“Now when the inhabitants of
Jabesh-gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul, all the valiant men
rose and walked all night, and took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons
from the wall of Beth-shan, and they came to Jabesh and burned them there. They
took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree at Jabesh, and fasted
seven days.” (vv.11-13)
Back in chapter 11, right after Saul
was made king, Nahash the Ammonite threatened to wage war against the men of
Jabesh-gilead (v.1). Saul being moved with compassion, rallied 330,00 men of
Israel and came to their aide (v.8). Saul marched all night to rescue the
inhabitants (v.9) and the men of Jabesh-gilead never forgot it.
Now here in
chapter 31 (40 years later) after Saul had been killed in battle, decapitated
the next day, his head displayed as a trophy, his armor placed in the temple of
Ashtoreths, and his naked body nailed to the wall of Beth Shan (v.9-10), the
people of Jabesh returned the favor and rescued Saul’s body from public
humiliation (v.12). Showing mercy no other nation dared to accomplish.
This
reminds us of the compassion of our Lord who was; striped, mocked, whipped,
beaten, nailed to a cross, and publicly humiliated for us. Just as the men of
Jabesh-gilead remembered how Saul had rescued them and showed them mercy, so we
should remember how our Lord rescued us and showed His mercy towards us.
The Truth
“Blessed
are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy” (Matther 5:7)
