Back to GraceNo Other Way
1 Samuel 28
Saul is self-consumed, self-sufficient, and given over to sin. He wants another word from God and seeks it his own way.
Because God’s Word is final, there is no other way to follow God.
1. When God seems silent, no other voice can lead you (1 Samuel 28:1-10).
1 Samuel 28 opens with David finding safety from Saul among the Philistines, enemies of the Israelites. Though having once fled from Achish of Gath, David now agrees to be his bodyguard.
Saul sees the camp of the Philistines and is afraid. He inquires of the Lord, but God does not answer him. God has already removed His Spirt from Saul, so there is no word through a personal dream. Saul has massacred the priests who keep the Urim, so there is no word through the Urim. And the prophet Samuel is dead.
Saul is looking for a word from the Lord, but God has nothing more to say. Saul has forgotten God’s promises (Deuteronomy 20), and when God had spoken to him in times past, Saul did not obey (1 Samuel 13, 15).
Disguised and under the cover of darkness, Saul seeks direction from an ungodly source forbidden by the Law, a medium.
Saul’s life is marked by selective obedience of convenience and not conviction. God’s silence to Saul is evidence of His judgement not of His absence.
2. Since God is sovereign, not even deception can thwart Him (1 Samuel 28:11-16).
Once head and shoulders over all Israel, Saul now stoops to this deception, telling the medium to bring up Samuel. The woman cries out when she sees Samuel and then recognizes Saul for who he is.
The woman is surely surprised to see Samuel because Satan, the father of all lies and deception, cannot do what has happened. Spiritual warfare is real (Ephesians 2, 6). Samuel’s appearance could only be the work of God, the Creator and Ruler of all.
Saul has closed his ears to the truth of the Lord while opening them to the lies of the world. Samuel speaks the known truth of God, reminding Saul that the Spirit of the Lord has departed from him and that Lord is now his adversary.
To seek guidance elsewhere is to repeat Saul’s error, looking for revelation from the dead when the Living God has spoken.
3. Since God’s Word is sure, no disobedience escapes His judgement (1 Samuel 28:17-25).
God’s Word cuts through the deception and cuts to the heart. Samuel reminds Saul of his disobedience and the consequence, the loss of the kingdom. Instead of repentance and obedience to the Lord, Saul accepts food from the medium.
Saul had been clinging to his rule of the kingdom, but there is no might strong enough to resist the sovereign hand of God.
Faith does not cling to what God is removing. It trusts what God is doing. We cannot cling to both control and Christ. When we turn to God, we find mercy. As God’s child, we submit to Christ, the one in control.
It is possible to be fearful and sorry for our sin but not actually repent of it (2 Corinthians 7). While sin destroys and leads to judgment, only repentance and faith in Christ mercifully restores.
Application Points
- Do you feel God is silent towards you? Are you listening to Him? God’s Word tells us all we need to know for life and godliness.
- Are there things in your life that you are hiding from others because you are not heeding God’s Word? God is a God of mercy and grace. His way is good and righteous. Live in an upright way and forsake deception.
Tools for Further Study
Cross References to Explore
Deuteronomy 20; 1 Samuel 13, 15; Hebrews 1; Ephesians 2, 6; 2 Corinthians 7
A Hymn to Encourage: “O Word of God Incarnate”
O Word of God incarnate, O Wisdom from on high, O Truth unchanged, unchanging, O Light of our dark sky, We praise Thee for the radiance That from the hallowed page, A lantern to our footsteps, Shines on from age to age.
The Church from her dear Master Received the gift divine, And still that light she lifteth O’er all the earth to shine: It is the golden treasure Where gems of truth are stored; It is the heaven-drawn picture Of Christ, the living Word.
Words by William Walsham How; Public Domain