Then Saul said to his armor-bearer, "Draw your sword and run me through with it, or these uncircumcised men will come and run me through and torture me." But his armor-bearer would not do it because he was terrified. Then Saul took his sword and fell on it. - 1 Samuel 31:4
Instead of dying at the hands of the Philistines, his mortal enemy, Saul took his own sword and fell upon it. He considered the dishonor of death by Philistine hands to be worse than taking his own life.
How would you like to die? By the hand of the enemy, by your own hand, or by the hand of God?
Make no mistake, God's enemy would like to see God's children die and he wants to kill them. Some escape this possibility by simply staying out of the battle. They deduce that by remaining on the spiritual sidelines, their lives will remain safe, secure, and free from strife. Others, it seems, would rather die by their own hand. They want to be in control. Like Saul, they abdicate their God-granted victory through disobedience and the result is a hopeless life, a winless victory, and death by self-impalement. Shame can kill a spirit long before any other thing can take a life.
Then, of course, one can surrender to death by the hand of God. For when a person places his life in the hand of God, then any death must ultimately be by His hand. Said person's life and death are not only by Him, but also for Him and for His glory.
We all live and die. Wouldn't it be best to live and die by His hand?
Death is always around the corner, but often our society gives it inordinate help. - Carter Burwell
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