When I was writing out the verses of 1st Samuel 31, I realized I was mourning the death of Saul, much as I had grieved when I typed out the chapters dealing with the death of Moses. I know he was a real person, I know he was a man whom God looked upon and singled out for His purposes. Too often we focus on "the end" of a person's life (especially if it ended badly) rather than on the whole of his life and celebrate the good things he accomplished. I'm sorry Saul drifted away from his relationship with God, I'm sorry he unjustly persecuted David, I'm sorry he died an ignoble death. It is tragic that his body was butchered and dishonored when he should have received honor and accolades. His sons did not deserve their dishonor either. It remains all the more important that we live our entire lives firmly connected to our Heavenly Father, so that in the end, we will be rightly known as "the children of God" above all else.