What is the meaning of 1 Chronicles 10:14? He failed to inquire of the LORD • Saul’s downfall began long before his final battle. Repeated episodes show him acting first and praying later—or not at all (1 Samuel 13:8-14; 14:18-19, 36-37). • 1 Samuel 28:6 notes that Saul “inquired of the LORD,” but when God was silent he ran to a medium (28:7-20). His heart was already set on getting answers his own way, not on waiting for God’s voice (Deuteronomy 18:10-12). • Genuine inquiry involves humble trust and obedience (Proverbs 3:5-6; Jeremiah 33:3). Saul wanted God’s help without submitting to God’s rule. • Chronicling the kings centuries later, the writer highlights this single failure—“he failed to inquire of the LORD”—as the root cause of everything that followed (2 Chronicles 16:12 shows a similar warning in Asa’s life). So the LORD put him to death • Saul died by falling on his own sword (1 Samuel 31:4-6), yet Scripture is clear that his death was ultimately God’s judgment. Human actions and divine sovereignty met on the same battlefield (Romans 6:23; Hebrews 10:31). • Earlier disobedience had already sealed the sentence: “Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, He has rejected you as king” (1 Samuel 15:23). 1 Samuel 28:19 had predicted that the LORD would hand Saul and Israel over to the Philistines “and tomorrow you and your sons will be with me.” • The Chronicler stresses that God’s verdict was just. Saul chose rebellion; the LORD responded with righteous discipline (1 Chronicles 10:13, “Saul died for his unfaithfulness to the LORD”). • God’s actions here warn every generation that ignoring Him is not a harmless option (Psalm 9:16-17; Galatians 6:7-8). And turned the kingdom over to David son of Jesse • The same sovereign hand that removed Saul lifted David. Long before Saul’s death, God had said, “I have sought for Myself a man after My own heart” (1 Samuel 13:14) and sent Samuel to anoint David (1 Samuel 16:1-13). • David’s rise was no political accident; it fulfilled divine promise. The LORD “established David as king over Israel and exalted his kingdom for the sake of His people Israel” (2 Samuel 5:12). • Turning the throne to David set the stage for the everlasting covenant that points to Christ (2 Samuel 7:8-16; Acts 13:22-23). God disciplined the nation by removing Saul, then blessed it by giving a shepherd-king “who cared for them with a heart of integrity” (Psalm 78:70-72). • For readers today, the transfer underscores both God’s right to depose and His grace to install leaders who will pursue His heart (Daniel 2:21; Revelation 1:5-6). summary Saul’s story in 1 Chronicles 10:14 is a sobering reminder that sidelining God leads to ruin. Because Saul would not truly seek the LORD, the LORD judged him, ending his life and dynasty. Yet the same verse shines with hope: God’s purposes moved forward as He placed the kingdom in the hands of David, the forerunner of the Messiah. Obedient inquiry brings life; stubborn independence invites loss. The choice remains just as clear for every believer today. |
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