out of every book so they wouldn’t sing it. That is a sorrow that is not normal. It insists on focusing on the past and refuses to look to the future and it resents anyone who enjoys life. We need to acknowledge that there should be a time of grief but that God intends for us to live and enjoy life again. Ecc. 3:4 says, "There is a time for everything, a season for every activity under heaven. A time to be born and a time to die A time to plant and a time to harvest. A time to kill and a time to heal. A time to tear down and a time to rebuild. A time to cry and a time to laugh. A time to grieve and a time to dance." It may take a long time to overcome your sorrow and certainly that memory is never erased, but God intends for you to adjust and look to the future.
Charles Swindoll tells of a woman who went to her husbands grave for years after he died and talked to the plot where her mate had been buried. Finally, through her
Christian friends patience and counsel she realized that her husband wasn’t really in that ground, he was with the Lord. With the Lord’s help she made up her mind to be among the living. And she gave herself to a cemetery ministry. Once a week she would go to gravesites and look for other people who were talking to tombstones. And she would comfort them and talk to them about the Lord of life and the King that has defeated death.
IV. HOPE IS REASONABLE BECAUSE OF JESUS:
But no discourse on dying would be complete without this last principle. And that is: Hope in life after death is reasonable because of Jesus Christ.
Saul’s death was the final step in David’s ascent to the throne. And it is interesting to note all the analogies between Saul’s death and the death of Jesus Christ. Let me name five:
1) Saul’s death appeared to be the end of all national hope for Israel. Jesus death appeared to be the end of all spiritual hope for Mankind.
2) When Saul died it seemed that Israel’s adversary, the Philistine’s, had won the final victory. When Jesus died it seemed our adversary, Satan, had won the final victory.
3) Saul’s death paved a way for an entirely new plan of operation: David.
Jesus’s death paved a way for an entirely new plan of Operation: Salvation.
4) Saul’s death opened the throne room to David the new King.
Jesus’s death opened the throne room to all believers who can now live with the King.
5) Saul’s death ended an era of dissatisfaction and failure.
Jesus’s death ended an era of law and harshness and turned it into forgiveness & grace & because of His death and resurrection we can now have hope for eternal life.
You see, where Saul’s death brought a life to an ignoble death, Jesus’ death brought hope for all life!
Bill and Gloria Gaither have written many wonderful Christian songs. One that Gloria wrote in the late 1960’s came while she was expecting a child. The couple was going through some terrible problems. Bill had been seriously sick, their music had been attacked as not being spiritual. On new years eve night, Gloria sat in a dark room experiencing a time of torment and fear. She said, “I sat alone in the darkness thinking about the rebellious world and all of our problems - and about our baby yet unborn. Who in their right mind would bring a child into a world like this?” She was at the height of her fear and then something happened. She said, “I can’t quite explain what happened in that next moment, but suddenly I felt released from it all. The panic hat had begun to build inside was gently dispelled by a reassuring presence and a soft voice that kept saying, ‘Don’t forget the empty tomb, don’t forget the empty tomb.’ Then I knew I could have that baby and face the future with optimism and trust for I had been reminded that it was all worth it just because He lives.”And she wrote: “How sweet to hold a newborn baby, and feel the pride and joy he gives; but greater still the calm assurance, this child can face uncertain days because He lives. Because He lives I can face tomorrow, because He lives all fear is gone, because I know He holds the future. And life is worth the living just because He lives.”
I’ve said this before but I’ll continue to repeat it. It is not going to matter in 100 years how well you did in your job, how much money you made or even how good a person you were. All that’s going to matter is "Did you know the Lord?" If your life right now seems like a hopeless end it can become an endless hope if you’ll only submit yourself to Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. Let me ask you the most important question you’ll ever be asked, "What happens to you when you die? Where are you going to spend eternity?" What epitaph would God write on your tombstone at the end of your life? Will it be like Saul’s -"He lived a foolish life and erred greatly?" -or- Will it say, "You lived in Christ and now it’s all worth it, just because He lives."
