“So 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. He did not seek guidance from the Lord. Therefore the Lord put him to death and turned the kingdom over to David, the son of Jesse.”
– 1 Chronicles 10:13–14
Did you hear that phrase at the beginning of 1 Chronicles 10:13–14, the Bible says, “Saul died for his breach of faith.” It’s the same language we read earlier in 1 Chronicles 9. Verse one says, “Judah was taken into exile in Babylon because of their breach of faith.” This picture of breaching or breaking faith, and specifically here in Saul’s life in I Chronicles, chapter 10, what that involves is not keeping the command of the Lord. That’s exactly what it says. “He broke faith with the Lord in that he did not keep the command of the Lord, and he consulted medium seeking guidance. He did not seek guidance from the Lord.”
Before we look to anyone else or listen to anyone else, any other source in this world, God may our eyes and our hearts and our minds be fixed on you. May we seek guidance from you.
1 Chronicles 10:13–14 Encourages Us to Keep God’s Commands
So this is the picture 1 Chronicles, chapter 10 is giving us of a breach of faith or a break in faith that involves not keeping God’s commands and not seeking God’s guidance. And so it’s pretty clear based on I Chronicles, chapter 10:13-14, at least one way we need to pray. That God would keep you and me from breaches of faith from breaking faith in these ways. Oh God, we pray right now that you’d help us to keep your commands and seek your guidance today. God, please guard us, keep us, save us from temptations to breach faith, to break faith in you. God, we pray that you would help us all day long to walk in obedience to your word and your spirit.
Seek Guidance in the Right Places
Please, God, help us not to break faith by disobeying your commands. And God, help us to look to you all day long. In everything that’s going on in our lives, to look to you for guidance. Before we look to anyone else or listen to anyone else, any other source in this world, God may our eyes and our hearts and our minds are fixed on you. May we seek guidance from you. God, we pray this for our lives today, tomorrow, the next day, the next day. Until we die, God, we pray that you would help us not to break faith. God, help us not to be guilty of breaching faith.
1 Chronicles 10:13–14 Leads Us to Pray for Obedience
God, we pray that you would help us to live lives that are obedient to your commands, and that is constantly seeking your guidance, knowing we need your guidance in everything we do, and knowing that your commands are the way to live in you. So, God, I pray for my own life. I pray for each one of us to listen right now. Help us not to break faith today. And we pray the same for tomorrow and the next day and the next day until we stand before you one day, we pray, hearing the words “Well done, good and faithful servant.” Oh God, only by your grace is this possible. We pray for this in Jesus’ name. Amen.
David Platt serves as a pastor in metro Washington, D.C. He is the founder of Radical.
David received his Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and is the author of Don’t Hold Back, Radical, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, Before You Vote, as well as the multiple volumes of the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary series.
Along with his wife and children, he lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area.
