"Having established the remnant's genealogical link with the Davidic and priestly lines, he [the writer] focused on the groundwork of the Davidic promises. His design was to show how the kingly and priestly concerns came together in David. David is then seen as a model for the postexilic community as they look forward to One like David."37
Chapter 10 is an almost verbatim repetition of Saul's defeat as the writer of Samuel recorded it in 1 Samuel 31.
The Chronicler's presentation of Saul supplied a backdrop and a contrast for his portrayal of David. Saul was the king the people had demanded prematurely. He was the king after the people's heart. His name means "he who was requested."Saul failed to submit to Yahweh's authority and to obey His Word as God had revealed it in the Mosaic Law and through the prophet Samuel (vv. 13-14). He failed to respond appropriately to God's elective grace in placing him on the throne. Saul had no heart for God. Consequently God brought discipline on Saul and on Israel under him. Because Saul failed to listen to God, God eventually stopped listening to him (cf. Jer. 7:13-16). Finally God killed him (v. 14). The reason the writer recorded the death of Saul at such length seems to have been to show that David had no hand in it.38Disloyalty to God always results in catastrophe.
By recounting Saul's death the writer intended to bring many of the lessons connected with the people's demand for a king and Saul's history back to the minds of his restoration readers. Hopefully it will do the same for us.
"For the Chronicler, the disobedient Saul (v. 13) was if anything a foil meant to show the faithfulness of David."39
In contrast to Saul, David was God's choice for Israel. His reign resulted in blessing, not blasting.
"One of the striking features of the Chronicler's theology is his attempt to correlate blessing with faithfulness and judgment with disobedience. He returned to the theme again and again . . ."40
A comparison of this chapter with 1 Samuel 31:6-10 shows how the Chronicler heightened the disastrous nature of Saul's death in subtle ways.41
In this and the following chapters four themes interweave.42
