Today I read 1 Samuel 31, about Israelites killed at Gilboa and the death of Saul and his sons. Today I considered that even if the leader is gone, brave men will sometimes step up to do what they can.
Valiant Men Still Alive
The enemy won the battle but brave men from Israel survived (1 Samuel 31:1-13). The Philistines won the battle with Israel fleeing. The Philistines chased and killed Saul’s sons. An archer wounded Saul. Saul tried to killed himself instead of being killed or captured. Israelite men saw warriors fleeing and fled the cities. The Philistines cut off Saul’s head and hung his body on the wall of Bethshan. Jabesh-gilead’s valiant men took Saul and his son’s bodies from the wall at night, burned them, buried the bones, and fasted seven days.
Questions and Thoughts for Today
The battle was lost, but brave men still existed in the country. They were brave enough to sneak into the Philistines location and take Saul and Saul’s sons’ bodies. These men worked without their leader and would probably be brave enough to follow another leader into battle.
Have you or someone you know had to be brave to complete things even when they had no leader around?