SAUL AND THE SPIRIT MEDIUM
1. (1 Sam 28:1-2) David takes sides with the Philistines against Israel
Now it came about in those days that the Philistines gathered their armed camps for war, to fight against Israel. And Achish said to David, "Know assuredly that you will go out with me in the camp, you and your men." David said to Achish, "Very well, you shall know what your servant can do." So Achish said to David, "Very well, I will make you my bodyguard for life."
The Philistines gathered their army camps for war: This was a war on a much larger scale than had been carried out previously by the Philistines. This was no ordinary raid of border incursion, which seemed to be the frequent form of attack during King Saul's reign. Since the Philistines' defeat in the Valley of Elah, which followed the single combat between Goliath and David, no such Philistine army had been gathered.
And Achish said to David: As a vassal, David was bound to accompany his lord to war. Achish, supposing that David had on his own accord made war upon Judah, probably assumed that the invitation was one in which David desired. David had lied to Achish, telling him that he had raided the people of Israel. Now, David is forced to live the lie.
You shall know what your servant can do: David's answer is ambiguous. He is placed in a dilemma. It seems as though he must either fight against his own nation or appear false to his lord, Achish.
I will make you my bodyguard for life: It seems Achish had been won over by David's career and generous character. Achish seems to take no notice of David's ambiguity. At once, Achhish appoints David to one of the most distinguished appointments in the army--the King of Gath's bodyguard. In the ancient East, the bodyguard was a highly important position. Often, the king did not carry his own weaponry. Instead, the bodyguard carried all the military equipment and was the person responsible for protecting the king. The bodyguard had to be extremely trustworthy to the king. If the bodyguard decided to flee, the king would be completely unarmed and open for direct attack by his enemies.
A. Saul's distressing situation
1. (1 Sam 28:3-5) Saul's fear at the attack from the Philistines
Now Samuel was dead, and all Israel had lamented him and buried him in Ramah, his own city. And Saul had removed from the land those who were mediums and spiritists. So the Philistines gathered together and came and camped in Shunem; and Saul gathered all Israel together and they camped in Gilboa. When Saul saw the camp of the Philistines, he was afraid and his heart trembled greatly.
Now Samuel was dead: In 1 Samuel 25:1, we are first told about Samuel's death. This statement here is repeated to give an introduction to the strange and sad story which follows. Now that Samuel has passed away, there seems to be a spiritual void in Israel.
Saul had removed from the land: Saul's expulsion of the soothsayers he probably did early in his reign, when he was closer to God and following His commands.
Mediums; The Hebrew word is oboth. This signifies the demon or spirit is supposed to speak through the necromancer. It is generally rendered in the Greek Septuagint as "ventriloquist" because the spirit was supposed to speak from the necromancer's belly.
Spiritists: These are more closely connected with wit and wisdom. The exact equivalent of the Hebrew would be "a knowing one". One who is supposed to possess a knowledge of the future by mysterious means.
The Mosaic law concerning these people is clear and decisive. "You shall not allow a sorceress to live" (Exodus 22:18). "Now a man or a woman who is a medium or a spiritist shall surely be put to death. They shall be stoned with stones, their bloodguiltiness is upon them" (Leviticus 20:27).
The Philistines gathered together and came and camped in Shunem: The Philistine army had penetrated into the heart of Israel, marching across the Valley of Jezreel. They took up a strong position on the south-western slope of the mountain range called Little Hermon. Shunem is located about 20 miles north of Aphek, the most northerly Philistine city.
Shunem: This village is located opposite Mount Gilboa. The broad deep valley of Jezreel lays in between Shunem and Gilboa and overlooks the whole western plain of Carmel. Shunem is the home of Abishag, a young girl who became King David's nurse at the end of his life (1 Kings 1:3). It is also the hometown of the woman who entertained the prophet Elisha and whose dead son Elisha raise back to life (2 Kings 4).
Gilboa: Saul's position was only a few miles distant from the camp of the Philistines. From the high ground, Saul and his camp could plainly see the whole Philistine army. Mount Gilboa is the name given to a range of lofty hills, rising 1500 feet above the sea and consist of white chalk.
When Saul saw the camp of the Philistines, he was afraid: There is no doubt that Saul would have been greatly terrified when he viewed his enemy's ranks from afar. They were far more numerous than he had probably expected. But the real reason for his trembling was that God had forsaken Saul. Many of the well-known Israelite warriors had, during recent events, taken service with Saul's dreaded enemy, David. Saul knew that David was now a vassal to King Achish. We might imagine Saul, as he stood on the while chalk hills of Gilboa, gazing on the long lines of the Philistine tents pitched on the opposite hill of Shunem, wondering if his old friend, David, was there with his mighty men following.
2. (1 Sam 28:6) God will not speak to Saul
When Saul inquired of the LORD, the LORD did not answer him, either by dreams or by Urim or by the prophets.
When Saul inquired of the LORD: Many have asked, "how was the inquiry to the LORD made?" since King Saul massacred the priests from Nob. The high priest, or at least the priest in possession of the sacred ephod and the breastplate with the Urim and Thummin was in the camp of David. It has been suggested by eminent Bible scholars that after the murder of Ahimelech and the flight of Abiathar to David, Saul moved the national sanctuary from Nob and established it at Gibeon. It is at Gibeon, during the first year of David's reign, where we find the Tabernacle with the son of Ahitub, Zadok, acting as the high priest. This might account for the frequent reference in the time of David to two priests--Zadok and Abiathar. Zadok might have been the high priest appointed by King Saul and was for a considerable time in charge of the Tabernacle. Abiathar, who fled from Nob with the ephod and Urim was acknowledged by David as the high priest when the kingdom was eventually restored under one king. Zadok and Abiathar seemed to have divided the honors and responsibilities of the high priesthood. (Please see 2 Samuel 8:17, 2 Samuel 15:24, 2 Samuel 15:29, 2 Samuel 15:35, 1 Chronicles 15:11 and 1 Chronicles 18:16 for more details.)
We can imagine Zadok inquired of the LORD for Saul. Some suppose an Urim and Thummin may have been made in imitation of the ancient ones Abiathar possesses. But, as the texts states, Zadok received no answer.
The LORD did not answer him: This silence demonstrates that God will not always answer everyone who seeks him. King Saul had rejected and is currently rejecting God's previously revealed will. Since Saul did not care to obey in what he already knew, God will not give him more to know. At the very least, Saul knew that God did not want him to hunt David, hoping to kill him. Saul had said as much in passages as 1 Samuel 24:16-20 and 1 Samuel 26:21. Yet, Saul disregarded what he knew. If we want God to guide us, we must follow what guidance we already have from Him. When we reject the word of the LORD, we can still be comforted by the fact that He speaks to us. As we continue to reject His word, He may stop speaking to us until we come to accept His will.
B. Saul consults a spirit medium
1. (1 Sam 28:7-8) Saul seeks out a medium
Then Saul said to his servants, "Seek for me a woman who is a medium, that I may go to her and inquire of her." And his servants said to him, "Behold, there is a woman who is a medium at En-dor." Then Saul disguised himself by putting on other clothes, and went, he and two men with him, and they came to the woman by night; and he said, "Conjure up to me, please, and bring up for me whom I shall name to you."
Seek for me a woman who is a medium: The determination of Saul to find out the future proves how obstinate and self-willed he was. He wanted an answer, simply to know what was about to happen, and he did not want to receive guidance and counsel from God.
Traditionally, this woman is known as "The Witch of Endor". It be appropriate to call her a witch, but it more accurate to call her a medium or a necromancer--one who makes contact with the dead. The Hebrew word for medium is ob. 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 Hebrew word has in mind the sound the channel makes as they speak. 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.
En-dor: En-dor was only a short distance away from Mount Gilboa. It was on the north of the Hill of Moreh and was accessible despite the Philistine forces close by. En-dor was located four miles northeast of Shunem, and thus, it was dangerously close to where the Philistines were camped.
Two men with him: Jewish tradition speaks of the two men who accompany Saul as Abner and Amasa. It further mentions the medium at En-dor as the mother of Abner. If this is true, it would account for her having escaped the general pursuit of spiritists and mediums mentioned above. Moreover, it would also explain why the medium was so well-known by Saul's servants.
Saul disguised himself: The disguise and the time chosen for the expedition served a double purpose. The king would, he thought, be unknown in the darkness and disguise when he came to the medium's dwelling. Additionally, Saul needed to pass close to the Philistines whose army lay between him and the village of En-dor. A disguise and cover of darkness would prevent Saul from being recognized by the Philistines.
As Saul sought the medium, he brought upon himself a curse. God said in Leviticus 20:6: "And the person who turns after mediums and familiar spirits, to prostitute himself with them, I will set My face against that person and cut him off from his people."
Conjure up to me, please, and bring up for me whom I shall name to you: Saul asks he medium to channel the deceased prophet Samuel. He did this because he wanted to know what God might say to him. Saul is like a man going to a palm reader to hear the will of God.
2. (1 Sam 28:9-10) Saul answers the suspicions of the medium
But the woman said to him, "Behold, you know what Saul has done, how he has cut off those who are mediums and spiritists from the land. Why are you then laying a snare for my life to bring about my death?" Saul vowed to her by the LORD, saying, "As the LORD lives, no punishment shall come upon you from this thing."
You know what Saul has done: The law, enacted by Saul in his earlier days, made the practice of these dark arts a capital offense. Sorcerers and mediums, no doubt, had been often hunted down by informers. Even if the medium was in the company of her near relatives, still the act of summoning the dead was a capital offense. She may, too, by enhancing the peril in which she stood, have sought to extort a larger present from the stranger who ask for her aid.
Saul vowed to her by the LORD: Saul's oath in the name of the LORD reminds us that spiritual rhetoric means nothing. As certainly as the LORD lives, Saul was in complete disobedience and darkness. This is the last time Saul uses the name of the LORD in the book of 1 Samuel, and he uses it to swear to a medium that she will not be punished. Although Saul might have been able to screen the medium from any punishment in this world, he could not prevent her from eternal punishment from violating Torah.
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