Sermon Tone Analysis
Overall tone of the sermon
This automated analysis scores the text on the likely presence of emotional, language, and social tones. There are no right or wrong scores; this is just an indication of tones readers or listeners may pick up from the text.
A score of 0.5 or higher indicates the tone is likely present.
Emotion Tone
Anger
0.12UNLIKELY
Disgust
0.11UNLIKELY
Fear
0.13UNLIKELY
Joy
0.54LIKELY
Sadness
0.56LIKELY
Language Tone
Analytical
0.57LIKELY
Confident
0UNLIKELY
Tentative
0.29UNLIKELY
Social Tone
Openness
0.87LIKELY
Conscientiousness
0.8LIKELY
Extraversion
0.13UNLIKELY
Agreeableness
0.27UNLIKELY
Emotional Range
0.77LIKELY
Tone of specific sentences
Tones
Emotion
Language
Social Tendencies
Anger
< .5
.5 - .6
.6 - .7
.7 - .8
.8 - .9
> .9
Introduction:
Last week we completed chapters 29 & 30 in which David and his 600 men were sent away from the battle with the Israelites and back to Ziklag by King Achish.
They discovered that Ziklag had been burned and their wives and children taken away as captives by the Amalekites.
So, David sought the Lord and went after them.
It was a successful campaign and they returned to Ziklag with all that the Amalekites had taken, losing none, but gaining also the spoil of the Amalekites.
Meanwhile, the Philistines were still marching against Saul and the Israelites.
----
Saul was no military light-weight.
In fact, Saul’s very impressive military record is summarized in .
Saul was, at one time, a conquering general and a national hero.
He was tremendously successful to begin with … and the people even sang of the thousands he had slain.
He began his career as a great success and the people sang, “Saul has slain his thousands.”
It was when he took it upon himself to offer a burnt offering and then failed to obey the command of the Lord by destroying the Amalekites that Saul started going downhill.
And then David, a man after God’s own heart, came on the scene.
And Saul’s envy of David’s success turned into an obsessive and paranoid desire to kill David.
When David came on the scene, Saul’s envy of the young man’s success so obsessed him that the king became paranoid and dangerous.
Saul had many good qualities, but the necessary qualities of humble, obedient faith in God were not among them.
Because of his pride and disobedience, his persistence in sin and refusal to repent, Saul lost everything.
And in our chapter today, the word of Samuel from chapter 28 comes to fruition:
1 Samuel
So, the battle at Mount Gilboa that we are studying tonight in chapter 31, results in a complete Philistine victory.
David’s best friend Jonathan, along with two of Saul’s other sons, is killed in this battle.
Saul himself is critically wounded in the battle, but not killed.
And rather than be captured and made the object of ridicule, Saul falls on his sword.
Without a leader, the Israelites abandon entire towns in their desperate rush to escape.
When Saul’s body is found, the Philistines take his head and nail his body to a wall at Beth Shean.
But in an incredible act of heroism, men from Jabesh Gilead recover the bodies of Saul and his sons, burn them, and bury their bones in a safe place.
So,Israel’s first king, chosen to meet the desires of a people who wanted a human king like all the other nations, has failed and by his disobedience to God led them to a crushing defeat.
But God has His chosen man David, trained in the wilderness and having a heart after God’s own.
King David is now on his way to the throne of Israel.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, guide us in the study of Your Word tonight.
Open our hearts and minds by the power of Your Holy Spirit, that as the Scriptures are read and Your Word is proclaimed, we may hear with joy what You say to us.
V1
V1
In the beginning of Saul’s reign, the Philistines had fought against Israel.
And now Saul’s reign will end in battle against the Philistines.
As we see looking back at chapter 9 and verse 16, Saul’s divine commission had been to save Israel from the, “Hand of the Philistines.”
Ironically Saul and his sons die at the hands of the Philistines.
but ironically he dies at their hand
---
Saul’s soldiers were no match for the Philistine army with its large divisions and its many chariots.
Some of the men deserted and many others died on the battlefield.
The Philistines preferred to fight on level ground because they depended on their chariots, while Israel tried to lure them into the hill country around Mount Gilboa.
Israel was outnumbered and outclassed, but even if they had boasted superior forces, they still would have been defeated.
Saul’s hour of judgment had come.
Without Samuel’s prayers and David’s anointed leadership, the army of Israel was destined for defeat.
Saul’s soldiers were no match for the Philistine army with its large divisions and its many chariots.
Some of the men deserted and many others died on the battlefield.
The Philistines preferred to fight on level ground because they depended on their chariots, while Israel tried to lure them into the hill country around Mount Gilboa.
Israel was outnumbered and outclassed, but even if they had boasted superior forces, they still would have been defeated.
Saul’s hour of judgment had come.
Without Samuel’s prayers and David’s anointed leadership, the army of Israel was destined for defeat.
Saul’s soldiers were no match for the Philistine army.
Some deserted and many others died on the battlefield.
Saul’s strategy in positioning Israel’s army on Mt.
Gilboa was not just to give them visibility of what the Philistines were doing.
The Philistines were dependent on their chariots, which could not function well in the hill country, so their preference was level ground.
But also, Israel was outnumbered … the Philistine army was massive.
It has been known for many years that when at a disadvantage it is best to fight from an elevated position.
In fact, Sun Tzu’s The Art of War gives 2 reasons that fighting from an elevated position is easier.
First, holding high ground offers better surveillance of what the enemy is doing and planning to do.
Secondly, soldiers fighting uphill will tire more quickly and will move more slowly, while soldiers fighting downhill will not tire as quickly, and have gravity at their advantage enabling them to move faster.
AND, projectiles have greater range when thrown or shot downhill while projectiles lose momentum and have less range going upwards.
Higher ground often has gullies and rocky terrain and poses significant obstacles to cavalry and obstacles.
This shows just how great a military commander Saul was.
So, it seems that Israel should have had a significant advantage over the Philistines, despite
Israel was outnumbered and outclassed, but they had better battlefield position … and their God is Almighty.
Israel was outnumbered and outclassed, but even if they had boasted superior forces, they still would have been defeated.
Saul’s hour of judgment had come.
Without Samuel’s prayers and David’s anointed leadership, the army of Israel was destined for defeat.
Yet no matter their advantages … even if they had boasted superior forces … they still would have been defeated.
That is because the LORD had spoken … and Saul’s hour of judgment had come.
v2-7
Without Samuel’s prayers and David’s anointed leadership, the army of Israel was destined for defeat.
v2-7
It’s a commendable record that presents Saul as a conquering general and a national hero.
Saul’s military record is summarized in .
It’s a commendable record that presents Saul as a conquering general and a national hero.
He began his career as a great success; after all, the people did sing, “Saul has slain his thousands.”
It was after his failure to destroy the Amalekites that Saul began to go downhill.
When David came on the scene, Saul’s envy of the young man’s success so obsessed him that the king became paranoid and dangerous.
Saul had many good qualities, but none of them was humble, obedient faith in God.
Because of his pride and disobedience, Saul lost everything.
He began his career as a great success; after all, the people did sing, “Saul has slain his thousands.”
It was after his failure to destroy the Amalekites that Saul began to go downhill.
When David came on the scene, Saul’s envy of the young man’s success so obsessed him that the king became paranoid and dangerous.
No matter the advantage of higher ground, the Philistines had the advantage of God’s judgment against Saul.
Saul had many good qualities, but none of them was humble, obedient faith in God.
Because of his pride and disobedience, Saul lost everything.
And so the armies of Israel fled before the Philistines, leaving Saul and his sons exposed.
AND as the King of Syria commanded his troops when going to war with Israel as recorded in , one of the first rules of ancient warfare was, “Kill the enemy king!”
The sons of Saul are the first named casualties here.
It seems that Saul was on the field with three of his four sons, Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchushua, were on the battle field.
Jonathan was Saul’s firstborn and he himself had a son named Merib-Baal, also known as Mephibosheth.
David would later adopt Mephibosheth.
Saul was on the field with three of his four sons; for some reason, Ish-Bosheth (also known as Esh-Baal) was missing (; ; ).
Abinadab was Saul’s second son … his name means “My father is noble.”
Malchushua was Saul’s 3rd son … his name means “My father is wealthy.”
And Saul’s 4th son, Ishbosheth also known by the name Esh-Baal … his name means “Man of Shame.”
He was for some reason missing from the battle.
We will find that Ishbosheth gets put into the throne of Israel in while David sits on the throne of Judah.
So, for some reason, Ish-Bosheth (also known as Esh-Baal) was missing from the battle.
< .5
.5 - .6
.6 - .7
.7 - .8
.8 - .9
> .9