How did King Saul die?

from the old testament

• Saul died in the middle of a fierce battle with the Philistines. They had gotten the upper hand and were able to get close to the king. One of their archers then hit him, dealing a severe blow (1 Samuel 31:3; 1 Chronicles 10:3).
• Realizing that he would soon be overrun, and not willing to suffer the humiliation of being tortured and killed by the enemy, he asked his armor bearer to kill him (1 Samuel 31:4a; 1 Chronicles 10:4a).
• However, the young man was too afraid to do it, so “Saul took his own sword and fell upon it” (1 Samuel 31:4b). The armor bearer then killed himself (1 Samuel 31:5). Indeed, even all of Saul’s sons died that day (1 Samuel 31:6).
• The reason for Saul’s death is recorded in the book of Chronicles. There we read, “So 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” (1 Chronicles 10:13–14).
• Three days after Saul’s death, a man who had escaped came to David (2 Samuel 1:3). He then told David that Saul was dead (2 Samuel 1:4). David asked for confirmation, and the man claimed he had happened upon them and that Saul had asked the man to kill him, or at least to finish killing him (2 Samuel 1:6).
• The man then told David that he obeyed, finishing Saul off (2 Samuel 1:10). It seems that he was expecting a reward, given that Saul was David’s enemy and had been pursuing him for years. However, David tore his clothes and wept at the death of the king (2 Samuel 1:11). Later, after he recovered himself, David ordered the Amalekite to be killed for daring to kill the one God had anointed as king (2 Samuel 1:13–16).
• Comparing the biblical account to the Amalekite’s version of events, he seems to have lied or exaggerated his involvement to gain favor with David. The result of his lie or exaggeration was that he was put to death, implicated in Saul’s death.

from the new testament

• King Saul's death is not recorded in the New Testament.

implications for today

If there’s one overarching lesson we can see from the life of Saul, it’s that sin leads to more sin, which leads to death. As the first king of Israel, Saul started well. However, he began disobeying God (1 Samuel 13:13–14; 1 Samuel 15:9). Because of this, God withdrew His favor and transferred it to David (1 Samuel 16:13–14). As God withdrew, Saul became more wicked and rebellious (1 Samuel 18:12ff), leading him to the occult (1 Samuel 28:7). His punishment was death (1 Chronicles 10:13–14).

David, too, sinned. He committed adultery (2 Samuel 11:4) and murder (2 Samuel 11:15). Because of this, he expressed fear that God would also abandon him (Psalm 51:11). However, the difference between these two men was not sin but their response. Saul continued to ignore his sin and make excuses for it. Conversely, David repented (2 Samuel 12:13) and expressed sorrow (Psalm 51:17).

Let us learn from this. No one is righteous (Romans 3:10), so God sent Jesus to be the only perfectly righteous human so that He could die in our place. However, Jesus’ death doesn’t mean that everyone is saved. Like David, we must recognize our sin and repent. We also have what David did not have: a once-for-all sacrifice (Hebrews 10:10). That means that, once we trust in Jesus, we are forever saved because our sin has been completely paid.

However, that doesn’t mean we keep sinning (cf. Romans 6:1). Instead, believers are to live a life of repentance. It’s not a repentance for salvation but for ongoing cleansing (1 John 1:9) so we can become like Jesus—living for what is good and reflecting Him to a world that desperately needs Him (1 John 3:3). Do not continue to harden your heart by ignoring your sin. Confess it. Jesus is more than willing to save all who come to Him (John 6:37)!