1 Samuel 31

Daily Devotional from 1 Samuel 31—


Verse 6
Thus Saul died, and his three sons, and his armor-bearer, and all his men, on the same day together.

Wow. Talk about a massive defeat. Saul, the first king of Israel, has fallen on his own sword. The Philistines finally overtook him, and they are attacking and closing in on the Israelites. Their future looks bleak–there’s little hope. I read this chapter and I feel my heart sink a little. Is this really how it ends? But we know that there’s more to the story. In the darkest of moments recorded in this chapter, full of fear and suffering, we know that there is hope.

Maybe today you feel like you’re being attacked on every side by one thing after another. Maybe you resonate with the doom in this chapter and it feels like there’s no way out. Let me encourage you: even though you can’t see around the corner, you can find deep hope in Jesus. Not only future hope, but hope for right here, right now. God is present in every moment, and he promises that he will never leave or forsake us! Jesus says, “Take heart, for I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).


Zoe Deming