The end of Saul's life is characterized by utter silence from the LORD, and his reliance on men and even mediums. His descent really bothers me with his desperate yet godless heart and the resolute nature of his judgment, despite being the LORD's anointed and some sort of prophet.
He does at first, in a rare moment, inquire of the LORD only to be met with silence. Why do some people call out to the LORD and find only silence, even though He is so alive? Saul seems to treat the LORD and his prophet Samuel as mere answer-generators and quickly turns to a medium when he's not answered.
I get the sense he wasn't seeking God's will, he was seeking easy reassurance or a quick fix. When David sought the LORD, he sought even when it meant his own judgment (i.e., 2 Samuel 12:22-23's "it was the LORD's will my son should die, despite my fasting and weeping, so now that I know, it's time to return to worship" or 2 Samuel 16:9-12's "if it's the LORD's will for one of Saul's house to curse me, don't retaliate against him as he throws stones and flings dust at me").
How could Saul be so stony? He prophesied and spent so much time with Samuel and the priests. He saw God's deliverance in his first battle against Nahash the Ammonite. He also saw God's judgment at work, which, though negative, is totally supernatural and affirming of the gravity of a living relationship with the LORD. Why do some people, especially those without much religious background or education, cultivate a deep relationship and trust in the LORD, while others remain indifferent strangers after deep and maybe lifelong involvement in the church?
I see it all the time. People grow up in church all their lives and get saved as adults. People get saved in seminary. Long-time pastors say Christianity was just a social obligation to their community with no spiritual relationship. When Jesus calls the path narrow, is he contrasting Saulide people against Davidic people?
How do you even establish such a personal relationship? Draw near to God and He will draw near to you, sure, but how do you find the motivation to do so in the first place? For Samuel, it looks like it came naturally to him at a young age. For me, it took black calamity to seriously approach this supposedly powerful, redemptive God to see if He would heal me. Were the murderous unclean spirits, overwhelming Philistine forces, and the breakdown of his own household not enough to send Saul flying to the feet of the LORD? God delivered him once already, so it wasn't even fairy tales for him to chase. Worse, Saul chased mediums after everything unclean spirits did to him? How dark!
I don't understand Saul's unrepentant heart, and it's so sad.
The account in the Bible
Saul inquires of the Medium of En-dor
The Philistines gathered their forces for war against Israel. The Philistines encamped at Shunem, while Saul gathered all Israel at Gilboa. Saul's heart trembled greatly at the Philistines, but when he inquired of the LORD, He did not answer, by dreams, Urim, or by prophets. Saul asked his servants for a medium, despite having put the mediums and necromancers out of the land, and they recommended the mediums at En-dor.
Saul disguised himself and went with 2 men at night, asking her to divine for him by a spirit and bring up for him whomever he shall name. She was cautious, since it was illegal, but he said, as the LORD lives, she shall face no punishment. She asked who to bring up, and he requested Samuel. When she saw Samuel, she screamed, but Saul had her describe him. "I see a god coming up out of the earth." ... "An old man is coming up, and he is wrapped in a robe." Saul bowed and paid homage to Samuel.
Samuel asked why he was disturbed, and Saul told him about the Philistines and silence from God and that he needed to talk to him. Samuel told him he did not obey the voice of the LORD against Amalek, so He has become his enemy. The LORD will give Israel into the hand of the Philistines, he and his sons shall be with him, and the LORD will give thee army of Israel into the hand of the Philistines.
Saul fell on the ground with fear and had no strength left. The woman humbly but insistently fed him, though he said, "I will not eat." She killed a fattened calf and baked unleavened bread for Saul and his servants, and they left that night.
(1 Samuel 28)
Saul, his sons, and his armor-bearer are killed in battle against the Philistines
Israel fled before Philistines on Mount Gilboa. Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchi-shua were killed, and Saul, badly wounded by archers, asked his armor-bearer to draw his sword and thrust through him, lest the uncircumcised mistreat him. The armor-bearer refused, so Saul fell upon his own sword. When the armor-bearer saw his, he fell upon his sword and died with him. The next day, the Philistines came to strip the slain and found Saul and his sons dead. They cut off Saul's head, stripped his armor, sent messengers throughout Philistia to carry news to the house of their idols and the people, and put his armor in the temple of Ashtaroth and fastened his body to the wall of Beth-shan. The people of Jabesh-gilead heard this, went all night to take the body of Saul and his sons and came to Jabesh to burn them there. Their bones were buried under the tamarisk tree in Jabesh, and they fasted 7 days.
(1 Samuel 31)
The Amalekite's Account of Saul's Death
3 days after David returned to Ziklag, a man with clothes torn and dirt on his head came and fell on the ground and paid homage to David, saying he escaped from the Israel camp. David asked how the battle went, and he said the people fell and Saul and Jonathan died. He asked how this man knew, and by chance, he happened to be on Mount Gilboa when he saw Saul leaning on his spear with the chariots and horsemen pursuing closely. Saul called to him and asked who he was. Learning he was an Amalekite, he asked him to kill him. He complied, knowing Saul was close to death. He took Saul's crown and armlet to David.
David and his men mourned and fasted until evening for Saul, Jonathan, and the people of the LORD and the house of Israel. David learned the man was the son of a sojourner, an Amalekite.
He seems to be lying. Saul fell on his own sword, not leaning on his spear. Why was an Amalekite at Saul's camp during a war by chance? The Amalekites are enemies of Israel, one that Saul has personal history with. Saul had even told his armor-bearer to kill him so he would not die at the hands of his enemy. The Amalekite would have had to shown up between Saul asking his armor-bearer to kill him and him finding Saul dead and also falling on his own sword. His armor-bearer let the Amalekite pass? He thought Saul was dead, committed suicide, then the Amalekite showed up? He's also acting like the chariots were at Saul's heels, but 1 Samuel 31 says the next day, the Philistines stumbled upon his body.
The Bible never paints the Amalekites in a positive light.
Perhaps he was really an opportunist who lurked in war, looted, then escaped before the winning side arrived.
(2 Samuel 1 (Part 1) Bible Study | Pastor Daniel Batarseh - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w8f4v5_G0t8)
The Song of the Bow or the Lament of the Bow
David and his men tore their clothes and wept and fasted until evening upon learning of Saul's death, then he executed the Amalekite who claimed to have killed the LORD's anointed. David lamented Saul with a lamentation, "Saul and Jonathan, beloved and lovely! / In life and in death they were not divided; they were swifter than eagles; they were stronger than lions." (2 Samuel 1)
Saul and his sons are finally buried in Kish's tomb
During a 3-year famine, King David sought the LORD and learned of the bloodguilt of Saul's house against the Gibeonites. They asked for 7 of Saul's sons to hang in Gibeah of Saul, but David spared Mephibosheth because of the oath of the Lord that was between them, between David and Jonathan the son of Saul.
Rizpah's unrelenting care for her sons' hanged bodies motivated David to gather Saul, Jonathan, and his sons' bones and bury them in the land of Benjamin in Zela in the tomb of Kish.