1 Samuel 28

Saul Visits a Medium for Help

Summary: Achish drafts David into his army (v.1) and makes him his bodyguard (v.2). The Philistines gathered their army to fight Israel. When Saul heard this, he panicked. He tried to contact God, but there was no answer (v.6). So, Saul contacted a medium instead (!!). Samuel preached judgment on Saul. He tells him that God has given the kingdom to David (v.17). He also predicts the death of Saul and his sons and the demise of Israel (v.19). This chapter shows us Saul’s final night on Earth.

(28:1-2) 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.”

Achish trusts David so much that he’s willing to make him his personal bodyguard. David and his men form a sort of “sleeper cell” inside of the Philistine army. David was fighting the Amalekites, but telling Achish that he was fighting the Israelites (1 Sam. 27:8-10). At this point, it’s unclear which side David is on, because he’s serving a Philistine while also defending Israel.

“You will see for yourself what your servant can do.” This is an intentionally vague reply: “David’s answer, designed to avoid a straight reply, satisfied Achish but left David wondering how he would escape this dilemma.”[]

“Bodyguard” literally means “keeper for my head.”[] This is ironic in view of how David was the “bodyguard” for another Philistine by the name of Goliath!

Will David turn against Israel? Will he remain loyal to this Philistine king? We discover his decision in chapter 29.

(28:3) 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.

What are “mediums and spiritists”? Mediums were people who contacted the dead, and spiritists were “ones who had [occult] knowledge.”[] They were forbidden in Israel (Lev. 19:31; 20:6; Deut. 18:10-11).

Why does the text mention the death of Samuel alongside the expulsion of the “mediums and spiritists”? Samuel was a strong reason for why the spirituality in Israel was so high. Even after his death, Saul honored Samuel’s commitment to God.

(28:4-5) The Philistines assembled and came and set up camp at Shunem, while Saul gathered all Israel and set up camp at Gilboa. ⁵ When Saul saw the Philistine army, he was afraid. Terror filled his heart.

“Saul was afraid. Terror filled his heart.” Fear can lead us to make terrible decisions. Saul’s actions in this chapter were motivated by fear.

Shunem is 20 miles north of Aphek, which was the most northern Philistine city.[]

(28:6) He inquired of the Lord, but the Lord did not answer him by dreams or Urim or prophets.

“But the Lord did not answer him.” Saul wouldn’t listen to what God had already spoken to him. So, God went silent.

Did Saul inquire of God or not? In the parallel account, we read, “Saul died because he was unfaithful to the LORD; he did not keep the word of the LORD and even consulted a medium for guidance, ¹⁴and did not inquire of the LORD” (1 Chron. 10:14). How do we reconcile these accounts? Youngblood notes that a different verb is used. This passage uses one verb (wayyišʾal šāʾûl), while 1 Chronicles uses another (drš). He also notes that Samuel could be capturing the action of Saul inquiring, while the Chronicler could be commenting on the sincerity of Saul’s inquiry.[] That is, Saul had already rejected God’s counsel so many times that his inquiry was insincere. Proof of this is found in the fact that he seeks a medium.

Urim. This was a way to gain God’s will through the agency of the priests (Ex. 28:30; Num. 27:21). The problem is that Saul had slaughtered 85 priests (1 Sam. 22:17-19). It’s no wonder that God had stopped speaking to him through the priests!

Prophets. Saul had rejected Samuel’s words, and now Samuel was dead. So, he couldn’t turn to him. Samuel had a school of prophets (1 Sam. 19:20), but these men surely would’ve sided with Samuel’s verdict against Saul (1 Sam. 15:24, 28-29).

Saul’s problem was that he believed that he didn’t have enough information to follow God. Not true. He had heard from God plenty of times. His problem was that he wouldn’t trust God and follow him.

(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.

Endor is modern day “Khirbet Safsafeh, located four miles northeast of Shunem.”[] This means that Saul was very close to the Philistines when he sought out this woman. Youngblood adds, “The narrator, perhaps deliberately, uses a different Hebrew word for ‘inquire of’ in v.7 than he does in v.6, where the Lord is the object.”[]

(1 Sam. 28:7ff) How could the spirit of Samuel appear to Saul? Yes, this is the true spirit of Samuel. This isn’t a demonic deception. Rather, the narrator tells us that this is actually Samuel. How can this be if God prohibits occult mediums?

For one, God has allowed the dead to return to Earth to accomplish his purposes before. For example, even though Moses and Elijah are dead, he allowed them to return to visit Jesus and the disciples on the Mount of Transfiguration (Mt. 17; Mk. 9; Lk. 9; Mal. 4:5). So, it isn’t as though it is impossible for God to send someone to return to Earth after death. If God chooses to break the normal rules, that is his prerogative.

Second, this miracle wasn’t performed through the witch, but in spite of the witch. In fact, even the occult witch was surprised when Samuel actually appeared (v.13). This communicates that Samuel was not raised by occult power, but by the power of God.

Third, while God works through this event, he does not condone this event. It’s important to recognize that Saul doesn’t get special revelation from Samuel; instead, he only gets judgment (28:19). Chronicles gives commentary on this passage, saying that God took away Saul’s kingdom precisely because he did this! Chronicles says, “Saul died because he was unfaithful to the Lord. He failed to obey the Lord’s command, and he even consulted a medium ¹⁴ instead of asking the Lord for guidance. So the Lord killed him and turned the kingdom over to David son of Jesse” (1 Chron. 10:13-14 NLT).

(28:8) 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.”

Saul likely travelled “at night” to retain anonymity and to avoid running into his Philistine enemies. This could also contain symbolic value in the fact that this Satanic operation occurred under the cover of darkness.

Samuel had earlier referred to Saul’s sin of sacrificing the animals as a “sin of divination” (1 Sam. 15:23). Now, Saul is literally practicing divination. What on Earth could he hope to gain from this? Saul must have “hoped that Samuel would somehow reverse the judgment which he had pronounced.”[]

(28:9) 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?”

“Cut off” could mean expelled, or perhaps killed (Josh. 13:22).[] This woman wants to make sure that this isn’t a sting operation.

(28:10) Saul swore to her by the Lord, “As surely as the Lord lives, you will not be punished for this.”

“As surely as the Lord lives, you will not be punished for this.” Consider the blasphemous irony: Saul is swearing by the Lord to talk to an occultic medium. This is the last time Saul will ever speak “in the name of the Lord.”

(28:11-12) 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!”

Occult practitioners desire to gain control over the spiritual realm. But far from being in control, this medium is scared to death. This shows that this event was outside of her power. Baldwin writes, “This was an extraordinary event for her, and a frightening one because she was not in control.”[]

How does the medium recognize Saul at this moment? Perhaps Samuel addressed Saul by name.

(28:13) The king said to her, “Don’t be afraid. What do you see?”

The woman said, “I see a ghostly figure coming up out of the earth.”

“Ghostly figure” is the typical word for “god” (ʾĕlōhîm). She describes Samuel as a divine figure. Of course, this woman isn’t theologically astute. She is an occult witch after all! Indeed, Bergen writes, “The writer, wishing to demonstrate linguistically that she was speaking heretically, employed a plural verb form with the subject ʾĕlōhîm.”[]

“Don’t be afraid.” There is irony in the fact that a scared man (v.5, 20) is telling the medium not to be afraid.

“What do you see?” Apparently, Saul can’t see the apparition. Later, however, he seems to be able to talk to Samuel directly.

“Coming up out of the earth.” The “earth” (hāʾāreṣ) is “a word often used in the ancient Near East to refer to the netherworld, the realm of the dead.”[]

(28:14) “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.

Samuel was still wearing the “robe” of a prophet when he last saw Saul (1 Sam. 15:27-28). In that interaction, Samuel told Saul that God was going to tear away the kingdom from him. This is precisely what happened.

(28:15) 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 departed 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.”

“Why have you disturbed me?” Apparently, the afterlife is a great place to be!

Saul might include “prophets” first on his list to play to Samuel’s profession.

Saul didn’t just feel like God had “departed” from him. He knew this was true.

(28:16) Samuel said, “Why do you consult me, now that the Lord has departed from you and become your enemy?”

Samuel asks the obvious question: “If God isn’t speaking to you, then why would you expect me to speak to you?” Saul’s activity only reveals the bankruptcy of his spiritual life.

(28:17) “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.”

Samuel repeats what he told Saul 20 years before: “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” (1 Sam. 15:28).

(28:18) “Because you did not obey the Lord or carry out his fierce wrath against the Amalekites, the Lord has done this to you today.”

Saul didn’t obey Samuel when he was alive (1 Sam. 13, 15), but now he’s seeking his counsel now that he’s dead.

(28:19) “The Lord will deliver both Israel and you into the hands of the Philistines, and tomorrow you and your sons will be with me. The Lord will also give the army of Israel into the hands of the Philistines.”

Samuel doesn’t come to give special occultic insight. God allowed Samuel to return to pronounce judgment. This shouldn’t encourage seeking out occult mediums. Rather, it shows that doing such a thing only results in judgment from God.

(28:20) 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 all that night.

Saul knew that he only had 24 hours to live. What if you knew that you were going to face God in 24 hours? What would you do? Surely it would be a good time to get right with God! But not Saul. He is grieved and terrified, but not repentant.

Why didn’t Saul eat? Saul may not have eaten anything because he was following the rules of the occult,[] or he might have been trying to perform some legalistic action to give him victory in battle (1 Sam. 14:28). In our view, he was probably too anxious to have an appetite. Saul is probably worried sick.[]

(28:21-23) When the woman came to Saul and saw that he was greatly shaken, she said, “Look, your servant has obeyed you. I took my life in my hands and did what you told me to do. 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.

What a sad scene: The only person who is merciful to Saul is an occult witch.

(28:24-25) 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.

Saul is a “dead man walking.” Consequently, he gets his “final meal” before facing the executioner.

Concluding insights

What do we learn about Saul? Saul was led by fear. The text states, “When Saul saw the Philistine army, he was afraid. Terror filled his heart” (1 Sam. 28:5). When you are being led by fear, you do stupid things. In this case, Saul’s disobedience led all the way to witchcraft (1 Samuel 15:23; 28:8). This chapter shows just how far Saul had fallen, contacting a medium. Baldwin writes, “[Saul] did himself no good by doing what he had decreed to be unlawful. God’s word stood and could not be altered. He should have believed it instead of thinking that by further consultation he could reverse its judgment. The Lord did not answer him, because there was no more to be said.”[]

What does this tell us about the afterlife? We should exercise extreme caution at drawing theological principles from this bizarre passage. This is a highly unusual event, and this is also in the old covenant. So, this is before Jesus opened the present heaven. That being the case, since we believe God allowed Samuel to return, this must show us some insights into the afterlife. First, Samuel didn’t die; he just changed locations. Second, Samuel was happy in the afterlife, and he didn’t want to return to Earth: “Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?” (v.15) Third, Samuel remembered his life before he died, and he repeats his words to Saul. Fourth, Samuel still had his gift of prophecy—even in death. He knows that Saul is going to die “tomorrow,” along with his sons (v.19). Fifth, wouldn’t it be interesting to hear from a man from heaven? You shouldn’t reach for a Ouija board or visit a psychic. God has already spoken to you through a man from the world beyond: Jesus Christ. He is the one who has “come down from heaven” (Jn. 6:38).