1 Samuel 28 - Saul Visits a Medium

Previously in 1 Samuel, we saw David flee into Philistine country out of discouragement and doubt of the Lord’s plan for his life. While there, he began making some sinful choices in order to gain the favor of Achish, the king of Gath. David destroyed some of the cultures that God had previously told the children of Israel to wipe out, but he brought all the loot back to Achish and deceived him into believing he was attacking his own people. Achish was so pleased with this, that when it came time to go to war with Israel, he wanted David to go with him into battle. Surprisingly, David agrees to this. He was either planning on turning on Achish in battle, or, even worse, going to fight against his own people. Either way, he was in a predicament: Saul already wanted to kill him, and if he turned on Achish in battle, then the Philistines would want his head as well. David was in Philistine territory for 16 months, and this was probably one of the lowest times spiritually for him.

In light of this imminent war with the Philistines, the scene returns back to Saul. We are reminded that Samuel was dead, and that he had been buried in his own city of Ramah. We also are told that Saul had put all the mediums and spiritists out of the land (put them to death), a fact that will be relevant a bit later. This was in line with the Scriptures, but Saul had a tendency to be hard on everyone else’s sin except his own.

Then the Philistines gathered together, and encamped in Shunem, while Saul and all Israel encamped at Gilboa. Shunem was about 20 miles north of the northern most Philistine city of Aphek, and was in the valley of Jezreel. This gives us some indication of how far the Philistines had made an inroad into Israeli territory. Saul was being boxed in. Gilboa was just south of the sea of Galilee, and overlooked Shunem in the valley of Jezreel. So, Saul was able to look down and see the armies of the Philistines, and it states he was afraid, his heart greatly trembling. He sought counsel from the Lord, but the Lord did not answer him, neither by dreams, the priests, or the prophets. The Lord would not answer Saul, because Saul refused to get right with him. Saul was not looking to get right with the Lord, but a way to avoid being defeated by the Philistines.

Rather than humbling himself, Saul resorted to occultic practices to seek counsel of what to do. He told his servants to find him a medium that he could go and inquire of her. They replied that there was one in En Dor, a city that was nearby. The devil often has a trap or snare waiting nearby in case he can succeed in convincing us to take it. This woman was a necromancer, someone who claims to make contact with the dead. In reality, she was demon-possessed, and this demon would speak through her when she conducted the séance. These demons would often impersonate the dead person that the individual was wanting to call up.

So, Saul disguised himself, and he and two men went to her by night. He asked her to conduct a séance for him, and to call up whoever he names. The woman objected, saying that he knew what Saul had done in putting to death all the mediums in the land, so why was he laying a snare for her life? She was making sure this was not some sort of sting operation. Then Saul swore by the Lord, saying, “As the Lord lives, no punishment shall come upon you for this thing.” Notice the confusion again in Saul: he’s visiting a medium, and then swearing by the Lord. Using the right spiritual jargon does not mean anything if it is not accompanied by obedience to the word of God. We may have seen some of these people on television: they praise Jesus, but then they fleece people for money. Well, the woman agreed to go ahead with the séance, and asked Saul who he wanted her to bring up? He told her to bring up Samuel for him. Saul is really desperate and confused here: God will not answer him, so he wants to call up Samuel, a prophet of the Lord, as if that would turn out better for him.

When the woman saw Samuel, she shrieked, which gives us an indication this wasn’t normal for her. It wasn’t common practice for her to actually call up someone from the dead, especially a believer. The most straight-forward interpretation is usually the correct one, and since the Bible states it was Samuel, I believe it was. God allowed it to take place in this instance as a witness against Saul. She also knew somehow that it was Saul. She asked him why he had deceived her, and he told her to not be afraid. He asked her what she saw? She said that she saw gods ascending out of the earth (probably her pagan way of describing what she saw). She told Saul that she saw an old man with a mantle. Saul perceived that it was Samuel, and stooped down with his face to the ground. It would appear that Saul could not see Samuel, but he would be able to hear him.

Samuel asked Saul why he had disturbed him by bringing him up? Samuel would have been in a place called Abraham’s bosom, a place of rest and comfort that believers went to before Jesus died on the cross. Both Abraham’s bosom and Hell were in a place called Sheol, and according to Jesus’ account of the rich man and Lazarus, there was a great gulf between the two places. Saul answered, “I am deeply distressed; for the Philistines make war against me, and God has departed from me and does not answer me anymore, neither by prophets nor by dreams. Therefore I have called you, that you may reveal to me what I should do.” Samuel responded, “So why do you ask me, seeing the Lord has departed from you and has become your enemy? And the Lord has done for Himself as He spoke by me. For the Lord has torn the kingdom out of your hand and given it to your neighbor, David. Because you did not obey the voice of the Lord nor execute His fierce wrath upon Amalek, therefore the Lord has done this thing to you this day. Moreover the Lord will also deliver Israel with you into the hand of the Philistines. And tomorrow you and your sons will be with me. The Lord will also deliver the army of Israel into the hand of the Philistines.”

This was not the answer Saul was hoping for, but what could he expect? God had departed from Saul, but only because Saul had departed from him first. God was Saul’s enemy because Saul had made Him so by his own failure to repent from his sins. The Lord would later speak through Isaiah the prophet, “Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; nor His ear heavy, That it cannot hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God; and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear.” (Isaiah 59:1-2) He reminded Saul that the Lord had fulfilled his word by taking the kingdom from him, and giving it to his neighbor, David. The identification of David was an addition to Samuel’s original prophecy, but it was a confirmation of what Saul already knew. The Lord did this because Saul had not obeyed His voice by executing His fierce wrath on Amalek. The Lord was taking Saul back to where his downfall began, that unrepentant sin that Saul had carried with him for the last 15 years or so, and that led to so many other sins. Samuel had told him then that rebellion was as the sin of witchcraft, and that stubbornness was as iniquity and idolatry. Oh, how true that was, for Saul was spending the last few hours of his life visiting a medium. As a result, Samuel told Saul that he and the rest of Israel would be delivered into the hands of the Philistines, and that the next day he and his sons would be with him (Samuel). Visiting a medium and other occultic practices are strictly forbidden by the Scriptures, and in doing so, Saul was inviting a curse on himself: “‘And the person who turns to mediums and familiar spirits, to prostitute himself with them, I will set My face against that person and cut him off from his people.’” (Leviticus 20:6)

So, did Saul go to Abraham’s Bosom or to Hell? Granted, Old Testament believers were not saved in the same way we are today, but Saul did seem to have somewhat of a conversion experience when the Lord gave him a new heart (1 Samuel 10:9). Some would argue that when Samuel told Saul he and his sons would be with him, Samuel was referring to the general place of Sheol, not the exact place that he was. However, given the fact that Abraham’s bosom and Hell were so drastically different and that there was a great gulf between the two, makes it seem more likely that Samuel was referring to Abraham’s bosom rather than referring to death and Sheol in a more general sense. You might ask, “how could a man like Saul, an angry violent man who committed horrible atrocities, go to Abraham’s Bosom which would later mean going to Heaven? This gets back to the question of whether or not we are saved by our faith or our works? If we can lose our salvation based off committing sin or a series of sins, then we would have had to gain it by not sinning. This contradicts numerous New Testament passages, Ephesians 2:8-9 for starters, which states, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” In order for Saul to go to Abraham’s Bosom, his faith in the Lord must have remained intact, despite his sinful choices. This is why I believe we should be careful in judging definitively that a person is or is not saved based off their fruit or lack thereof. We can see the outward evidence that something is definitely wrong, and even question the authenticity of their conversion at times; however, the Lord is the only one who truly knows the heart.

After Samuel was done speaking, Saul fell down on the ground, and was dreadfully afraid. He had no strength, for he had not eaten anything all day and all night. When the woman saw how troubled he was, she offered him food, but he refused it. Then she and his servants together urged him to eat, and he agreed. She killed a fatted calf, made unleavened bread, and they all ate before they left on their way. You may ask, “if what Saul did was so wrong, why did he get a steak dinner out of it? The devil may offer a lot of nice perks in exchange for getting us to commit sin, but what he has to offer is only for this life. Even at that, his perks are temporary and fleeting. I’m sure that steak dinner was of little consolation to Saul who was just told he would die in battle at the hands of the Philistines the next day.

Reader, are you desperate to hear from the Lord, and He is not answering? It could be that it goes back to some previous sin that you have not dealt with. The Lord may allow you to be in dire straits, like He did with Saul, in order to humble you to a place where you will repent. Remember, the Lord’s hand is not short that He cannot save, nor is His ear heavy that He cannot hear, but it is your iniquities and sins that have separated you from him that He will not answer. If this is you or me, we have a choice in that moment: we can take advantage of that opportunity the Lord has so graciously given us, and we can be restored to fellowship with Him through repentance. Alternatively, we can be like Saul by turning away from the Lord to even worse sins. This was it for Saul: yes, he could have repented even after visiting the medium, but I don’t know if it would have changed his outcome as predicted by Samuel. Unfortunately, he will not repent, even at his death. If this is us, let us go back to those sins we know we have committed, and take them to Jesus who is faithful and just to forgive and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. It is then that we can count on the Lord’s saving hand and listening ear. In the next chapter, we will see the scene shift back to the Philistines who are preparing for war, and how they will deal with David and his men.