Saul Consults A Medium At Endor

1 Samuel 28:1-2 In those days the Philistines gathered their forces to fight against Israel. Achish said to David, “You must understand that you and your men will accompany me in the army.” ² David said, “Then you will see for yourself what your servant can do.” Achish replied, “Very well, I will make you my bodyguard for life.”

David had lied to Achish, telling him that he had raided the people of Israel. Now David is forced to live the lie he gave to Achish.

David seems completely surrendered to the ungodly Achish. He will fight for the Philistines against Israel. We might wish that David was really operating as a “double agent” and he planned to turn on the Philistines in the midst of battle. But the text gives us no reason for such an optimistic perspective. David has come to a very low place.

Saul and the Medium at Endor 1 Samuel 28:3-6 Now Samuel was dead, and all Israel had mourned for him and buried him in his own town of Ramah. Saul had expelled the mediums and spiritists from the land. ⁴ The Philistines assembled and came and set up camp at Shunem, while Saul gathered all Israel and set up camp at Gilboa. ⁵ When Saul saw the Philistine army, he was afraid; terror filled his heart. ⁶ He inquired of the Lord, but the Lord did not answer him by dreams or Urim or prophets.

We learned of Samuel’s death in 25. To Saul’s credit, he had obeyed God and the Mosaic Law to cast out the mediums and spiritists (those who either can or claim to contact the dead and spirit beings). Saul did this in his earlier days when he was still influenced by Samuel’s leadership.

Before Saul’s downward spiral (which began with the Amalekites), when he walked with the Spirit God had given him, he was a man of great courage.                   But God removed the Spirit and his kingship in 16. And also gave him an evil spirit to torment him.

Saul is in a terrible place. The Philistines are threatening, Saul is afraid, and terror has filled his heart. Saul hoped God would speak to him through dreams, but God was silent. Saul hoped God would speak to him through the Urim, but God was silent. He wanted to hear from God through the prophets, but God would not talk to Saul.

This silence demonstrates that God will not always answer everyone who seeks Him, especially when a person is in disobedience, rebellion, and under judgment, as Saul is.

When we reject the word of the LORD, we can still be comforted by the fact that He speaks to us. But if we continue to reject His word, resist, grieve, and quench the Holy Spirit, we may put ourselves in a position we no longer hear god’s voice.

Resist-Acts 7:51…Grieve-Eph. 4:30..Quench-1 Thess. 5:19

1 Samuel 28:7-8 Saul then said to his attendants, “Find me a woman who is a medium, so I may go and inquire of her.” “There is one in Endor,” they said. ⁸ So Saul disguised himself, putting on other clothes, and at night he and two men went to the woman. “Consult a spirit for me,” he said, “and bring up for me the one I name.”

Traditionally, this woman is known as the Witch of Endor. The English word medium has in mind the concept of a channel — they stand between the world of the living and the dead and communicate between the two worlds.

Saul, going to the medium, brought a curse upon himself. God said in: Leviticus 20:6, “I will set my face against anyone who turns to mediums and spiritists to prostitute themselves by following them, and I will cut them off from their people.

Things such as tarot cards, palm readers, horoscopes, and Ouija Boards are dangerous links to the demonic, even if used in the spirit of fun. Christians should never have anything to do with any of these practices.

This shows the depth of Saul’s fall from God, and how it affected his mind, heart, and decision-making.

1 Samuel 28:9-10 But the woman said to him, “Surely you know what Saul has done. He has cut off the mediums and spiritists from the land. Why have you set a trap for my life to bring about my death?” ¹⁰ Saul swore to her by the Lord, “As surely as the Lord lives, you will not be punished for this.”

The medium thinks this might be a government “sting” operation, but Saul assures her that she would not be punished by swearing in the name of the LORD.

Saul’s oath in the name of the LORD reminds us that spiritual jargon means nothing. As surely as the LORD lives Saul is in complete darkness and disobedience. This is the last time Saul will use the name of the LORD and he used it to swear to a medium that she will not be punished.

1 Samuel 28:11-14 Then ¹² When the woman saw Samuel, she cried out at the top of her voice and said to Saul, “Why have you deceived me? You are Saul!” ¹³ The king said to her, “Don’t be afraid. What do you see?” The woman said, “I see a ghostly figure coming up out of the earth.” ¹⁴ “What does he look like?” he asked. “An old man wearing a robe is coming up,” she said. Then Saul knew it was Samuel, and he bowed down and prostrated himself with his face to the ground.

However, Samuel appears; he is visible to both the medium and Saul. This wasn’t a “crystal ball” appearance that only the medium could pretend to see. Nor was it a “voice in the dark” as in a séance. This was a real appearance of Samuel.

We might think that Samuel can’t reappear in some way, coming up out of the earth back to this world. But Moses and Elijah also came from the world beyond back to this world when they appeared with Jesus at the Transfiguration (Matthew 17).

I don’t believe that the medium of Endor had any power over Samuel or any departed saint of God. Samuel doesn’t come back because the medium called for him; Samuel appears because God has a special purpose for it.

1 Samuel 28:15-18 Samuel said to Saul, “Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?” “I am in great distress,” Saul said. “The Philistines are fighting against me, and God has departed from me. He no longer answers me, either by prophets or by dreams. So, I have called on you to tell me what to do.” ¹⁶ Samuel said, “Why do you consult me, now that the Lord has departed from you and become your enemy? ¹⁷ The Lord has done what he predicted through me. The Lord has torn the kingdom out of your hands and given it to one of your neighbors—to David. ¹⁸ Because you did not obey the Lord or carry out his fierce wrath against the Amalekites, the Lord has done this to you today.

Samuel is clearly not happy here. But Samuel does show us here the reality of the world beyond. Though he passed from this world, Samuel was in a real place, living a real existence.

Samuel was not in heaven. Jesus explained this to us in the story of the rich man and Lazarus in: Luke 16:22-24 So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried. ²³ And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. ²⁴ “Then he cried and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.’***                                                             Vs26 And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us.’

So, before Jesus finished his work on the cross, those who died in faith went to a place of comfort and blessing known as Abraham’s bosom. And those who died without faith (rich man) went to a place called Hades. (general area)

After Jesus finished his work on the cross, and the penalty for sin was paid for, these believing saints were then ushered into heaven.

Ephesians 4:7-9 But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. ⁸ This is why it says: “When he ascended on high, he took many captives and gave gifts to his people.” ⁹ (What does “he ascended” mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions?

Samuel reminds Saul of what he told him in 1 Samuel 15:28-29. Samuel said to him, “The Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today and has given it to one of your neighbors—to one better than you. ²⁹ He who is the Glory of Israel does not lie or change his mind; for he is not a human being, that he should change his mind.”

It seems in the fifteen or so years since this event, Saul hoped that maybe the LORD had changed His mind. Samuel confirms to Saul that the LORD had not changed His mind at all.

So, God’s word to Saul hasn’t changed from the time He first said it until the time it would now be fulfilled. Why? Because Saul’s heart hasn’t changed.

Time never changes God’s mind. Our repentance and genuine brokenness may change God’s mind, but never time in and of itself.

The message of the LORD to Saul is absolutely consistent, no matter which strange way God chooses to bring the message.

1 Samuel 28:19 The Lord will deliver both Israel and you into the hands of the Philistines, and tomorrow you and your sons will be with me. The Lord will also give the army of Israel into the hands of the Philistines.”

Saul learns from Samuel that he and his sons would die the next day.  In Vs15, “I have called on you to tell me what to do.”  Why doesn’t Samuel say to repent and turn back to the lord. Seek his face and His forgiveness?

Samuel never tells him what to do because it was too late to do anything.             All Samuel tells him is was what is going to happen, and that God’s judgment is already in motion.

Saul had plenty of opportunities to repent, but now his time has run out.             We should never assume that we have unlimited time to repent.                                     The desire and opportunity to repent are gifts from God. So, if we have the desire and the opportunity today, we must seize upon it, because they may not be there tomorrow.

2 Corinthians 6:2 I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.

Tomorrow you and your sons will be with me, but that does not necessarily mean that Saul was going to Abraham’s bosom. Because, as Jesus told us, Abraham’s bosom and Hades were both in the same general area. (Jonathan) Rev.7:10

1 Samuel 28:20 Immediately Saul fell full length on the ground, filled with fear because of Samuel’s words. His strength was gone, for he had eaten nothing all that day and all that night.

1 Samuel 28:21-25 When the woman came to Saul and saw that he was greatly shaken, she said, “Look, your servant has obeyed you. I took my life in my hands and did what you told me to do. ²² Now please listen to your servant and let me give you some food so you may eat and have the strength to go on your way.” ²³ He refused and said, “I will not eat.” But his men joined the woman in urging him, and he listened to them. He got up from the ground and sat on the couch. ²⁴ The woman had a fattened calf at the house, which she butchered at once. She took some flour, kneaded it and baked bread without yeast. ²⁵ Then she set it before Saul and his men, and they ate. That same night they got up and left.

What a sad last day of Saul’s life. A man who once had the holy Spirit come powerfully upon him, anointed by God as the king of Israel, and now at the end of his life, he’s being comforted by a godless, wicked medium who practices witchcraft and the occult.

But the reality is they were two of the same kind; both lived in rebellion to God, and both were under judgment from God.

The meal Saul ate that night was like the last meal of a man on death row, awaiting execution in the morning. And as we will see in 31 Gods words will come true.