Still Time to Turn Around

Still Time to Turn Around

1 Samuel 28:3-21

 

Intro: In too deep. 

 

Backstory: 1 Samuel 27.

 

Read: 1 Samuel 28:3-21(a)

 

What is made clear through this chapter is that Saul is near the very end of his life. His steps here don’t tell his entire story, but they reveal to us his status personally, publicly, and spiritually. When we were first introduced to Saul in 1 Samuel 9, he is written of differently, but here is the reality, things changed. Saul is noted in 1 Samuel 9 as outstanding…head and shoulders taller than all the other men, a valiant mighty man, the most handsome in all Israel. He was humble at the at that time noting that he from a small tribe in a small town (1 Samuel 9:21).

In chapter 10, we learned that the Spirit of the Lord came upon Saul, that the Lord changed his heart, we see him lead the people in battle to victory. But in chapter 13, things begin changing, he trades in humility for pride, taking credit for things he did not do. Then we see him disregard the instruction of the Lord and take matters into his own hands. In chapter 14, binding people to foolish vows. In chapter 15, choosing expedience over obedience, choosing lies over the Lord, and the Spirit departed from Saul due to Saul’s rejection disobedience.

Samuel the prophet told Saul that the kingdom would be removed from him and another king would be anointed, a man after God’s own heart. Saul had rejected God, and God had rejected Saul from being king. David is anointed in the next chapter, and Saul’s focus shifts for a period of 10 years, pursuing David to kill him, rather than pursuing God or turning to Him.

All these things played into Saul’s current status. The state that we find him in. The way he started was not the way he finished. This is a great lesson for a us, a good start doesn’t guarantee a good ending.

 

1. Check Your Status

 

1 Samuel 28:3-4, Now Samuel was dead, and all Israel had mourned him and buried him in Ramah, his own city. And Saul had removed the mediums and spiritists from the land.

 

• Saul’s steps in this chapter are set up by verses 3 to 5

 

• First, we are reminded that Samuel, the prophet of the Lord, had died. We first learned this in chapter 25, but it is an important note here because we are going to see Saul searching for direction in this chapter, and in times past, it was Samuel the prophet who spoke for the Lord to the people.

 

• In fact, from chapter 3 verse 19, we know that when Samuel spoke, he spoke the word of the Lord, but now he is gone.

 

• We also learn in verse 3 that Saul had removed all the mediums and spiritists from the land.

 

• Most scholars believe that Saul’s removal of mediums and spiritists was something Saul likely did earlier in his life around the time when he first became king.

 

• These were commands given by God…

 

Leviticus 19:31, ‘Do not turn to mediums or spiritists; do not seek them out to be defiled by them. I am the Lord your God.

 

Deuteronomy 18:10-12, Let no one be found among you who sacrifices their son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. Anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord; because of these same detestable practices the Lord your God will drive out those nations before you.

 

• In both ancient and modern times, a medium is a person who communicates with spirits, a “medium” or intermediary between the living and the dead. Some practice this through deception, but some mediums legitimately communicate with demons, or the dead, and the spirit is not from God, but from satan.

 

• The Lord said, these practices have no place amongst God’s people.

 

Ephesians 6:11-12, Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.

 

Romans 16:19(b), Be wise in what is good, and innocent in what is evil.

 

• Saul had done as God desired; his “status” was once set against the things that were against God. it was a good thing he had done, but that decision also helps set up the rest of this chapter for us.

 

1 Samuel 28:4-6, So the Philistines assembled 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.

 

• When Saul saw the army of the Philistines, he “trembled.” The word there is “quaking.”

 

• The Philistines were at Shunem and Israel went and camped at Gilboa.

 

• The fact that the Philistines where at Shunem may not mean much without knowing the geography, but what this meant was that the Philistines had penetrated deep into Israelite territory.

 

• Essentially, they were in a center section of the land, dividing the land in half…The was something Saul had never seen over the course of his life.

 

 1 Samuel 28:4-6, So Saul inquired of the Lord, but the Lord did not answer him, either in dreams, or by the Urim, or by the prophets. Then Saul said to his servants, “Find for me a woman who is a medium, so 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.”

 

• The Lord did not answer. The Lord did not give him dreams. There were no prophets. No Urim.

 

• It is all do to his own undoing. Take the Urim for example. We saw in chapter 14 and chapter 23, that the Urim and the Thummim were used by the high priest to get direction from the Lord. It is believed that they were gemstones on the priestly garments.

 

• These stones were used with asking God for direction and they represented His answer. One stone meant yes, and the other meant no.

 

• Why is there no Urim in the land? Answer: in pursuit of David, Saul was killing anyone who may have helped David. When Saul found out that Ahimelech helped David by giving him bread and sword, Saul ordered Ahimelech and all the priests be killed.

 

• Saul had rejected God, he would not listen to God, Saul had not listened to the prophet Samuel, Saul killed the priests who would call on the God for direction.

 

• It was Saul decisions that put him in the place he was in.

 

Galatians 6:9, Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a person sows, this he will also reap.

 

Psalm 66:18, If I regard wickedness in my heart, the Lord will not hear.

 

• The New Living Translation reads, “If I had not confessed the sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.”

 

Illus. To regard.

 

• Saul’s status was that he was shaken, and was receiving silence from the Lord. The direction he goes next is not toward the Lord, but toward the things Saul knew the Lord had warned people to turned away from.

 

1. Don’t Solicit What God Call Illicit

 

1 Samuel 28:7-11, Then Saul said to his servants, “Find for me a woman who is a medium, so 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 different clothes, and went, he and two men with him, and they came to the woman by night; and he said, “Consult the spirit for me, please, and bring up for me the one whom I shall name for you.” But the woman said to him, “Behold, you know what Saul has done, that he has eliminated the mediums and spiritists from the land. Why are you then setting a trap for my life, to bring about my death?” So Saul swore an oath to her by the Lord, saying, “As the Lord lives, no punishment shall come upon you for this thing.” Then the woman said, “Whom shall I bring up for you?” And he said, “Bring up Samuel for me.”

• Saul himself was the one who sent all the mediums and spiritists away in obedience to the Lord, but now, he is seeking one of them. He is headed further away from safety, deeper into dangerous waters.

 

• Saul knows what the Lord has said, he is the one who set that standard in the land. But here it is evident that though mediums and spiritists were removed from the land, they were not removed from Saul’s life and heart.

 

• To solicit something is to seek it, something that is illicit is that which is not permitted or authorized.

 

• Saul solicits the medium, a woman at En-dor.

 

• He disguises himself, puts on different clothes, and heads there when it is dark outside.

Ephesians 5:11-13, Do not participate in the useless deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them; for it is disgraceful even to speak of the things which are done by them in secret. But all things become visible when they are exposed by the light, for everything that becomes visible is light.

 

• Saul shows up in disguise. It must have been an interesting interaction. Remember, Saul was head and shoulders taller than all the others in the land, so this tall, disguised man shows up and asks for the medium to communicate with someone from the dead.

 

• She reminds him, “Saul has removed all the mediums and spiritists from the land…Are you trying to trap me?”

 

• Saul then swears an oath by the Lord.

 

• Based on Saul’s vow, the medium is willing to go to work for him and Saul asks her to bring up Samuel the prophet for him.

 

• Considering the times Samuel had corrected Saul and given him the truth of what was to come for him, it is interesting that Saul asked for Samuel.

 

1 Samuel 28:12-15, When the woman saw Samuel, she cried out with a loud voice; and the woman spoke to Saul, saying, “Why have you deceived me? For you are Saul!” But the king said to her, “Do not be afraid; but what do you see?” And the woman said to Saul, “I see a divine being coming up from the earth.” He said to her, “How does he appear?” And she said, “An old man is coming up, and he is wrapped in a robe.” Then Saul knew that it was Samuel, and he bowed with his face to the ground and paid homage. And Samuel said to Saul, “Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?” Saul replied, “I am very distressed, for the Philistines are waging war against me, and God has abandoned me and no longer answers me, either through prophets or in dreams; therefore I have called you, so that you may let me know what I should do.”

 

• Many have looked at this story asking, “what exactly is happening?” Good question.

 

• Some have suggested that the medium is having a hallucination. Unfortunately that explanation doesn’t work because Saul speaks to him as well. Hallucination happen to one person.

 

• Others suggest that it is a demon impersonating Samuel. This doesn’t seem likely because what Samuel will say glorified God and is a repeat of what he has previously said.

 

• Others suggest that the woman is just really good at deception, that it was a magic trick. That’s not it, however, because when she actually saw Samuel, she cried out with a loud voice. Her crying out was a call for help!

 

• She was surprised. Either she was surprised because she had never truly ever called up someone, or perhaps this is the first time that someone who was not from the dark side showed up, either way, she was in shock.

 

• And God permitted it to happen at this one time in Scripture. He was going to use the situation for His own purposes.

 

III. Circle Back to What He Has Said

 

• Saul expresses his status to Saul, that there was war against him, that the Lord was not answering him, no prophets around, no dreams for anyone to interpret, and he asks Samuel, “what should I do?”

 

1 Samuel 28:16-19, Samuel said, “But why ask me, since the Lord has abandoned you and has become your enemy? And the Lord has done just as He spoke through me; for the Lord has torn the kingdom from your hand and given it to your neighbor, to David. Just 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. Furthermore, the Lord will also hand Israel along with you over to the Philistines; so tomorrow you and your sons will be with me. Indeed, the Lord will hand the army of Israel over to the Philistines!”

 

• In response to Saul’s question, Samuel essentially says, why are you asking me since it is the Lord who has abandoned or departed from you and become your enemy?

 

• Why had the Lord departed from Saul? Because Saul had departed from the Lord. Why would the Lord be Saul’s enemy, because Saul had made his decision to go against God repeatedly.

 

• What Samuel then reveals to Saul is that what is happening in his life, is exactly the Lord, through Samuel had previously said would happen when Saul refused to turn to the Lord.

 

• Samuel repeats what he told Saul 13 chapters ago. He did not obey the Lord, did not follow his instructions, the Lord then rejected Saul as king.

 

1 Samuel 15:28-30, So Samuel said to him, “The Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today and has given it to your neighbor, who is better than you. Also the Glory of Israel will not lie nor change His mind; for He is not a man, that He would change His mind.” Then Saul said, “I have sinned; but please honor me now before the elders of my people and before all Israel…

 

• Samuel told him back then, the Lord was not lying, He was not going to change His mind on the matter.

 

• And we remember, Saul heard it, and rather than turning to the Lord in repentance, he asked Samuel if we would honor him before the people.

 

• Here Samuel circles back to that very encounter. Remember, God doesn’t change his mind, He was not lying.

 

• Now Samuel reveals the reality for Saul, that the next day was going to be the end for him. When Samuel said “with me” it did not mean in heaven, it means he was going to die within 24 hours.

 

• This situation, these words, are difficult to see. But what Saul story displays is the reality, not just for Saul, but for you and me.

 

• This is the end for Saul. And the picture painted is an important one for all of us.

 

Revelation 2:4-5, I have this against you, that you have left your first love. Therefore, remember from where you have fallen, and repent, and do the deeds you did at first; or else I am coming to you and I will remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent.

 

• Saul was then told about how things would end for him. A sad ending to a once promising story.

 

III. Select the Sorrow That Leads to Salvation

 

1 Samuel 28:20-21(a), Then Saul immediately fell full length to the ground and was very afraid because of Samuel’s words; there was no strength in him either, because he had eaten no food all day and all night. The woman came to Saul and saw that he was utterly horrified…

 

• Hearing Samuel’s words brought fear and loss of appetite. He is described as utterly horrified.

 

• Filled with sorrow, Saul was reaping what he had sown.

 

• In his sorrow, he would not turn to God, rather again, he would turn in to his fears.

 

• In 2 Corinthians, Paul wrote about two types of sorrow. He had written them a letter and told them they need to change their ways, and though he caused them sorrow, he did not regret it because it brought about a sorrow that turned them back to God.

 

2 Corinthians 7:9(a), I now rejoice, not that you were made sorrowful, but that you were made sorrowful to the point of repentance…

 

2 Corinthians 7:10, For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation, but the sorrow of the world produces death.

 

• Saul had already said that he played the fool, he know that he had done wrong, perhaps he is even upset about what he had done, and he is surely overwhelmed by his reality, but He did not turn to the Lord.

 

Hebrew 3:15, Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts…

 

Psalm 90:12, Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.

             

Illus. How close?

 

Romans 10:13, Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

1 Samuel 28:3-21