THE DEATH OF SAUL

Passage: 1 Chronicles 10:1-14

Key verse: 13

NIV

Saul Takes His Life(A)

10 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.(B)

11 When all the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead(C) 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(D) because he was unfaithful(E) to the Lord; he did not keep(F) the word of the Lord and even consulted a medium(G) for guidance, 14 and did not inquire of the Lord. So the Lord put him to death and turned(H) the kingdom(I) over to David son of Jesse.

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Source: BibleGateway

ESV

The Death of Saul and His Sons

10 (A)Now the Philistines fought against Israel, and the men of Israel fled before the Philistines and fell slain on Mount Gilboa. 2 And the Philistines overtook Saul and his sons, and the Philistines struck down Jonathan and Abinadab and Malchi-shua, the sons of Saul. 3 The battle pressed hard against Saul, and the archers found him, and he was wounded by the archers. 4 Then Saul said to his armor-bearer, “Draw your sword and thrust me through with it, lest these uncircumcised come and mistreat me.” But his armor-bearer would not, for he feared greatly. Therefore Saul took his own sword and fell upon it. 5 And when his armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he also fell upon his sword and died. 6 Thus Saul died; he and his three sons and all his house died together. 7 And when all the men of Israel who were in the valley saw that the army[a] had fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they abandoned their cities and fled, and the Philistines came and lived in them.

8 The next day, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, they found Saul and his sons fallen on Mount Gilboa. 9 And they stripped him and took his head and his armor, and sent messengers throughout the land of the Philistines to carry the good news to their idols and to the people. 10 And they put his armor in the temple of their gods and fastened his head in the temple of Dagon. 11 But when all Jabesh-gilead heard all that the Philistines had done to Saul, 12 all the valiant men arose and took away the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons, and brought them to Jabesh. And they buried their bones under the oak in Jabesh and fasted seven days.

13 So Saul died (B)for his breach of faith. He broke faith with the Lord in that he did not keep the command of the Lord, and also (C)consulted a medium, seeking guidance. 14 He (D)did not seek guidance from the Lord. Therefore the Lord put him to death and (E)turned the kingdom over to David the son of Jesse.

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Footnotes
  1. 1 Chronicles 10:7 Hebrew they
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Source: BibleGateway

1. Saul takes his own life (1-12)

Saul was handsome and able. He was Israel's first king. His final battle with the Philistines ended in tragic defeat. The Israelites fled before the Philistine army. The enemy killed Saul's sons and wounded him mortally. Saul did not want to be captured and abused by his enemies, so he died by his own hand. When the Israelites heard that their king was dead, they abandoned their towns and fled. The Philistines desecrated the bodies of Saul and his sons, but men of Jabesh Gilead, the city which Saul had rescued as his first act as king (1Sa 11), recovered the bodies and buried them.

2. Because he was unfaithful to God (13-14)

Saul was not defeated because of the military might of his enemies. He was defeated because he was unfaithful to the Lord. He did not obey God's word. Instead of seeking God's help through prayer he consulted a medium. So God put him to death and turned the kingdom over to David.

Prayer: Lord, keep my heart faithful to you. Teach me your ways and help me to pray.

One Word: Keep the word of the Lord