Can you explain the death of Saul, the King of Israel? Did he kill himself or he was killed?
Let’s look at the account of the death of Saul in 1 Chronicles 10:1-6, “Now the Philistines fought against Israel; and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines, and fell down slain in mount Gilboa. And the Philistines followed hard after Saul, and after his sons; and the Philistines slew Jonathan, and Abinadab, and Malchishua, the sons of Saul. And the battle went sore against Saul, and the archers hit him, and he was wounded of the archers. Then said Saul to his armourbearer, Draw thy sword, and thrust me through therewith; lest these uncircumcised come and abuse me. But his armourbearer would not; for he was sore afraid. So Saul took a sword, and fell upon it. And when his armourbearer saw that Saul was dead, he fell likewise on the sword, and died. So Saul died, and his three sons, and all his house died together.”
I Samuel 28 tells us how Saul acted in defiance to the Lord’s will by seeking the counsel of a woman with a familiar spirit, better known as a seer, or a witch. The Word of God said expressly in Exodus 22:18, “Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.” To practice witchcraft was not permitted and the penalty for doing so was death. Yet Saul consulted a witch to tell him how the battle with the Philistines would go. The Lord, in His sovereignty and for His purposes allowed the prophet Samuel, who was already dead, to come and speak to Saul. Samuel said in 1 Samuel 28:18-19, “Because thou obeyedst not the voice of the LORD, nor executedst his fierce wrath upon Amalek, therefore hath the LORD done this thing unto thee this day. Moreover the LORD will also deliver Israel with thee into the hand of the Philistines: and to morrow shalt thou and thy sons be with me: the LORD also shall deliver the host of Israel into the hand of the Philistines.”
Later, realizing his army’s ultimate defeat to the Philistines, upon the death of his three sons, and having been wounded by arrows, Saul determined to end his own life rather than allow the enemy to slay him. Saul’s death was a direct consequence of his disobedience. 1 Chronicles 10:13 tells us, “So Saul died for his transgression which he committed against the LORD, even against the word of the LORD, which he kept not, and also for asking counsel of one that had a familiar spirit, to inquire of it.” Because Saul defied the Lord and acted contrary to His will, Saul died. This consequence was well known throughout the scriptures, beginning with Adam and Eve and going all the way through the Word of God: sin brings death. The Lord said in Ezekiel 18:20, “The soul that sinneth, it shall die.” The Apostle Paul said in Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death…”
What about you, dear friend. Do you realize that you are a sinner and that the consequence of your sin is eternal death? Notice how that, “Saul died for his transgression which he committed against the Lord.” Every sin ever committed is a sin against the Lord and the Lord holds us each one responsible for the sins we have committed against Him. The punishment? Death! However let’s go back and read Romans 6:23 in its entirety. “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Although we all deserve death, the Lord would rather give us a gift…the gift of eternal life through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. My friend, just like me, you have sinned. Just like me, you deserve death for your sins. However, I have accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as my savior and am now “free from sin”. How about you? Are you still in your sins, awaiting God’s harsh hand of judgement? If so, won’t you put your faith in the Lord Jesus right now and receive His forgiveness of your sins? The time is now. Do not delay. (168.7)