1 Chronicles 10, describes the death of Saul. Although Saul killed himself, the Chronicler understood that the Lord put Saul to death. This is most likely to show the sovereignty of God over all things, even suicide. Though we should understand that God's sovereignty does not mean his direct responsibility, rather it is his divine oversight and removal of his grace that restrains evil.
Many have argued a different premise, but this chapter shows that Saul really killed himself, and yet, the Lord put Saul to death. We understand Saul was responsible for falling on his own sword, but how is God responsible for that?
God's responsibility appears to be in his sovereignty, he has removed the grace necessary to withold the evil, as a judicial punishment, and it results in Saul taking his own life. We see this constant theme throughout Scripture. Peter says in Pentecost, " this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men." We know God was punishing Jesus for the sins of mankind not his own sins, "the punishment that brought us peace was upon him."
This is similar to two other instances of acts that highlight the Sovereignty of God. In "God Gave Them Up: A Study of Divine Retribution", S. Lewis Johnson Jr., highlights to key passages that are relavent to this discussion.
First in Romans 1:18-26; 28 we see Johnson explain that this act of God giving them up is a judicial consequence, and not merely a removal of grace.
Second Johnson highlights Acts 7:42, as the exact same greek reference to "God giving them up" and shows that it is a removal of grace, but as a judicial punishment.
Something Johnson doesn't not but is clearly present is also that "God giving them up" seems to be intrinsically tied to idolatry, and a rejection of faith in God, and a reliance on anything else. Hence we see the Chronicler explain that Saul "died for his breath of faith" and "did not keep the command of God" and "did not seek guidance from the Lord" but instead "consulted a medium" which is the moral equivalent of idolatry. Therefore God gave him over to his own wicked hand, and put him to death.
Stay tuned for more on God's sovereignty as a part of my study Chronicles 1 & 2.
