SAUL AND THE WITCH OF ENDOR 1 SAMUEL 28:1-15

http://www.biblestudyworkshop.org 1 Commentary by Ron Thomas Questions by John C. Sewell SAUL AND THE WITCH OF ENDOR 1 SAMUEL 28:1-15

http://www.biblestudyworkshop.org 2 Text: 1 Samuel 28:1-25, Saul and the Witch of Endor Commentary by Ron Thomas 1. 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." 3. 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 the Israelites 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. 7. 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."

http://www.biblestudyworkshop.org 3 9. 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." 11. Then the woman asked, "Whom shall I bring up for you?" "Bring up Samuel," he said. 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 spirit coming up out of the ground." 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. 15. 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 turned away 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 turned away 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. 19. 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." 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 night. 21. When the woman came to Saul and saw that he was greatly shaken, she said, "Look, your maidservant has obeyed you. I took my life in my hands and did what you told me to do.

http://www.biblestudyworkshop.org 4 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 (NIV) Commentary: The Armies of Israel and the Philistines Gather to Battle 1 Samuel 28:1-6, 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." 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." 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. The Philistines assembled and came and set up camp at Shunem, while Saul gathered all the Israelites and set up camp at Gilboa. When Saul saw the Philistine army, he was afraid; terror filled his heart. He inquired of the LORD, but the LORD did not answer him by dreams or Urim or prophets. (NIV) I. The reason for the Philistines to seek a war with Israel is not stated. A. It might be that, because of Saul s distraction with David, the Philistines thought to deal with Saul in a once for all battle (Arnold, p. 371).

http://www.biblestudyworkshop.org 5 1. On the other hand, perhaps it was a smaller skirmish because of the time of the year when armies would battle one another. B. Most expositors think the first two verses should be read in conjunction with chapter 27. 1. In other words, the exchange between David and Achish best fits with remarks before the great battle was pending and in which Saul was to meet his death. C. Saul was anointed king of Israel to tend to the Philistine threat (1 Samuel 9:16), but Saul took his distraction to a plane that resulted in his own insecurity. 1. 1 Samuel 9:16, "About this time tomorrow I will send you a man from the land of Benjamin. Anoint him leader over my people Israel; he will deliver my people from the hand of the Philistines. I have looked upon my people, for their cry has reached me." (NIV) D. The Philistines were still a threat and it was going to be at the hands of the Philistines that Saul was to meet. II. The armies were set; the battle was close at hand; Saul looked out and saw the forces against him, and became afraid. A. He inquired of the Lord, but the Lord did not answer him, something he knew full well would occur because of Samuel s last words to him. (1 Samuel 15:26-35) 1. 1 Samuel 15:26-35, But Samuel said to him, "I will not go back with you. You have rejected the word of the LORD, and the LORD has rejected you as king over Israel!" As Samuel turned to leave, Saul caught hold of

http://www.biblestudyworkshop.org 6 the hem of his robe, and it tore. 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. He who is the Glory of Israel does not lie or change his mind; for he is not a man, that he should change his mind." Saul replied, "I have sinned. But please honor me before the elders of my people and before Israel; come back with me, so that I may worship the LORD your God." So Samuel went back with Saul, and Saul worshiped the LORD. Then Samuel said, "Bring me Agag king of the Amalekites" Agag came to him confidently, thinking, "Surely the bitterness of death is past." But Samuel said, "As your sword has made women childless, so will your mother be childless among women." And Samuel put Agag to death before the LORD at Gilgal. Then Samuel left for Ramah, but Saul went up to his home in Gibeah of Saul. Until the day Samuel died, he did not go to see Saul again, though Samuel mourned for him. And the LORD was grieved that he had made Saul king over Israel. (NIV) B. Saul, at his wits end, and in a desperate attempt to ascertain God s will seeks Samuel via an avenue that is most strange. 1. Mediums: The Hebrew term translated mediums actually refers to a pit used by a magician to conjure up underworld spirits (see 2 Kings 21:6). a. 2 Kings 21:6, He sacrificed his own son in the fire, practiced sorcery and divination, and consulted mediums and spiritists. He did much evil in the eyes of the LORD, provoking him to anger. (NIV) b. In verse 7, The witch of Endor is called the owner of a ritual pit (NET translator note).

http://www.biblestudyworkshop.org 7 i. 1 Samuel 28:7, 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. (NIV) 2. Spiritist: This word has been variously rendered wizard (Gordon), magicians (NET). C. Saul had the priest of Nob destroyed because of his fear and consuming determination to kill David (1 Samuel 22:9-20); earlier he was told by Samuel that the prophet would no longer visit the king. 1. 1 Samuel 22:9-20, But Doeg the Edomite, who was standing with Saul's officials, said, "I saw the son of Jesse come to Ahimelech son of Ahitub at Nob. Ahimelech inquired of the LORD for him; he also gave him provisions and the sword of Goliath the Philistine." Then the king sent for the priest Ahimelech son of Ahitub and his father's whole family, who were the priests at Nob, and they all came to the king. Saul said, "Listen now, son of Ahitub." "Yes, my lord," he answered. Saul said to him, "Why have you conspired against me, you and the son of Jesse, giving him bread and a sword and inquiring of God for him, so that he has rebelled against me and lies in wait for me, as he does today?" Ahimelech answered the king, "Who of all your servants is as loyal as David, the king's son-in-law, captain of your bodyguard and highly respected in your household? Was that day the first time I inquired of God for him? Of course not! Let not the king accuse your servant or any of his father's family, for your servant knows nothing at all about this whole affair." But the king said, "You will surely die, Ahimelech, you and your father's whole family." Then the king ordered the guards at his side: "Turn and kill

http://www.biblestudyworkshop.org 8 the priests of the LORD, because they too have sided with David. They knew he was fleeing, yet they did not tell me." But the king's officials were not willing to raise a hand to strike the priests of the LORD. The king then ordered Doeg, "You turn and strike down the priests." So Doeg the Edomite turned and struck them down. That day he killed eighty-five men who wore the linen ephod. He also put to the sword Nob, the town of the priests, with its men and women, its children and infants, and its cattle, donkeys and sheep. But Abiathar, a son of Ahimelech son of Ahitub, escaped and fled to join David. (NIV) D. Now, he looked out over the scene and the Lord did not come to him with an answer: no dreams, no prophet, and no Urim! What was he to do? 1. Saul could have received an answer from the Lord if he had only turned to the Lord and confessed his sin (sins). 2. Saul did not do this; rather he sought a different path for an answer. Saul s Attempt to Skirt the Lord 1 Samuel 28:7-19, 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. 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." 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?" Saul swore to her by the LORD, "As surely as the LORD lives, you will not be

http://www.biblestudyworkshop.org 9 punished for this." Then the woman asked, "Whom shall I bring up for you?" "Bring up Samuel," he said. 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!" The king said to her, "Don't be afraid. What do you see?" The woman said, "I see a spirit coming up out of the ground." "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. 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 turned away 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." Samuel said, "Why do you consult me, now that the LORD has turned away from you and become your enemy? 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. Because you did not obey the LORD or carry out his fierce wrath against the Amalekites, the LORD has done this to you today. 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." (NIV) I. The old saying that desperate times call for desperate actions seems to apply here. A. Only in this case it is Saul s seeking guidance from a person who could give no guidance, but who was in truth a servant of Satan. II. The witch (or medium) of Endor. A. A town in the lot of Issachar assigned to Manasseh (Joshua 17:11) (ISBE, E-Sword).

http://www.biblestudyworkshop.org 10 1. Joshua 17:11, Within Issachar and Asher, Manasseh also had Beth Shan, Ibleam and the people of Dor, Endor, Taanach and Megiddo, together with their surrounding settlements (the third in the list is Naphoth). (NIV) B. Knowing the law that he had set forth that no servant of Satan would practice witchcraft in Israel, Saul being desperate, now sought to skirt his own law (actually, this was the Lord s law; Exodus 22:18; Leviticus 19:31; Deuteronomy 18:10) to find a person who practiced witchcraft. 1. Exodus 22:18, "Do not allow a sorceress to live. (NIV) 2. Leviticus 19:31, " 'Do not turn to mediums or seek out spiritists, for you will be defiled by them. I am the LORD your God. (NIV) 3. Deuteronomy 18:10, Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft. (NIV) C. He knew he could only do so in disguise; all practitioners of evil would be on their guard. D. Also, that he came during the night when his disguise would have been aided by darkness is significant. 1. Artificial light would not have been adequate enough to illuminate him. 2. A séance is the belief (and practice) of calling up the dead. III. When the witch expressed fear, Saul reassured her.

http://www.biblestudyworkshop.org 11 A. She then proceeded to do what she believed she could do (but which cannot actually be done). B. It is interesting that in Saul s assurance to her he referenced the Lord s name. (28:10) 1. 1 Samuel 28:10, Saul swore to her by the LORD, "As surely as the LORD lives, you will not be punished for this." (NIV) C. During the proceedings Samuel arose and the woman cried out when she realized that the disguised person was actually Saul. 1. Some think that the woman s crying out was an indication of her surprise at what occurred. D. Again, Saul reassured her and asked what she saw. 1. After she described the person she saw, Saul understood it to be Samuel and then he bowed before him. E. Samuel asked why he had been summoned. 1. Saul revealed his distress to Samuel. 2. Samuel then gave Saul words he most certainly did not want to hear. 3. If the Lord wouldn t answer, why ask a dead prophet? 4. The Lord had become Saul s enemy.

http://www.biblestudyworkshop.org 12 5. The Lord had torn the kingdom from Saul and had given it to David, all because of Saul s disobedience with respect to Amalek. 6. Israel would lose the battle on the following day and Saul would be with Samuel (i.e., Saul would die). IV. The important question in this regard is whether or not such communication with the dead is actually a possibility. A. In this context it was possible because God allowed it; otherwise it is not (Luke 16:26-31). 1. Luke 16:26-31, And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence. Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house: For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead. (NIV) B. It is important to note that for one to gain understanding of God s will, the only source is God Himself. 1. Seeking counsel from the nether world about God s will is a sure sign of faithlessness and defeat.

http://www.biblestudyworkshop.org 13 IV. Coffman tried to make some sense of what happened on this occasion by considering the words of many fine Bible expositors of the past. A. He concludes: While confessing that there are ample objections to any view of the passage that may be advocated, the conviction that prevails with this writer favors the view that sees the whole episode as one loaded with fraud and deception (Theophilos). B. Coffman s view needs to be faithfully considered, but this scribe sees nothing in the context that would suggest that what was occurring was a matter of fraud on the part of any, much less on the part of God, for including it (though Coffman would not even remotely consider fraud on God s part). It seems that it is best to understand that on this occasion God allowed Samuel to be brought from the dead to tell Saul the news he sought. C. Davis referenced JFB (p. 257) and gave three purposes for God s bringing Samuel forth: to make Saul s crime an instrument of his punishment; to show the heathen world God s superiority in prophecy; to confirm a belief in the future state of the dead. Saul s Last Meal 1 Samuel 28:20-25, 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 night. When the woman came to Saul and saw that he was greatly shaken, she said, "Look, your maidservant has obeyed you. I took my life in my hands and did what you told me to do. 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." 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

http://www.biblestudyworkshop.org 14 from the ground and sat on the couch. 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. Then she set it before Saul and his men, and they ate. That same night they got up and left (NIV) I. Because of Samuel s words to Saul, Saul was gripped with fear. A. He had no strength. He had not eaten, and had no strength to eat. B. The witch appealed to Saul to take food for strength. 1. Saul refused, but finally relented. a. Saul was in no mood for food, but because of the witch s insistence (desiring him to leave her) he gave in and ate. b. It would have been interesting to see the manner in which he ate. II. A little information about your future can be debilitating. A. So many desire to know their own future, but no doubt they are thinking more positively about their future than is often warranted. B. Saul sought the Lord s guidance, but He did not answer. C. Saul was consumed with knowing, and once he found out he froze. D. He now knew his fate.

http://www.biblestudyworkshop.org 15 Questions 1 Samuel 28:1-25 (Questions based on NIV text.) 1. The gathered their to against. ordered to join forces with him against. appeared to assure that he would give his full efforts on behalf of the. was pleased with s answer and, in return, promised to make his for. 2. was, all for him. He was in his own of. Geographically locate this town. 3. Define medium and spiritist. What order had Saul issued regarding them?

http://www.biblestudyworkshop.org 16 4. What happened at Shunem and Gilboa? Geographically locate these places. 5. When Saul saw the Philistine army, how did he feel and what did he do? 6. Through what means did Saul inquire of the Lord? What results did Saul achieve from these inquiries? 7. Why did Saul disguise himself? Why was the witch apprehensive? Geographically locate Endor. 8. What did Saul ask of the witch of Endor?

http://www.biblestudyworkshop.org 17 9. When did the witch learn Saul s identify? What was her reaction? 10. What do you make of this séance? Was it real or just more fake witchcraft? Give reasons for your answers. 11. Did Saul actually see and/or hear Samuel or did the witch simply tell him what she saw and heard? 12. What does the Bible say about witches, sorcerers, fortune tellers, mediums, psychics?

http://www.biblestudyworkshop.org 18 13. What was Saul s answer to Samuel s question, Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up? 14. What was Samuel s answer to Saul? See verses 16-19. 15. What effect did this look into the future have on Saul? 16. What was the Urim? How did a person inquire of the Urim? How did it work? 17. Saul believed Samuel s prophecy that the Philistines would defeat the Israelites and that Saul would be killed. If Saul had not consulted with the witch and had gone into battle fully confident of victory, would the results have been the same? Explain your reasoning.

http://www.biblestudyworkshop.org 19 18. The Lord had become Saul s enemy! Why was this the case? What was the result of this alienation? 19. Have you ever consulted a psychic? If so, what were the results? 20. Why did Saul lose his appetite?.his life?...his way?

http://www.biblestudyworkshop.org 20