Bible Study 1 Chronicles 10
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1 Chronicles 10 · WEB

The Death of Saul

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Now the Philistines fought against Israel; and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines, and fell down slain on Mount Gilboa.
2The Philistines followed hard after Saul and after his sons; and the Philistines killed Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua, the sons of Saul.
3The battle went hard against Saul, and the archers overtook him; and he was distressed by reason of the archers.
4Then Saul said to his armor bearer, "Draw your sword and thrust me through with it, lest these uncircumcised come and abuse me." But his armor bearer would not; for he was terrified. Therefore Saul took his sword and fell on it.
5When his armor bearer saw that Saul was dead, he likewise fell on his sword and died.
6So Saul died, and his three sons, and all his house died together.
7When all the men of Israel who were in the valley saw that they had fled, and that Saul and his sons were dead, they abandoned their cities and fled; and the Philistines came and lived in them.
8On the next day, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, they found Saul and his sons fallen on Mount Gilboa.
9They stripped him, and took his head and his armor, and sent into the land of the Philistines all around, to carry the news to their idols and to the people.
10They put his armor in the house of their gods, and fastened his head in the house of Dagon.
11When all Jabesh Gilead heard all that the Philistines had done to Saul,
12all the valiant men arose, and took away the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons, and brought them to Jabesh, and buried their bones under the oak in Jabesh, and fasted seven days.
13So Saul died for his trespass which he committed against Yahweh, because of the word of Yahweh, which he didn't keep; and also because he asked counsel of one who had a familiar spirit, to inquire thereby,
14and didn't inquire of Yahweh: therefore he killed him, and turned the kingdom to David the son of Jesse.
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Summary

The narrative section of 1 Chronicles opens abruptly with Saul's defeat and death on Mount Gilboa. His three sons are killed, and Saul falls on his own sword. The Philistines desecrate his body by hanging his head in the temple of Dagon. The men of Jabesh-gilead honor Saul with a proper burial. The Chronicler provides his own theological explanation: Saul died because he was unfaithful to God — specifically for consulting a medium and failing to inquire of the Lord — and so God transferred the kingdom to David.

Themes

  • The fatal consequences of unfaithfulness to God
  • Seeking God versus seeking other sources of guidance
  • God's sovereignty in transferring power from Saul to David

Key verses

  • 1 Chr 10:13-14 — “So Saul died for his trespass which he committed against Yahweh, because of the word of Yahweh, which he didn't keep; and also because he asked counsel of one who had a familiar spirit, to inquire thereby, and didn't inquire of Yahweh: therefore he killed him, and turned the kingdom to David the son of Jesse.”

Context & background

The battle of Mount Gilboa took place in the Jezreel Valley of northern Israel (modern Israel). Mount Gilboa overlooks the valley and is visible today from the modern town of Beit She'an. The Philistines (occupying the coastal plain of modern Israel and Gaza) were Israel's primary military threat during Saul's reign. The temple of Dagon where Saul's head was displayed was likely at Ashdod or Beth Shean (Bet She'an, Israel). Jabesh-gilead, east of the Jordan River in modern Jordan, showed loyalty to Saul because he had rescued them early in his reign (1 Samuel 11). The Chronicler deliberately omits Saul's earlier career, focusing only on his failure as a theological warning.

Cross-references

  • 1 Samuel 13:13-14 — Samuel's prophecy that Saul's kingdom would not endure because of disobedience
  • 1 Samuel 28 — Saul's visit to the medium at Endor, the sin referenced in v. 13
  • 1 Samuel 31 — The parallel account of Saul's death with more detail
  • 2 Samuel 1 — David's lament for Saul and Jonathan
  • Deuteronomy 18:10-12 — God forbids consulting mediums and spiritists

Check your reading

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  1. Observe

    What two specific reasons does the Chronicler give for Saul's death in verses 13-14?

  2. Observe

    How did the men of Jabesh-gilead honor Saul after his death?

  3. Interpret

    Why does the Chronicler skip Saul's entire career and begin only with his death?

  4. Interpret

    What does Saul's pattern of consulting a medium instead of inquiring of Yahweh reveal about the deeper state of his heart?

  5. Apply

    When God seems silent in a difficult decision, where are you tempted to seek guidance outside of him, and what does Saul's example warn you about?

  6. Apply

    How does the truth that God "turned the kingdom to David" through Saul's failure encourage you when human plans collapse?

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