Woman of Endor
(The Readings - July 1999)
State of the dead
The Bible teaches plainly that the dead are unconscious in the grave: "The
dead know nothing, and they have no more reward (while dead); but the memory of them is
lost. Their love and their hate and their envy have already perished..." (Eccl.
9:5,6 RSV). Only some of the dead will ever awake from the sleep of death and then only at
the time of Christ’s return (the exception being a few miraculously raised and those
who appeared briefly at the time of Jesus’ resurrection). Words from the prophet
Daniel make this very clear: "And many of them that sleep in the dust of
the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting
contempt" (Dan. 12:2).
Thus there is no possibility that a medium/witch could summon up the dead or obtain a message from them without God’s help.
Even Saul, in seeking out this woman, at most expected to have his fortune told with respect to his enemies, the Philistines. Although Saul had recently "put away those with familiar spirits" from Israel, his actions and heart were in conflict. When God refused to answer him in the usual way about his prospects with the Philistines’ army, Saul turned for counsel to a woman who had a "familiar spirit" (I Sam. 28:4-6). Rules that Saul imposed on others, apparently did not apply to himself.
Strange happenings
When carefully read, there are a number of unusual aspects to the incident which argue
against a seance. The evidence indicates God used Saul’s visit to the woman as an
occasion to give Saul his final message. Scripture even hints previously that Saul might
sink to this depth: "For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness
is as iniquity and idolatry..." (15:23). Years earlier, the prophet Samuel was
able to see King Saul was headed down a slippery path.
The Hebrew owb translated "familiar spirit" in the KJV comes from a Hebrew word meaning to mumble or make a hollow sound. Even the very title "familiar spirit" hints that any message provided would be hollow or muffled (like that of a ventriloquist). Yet the message to Saul was not indistinct or vague. It was clear and frightening, predicting his imminent defeat and death.
After the woman agreed to bring up Samuel, she saw "gods ascending out of the earth" (I Sam. 28:13). Obviously unfamiliar with such an occurrence, the woman "cried with a loud voice," evidently frightened by what she saw.
At first Saul couldn’t see what the woman saw, so he asked "what form is he of?" Her answer, "an old man...covered with a mantle," likely reminded Saul of the time he "laid hold upon the skirt of his (Samuel’s) mantle, and it rent" (I Sam. 15:27). This was the sad occasion when Samuel told Saul: "...The LORD hath rent the kingdom of Israel from thee this day, and hath given it to a neighbor of thine, that is better than thou."
A two-way conversation then ensues between Saul and Samuel to which the woman was evidently not privy for "she came unto Saul and saw that he was sore troubled" (v. 21). This is surely an unusual observation if the woman had been the medium for Samuel’s part of the conversation. The two-way nature of the conversation is further emphasized by the words "said," "ask" and "answered." First Samuel reiterates the reasons for Saul’s rejection (vv. 17,18), but then adds an explicit prophecy. The details given are much more precise and far less comforting than any fortuneteller would dare to offer a client. Only God could know that Saul and his sons would die the very next day in battle (v. 19; I Sam. 31:3,4).
The occult forbidden
Chronicles briefly gives a reason for the outcome: "So Saul died for his
transgression which he committed against the LORD, even against the word of the LORD,
which he kept not, and also for asking counsel of one that had a familiar spirit, to
inquire of it; and inquired not of the LORD: therefore he slew him, and turned the kingdom
unto David the son of Jesse" (I Chron. 10:13,14).
In New Testament times, the seven sons of Sceva were also taught a lesson not to dabble in the occult (Acts 19:14-16). Fortunately, the onlookers learned from their experiences and "fear fell on them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified" with the result: "Many of them also which used curious arts brought their books together, and burned them before all men: and they counted the price of them, and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver" (Act 19:17, 19).
With these two warnings we, too, would do well to avoid the "curious arts." Belief in the existence of a non-existant force is evil and God warns us to stay clear of such nonsense. It is God who determines what will take place in our lives.
Let us regard the Old Testament advice Jesus followed, but Saul rejected: "Then saith Jesus unto him, get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve" (Matt. 4:10).
Jack Robinson