20140710 Thursday, July 10 2014
1 Chronicles 10: Saul's Last Battle

by Wayne Blank
See also 1 Year Holy Bible Reading Plan

"The Philistines followed hard after Saul"

The death of King Saul in battle with the Philistines (see Where Is Palestine?) enabled David to begin fighting the civil war to win (see Why Didn't David Kill Saul? and The War Between The Houses of David and Saul.

Saul was separated from his troops after "the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines." Those few who remained with him, along with his sons, including Jonathan (see David and Jonathan and Jonathan's Sweet Victory), died with, and for, Saul.

"10:1 Now the Philistines fought against Israel; and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines, and fell down slain in mount Gilboa.

10:2 And the Philistines followed hard after Saul, and after his sons; and the Philistines slew Jonathan, and Abinadab, and Malchishua, the sons of Saul.

10:3 And the battle went sore against Saul, and the archers hit him, and he was wounded of the archers." (1 Chronicles 10:1-3 KJV)

As stated in the verse above, Saul was not killed outright, but "was wounded of the archers." Whether he would have died from the wound is debatable, but Saul took it upon himself to not be taken alive - whether for the time that it would have taken him to die from the wound, or for the time that he would have survived under Philistine torture and abuse.

"10:4 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. 10:5 And when his armourbearer saw that Saul was dead, he fell likewise on the sword, and died. 10:6 So Saul died, and his three sons, and all his house died together." (1 Chronicles 10:4-6 KJV)

The battle against Saul turned into a rout against Israel ("when all the men of Israel that were in the valley saw that they fled, and that Saul and his sons were dead, then they forsook their cities, and fled: and the Philistines came and dwelt in them") that would later be corrected by King David (see King David's Empire). Saul was apparently right about the abuses that the Philistines would have done to him if he were taken alive - they did it to him anyway, after he was dead.

"10:7 And when all the men of Israel that were in the valley saw that they fled, and that Saul and his sons were dead, then they forsook their cities, and fled: and the Philistines came and dwelt in them.

10:8 And it came to pass on the morrow, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, that they found Saul and his sons fallen in mount Gilboa. 10:9 And when they had stripped him, they took his head, and his armour, and sent into the land of the Philistines round about, to carry tidings unto their idols, and to the people. 10:10 And they put his armour in the house of their gods, and fastened his head in the temple of Dagon. 10:11 And when all Jabeshgilead heard all that the Philistines had done to Saul, 10:12 They arose, all the valiant men, 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." (1 Chronicles 10:7-12 KJV)

Saul's death relieved the nation of a rejected leader (see Saul's Impeachment) and a civil war (see Israel In History and Prophecy: The Civil War).

"10:13 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 enquire of it; 10:14 And enquired not of the LORD: therefore he slew him, and turned the kingdom unto David the son of Jesse." (1 Chronicles 10:13-14 KJV)

Fact Finder: Saul and David did not fight for Jerusalem during the Civil War. Why?
See How Long Was Jerusalem The Capital Of Israel?)