SAUL’S END
1 Chronicles 10:1-14
Saul died because he was unfaithful to the LORD; he did not keep the word of the LORD and even consulted a medium for guidance, and did not inquire of the LORD. (13-14a)
chapter 10
1. Now the Philistines fought against Israel; the Israelites fled before them, and many fell dead on Mount Gilboa.
2. The Philistines were in hot pursuit of Saul and his sons, and they killed his sons Jonathan, Abinadab and Malki-Shua.
3. The fighting grew fierce around Saul, and when the archers overtook him, they wounded him.
4. Saul said to his armor-bearer, "Draw your sword and run me through, or these uncircumcised fellows will come and abuse me." But his armor-bearer was terrified and would not do it; so Saul took his own sword and fell on it.
5. When the armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he too fell on his sword and died.
6. So Saul and his three sons died, and all his house died together.
7. When all the Israelites in the valley saw that the army had fled and that Saul and his sons had died, they abandoned their towns and fled. And the Philistines came and occupied them.
8. The next day, when the Philistines came to strip the dead, they found Saul and his sons fallen on Mount Gilboa.
9. They stripped him and took his head and his armor, and sent messengers throughout the land of the Philistines to proclaim the news among their idols and their people.
10. They put his armor in the temple of their gods and hung up his head in the temple of Dagon.
11. When all the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul,
12. all their valiant men went and took the bodies of Saul and his sons and brought them to Jabesh. Then they buried their bones under the great tree in Jabesh, and they fasted seven days.
13. Saul died because he was unfaithful to the LORD; he did not keep the word of the LORD and even consulted a medium for guidance,
14. and did not inquire of the LORD. So the LORD put him to death and turned the kingdom over to David son of Jesse.
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
1. The historical narrative in 1 Chronicles starts with the end of Saul’s kingship over Israel. Saul’s kingship had begun with great promise; he seemed humble and could win battles when he was filled with the Spirit. The judge Samuel was Saul’s shepherd and tried to teach him the ways of the Lord. But, in the end, Saul was rejected as Israel’s king. His son Jonathan, who had a pure heart, was killed with him on the battlefield. Some faithful and courageous men retrieved Saul’s body (12), paying him honor, but Saul’s end was undeniably tragic.
2. The Chronicler clearly tells us that Saul died because of unfaithfulness (13). He disobeyed God’s word and sought help from a fortune-teller instead of inquiring of the Lord (14). “Inquiring of the Lord” means to seek a personal relationship with him; it is the core of our life of faith. When Saul did not grow in his personal relationship with God, he became consumed with pride and jealousy and was finally an instrument of the devil. In Saul, we can see the terrible outcome of a life that fails to seek God.
Prayer: Father, thank you for the warning you give me through Saul’s life. May I always be found seeking and inquiring after you to find the blessed way.
One Word: Inquire of the Lord