1 Ch. 10: Saul's Death Reset

1 Chronicles 10:13 "Saul died because he was unfaithful to the LORD; he did not keep the word of the LORD and even consulted a medium for guidance..."

Here's an almost note-for-note retelling of 1 Samuel 31 (entry). I guess the first thing I look for is if there is anything different between the passages, if there are any new details revealed. Secondly, I guess I wonder what is the point of retelling this? 

Well, there's not much added in this case. 1 Samuel, by a word or two is slightly more thorough, but they are basically interchangeable. 1 Chronicles reveals more, by saying Saul's head was put on display in the temple of Dagon. Gross. Can you imagine for a moment what that temple must have felt like? Was it a temple of darkness, or a temple of glory? What was the vibe in a place where the heads of conquered enemies are put on display to rot. At least the bloodshed at the Temple of the LORD was kept outside.

Since the telling in 1 Chronicles is a bit more after-the-fact, it can pause the play-by-play and include editorials such as in verse 13, where it talks about why Saul died, and his kingdom ended. He didn't inquire of the LORD.

1 Sa. 31: Death Becomes Saul

1 Samuel 31:6 "So Saul and his three sons and his armor-bearer and all his men died together that same day."

Samuel's words came true. Everything. Israel was crushed. Saul's sons died. Saul died. It was a bad idea to abandon the LORD and all the victory he granted to Saul early on. I still wonder about that exchange with Samuel and the witch. How often did this occur? What, if anything, makes those times a million years ago different from today?

Saul's armor bearer refused to kill the arrow-riddled king, because he was terrified. Who could kill a king? Did this armor bearer hear David's philosophy about killing the LORD's anointed before his time? I don't know. Probably not. But I wonder. It's still suicide when you command someone to kill you. Saul then falls on his own sword. I can't imagine the desperation involved in that. It looked like a good idea to the armor bearer so he did the same thing. Probably because he would get super busted for not protecting the king.

It's gross when people die in bible times. Saul and his sons had all their flesh burned off their bones, and then buried under a tamarisk tree in Jabesh.

So. What's up with David?