Philistines kill Saul’s three sons                          verse 1- 3 

Now the Philistines fought against Israel

and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines

      and fell down slain in mount Gilboa

And the Philistines followed hard on Saul and on his sons

and the Philistines slew Jonathan

Abinadab – Melchishua Saul’s sons

And the battle went sore against Saul – and the archers hit him

and he was sore wounded of the archers 

Saul dies                                                               verse 4- 6 

Then said Saul to his armor bearer

Draw your sword – and thrust me through therewith

      lest these uncircumcised come

and thrust me through

and abuse me

But the armor-bearer would not

            for he was sore afraid

Therefore Saul took a sword – and fell on it

            and when his armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead

                        he fell likewise upon his sword

and died with him

So Saul died – and his three sons – and his armor-bearer

and all his men that same day together 

Residents of valley flee                                         verse 7 

And when the men of Israel that were on the other side of the valley

and they that were on the other side Jordan

      saw that the men of Israel fled

                  and that Saul and his sons were dead

they forsook the cities – and fled

And the Philistines came and dwelt in them 

Philistines take head and armor of Saul              verse 8- 10 

And it came to pass on the morrow

when the Philistines came to strip the slain

      that they found Saul and his three sons

fallen in mount Gilboa

            and they cut off his head – and stripped off his armor

                        and sent into the land of the Philistines round about

                                    to publish it in the house of their idols

                                                and among the people

            and they put his armor in the house of Ashtaroth

                        and they fastened his body to the wall of Beth-shan 

People of Jabesh-gilead retrieve Saul’s body      verse 11- 13 

And when the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead heard of that which

the Philistines had done to Saul

All the valiant men arose – and went all night

            and took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons

from the wall of Beth-shan

                                    and came to Jabesh – and burnt them there

And they took their bones – and buried them under a tree of Jabesh

            and fasted seven days 

COMMENTARY:          

DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers           

: 2        And the Philistines followed hard on Saul and on his sons; and the Philistines slew Jonathan, and Abinadab, and Melchi-shua, Saul’s sons. (1692 “followed hard” [dabaq] means cleave, stick, keep fast, to pursue closely, to overtake, or keep close)

DEVOTION:  Samuel had told Saul that he would be joining him with his sons the next day. Samuel was in Abraham’s bosom waiting for the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. There was another place for those who were not followers of the LORD which was a place of torment. This place will be emptied in the future.

The Philistines killed Saul and his sons and took their bodies as trophies of their victory. They took them to the house of their false gods who they gave credit to for the victory.

They didn’t realize that it was the judgment of God that allowed them to have the victory. The children of Israel were not honoring the LORD especially Saul when he killed the priest that helped David when they didn’t know that he was running from Saul.

Now the nation of Israel was without a king. David had been anointed king earlier but he was not on the throne. That will happen in the future. God is working HIS plan for Israel. Sometimes HE works slower than others.

David had to learn some lessons while he was running from Saul. It seemed to be learning. He would never be sinless but he could sin less because of the lessons he had learned.

Are we learning our lessons well? Saul didn’t seem to understand what he was supposed to be learning and he had to be replaced as king of Israel. David was learning lessons and hopefully he would make a better king than Saul.

CHALLLENGE:  What are you learning from the book of I Samuel? 

DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers 

: 4        Then said Saul to his armor bearer, Draw your sword, and thrust me through therewith, lest these uncircumcised come and thrust me through, and abuse me. But his armor bearer would not; for he was sore afraid. Therefore Saul took a sword, and fell on it. (5953 “abuse” [‘alal] means deal severely with, to take harsh action with respect to someone or something, inflict, deal harshly, take part in evil, or deal ruthlessly)

DEVOTION: Saul went into battle knowing that the LORD was going to allow him to die. He thought he could go to battle and win. He was on the battlefield against the Philistines.

He was wounded and wanted his servant or armor bearer to kill him before the Philistines could come and abuse him but his armor bearer couldn’t do it. He was afraid but we don’t know what he was afraid of. He might have thought that because Saul was anointed by God to be king that HE would do something to him.

So we find that Saul didn’t want the Philistines to mistreat him by abusing him before he died. He wanted to die quickly rather than allow them to do this to him.

Sometimes we find ourselves in a similar situation when we would rather die than to go through something that we consider worst like having to go through public disgrace or spend time dealing with courts.

Most of us would like the easy way out of a bad situation. We are not individuals who want to face ALL the consequences of our sins. My mother said she wanted to be in the ladies room when it was time for her to stand before the LORD on judgment day.

It seems that we like the easy way out of situations we get ourselves involved in. This is not always going to happen.

The LORD knows what the best way is to deal with us here on earth to help us live a life that is pleasing to HIM. Sometimes this involves hard times. But it is always for our good if it is coming from the LORD.

CHALLENGE: Be prepared to face some hard times while you are here on this earth. The LORD wants us to be “cleaned” vessels for HIM.

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: 7        And when the men of Israel that were on the other side of the valley, and they that were on the other side Jordan, saw that the men of Israel fled, and that Saul and his sons were dead, they forsook the cities, and fled and the Philistines came and dwelt in them. (5800 “forsook” [‘azab] means to leave, to leave behind, let go, give up, abandon, to forsake, neglect, or apostiatise)

DEVOTION:  In battles during this time period victory not only meant that they could take the spoils of the battle but the land was also part of the victory. The children of Israel were supposed to take all of the Promised Land from the inhabitants when they first moved into the land but they settled for only a part of the land and let the people live who dwelt in the land. This came back on them throughout their history because they were not totally obedient to the LORD’S commands.

Now the Philistines were living in the cities that the children of Israel were supposed to be living in if they had been faithful to the LORD. HE didn’t give them victory as they went to battle without asking HIM for HIS help. HIS judgment was their loss to the Philistines. HE had to teach them over and over again that they needed to come to HIM before each battle and ask HIM for guidance regarding how to win a victory.

Are we going to battle without asking the LORD for guidance? We are supposed to learn lessons from the Old Testament concerning how God works in our world. Too often most Christians don’t know their Bible well enough to learn what they need to learn. Too often even during church times there is not the proper instruction in the Word of God to help people live the Christian life with victory. There is no easy way to victory without spending time with the LORD.

How much time have we spent in the Word of God this past week? More time than we watched television? More time than we spent on our computer? More time than we spent texting people?

CHALLENGE: HE wants us to spend quality time with HIM each day.

DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers

: 12      All the valiant men arose, and went all night, and took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Bethshan, and came to Jabesh, and burnt them there. (2428 “valiant” [chayil] means a force, noble character, qualified, virtue, display valor, strength, host, might, riches, or worthy)

DEVOTION:  The end of the life of Saul and his three sons is recorded here in this chapter. The Philistines were too powerful for Saul. He had no help from the LORD. The battle caused the death of Saul’s three sons. He saw the Philistines coming and was wounded by an arrow. He wanted his armor-bearer to kill him but he refused. Then Saul fell on his own sword. The armor-bearer thought he was dead and fell on his sword too.

The Philistines came upon the body of Saul and took his head and his armor. His armor was set up in the house of their false god, Ashtaroth. His body was fastened to the wall of Beth-shan.

The men of Jabesh-gilead heard what they had done and went by night to take the bodies and burnt them and bury them. It was a dangerous mission. When they were done they fasted seven days before the LORD.

Here was a group of men who took their lives in their hands to take the body of Saul and his sons and bury them properly. They still honored Saul in his death.

We are in a battle. We are told to put on the armor of God each day. The enemy is real. The victory is assured but that doesn’t mean that there will not be injuries. We need the strength of the LORD. If we are out of tune with the LORD, we need to correct it. Saul didn’t correct it.

We are fighting a battle against the world, the flesh and the devil daily. Are we going to be men and women who are worthy of the LORD? Christ was willing to leave heaven and come to this earth to die on the cross for our sins. This was the greatest sacrifice of all time. Let us move forward for the LORD.

CHALLENGE: Even those that are leaders and out of fellowship with the LORD need to be respected and given a challenge for reconciliation with the LORD. The children of Israel respected Saul even in his loss. Remember our ministry is one of encouragement.

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: 13      And they took their bones, and buried them under a tree at Jabesh, and fasted seven days. (6684 “fasted” [tsoom] means abstain from food, voluntary act of not eating or drinking, or to cover over the mouth.)

DEVOTION:  The valiant men of Jabesh-gilead, went to the false gods house and took the bodies of Saul and his sons back with them out of the land of the Philistines. They burned the bodies and took the bones and buried them under a special tree in Jabesh.

After they had dealt with the bodies, they mourned the dead of Saul by abstaining from food and drink for seven days. They respected Saul because he came to save them as the first battle of his kingship. They were attacked by the Ammonites and were told to surrender unless they could find someone to help them. Saul brought an army and defeated the Ammonites for his first victory as king.

Remembering those who have helped us in the past is a good thing. Too often we are like the rest of the world and say “what have you done for me lately.” We have short term memory most of the time regarding those who are around us.

Believers should be different from the rest of the world. We should remember those who have helped us and pray for them regularly. If we know that they need help we should be there to help them. If they have gone to be with the LORD, we need to attend their funeral to encourage the family. Tell them the good memories you had with them.

Death is real. Those who know the LORD in a genuine way are in a better place after they die. Those who don’t know the LORD are not in a better place. If someone has helped you in the past that doesn’t know the LORD you should be praying and witnessing to them on a regular basis. They are in your life for a reason and that might be for you to guide them into a personal relationship with the LORD.

CHALLENGE: Remember those who have helped you in the past. Encourage them with a note or letter or phone call if they are far away. Visit them if they are close.

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DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:

BODY

Chastity (Purity in living)

Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking) 

Men of Jabesh fasted seven days                             verse 13 

Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)

Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)

Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone) 

SOUL 

Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)

Frugality (wise use of resources)

Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)

Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)

Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God) 

SPIRIT

Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)

Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)

Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)

Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)

Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)

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DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:

Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)

God the Father (First person of the Godhead)

God the Son (Second person of the Godhead –God/man, Messiah)

God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)

Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)    

Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)

Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation) 

Philistines                                                                   verse 1- 11

            Took over cities Israelites fled

            Publish in the house of their idols

            Put armor of Saul and sons in house

                        Of Ashtaroth

            Put bodies of Saul and sons on wall of

                        Beth-shan

            Burnt bodies in Jabesh

Uncircumcised                                                           verse 4 

Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels) 

Afraid                                                                         verse 4

Idols                                                                            verse 9

False god: Ashtaroth                                                verse 10 

Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins) 

Valiant men                                                               verse 12

Fasted                                                                         verse 13 

Israel (Old Testament people of God) 

Israel                                                                           verse 1

Men of Israel fled                                                    verse 1, 7

Forsook the cities      

Mount Gilboa                                                            verse 1

Saul                                                                             verse 2-

            Philistines followed hard on

            Archers hit him – sore wounded

            Fell on his sword

Sons of Saul                                                               verse 2, 7-9

Jonathan

Abinadab

Melchi-shus

Heads cut off by Philistines

                        Armorbearer of Saul                                                            verse 4

                                    Would not kill Saul

                                    Afraid

                                    Fell on his sword                                          

Inhabitnats of Jabesh-gilead got

Saul’s body and the bodies of his sons        verse 11- 13

Valiant men arose at night

Took from wall of Beth-shan

Buried bones under a tree at Jabesh

Fasted seven day 

Church (New Testament people of God)

Last Things (Future Events) 

Philistines killed Saul and his sons                          verse 2, 7

            Saul

            Jonathan

            Abinadab

            Melchishua

Saul’s armorbearer died                                          verse 5- 

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DONATIONS:

Remember that all donations to Small Church Ministries are greatly appreciated. The treasurer will send a receipt, at the end of the year unless otherwise requested. Please be sure to make check out to “Small Church Ministries.” The address for the treasurer is P.O. Box 604, East Amherst, New York 14051. A second way to give to the ministry is through PayPal on the website: www.smallchurchministries.org  Also if you can support this ministry through your local church please use that method.  Thank you.

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QUOTES regarding passage

8–13 The following day (v.8) the Philistines come back to the battlefield to “strip the dead”; on a later occasion David’s men would return the favor (2 Sam 23:9–10). Brueggemann (First and Second Samuel, p. 208) suggests that the Philistines might have been able to identify Saul’s body “not only by his height but by his special armor (17:38).” As David had earlier cut off the head of the Philistines’ champion (see 17:51 and comment), they now cut off the head of Israel’s king (v.9), soon to put it on display in the temple of Dagon as a trophy of war (1 Chronicles 10:10; see comment on 5:4). They also strip Saul of his armor, soon to display it in the temple of their goddesses (v.10; for “Ashtoreths” meaning “goddesses” see comment on 7:3–4; cf. also “gods” in the parallel passage in 1 Chronicles 10:10, in this case probably meaning “goddesses,” for which Heb. had no specific word). Messengers are sent to “proclaim the news” of the resounding victory and its aftermath—good news, but only from the Philistine standpoint (see 4:17 and comment; cf. 2 Sam 1:20; 4:10).

The report is to be broadcast throughout Philistia but especially “in the temple of their idols” (v.9). Whether the various temples mentioned in vv.9–10 and in the parallel texts in 1 Chronicles are different designations for the same building or refer to more than one building is impossible to say (although at least two buildings seem intended). It is indeed ironic, however, that a book that begins at the “house/temple of the Lord at Shiloh” (1:24; cf. 1:9; see also comment on 1:7) ends at the “house/temple” of one or more pagan deities. With respect to archaeological excavations at Beth Shan, T.C. Mitchell comments: “In level V (c. 11th century) two temples were uncovered, one (the S) dedicated to the god Resheph and the other to the goddess Antit, and [A.] Rowe [field director of the excavations from 1925–28] has suggested that these are the temples of Dagon and Ashteroth in which Saul’s head and armour were displayed by the Philistines” (“Bethshean, Bethshan,” NBD, 2d ed. [Wheaton: Tyndale House, 1982], p. 136; for a brief description of the excavation results, cf. G.M. FitzGerald, “Beth-shean,” Archaeology and Old Testament Study ed. D. Winton Thomas [Oxford: Clarendon, 1967], pp. 193–96).

As for the mutilated bodies of Saul and his sons (Saul’s suicide did not in fact prevent his body from being abused, v.4), the Philistines fasten them to Beth Shan’s wall (vv.10, 12, probably to the face of it; for a parallel cf. the following from a stela of Amenhotep II in the temple of Amada in Nubia: “Six men of these enemies were hanged on the face of the wall of Thebes.… Then the other foe was … hanged to the wall of Napata, to show his majesty’s victories” [John A. Wilson, ANET, p. 248]). Beth Shan is modern Tell el-Husn, an impressive and picturesque mound of ruins fifteen miles south-southwest of the Sea of Galilee at the junction of the Jezreel and Jordan valleys. The name of the ancient city is preserved in that of the nearby town of Beisan. (Youngblood, R. F. (1992). 1, 2 Samuel. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 & 2 Samuel (Vol. 3, pp. 799–800). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.)

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31:7–10. When the Israelites learned that their king was dead, they abandoned their cities and took to the wilderness. The Philistines eventually came on the bodies of Saul and his three sons, decapitated the king, displayed his armor in the temple of the goddess Ashtoreth (cf. comments on 7:3–4), and impaled his body on the city wall of Beth Shan, a prominent town on the eastern slopes of Mount Gilboa overlooking the Jordan Valley. (Merrill, E. H. (1985). 1 Samuel. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, p. 455). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)

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Saul lost his honor (1 Sam. 31:8–10; 1 Chron. 10:8–10). Humiliating the prisoners and the dying and stripping the dead were the chief activities of a victorious army, for the spoils of battle were a big part of their wages for risking their lives. The Philistines took great joy in abusing Saul’s body. They stripped off his armor and cut off his head, and after parading both from place to place in their land (1 Chron. 10:9), they displayed them in their temples. The armor was put in the temple of their goddess Ashtareth, and the head in the temple of Dagon. Finally, they publicly displayed the mutilated corpses of Saul and his sons on the outside of the city wall of Bethshan, a Philistine controlled city in the Jezreel Valley. For a Jew not to receive proper burial was both humiliating and sacrilegious, and for the body to be mutilated and then exposed was even more scandalous. The Philistines were letting their people and their idols know that they had won a great victory over their chief enemy, the people of Israel. Dagon had triumphed over Jehovah! (Wiersbe, W. W. (2001). Be successful (pp. 160–161). Colorado Springs, CO: Victor/Cook Communications.)

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With their leaders gone and the army in full flight, the Israelites abandon their cities and flee, allowing the Philistines to take full control of the whole region (31:7–13). The next day the Philistines cut off Saul’s head as David had done to Goliath (cf. 17:51). Word of the Philistines’ triumph is announced in their temples, giving glory to their gods. Just as David had placed Goliath’s sword in the tabernacle as a trophy of victory (21:9), so Saul’s armor is placed in the temple of the Ashtoreths. Saul’s body is hung on the wall of the public square of Beth-shan. (Wolf, H. M. (1995). 1-2 Samuel. In Evangelical Commentary on the Bible (Vol. 3, p. 212). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House)

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Ver. 9. And they cut off his head, &c.] And fastened it in the temple of Dagon, 1 Chron. 10:10. perhaps that which was at Ashdod, one of the principalities of the Philistines, ch. 5:1, 2. and stripped off his armour; or vessels, his clothes as well as his armour, and what he had about him; as for his crown on his head, and the bracelet on his arm, the Amalekite took them before the Philistines came, 2 Sam. 1:10. and sent into the land of the Philistines round about: not his head and his armour, for they were placed in the temple of their idols; unless we can suppose these were first carried about for show, and as proofs of the victory: but rather messengers, who were sent express with the news, to publish it in the house of their idols, and among the people; that so they might be glad and rejoice, and give praise to their idols, to whom they ascribed the success they had. (Gill, J. (1810). An Exposition of the Old Testament (Vol. 2, p. 563). London: Mathews and Leigh.)

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FROM MY READING: 

(Remember the only author that I totally agree with is the HOLY SPIRIT in the inerrant WORD OF GOD called THE BIBLE! All other I try to gleam what I can to help me grow in the LORD!!) 

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Luke 4

Jesus is led into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit and tempted by Satan.

INSIGHT

When Satan tempts Jesus, he offers Him things which God has already promised to give to Jesus. The things are not wrong in and of themselves, but they are not in God’s time or in God’s way. Each time Jesus rebuffs Satan, He does so with Scripture. Each time Satan offers Jesus something, Jesus’ reply is, “No, because it is written . . .” To be victorious, we must know Scripture well enough to use it in our spiritual warfare, to see through the tricks of Satan.  (Quiet Walk)

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GOD’S PEOPLE

And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them.
John 17:10
Why are Christian people not of the world? It is because they are God’s people. “I have manifested thy name”—to whom?—“unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me” (John 17:6). That is the answer. That is the first and indeed the ultimate explanation, the one that includes all the others.
The importance of this doctrine can be seen at a glance in John17. Whenever our Lord repeats a thing, we can be quite sure that He regards it as absolutely vital. We are familiar with the fact that whenever He introduces a statement by saying, “Verily, verily” we ought to pay unusual attention to it. So if He repeats a statement frequently in a short space, we can be equally certain that it is something that we should lay hold of very firmly.
Now you notice how He repeats this thought in John 17:6-19. We have noted it in verse 6, but we have it again in verse 9: “I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine.” In verse 10 He says, “And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them,” and then again in verse 11, “And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are.”
Finally, in verse 12 He says, “While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled.” Nothing, then, ought to establish in our minds the all-importance of this doctrine and teaching more than that.
A Thought to Ponder: Why are Christian people not of the world? It is because they are God’s people. (From Safe in the World, pp. 33-34, by Dr. Marthyn Lloyd-Jones)

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There Is a Fountain
“And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.” (Revelation 21:6)
Christian hymns were often written as deeply moving poems and later added to music. We dare not exegete hymns to discover spiritual truth, but we can use them as spiritual aids to help focus our scriptural study. One such old-time poem is the favorite “There Is a Fountain” sung in churches today. Its five verses can inspire Christians. Verse one reads:

There is a fountain filled with blood
Drawn from Emmanuel’s veins;
And sinners plunged beneath that flood
Lose all their guilty stains.

Before Jesus came, His unique birth was foretold by an angel and prophesied in Isaiah 7:14: “Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Emmanuel,” meaning “God with us” (Matthew 1:23). He referred to Himself as “a well of water” (John 4:14) available to all.
The true understanding of the communion table, couched in the symbolic, precious words of Scripture (and our hymn), undergirds a lasting memorial to the work of Christ. “This cup is the new testament [i.e., covenant] in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance [i.e., a memorial] of me” (1 Corinthians 11:25).
The blood that was shed applies to believers, blessedly taking away our sin, for “the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin” (1 John 1:7). “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool” (Isaiah 1:18). A blessed truth indeed!    (JDM, by The Institute for Creation Research)

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In our values-oriented society, the individual replaced God as the judge of what was moral, and the strength of objective virtue gave way to the weakness of subjective value. ….

In the Christian world, that standard of right is the Bible. The more unfamiliar with the Bible we become, the more unfamiliar with virtue we become. All we have left are values that change with the wind. (p. 125, Taking Back the Good Book by Woodrow Kroll)

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In a time of increasing biblical illiteracy, the pastor must lay new claim to the Scriptures and preach them with more depth, conviction and excellence than ever before. (p. 90, Preaching in an age of DISTRACTION by J. Ellsworth Kalas)

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Saul’s tragic life and death can teach us many practical lessons: (1) great sins often begin as “little matters”—impatience, incomplete obedience, excuse-making; (2) once sin gets hold of people, they go from bad to worse; (3) if we are not right with God, we will not get along with God’s people; (4) excuses are no substitute for confessions; (5) natural gifts and abilities mean nothing without the power of God; and (6) there is no substitute for obedience.  (Wiersbe, W. W. (1993). Wiersbe’s Expository Outlines on the Old Testament (1 Sa 31). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)

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Fasting is depriving the body of nourishment as a sign that one is experiencing great sorrow. Mourning is further expressed in weeping and lamentation and in putting on sackcloth and ashes (Est 4:3). He who fasts claims to afflict himself or his soul, i.e. his inner person. One could fast in behalf of another, e.g., the Psalmist for his enemies during their illness (Ps 35:13). The fast most often lasted from sunrise until sunset (cf. II Sam 1:12), and it could be total or partial abstinence (Ps 35:13; Dan 10:3). Fasting accompanied mourning for the dead, and for severe grief it lasted seven days (I Sam 31:13). One also fasted to gain the attention of God on behalf of his suffering in sickness. David’s illegitimate son by Bathsheba was critically ill; therefore, David fasted and mourned many days (II Sam 12:16ff.). On the seventh day David learned that the child had died; then he arose, washed, anointed himself and changed his clothing, for he perceived that he could accomplish nothing now that the child was dead (II Sam 12:20–23).

Another occasion for fasting was making a critical decision or following an ominous course of action. Esther, intending to seek the king’s favor in reversing the decree of Haman, placed herself under the king’s mercy and possible wrath which could end in her death. Therefore, she requested that all the Jews fast and entreat God for her mission (Est 4:16). Nehemiah fasted upon learning of the sorrowful condition of Jerusalem (Neh 1:4), and then proceeded to work to correct the situation. Apparently before a person was stoned for blasphemy, the people mourned the sin and coming execution with fasting. Jezebel proclaimed such a fast for Naboth (I Kgs 21:9, 12). Also, upon learning of one’s sin, fasting is in order. When Elijah condemned Ahab for Naboth’s death, he mourned in sackcloth and fasted. God had mercy on him and delayed the punishment on his house (I Kgs 21:27ff.).

An individual could intercede in supplication and fasting for an entire nation. Daniel confessed his sin and his people’s sins that had led them into captivity (Dan 9:3–19). Gabriel answered his prayer, assured him of the ending of the captivity and promised the establishing of a new covenant (Dan 9:22–27).

National fasting was called during times of extreme crisis, such as a plague, a military threat or the death of a king. Jehoshaphat proclaimed a fast because the kings of Moab and Ammon were planning a campaign against Judah. The people assembled at Jerusalem. Jehoshaphat led the assembly in prayer. Then Jahaziel, a Levite, under the inspiration of the Lord’s Spirit, proclaimed an assurance of salvation. Prayer and enthusiastic praising followed. Afterwards Jehoshaphat led the army to war, but Yahweh had already discomfited the enemies; the army had only to collect the spoil (II Chr 20:1–29). In 604 when the Babylonian army was camped against Ashkelon, about a three-day march from Jerusalem, King Jehoiakim proclaimed a fast. Jer used this occasion to have Baruch read his prophecies from a scroll before the people near the New Gate of the temple (Jer 36:1–10). Jer wanted the people to move from an outward show of contrition to true repentance. On another occasion, Joel forsaw the coming of the Day of Yahweh; therefore, he exhorted the people to sanctify a fast and call a solemn assembly (Joel 1:14; 2:15). He proclaimed that if the people would truly repent in mourning and fasting, then God would be gracious and postpone the Day of JAudgment (Joel 2:12–14). The case of Nineveh shows God’s desire to extend mercy and not judgment. On hearing the proclamation of judgment by Jonah, the Ninevites proclaimed a fast and repented. Thereby they averted for a time the day of judgment (Jon 3:5–10).

Certain days in the calendar were for national fasting, the most prominent being the Day of Atonement (Lev 16:29, 31; 23:27–32; fasting is indicated in the phrase “afflict oneself,” ʿnhnpš). The number of these days appears to have grown in the post-exilic period. Zech 8:19 lists four fast days during the year. A fast day precedes the celebration of Purim (Est 9:31). By the time of the nt the pious fasted on Monday and Thursday of every week (cf. Lk 18:12).

Fasting in itself did not cause Yahweh to turn to his people. He did not succumb merely to the afflictions of the body. A true fast had to indicate that the people were intent on seeking righteousness, which included taking care of the poor and needy (Isa 58; cf. Jer 14:12; Zech 7:5). However, when the Lord brings final salvation to his people, the months of fast will be turned into feasts of joy and gladness (Zech 8:19). (Hartley, J. E. (1999). 1890 צוּם. (R. L. Harris, G. L. Archer Jr., & B. K. Waltke, Eds.)Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament. Chicago: Moody Press.)

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