Saul knew good and well that God’s people weren’t supposed to try to communicate with the spirit world – after all, that’s why he had “removed” all the spiritists and mediums from the land (28:3,9). But he was so desperate to know what to do about the Philistines’ latest threat that he disobeyed God once again and tried to contact the spirit of Samuel.
But when Samuel’s spirit spoke through the medium, he didn’t really give Saul much new information, did he? No, Samuel simply repeated what he had already said while he was alive: that the Lord had torn Saul’s kingdom away from him and had given it to David (28:17 and 15:28). And Samuel reminded Saul that this would happen because of his disobedience to God (28:18). No, the only thing Samuel added to what Saul already knew was the day when Saul would lose his kingdom, along with his life: “Tomorrow you and your sons will be with me” (28:19).
It’s a sad, and frankly frightening tale. But instead of just passing out in shock, the way Saul did, why don’t we try to learn from his experience? After all, how many of us have also tried to escape the consequences of our disobedience to God by committing yet another sin? The man who lies to cover up his illicit affair, or who turns to drink in order to sooth his guilty conscience is doing the same sort of thing Saul did when he consulted a medium: just digging the hole of his rebellion against God ever deeper. It didn’t work for Saul, and it won’t work for any of us.
No, if we want to get out of any hole, the first thing we have to do is to stop digging. Only then can we turn our attention in the opposite direction, looking up to God instead of down to our sin. Only then are we able to see that the only true remedy for rebellion is repentance. Instead of trying to force God to do what we want, as Saul did, we must trust Christ to do for us what we are unable to do: to pay the debt that we cannot pay, so that we might be restored to a right relationship with God.
Saul never did stop digging. He never did renounce his rebellion, and he and his sons paid the price for his disobedience. Will we follow his example and keep running away from God? Or will we turn back to Jesus – before it’s too late?
I Samuel 28:15-25 (NASB)
15 Then Samuel said to Saul, “Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?” And Saul answered, “I am greatly distressed; for the Philistines are waging war against me, and God has departed from me and answers me no more, either through prophets or by dreams; therefore I have called you, that you may make known to me what I should do.”
16 And Samuel said, “Why then do you ask me, since the LORD has departed from you and has become your adversary?
17 “And the LORD has done accordingly as He spoke through me; for the LORD has torn the kingdom out of your hand and given it to your neighbor, to David.
18 “As you did not obey the LORD and did not execute His fierce wrath on Amalek, so the LORD has done this thing to you this day.
19 “Moreover the LORD will also give over Israel along with you into the hands of the Philistines, therefore tomorrow you and your sons will be with me. Indeed the LORD will give over the army of Israel into the hands of the Philistines!”
20 Then Saul immediately fell full length upon the ground and was very afraid because of the words of Samuel; also there was no strength in him, for he had eaten no food all day and all night.
21 And the woman came to Saul and saw that he was terrified, and said to him, “Behold, your maidservant has obeyed you, and I have taken my life in my hand, and have listened to your words which you spoke to me.
22 “So now also, please listen to the voice of your maidservant, and let me set a piece of bread before you that you may eat and have strength when you go on your way.”
23 But he refused and said, “I will not eat.” However, his servants together with the woman urged him, and he listened to them. So he arose from the ground and sat on the bed.
24 And the woman had a fattened calf in the house, and she quickly slaughtered it; and she took flour, kneaded it, and baked unleavened bread from it.
25 And she brought it before Saul and his servants, and they ate. Then they arose and went away that night.
