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1 Chronicles 10:13

¹³So Saul died for his breach of faith. He broke faith with the LORD in that he did not keep the command of the LORD, and also consulted a medium, seeking guidance.

The books of Chronicles were written upon the return of the Jews to their land. They were careful to give the lineage of the people so that they would know their heritage. It was especially important to record the line of David, for it was from David that the Messiah was to come. While going over the same history that was covered in the books of the Kings, they give us some additional details.

In a recent devotion, I shared with you about the death of the godly king, Josiah, and that we can't always say an untimely death is because of some evil in the person's life. Our verse today goes back to the first king of Israel, King Saul, and tells us that his death was indeed because of his sins against God.

We find the same thing in the New Testament. Jesus sometimes indicated that no one was at fault for a person's physical ailment. He said a man was born blind so that the glory of God might be revealed (John 9:3). Another time he told a man he had healed to not sin again or a worse problem would befall him (John 5:14). It is not for us to judge. We must leave that in the hand of God. By shortening their lives God may be sparing the godly from a future that would be worse. He may be ready to judge the wicked and end their miserable life. Only God can see the heart and knows all the circumstances in a person's life. Leave all judgment to Him.

Prayer: LORD of heaven and earth, all-knowing God, help me to focus on living a godly life and leave all judging of souls to You. You alone see the heart of man. Help my heart be submitted to Yours at all times.