Mountains of Gilboa,
2 Samuel 1:21
may you have neither dew nor rain,
may no showers fall on your terraced fields.
For there the shield of the mighty was despised,
the shield of Saul—no longer rubbed with oil.
The Philistines were gathering for battle. Saul mustered his forces to meet the threat. They gathered near the spring of Jezreel at the foot of Mount Gilboa. The evening before the battle, Saul was scared. God had abandoned him, and he was seeking guidance. Sneaking across the valley, over Mount Moreh to the north, he found a medium at En Dor, and asked to summon the late prophet Samuel. Surprisingly, Samuel appeared and informed Saul of his impending demise the following day. As predicted, Saul and his sons were struck down in battle on the slopes of Mount Gilboa. Thus ended the reign of the first king of Israel.
Standing on Mount Gilboa, I was reminded of Saul. He became king with such promise. Yet he blew it. While not apostate like later kings, he didn’t serve God fully. It’s a tragic story. Saul served himself first, then God.
Let the life and death of Saul remind us who the true King is.
