8 So Saul disguised himself by wearing ordinary clothing instead of his royal robes. Then he went to the woman’s home at night, accompanied by two of his men.
“I have to talk to a man who has died,” he said. “Will you call up his spirit for me?”
9 “Are you trying to get me killed?” the woman demanded. “You know that Saul has outlawed all the mediums and all who consult the spirits of the dead. Why are you setting a trap for me?”
10 But Saul took an oath in the name of the Lord and promised, “As surely as the Lord lives, nothing bad will happen to you for doing this.”
11 Finally, the woman said, “Well, whose spirit do you want me to call up?”
“Call up Samuel,” Saul replied.
12 When the woman saw Samuel, she screamed, “You’ve deceived me! You are Saul!”
13 “Don’t be afraid!” the king told her. “What do you see?”
“I see a god coming up out of the earth,” she said.
14 “What does he look like?” Saul asked.
“He is an old man wrapped in a robe,” she replied. Saul realized it was Samuel, and he fell to the ground before him.
15 “Why have you disturbed me by calling me back?” Samuel asked Saul.
“Because I am in deep trouble,” Saul replied. “The Philistines are at war with me, and God has left me and won’t reply by prophets or dreams. So I have called for you to tell me what to do.”
16 But Samuel replied, “Why ask me, since the Lord has left you and has become your enemy? 17 The Lord has done just as he said he would. He has torn the kingdom from you and given it to your rival, David. 18 The Lord has done this to you today because you refused to carry out his fierce anger against the Amalekites. 19 What’s more, the Lord will hand you and the army of Israel over to the Philistines tomorrow, and you and your sons will be here with me. The Lord will bring down the entire army of Israel in defeat.”
Several things in Samuel's reply -
He reminded Saul of what God had told him previously - I Samuel 15:28 And Samuel said to him, “The Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today and has given it to someone else—one who is better than you."
He reminded him of why this was happening.
He foretold of his death that would happen the next day.
He told Saul that he and his sons would be with him the next day.
Even though they exist, God specifically forbids the use of mediums. I remember having a ouija board as a teenager and being fascinated with that for a while. But at some point it became too "freaky" and I quit using it, which I am glad of. Delving into the occult is a whole 'nother topic, but it is to be avoided.
Chapter 30 tells of the Philistine army raiding the town that David and his men were living in while they were away. The Philistines didn't kill any of the inhabitants, they just burned it to the ground and left with everyone and everything. When David and his men returned and found it like that, it says they 'wept until they could weep no more'. David's men were angry with him.
I Samuel 30:6 David was now in great danger because all his men were very bitter about losing their sons and daughters, and they began to talk of stoning him. But David found strength in the Lord his God.
Long story short, David asked God what to do and God told him to chase them and that they would recover everything, which is what happened. Of David's 600 men, 400 of them went to battle but 200 were too exhausted, so they stayed behind with the equipment. After they had won, and were returning with all the 'plunder', the ones that had gone into battle didn't want to share with the ones who had remained behind. Here is David's response:
I Samuel 30:23 But David said, “No, my brothers! Don’t be selfish with what the Lord has given us. He has kept us safe and helped us defeat the band of raiders that attacked us. 24 Who will listen when you talk like this? We share and share alike—those who go to battle and those who guard the equipment.” 25 From then on David made this a decree and regulation for Israel, and it is still followed today.
I thought of the current US army and how everyone is trained to fight, but some are 'support troops', and their place on the battlefield is just as important to the success of the engagement. All are deserving of their pay.
Chapter 31 tell of the Philistine army closing in, and that many Israelites were slaughtered that day. They killed three of Saul's sons, to include Jonathan, and Saul himself became wounded. He asked his armor bearer to kill him because he didn't want to die at the hands of the enemy, and when he wouldn't, he took his own sword and fell on it. His armor bearer did the same. The Philistines took their bodies and fastened them to the city wall. But when the people of jabesh-gilead heard what happened, their warriors traveled all night and took their bodies off the wall and brought them back to bury them......no man left behind....
I found it interesting that this Psalm listed below was in my reading for today. Last night was one of those "weird" nights, where I felt "vulernable". Even though the house was alarmed, I felt uneasy. Although I didn't 'quote' this Psalm, I remembered that I was God's and that He was big enough to take care of me, so I quit worrying and went to sleep. Here's what I read this morning:
Psalm 121
1 I look up to the mountains—
does my help come from there?
2 My help comes from the Lord,
who made heaven and earth!
3 He will not let you stumble;
the one who watches over you will not slumber.
4 Indeed, he who watches over Israel
never slumbers or sleeps.
5 The Lord himself watches over you!
The Lord stands beside you as your protective shade.
6 The sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon at night.
7 The Lord keeps you from all harm
and watches over your life.
8 The Lord keeps watch over you as you come and go,
both now and forever.
At least Saul didn't give up completely. Some would just throw in the towel and give up, but Saul took it far beyond appropriate bounds. We can't allow our determination to talk over us like that.
ReplyDeleteMediums and spirits are real, and God forbids us to mess around with them for our own protection. There are times when the evil spirits will tempt us to be afraid or feel fearful. God has the power to overcome these dark moments if we turn to Him and remember His word. He is protecting us with His angels...cling to His promises. He never leaves us nor forsakes us.
ReplyDeleteInstead of Saul waiting for the Lord to answer and using God's 'prescribed' methods (fasting and prayer), Saul turned to God's condemned methods (mediums). So I agree with Cooper that we can't allow our determination to take us down the wrong path. In this case, maybe it would have been better for him to 'give up' if he wasn't going to do it God's way. In the reading for the 31st we see about 'deliberate' sin.
ReplyDeleteSandy C - good reminders of the reality of evil spirits and God's power over them.