The story finally starts, and it starts with a funeral. The Philistines beat Israel on Mount Gilboa. Saul is wounded, falls on his own sword, and his sons die with him. The Philistines hang his head in Dagon's temple. Saul died because he was unfaithful and asked a medium instead of God.
Saul’s Overthrow and Death// 1 Samuel 31:1–6; 2 Samuel 1:1–16
1Now the Philistines fought against Israel, and the men of Israel fled before them, and many fell slain on Mount Gilboa.
2The Philistines followed hard after Saul and his sons, and they killed Saul’s sons Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua. 3When the battle intensified against Saul, the archers overtook him and wounded him.
4Then Saul said to his armor-bearer, “Draw your sword and run me through with it, or these uncircumcised men will come and torture me!”
But his armor-bearer was terrified and refused to do it. So Saul took his own sword and fell on it.
5When his armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he too fell on his own sword and died. 6So Saul died together with his three sons and all his house.
The Philistines Possess the Towns// 1 Samuel 31:7–10
7When all the Israelites in the valley saw that the army had fled and that Saul and his sons had died, they abandoned their cities and ran away. So the Philistines came and occupied their cities.
8The next day, when the Philistines came to strip the dead, they found Saul and his sons fallen on Mount Gilboa. 9They stripped Saul, cut off his head, took his armor, and sent messengers throughout the land of the Philistines to proclaim the news in the temple of their idols and among their people.10They put his armor in the temple of their gods and hung his head in the temple of Dagon.
1CH 10:9[DEMONIC]Philistines hang Saul's head in Dagon's temple
Jabesh-gilead’s Tribute to Saul// 1 Samuel 31:11–13
11When all the people of Jabesh-gilead heard about everything the Philistines had done to Saul, 12all their men of valor set out and retrieved the bodies of Saul and his sons and brought them to Jabesh. And they buried their bones under the oak in Jabesh and fasted seven days.
13So Saul died for his unfaithfulness to Yahweh, because he did not keep the word of Yahweh and even consulted a medium for guidance,14and he failed to inquire of Yahweh. So Yahweh put him to death and turned the kingdom over to David son of Jesse.
1CH 10:13[DEMONIC]Saul died because he consulted a medium
1CH 10:13[NOTE]THE MEDIUM. See the Big Question pages The Medium of Endor in 1 Samuel.
1CH 10:14[NOTE]THE STORY STARTS HERE. Chronicles tells almost nothing of Saul's reign, only his death. See the Big Question pages Chronicles vs Samuel and Kings.
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