God encourages us not only through His love, but also through fear. I believe the stories contained in the Bible are for our encouragement as well as for warning. And this is just as it should be since we do the same for our children whom we love.

King Saul is rejected by God and dies in the battle field along with his three sons (1 Samuel 31:6). He didn’t have to die like this. He was chosen by God to lead the nation Israel, but through his blatant and repeated disobedience, he is rejected by God and faces an ignominious death. It’s not that they died that’s tragic, for all men will die at some point, but it’s why they died at the point they did that’s tragic. God has rejected Saul and selected David to take his place and when the time was right, He took him out. But notice that He also took out his three sons along with so many other men who lost their lives in that battle field. And we know at least that Jonathan, one of his sons, was a godly man.

The lesson for us is clear. Blatant and repeated disobedience will have dire consequences. And it affects not only our future but the future of those around us. Look at how many innocent children are affected by the sins of their parents! You have a choice to make at this point: 1) Think, “God is unfair and unjust to punish the children for the sins of their fathers.” or 2) Think, “I can repent and ask for God’s mercy on my life and my loved ones.”

If 1) is unfair, then so was Christ dying for us. If the righteous (Jonathan) cannot die because of the wicked (Saul), then the wicked (us) cannot be saved because of the righteous (Christ) either.

So, it serves as a warning for us. Do not sin. It will destroy us and also those we love around us.

Consider: Why would God give us this warning unless He intensely loved us and wants us to avoid it?

PH