The night before king Saul died, he went to Endor to consult with a medium. The purpose of Saul's consultation with “the witch of Endor” (as she is commonly referred to) was to enquire of the recently- departed prophet and judge of Israel, Samuel (who had anointed Saul king) concerning the Philistines who were on the warpath against Israel.
Of Saul's death the following day, First Chronicles has this to say: "[Saul] inquired not of the LORD: therefore he slew him, and turned the kingdom unto David the son of Jesse [1 Chronicles 10:14]." This, according to the first book of Samuel, is a lie.
In the same chapter of First Samuel which describes king Saul's consultation with the medium at Endor, it is alleged without equivocation that Saul sought counsel of the LORD, but the LORD refused to talk to the man He had commanded Samuel to anoint king of Israel. According to the twenty- eighth chapter of First Samuel, it was because the LORD refused to counsel Saul that Saul consulted the medium. First Samuel says: "And when Saul inquired of the LORD, the LORD answered him not, neither by dreams nor by Urim, nor by prophets [1 Samuel 28:6].”
The truth about king Saul is that he never went to war without at least attempting to enquire of the LORD about it. Even when events conspired to make it impossible for Saul to enquire of the LORD before joining the battle [such as when Saul’s son Jonathan assaulted the garrison of the Philistines (1 Samuel 14) without first notifying anyone of his aggressive intent] king Saul would have “enquired of the LORD” had he had a chance to.
It was, in fact, king Saul's propensity for enquiring of the LORD before going to battle which purportedly caused the rift between him and Samuel (1 Samuel 13). Either way, 1 Chronicles 10:14 is a lie if 1 Samuel 28:6 isn't. Perhaps neither is altogether true.
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