1 Chronicles 10 - Not the end

The narrative account begins with the death of Saul, this is very similar to the account at the end of 1 Samuel (1 Sam 31:1-13). 

Verse 13 here is the most important, stating clearly why Saul had died. He had been unfaithful to the Lord, did not keep the word of the Lord, and consulted mediums instead of inquiring of the Lord Himself. So the Lord killed him and gave the kingdom to David.

There is a parallel here with the history of the nation as a whole. The whole nation had repeatedly been guilty of the same sins as Saul. This was why first the Northern kingdom of Israel, then Judah had fallen to other nations, and Israel had in a sense died in being sent to exile in Babylon. 

So the first message is that they needed to realise the source of the problem, their sin. This is something all of us need to realise. The second part of the message is that God had not actually given up on Israel. He handed the kingdom over to a faithful king, David. In fact we know from 1 Samuel that God had anointed David long before Saul's reign was finally finished. 

The immediate relevance is that God had not given up on Israel, and that they needed to be faithful to God. The ultimate message is that Jesus is the One to whom God has given the kingdom. He is the Messiah.

When the Philistines found Saul dead they hung up his head in the temple of Dagon, making a big show of boasting of their victory and humiliating Israel. Israel was a whole now felt humiliated and shamed because of her exile. There may be times when we feel the same, and sometimes it might be utterly deserved, but it is not the end. Our future depends on whether or not we turn to the Lord and trust in Him.