1 Chronicles 10 reports: Saul died for his breach of faith. He broke faith with the Lord in that he did not keep the command of the Lord, and also consulted a medium, seeking guidance. He did not seek guidance from the Lord. Therefore the Lord put him to death and turned the kingdom over to David the son of Jesse.
God knew that one day His people would want a king, but he was to be God’s man, given in God’s time. The people though, wanted a man on their timetable. Their choice of “tall” Saul began optimistically. Saul was an impressive young man without equal among Israel (9:1-2). On several occasions, the Spirit of God came upon him with power, and he led successful campaigns, including saving Jabesh Gilead from the Ammonites (11:6-11). But God had a different standard for His King. God’s king would not serve himself but the people, and first and foremost he would serve God Himself. Saul failed miserably in this regard. Though he was rejected by God and his reprobation advanced, Saul still reigned for several years. From rebellion that was “like the sin of divination,” Saul eventually sank into actual divination and apostasy, turning to the dark world of spiritism for counsel on how to preserve the kingdom. Saul did not just suffer a few setbacks or lapses in discernment; rather, he radically rejected his calling, ultimately putting Yahweh to open shame while casting a dark shadow upon the Lord’s plan to establish His kingdom.
While evidence of his reprobation increased, signifying Saul’s “spiritual death,” the curtain would not finally come down on Saul’s physical life for several years. Saul’s demise would come on the battlefield of Gilboa; the final chapter of 1 Samuel tells the tale of this brutal disaster at the hands of the Philistines. Jonathan is the first reported casualty. Saul and his armor-bearer both fell on their swords. The men of Israel abandoned their cities, and the Philistines occupied them. Was Yahweh defeated? Have the pagan idols won? Could not Yahweh protect His king and His people?
The battle at Gilboa exposed the folly of Israel’s idolatry of the monarchy. It was a dark time for the kingdom of God, but even this darkness was not outside of God’s purpose. Saul’s sentence on the battlefield ultimately points away from itself toward the better way that was to come as God’s plan for His kingdom unfolds. 1 Samuel ends, but there is no break in the text; 2 Samuel picks right up to complete the story. In fact, the climax of the book of Samuel is yet to come as the monarchy is established under David. The story of Saul’s demise demonstrates that even in the judgments of God, there is an overture of grace, as the darkest of nights result in the light of dawn.