1 samuel 27-28

Read 1 Samuel 27-28 at Bible Gateway.

In 1 Sam 27, David and his men went and lived among the Philistines. He led the king to believe that he was raiding towns belonging to Judah, when he went out raiding, but in fact, he destroyed towns that belonged to the Canaanites. He left no one alive to report back to the Philistines what he was doing. He was, in fact, fulfilling Israel’s original mandate under Joshua, to completely purge the land of Canaanites and their idolatry. He is prophesying of Messiah also, as he is doing so, for Messiah, when He returns, will completely subdue the enemies of God.

Then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father, when He puts an end to all rule and all authority and power. For He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet. The last enemy that will be destroyed  is death. 1 Cor 15:24-26

1 Sam 28 describes Saul’s visit to a medium and all that took place. So what can we learn from this chapter?

First, that if we have questions concerning what we ought to do in life, we are to never consult with mediums or spiritists or psychics. God forbids it (Deu 18:10-12; this section of Deuteronomy is explaining what it means to Honor your father and mother; i.e. Honor God by honoring the authority He has placed in your life; in this case, God’s word and His guidance), because if He is our God, then He and only He is to be our source of information or direction or guidance from the spiritual world. To seek direction from anything other than God is to make a false god our god.

When God refused to answer Saul, God was actually giving direction to Saul. If our life has offended God so greatly that He refuses to speak with us, then that is a huge message that has been communicated! If we ever find ourselves in that situation, the heavens becoming brass over our heads and we hear nothing from God, then we need to humble ourselves, fast and pray before the LORD until the situation is reversed and communication is restored.

Listen, God opposes the proud. As long as a person remains proud and refuses to humble himself under the mighty hand of God, then the heavens will remain brass. But the second part of that verse is, God gives grace to the humble (Jam 4:6). When we humble ourselves, admit our sin, confess our transgression, then God turns to us again. A broken and contrite heart He does not despise (Psa 51:17). He responds with mercy and forgiveness to repentance and humility. But the false hypocrisy, the fake contrition, He can see through a mile away.

If Saul had humbled himself when he realized God would not speak to him, then things might have turned out differently for him. Instead he directly disobeyed God by seeking out a medium. Notice that the woman was from the town of En Dor. In the TV series Bewitched, Samantha’s mother’s name is Endorra. True story – they took her name from the Biblical town, in order to mock the Scripture.

The fact that this history is included in the Scripture shows us that the spiritual world is real, the negative spiritual world is real, and mediums and spiritists really were or are able to connect with the spiritual world. The rituals of the occult arts were established by Nimrod at the Tower of Babel rebelliion. They can be learned and practiced and the result of communicating with the spiritual world will happen if they are followed. (Although today, many physics are charlatans, but probably not all are. You never know.) Seances can be real. Samuel had a real conversation with Saul after he had died.

But all that is to say, flee all those practices which stem from Babylonianism, from rebellion, with all that is in you! Don’t be deceived into thinking it cannot be real – it can be and people have been drawn into Satan’s kingdom by finding out that magic works and that the negative spiritual world exists after they have been told all their lives that the only real thing is science. But, just because it exists does not mean it is good for you! We are to flee it because it opens a door, an opportunity for Satan to gain a foothold and an entrance into our lives, for our oppression and destruction.

The word that the LORD desires to communicate to us is full of life and blessing. Even His not speaking is communicating a message. He says in His word, that He will be found by us, when we seek Him with all of our hearts (Deu 4:29). When we Seek Him, desire Him, and draw near to Him, He will draw near to us (Jam 4:8). We can have the friendship of and communication with the Creator and the Ruler of the universe who loves us with everything in Him. Let us not settle for cast off fallen angels who are under judgment and condemnation, who are liars and the father’s of lies.