In First Chronicles, chapter ten, verse thirteen, the former King of Israel, the sense is, wonder not that Saul fell by the hands of the Philistines, who were armed against him by his sin and by God’s vengeance for it. Saul went against God’s express, plain, and positive command, which is an aggravation of any sin. The former King made up his mind in an attempt to inquire about an ungodly source instead of reconciling with God.
On the following day, the Philistines, in their search among the fallen, found and plundered the bodies of Saul and of his sons and sent the head and the armor of Saul round about the land of the Philistines to proclaim the news of their victory to their people and their gods. This purpose, they cut off Saul’s head from the trunk, is, as a matter of course, not specially mentioned.
The ruin of Saul, we may learn, that the sin of sinners will find them out sooner or later. Saul died for his transgression. No man’s greatness can exempt him from the judgments of God. Disobedience is a killing thing. Saul died for not keeping the word of the Lord. May be delivered from unbelief, impatience, and despair. By waiting on the Lord, we shall obtain a kingdom.
Saul’s unfaithfulness was twofold: he did not observe the prophetic word of Jehovah as in verses First Samuel thirteen, verse thirteen, and chapter fifteen, verse eleven. Saul consulted a necromancer and neglect consulting Jehovah as in First Samuel twenty-eight. The decision of the former King’s not going to God, who is available twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. Instead Saul went to seek an ungodly source that is not available at any time, which will lead to evil and eventually death.