The revival under the reign of Josiah is one of the great stories in the Bible.
Two evil reigns follow the good reign of Hezekiah. We see the dangers of idolatry in these two reigns. We also see the influence a leader of the people has on those people. In both cases, the people follow their king.
When you compare the description of Saul’s death in this chapter with that in 1 Samuel 31, you will find two different stories of how Saul died. 1 Samuel 31:4-5 tells us that he died at his own hand by falling on his own sword. In 2 Samuel 1:9-10 we are told that he was killed by the Amalekite. Is there a contradiction? No. The second account is that of the Amalekite himself who thought he would receive a reward for killing David’s enemy.
God knows how to reward the righteous and punish the wicked. Those who stayed by the stuff got their share of the spoil and Saul received the end of his disobedience (Romans 2:6)
Saul never submits to doing things God’s way. In this lesson, he disobeys Deuteronomy 18:9-12 and seeks the help of a witch. This lesson should act as a warning against witchcraft and related abominations.
