1 Chronicles 10:13-14 So Saul died for his transgression which he committed against, 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; And enquired not of the Lord: therefore he slew him, and turned the kingdom unto David the son of Jesse.
The Chronicler begins his historical narrative with the death of Saul. Saul committed suicide, falling on his sword when losing the battle against the Philistines. The Biblical writer says Saul fell on his sword, but then he says here, “The Lord slew him.” Although Saul killed himself, the Word says God did it. How so? God allowed sin, pride, and unbelief to finish its course, which is death.
The essential reason for Saul’s defeat and death was unbelief. He did not believe God, and he did not inquire of the Lord or seek His word. The evidence of his unbelief was that he inquired of one that had a familiar spirit; he sought out the witch of Endor and asked the counsel of demons. This was the transgression, the final straw, that followed a life of sin against God and violent unbelief. In the end God found a man after His own heart.
We learn the Biblical truth that every sin, every unbelieving thought, brings death, separation from God, while faith, every believing thought, brings life, eternal union with God. We all have a Saul and a David within us, so we nurture and grow the faith and life in us granted by the Spirit through the Gospel.