🕊️ 1 Samuel 31

1 Samuel 31 is a real chapter from the Old Testament. It starts, “Now the Philistines fought against Israel; and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines, and fell down slain on Mount Gilboa.” That is not a motto invented for a poster. It is the first sentence a family hears when this page is opened at night.

Keep going a little further. The chapter also says, “When the men of Israel who were on the other side of the valley, and those who were beyond the Jordan, saw that the men of Israel fled, and that Saul and his sons were dead, they abandoned the cities and fled; and the Philistines came and lived in them.” 1 Samuel 31 opens with these words: “Now the Philistines fought against Israel; and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines, and fell down slain on Mount Gilboa.” The line to keep is 1 Samuel 31:1: “Now the Philistines fought against Israel; and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines, and fell down slain on Mount Gilboa.” Carry the word “philistine” from that verse into the rest of the day.

The line worth learning out loud is 1 Samuel 31:1: “Now the Philistines fought against Israel; and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines, and fell down slain on Mount Gilboa.” If the rest of the chapter feels crowded, hold that one sentence until the room is quiet.

What happens first in 1 Samuel 31? Then try this: Read “Now the Philistines fought against Israel; and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines, and fell…” once more. What does it show you about God? You do not have to finish every verse. You can close the book after the memory verse and still have read the Bible together.