1 Samuel 28:3 - 31 (1 Chronicles 10:1-14, 12:19-23)

“Saul’s Last Battle”

3 Meanwhile, Samuel had died (25:1), and all Israel had mourned for him.

He was buried in Ramah, his hometown. And Saul had banned

from the land of Israel all mediums and those who consult the spirits of

the dead.

1 Samuel 28:3

9 “When you enter the land YaHWeH your God is giving you, be very careful not to imitate the detestable customs of the nations living there. 10 And do not let your people practice fortune-telling, or use sorcery, or interpret

omens, or engage in witchcraft, 11 or cast spells, or function as mediums or psychics, or call forth the spirits of the dead. 12 Anyone who does these things

is detestable to YaHWeH. Deuteronomy 18:9–12 (NLT)

5 When Saul saw the vast Philistine army, he became frantic with fear. 6

He asked YaHWeH what he should do, but YaHWeH refused to answer him, either by dreams

or by sacred lots or by the prophets.

1 Samuel 28:5-6

"God never departs from a man until the man has departed from Him. Then, in the interests of righteousness, God is against that man."

(G. Campbell Morgan)

“YaHWeH did not answer him, because there was no more to be said."

(Baldwin)

18 Then the king said to Doeg, “You turn around and attack the priests.”

And Doeg the Edomite turned around and attacked the priests, and he killed that day eighty-five men who wore the linen ephod… 20 But

one son of Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, escaped

and fled after David.

1 Samuel 22:18–19 (NASB95)

10 When they came to the hill there, behold, a group of prophets met him; and the Spirit of God came upon him

mightily, so that he prophesied among them. 11 It came about, when

all who knew him previously saw that he prophesied now with the

prophets, that the people said to one another, “What has happened to the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the

prophets?” 1 Samuel 10:10–11 (NASB95)

It is more accurate to call her a medium or a necromancer - one who makes contact with the

dead. The Hebrew word for medium is owb, and it has the idea of "mumbling" or speaking with a strange, hollow sound - as if one were "channeling," with a dead person speaking

through them. The English word medium has in mind the concept of a channel - they stand

in-between the world of the living and the dead, and communicate between the two

worlds.David Guzik

7 Then he said to Abiathar the priest, “Bring me the ephod!” So Abiathar

brought it. 8 Then David asked YaHWeH, “Should I chase after this band of raiders? Will I catch them?” And YaHWeH told him, “Yes, go after

them. You will surely recover everything that was taken from you!”

1 Samuel 30:7–8 (NLT)

Although he had removed the sin of witchcraft from the land, he did not remove it from his

heart. We may make a great show of denouncing sin, but if our hearts do not change, the sins will return. Knowing what is right and

condemning what is wrong do not take the place of doing what is right.

Life Application Bible

“As for the person who turns to mediums and to spiritists, to play the harlot after them, I will also set My face against that person and will cut

him off from among his people.”

"Saul is asking for guidance when his course of action is obvious: he has to fight the

Philistines. What he really wants is reassurance that all will be well and that he will win the

battle." (Baldwin)

Leviticus 20:6 (NASB95)

“Why have you disturbed me by calling me back?” Samuel asked

Saul. “Because I am in deep trouble,” Saul replied. “The Philistines are at war with me, and God has left me and won’t reply by prophets or

dreams. So I have called for you to tell me what to do.”

1 Samuel 28:15

“The medium shrieked at the appearance of Samuel she knew too well that the spirits she

usually contacted were either contrived or satanic. Somehow Samuel’s appearance

revealed to her that she was dealing with a power far greater than she had known. She did not call up Samuel by trickery or by the power

of Satan; God brought Samuel back to give Saul a prediction regarding his fate, a message

Saul already knew.”

Life Application Bible

First, the plain statement of the Hebrew text is that she did in fact see Samuel. Second, the medium reacted to Samuel’s appearance as

though it was a genuine and terrifying experience…Perhaps this was the first time she had ever actually succeeded in contacting the dead. Third, the speeches attributed to Samuel

contained allusions to a prior interchange between the two, allusions that would have been appropriate only for the real Samuel to

have made. David Bergen

“Indeed, a straightforward reading of the biblical account suggests the possibility that mediums may possess the capacity to contact

dead persons and establish lines of communication between the living and the dead. This view is not explicitly rejected

elsewhere in Scripture; the Torah prohibits necromancy not because it is a hoax but

because it promotes reliance on supernatural guidance from some source other than

YaHWeH… David Bergen

It was not the skill of the medium but rather a unique act of God that brought Saul into

contact with Samuel. The medium did not possess the capacity to disturb a dead saint; but God permitted Saul to have one last encounter

with the prophet who had played such a determinative role in the king’s career.”

"The indications are that this was an extraordinary event for her, and a frightening one because she was not in control." (Baldwin)

David Bergen

"I believe that the woman of En-dor had no power over Samuel; and that no incantation

can avail over any departed saint of God, nor indeed over any human disembodied spirit."

Samuel really came, but not because the medium called for him. Samuel appeared

because God had a special purpose for it… that he might have an opportunity to make his

peace with his Maker."

Adam Clarke

When we close our ears to God He will find unusual - and perhaps uncomfortable - ways to

speak to us.

"That he did appear to Saul, there can be no question, but he did not come in response to her call. He was sent of God, for the express

purpose of rebuking Saul for his unholy traffic with these evil things, and to pronounce his

doom."

G. Campbell Morgan

16 But Samuel replied, “Why ask me, since YaHWeH has left you and has

become your enemy? 17 YaHWeH has done just as He said He would. He has torn the kingdom from you and

given it to your rival, David. 18 YaHWeH has done this to you today because you refused to carry out His fierce anger against the Amalekites.

1 Samuel 28:16-18

27 As Samuel turned to go, Saul tried to hold him back and tore

the hem of his robe. 28 And Samuel said to him, “YaHWeH has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today and has given it

to someone else—one who is better than you. 29 And He who is

the Glory of Israel will not lie, nor will He change His mind, for He

is not human that He should change His mind!”

1 Samuel 15:24–29 (NLT)

“God's word to Saul didn't change from the time He first said it until the time it would be

fulfilled. Perhaps Saul thought that time would change God's mind; but time never changes

God's mind. Our repentance and genuine brokenness may change God's mind, but never time. Before this time, Saul had plenty of time to repent but now time has run out… We can never assume that we will have as much time

as we want to repent.

David Guzik

19 What’s more, YaHWeH will hand you and the army of Israel over to the Philistines tomorrow, and you and your sons will be here with me. YaHWeH will bring down the entire army of Israel in defeat.”

This is an indication to us of the reality of the world beyond. Though he passed from this

world, Samuel was in a real place, living a real existence. David Guzik

1 Samuel 28:19

Mount Gilboa

“Saul was tall, handsome, strong, rich, and powerful. He was big physically, but he was

small in God’s eyes. He was handsome, but his sin made him ugly. He was strong, but his lack of faith made him weak. He was rich, but he

was spiritually bankrupt. Saul looked good on the outside, but he was decaying on the inside.

A right relationship with God and a strong character are much more valuable than a good-

looking exterior.”

Life Application Bible

"It is a very solemn thought! No career could begin with fairer, brighter prospects than Saul

had, and none could close in more absolute midnight of despair; and yet such a fate may

befall us, unless we watch, and pray, and walk humbly with our God."

F. B. Meyer

Beit She'an

So Saul died because he was unfaithful to YaHWeH. He failed to obey YaHWeH’s command, and he

even consulted a medium 14 instead of asking YaHWeH for guidance. So YaHWeH killed him and turned the

kingdom over to David son of Jesse.

1 Chronicles 10:13-14

When people refuse to submit to God’s authority over them, they begin to die:

spiritually, socially, psychologically, and physically (Rom. 6:23). Eli and Saul had both refused to submit to God’s authority. Eli, the

priest, put his family before God. Consequently God cut off his family. Saul, the king, put

himself before God. Therefore God cut off his life. Saul became increasingly paranoid, isolated from others, hateful toward his

supporters as well as his enemies, and guilty of shedding innocent blood.

9 As Saul turned to leave Samuel, God changed Saul’s heart, and all these signs were fulfilled that day. 10 When they arrived at Gibeah…the Spirit of

God came upon him in power… 6 Then the Spirit of God came upon Saul

mightily when he heard these words.

Galatians 3:3 (NASB95) Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the

flesh? 1 Samuel 10 - 11

14 But if you are bitterly jealous and there is selfish ambition in your

heart, don’t cover up the truth with boasting and lying. 15 For jealousy

and selfishness are not God’s kind of wisdom. Such things are earthly, unspiritual, and demonic. 16 For

wherever there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there you will find disorder and evil of every

kind. James 3:13–16 (NLT)

When people submit to God’s authority over them, they really begin to live. David submitted to

God’s authority over him. His sins…bore bad consequences for himself and others. Nevertheless

God continued to bless and use David.

1 Samuel 16:13–14 (NASB95) 13 Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his

brothers; and the Spirit of YaHWeH came mightily upon David from that

day forward.

Therefore we conclude that the most important issue is one of long term authority, not

incidental acts. Acts are important, but who is in control, God or self, is even more important.

For a believer the most important issue is authority.

Acts 5:32 (NLT) We are witnesses of these things and so is the Holy Spirit, who is given by God to

those who obey Him.” Dr. Thomas Constable

15 “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. 16 “I will ask the

Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you

forever; 17 that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive,

because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you. 18

“I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.

John 14:15–18 (NASB95)

For a believer the most important issue is authority…We can determine who is in control

of our lives fairly easily by asking ourselves two test questions:

• Is my life characterized by constantly asking God for guidance, or do I ignore Him and make my own plans and decisions without

praying? • Do I submit to His word, or do I disobey it

having ignored it or disregarded it?”

Dr. Thomas Constable