Day 87 - 1 Samuel: 26-28

ONE-YEAR JOURNEY OF THE BIBLE
Day 87- 1 Samuel 26-28 (What If God Has Appointed Your Death Tomorrow?)
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"Then Samuel said: "So why do you ask me, seeing the LORD has departed from you and has become your enemy?  And the LORD has done for Himself as He spoke by me. For the LORD has torn the kingdom out of your hand and given it to your neighbor, David.  Because you did not obey the voice of the LORD nor execute His fierce wrath upon Amalek, therefore the LORD has done this thing to you this day.  Moreover the LORD will also deliver Israel with you into the hand of the Philistines. And tomorrow you and your sons will be with me. The LORD will also deliver the army of Israel into the hand of the Philistines."  (1 Samuel 28:16-19)

In today's Scripture passage, we come to the tragic conclusion of King Saul's life.   War with the Philistines broke and Saul was afraid and desperate and because God would not speak to him either by dreams or by the Urim or by the prophets, he sought out a medium (nice name for a witch) to try to speak to Samuel. 
God decides to send Samuel from His presence in order to tell Saul how his life will end.  It was not the only time that God has allowed someone who had died to return to earth; both Moses and Elijah appeared talking with Jesus at the Mount of Transfiguration. 

Samuel told Saul that he and his sons would die in battle the following day and that the army of Israel will fall into the hand of the Philistines.  We are told that "Immediately Saul fell full length on the ground, and was dreadfully afraid because of the words of Samuel. And there was no strength in him, for he had eaten no food all day or all night."  (1 Samuel 28:20)  Saul knew that it was too late for him and that there was nothing he could do to change his fate.

Although God had given Saul many chances to repent and make it right with Him, Saul was stubborn and hardened his heart against God.  God finally had enough and appointed Saul his judgment.  The Bible does not tell us, though, whether or not Saul was saved.  He could have repented at the last minute and if he did he would now be in heaven.  If he did not repent, however, then he would be in eternal punishment now.

Saul's end is a powerful reminder to us of the reality that every person will face one day - the reality of death.  Saul's irreversible appointment with death should warn every person of the fact recorded by the author of Hebrews, "it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment..."  (Hebrews 9:27) The question everyone must answer is: What if God has appointed your death tomorrow, what change will you make today?  I pray that you make the one change that can let you escape eternal punishment, that is, that you would repent today and ask God's forgiveness.