1Sa 28:7-13 | KingComments | STEP | Saul is only afraid of himself. It makes him desperate. In his despair he does not turn to God in acknowledgment of his disobedience, pride and arrogance and his unjust hatred of David. He goes in the direction many people take today, that of occultism. Allegorically seen, we are here at the end of a time. Professing Christianity has also come at a time when impure spirits are consulted. People open themselves up to it. Saul seeks contact with the world of spirits. He lets find out if there is still anyone of the mediums left. His servants are all too willing to serve him in this evil cause. They immediately point to one. It is someone who lives in En-dor, a city not far from there. This medium has apparently escaped Saul’s clean up action. Apparently, Saul did not do his job that thoroughly. He disguises himself – as if he could deceive God! – and goes to En-dor. The woman, the medium, is afraid at first that she will fall into a trap. God’s providence has ruled it in such a way that she tells Saul what he has commanded before. She points out the danger she is running because of the law that Saul has enacted. Maybe she does so to increase her price. It is striking how aware she is of the danger she is in by Saul’s injunction to exterminate her ‘profession-group’, while ignoring the obligations of God’s law and the horrors of His wrath. She thinks of what Saul ordered, but what God ordered about such practices is completely irrelevant to her. She is more afraid to fall into a trap that can cost her life than to fall into the hands of the living God, “who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell” ( ). Sinners are more afraid of punishment from men than of God’s righteous judgment. However, the disguised Saul swears to her by the LORD that she need not be afraid of anything. He still dares, and even in this situation and in this demonic den, to call the name of the LORD and even to swear by Him. He speaks of a LORD Who lives, without this being a living reality for him. This is clear from what he promises the woman. He promises more than he can make true if he says: “No punishment shall come upon you.” He cannot save himself, and even less he can save her from the anger of living God. He speaks this way because his heart is far removed from the reality of a real confession of what the Name of God means. His visit to this woman shows that he despises the God of Israel. Now that God has left him and is angry with him, he believes he can put his trust in a creature. In his case, these are even creatures who are apostates from God, who consciously revolt against Him, and who want to deceive His people to apostate from God. Saul expressly appeals to someone who is in contact with demons. This is spiritism. No medium can bring back the dead. Only the Lord Jesus has “the keys of death and of Hades” ( ). Yet the mediums are successful. This is, however, because they open themselves up to demonic spirits speaking through their mouths. They often know something about the deceased. God has completely forbidden this area for His people ( ), but the masses do not care about it. We can observe that people massively read horoscopes, coming from the same source. Asking the dead is in direct contrast to asking God. Isaiah deeply indignant speaks about this on behalf of God ( ). Such consultation is an abomination to the LORD ( ).

‏ 1 Samuel 28:7-13

Saul Goes to a Medium

Saul is only afraid of himself. It makes him desperate. In his despair he does not turn to God in acknowledgment of his disobedience, pride and arrogance and his unjust hatred of David. He goes in the direction many people take today, that of occultism. Allegorically seen, we are here at the end of a time. Professing Christianity has also come at a time when impure spirits are consulted. People open themselves up to it.

Saul seeks contact with the world of spirits. He lets find out if there is still anyone of the mediums left. His servants are all too willing to serve him in this evil cause. They immediately point to one. It is someone who lives in En-dor, a city not far from there. This medium has apparently escaped Saul’s clean up action. Apparently, Saul did not do his job that thoroughly. He disguises himself – as if he could deceive God! – and goes to En-dor.

The woman, the medium, is afraid at first that she will fall into a trap. God’s providence has ruled it in such a way that she tells Saul what he has commanded before. She points out the danger she is running because of the law that Saul has enacted. Maybe she does so to increase her price.

It is striking how aware she is of the danger she is in by Saul’s injunction to exterminate her ‘profession-group’, while ignoring the obligations of God’s law and the horrors of His wrath. She thinks of what Saul ordered, but what God ordered about such practices is completely irrelevant to her. She is more afraid to fall into a trap that can cost her life than to fall into the hands of the living God, “who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell” (Mt 10:28). Sinners are more afraid of punishment from men than of God’s righteous judgment.

However, the disguised Saul swears to her by the LORD that she need not be afraid of anything. He still dares, and even in this situation and in this demonic den, to call the name of the LORD and even to swear by Him. He speaks of a LORD Who lives, without this being a living reality for him. This is clear from what he promises the woman. He promises more than he can make true if he says: “No punishment shall come upon you.” He cannot save himself, and even less he can save her from the anger of living God.

He speaks this way because his heart is far removed from the reality of a real confession of what the Name of God means. His visit to this woman shows that he despises the God of Israel. Now that God has left him and is angry with him, he believes he can put his trust in a creature. In his case, these are even creatures who are apostates from God, who consciously revolt against Him, and who want to deceive His people to apostate from God.

Saul expressly appeals to someone who is in contact with demons. This is spiritism. No medium can bring back the dead. Only the Lord Jesus has “the keys of death and of Hades” (Rev 1:18b). Yet the mediums are successful. This is, however, because they open themselves up to demonic spirits speaking through their mouths. They often know something about the deceased. God has completely forbidden this area for His people (Deu 13:1-17), but the masses do not care about it. We can observe that people massively read horoscopes, coming from the same source.

Asking the dead is in direct contrast to asking God. Isaiah deeply indignant speaks about this on behalf of God (Isa 8:19-20). Such consultation is an abomination to the LORD (Deu 18:9-12).

Saul Wants Samuel Brought Up

The woman asks the usual question when she gets a visit from someone who wants to consult her about a dead person. She gets the unusual request to bring up Samuel. We do not read anywhere that when Samuel lived in Ramah, Saul ever went to him to consult him. And Ramah is not far from Gibeah, the dwelling place of Saul. Now that Samuel has died, he wants to consult him.

In the same way, many who despised and persecuted God’s servants while they were still alive, honored them after their death. It is similar to what the Lord Jesus says to the scribes and Pharisees, to whom He says the “woe to you” because of this attitude: “For you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous” (Mt 23:29). He calls them “sons of those who murdered the prophets” (Mt 23:31), indicating that they are exactly like their fathers. Spiritually, they are descendants of Saul.

Saul wants to meet Samuel. He will meet him. When Saul has let know who he wants her to bring up, the story suddenly continues with what the woman sees. We might have expected that it would be said how she does this, what incantations and magic she uses. The deep silence of Scripture about this is significant. It shows that “the depths of Satan” (Rev 2:24) are not an area we should enter. Our potential curiosity about methods that bring us into contact with demons is not satisfied. It is strange to God’s Being to make announcements about the way in which mysteries of iniquity are made available to us. The Scriptures do not call for or give room to sinful tricks but tells us to be “innocent in what is evil” (Rom 16:19).

When Samuel comes up, it is not the result of a conjuration of the woman. She, who is the medium through whom an evil spirit expresses itself, is greatly surprised by what is happening. She does not have this in her hand. God controls the event. How could a wicked medium ever use an evil spirit to bring up the spirit of a man like Samuel? It is folly to think that. That is why the woman is so scared.

She expected the evil spirit to speak through her, just as it would be otherwise. She has admitted this demon to come into her herself. She has surrendered herself to him and through him has brought many people into contact with the invisible world. If this demon had shown herself to her in the desired form, she would have made him believe something with which he could be satisfied, and she could raise her money. But this is not how it goes. She does not see what the evil spirit would show her, but she sees Samuel, as the description shows.

What she sees is reality and not imagination, because she also hears what Samuel says. This is not spiritism. It is really Samuel and not a demonic spirit that imitates Samuel. Not she let Samuel come up, but the LORD let him speak. It is a special action of God, because of a special case. God gives Saul a testimony through the deceased Samuel. As said, the Lord Jesus has the keys of death and of the realm of the dead, which are not in the hand of any creature.

Saul did not see the apparition himself. The woman sees a supernatural being. Samuel is recognized by Saul by his robe of a prophet. He bows down before the man he despised in his life. He despised him, perhaps not so much in his position, but as the bearer of the Word of God.