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Samuel chapter 28 recounts a strange event in the tragic descent of
King Saul. Remember, after Saul had been rejected as king over
Israel, there was a steady downward progression: (15:22) “Because
you rejected the Word of the Lord, He has rejected you as king“…
(16:14) “The
Spirit of God had departed from Saul“…
(19:9) “An
evil spirit from the Lord came upon Saul“…
(22:17) “Turn
and kill the priests of the Lord, because they too have sided with
David”.
I believe that at every step, God’s desire was for Saul to repent
and humbly turn his heart back to God. I believe God would have
restored him to become His useful servant. But instead Saul turned
to anyone that might support him in his rebellion. How stubborn we
are when we do not want to accept God’s correction in our life! We
blame God for our poor choices and we search for anything that will
justify our behavior. As the chapter begins, we are reminded that
Samuel was dead and the Philistines were poised to attack. Saul
“inquired
of the Lord, but the Lord did not answer him“.
I believe that is because Saul was not searching for God’s truth
(He had the written Law of Moses, but chose not to look to it);
rather Saul was looking for confirmation that what HE wanted was OK.
Finally Saul decided, “Find
me a woman who is a medium, so I may go and inquire of her“.
“So
Saul disguised himself…and at night he and two men went to the
woman“.
The fact that Saul is sneaking around shows he clearly knew it was
wrong.
Even
though Saul himself had banned the occult practice when he was first
selected king, he asked her to, “Consult
a spirit for me”
and he said, “Bring
up for me the one I name“.
Then
the woman asked, “Whom shall I bring up for you?” Saul
replied “Bring
up Samuel“.
Leviticus 20:6 says: “I
will set my face against the person who turns to mediums and
spiritists to prostitute himself by following them, and I will cut
him off from his people.”
Deuteronomy 18:12 says that consulting mediums or channeling the dead
is “detestable”
to God. That said, God allowed Samuel to speak to Saul (much to the
shock of the medium). Samuel is not happy about being summoned from
“Abraham’s Bosom” (remember Jesus had not yet provided the way
for man to be fully restored to God, so those that believed God’s
promise eagerly waited to be gathered back to God). Samuel
reiterated the things he had told Saul before, and then he added a
final judgment: “The
Lord has torn the kingdom out of your hands and given it… to David…
because you did not obey the Lord or carry out his fierce wrath
against the Amalekites… The Lord will hand over both Israel and you
to the Philistines, and tomorrow you and your sons will be with me.
The Lord will also hand over the army of Israel to the Philistines.”
The
absolute truth of Samuel’s words touched Saul to the very soul.
“Immediately
Saul fell full length on the ground, filled with fear because of
Samuel’s words“.
One incredible side note; notice the different reaction to the
message. Saul did not move. The woman “slaughtered
a calf”
and “baked
bread without yeast”
and served it to Saul and his men that same night. The symbols of
bloodshed and bread without yeast (yeast = sin) might indicate that
the woman became a believer through the encounter. Where are you
looking to find answers? Look no further than the cross of Christ
and the Word of God. Romans 1:16 reminds us, “For
I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God
to salvation for everyone who believes“.