Havasu Christian Church
January 19, 2025
I Samuel 28:3–20
“The Beginning of the End!”
INTRO: We are nearly at the end of our series in the book of I Samuel. Our last two weeks are kind of intertwined, so we’ll be jumping around a bit in the text. We’re going to be covering a lot of ground, so be prepared to go fast. If you miss something, I would encourage you to go to the sermon notes at the Church Website, Havasuchristian.org. I would also encourage you to read the parts of the chapter that we don’t have time to cover today!
I Samuel 28: 3-7 Now Samuel was dead, and all Israel had lamented him and buried him in Ramah, his own city. And Saul had removed from the land those who were mediums and spiritists.
4 So the Philistines gathered together and came and camped in Shunem; and Saul gathered all Israel together and they camped in Gilboa.
5 When Saul saw the camp of the Philistines, he was afraid and his heart trembled greatly.
6 When Saul inquired of the LORD, the LORD did not answer him, either by dreams or by Urim or by prophets.
7 Then Saul said to his servants, “Seek for me a woman who is a medium, 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.”
- Saul is terrified!
- The armies of the Philistines are gathering!
- As a last resort, Saul decides it’s time to consult the Lord.
- Samuel is dead… talking to him isn’t an option… or is it?
- Saul tries to consult God, God is silent.
- No Prophets come to speak with Saul.
- No prophetic dreams come Saul’s way.
- Saul has gone so far away from God, that when he finally wants God’s instructions, God says “NO!”
- Saul goes from bad to worse.
(We won’t read verse 8-12now, but you should read it later!)
I Samuel 28:8-13 Then Saul disguised himself by putting on other clothes, and went, he and two men with him, and they came to the woman by night; and he said, “Conjure up for me, please, and bring up for me whom I shall name to you.”
9 But the woman said to him, “Behold, you know what Saul has done, how he has cut off those who are mediums and spiritists from the land. Why are you then laying a snare for my life to bring about my death?”
10 Saul vowed to her by the LORD, saying, “As the LORD lives, no punishment shall come upon you for this thing.”
11 Then the woman said, “Whom shall I bring up for you?” And he said, “Bring up Samuel for me.”
12 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.”
- Saul knows better! He had even outlawed divination.
- Saul wants answers, but he makes things worse instead of better.
- He disguises himself
- He takes two men with him and goes to the medium’s house at night.
- He asks for her to “conjure up” someone.
- The woman assumes it’s a trap since Saul has made being a medium or a spiritist illegal and punishable by death in Israel.
- Saul Vows to her “By the Lord” that nothing bad will happen to her.
- Saul asks her to “bring up” Samuel.
- I suspect that was a surprise!!!
- When she sees Samuel, she was startled… She “cried out in a loud voice!”
- She also “puts 2 and 2 together and realizes this is King Saul with her!
- The woman “brings up” Samuel.
I Samuel 28:13-14 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 out of the earth.”
14 He said to her, “What is his form?” And she said, “An old man is coming up, and he is wrapped with a robe.” And Saul knew that it was Samuel, and he bowed with his face to the ground and did homage.
- The woman sees “a divine being” coming up out of the earth.
- The word here translated “divine being” is the same Hebrew word for “God” or a god.
- I believe she’s seeing something she’s never seen before.
- Maybe she’s a fake, maybe this is just totally different because it’s actually Samuel.
- We don’t have time for a discussion about what or who Spirit Mediums are really “conjuring up,” but suffice it to say, I believe that they are dealing with demons, not people.
- God makes an exception for Saul and allows the spirit of Samuel to be brought forth.
- Scripture says that it IS Samuel that Saul is talking to.
- Saul is certainly convinced as well!
- Saul and Samuel have a conversation.
I Samuel 28:15 Then Samuel said to Saul, “Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?” And Saul answered, “I am greatly distressed; for the Philistines are waging war against me, and God has departed from me and no longer answers me, either through prophets or by dreams; therefore I have called you, that you may make known to me what I should do.”
- Samuel isn’t happy with Saul!
- “Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?”
- This obviously isn’t a proper thing to do.
- Saul lays out his troubles.
- The Philistines are coming!
- God has left him high and dry.
- “God has departed from me.”
- God isn’t paying attention to his prayers.
- God isn’t giving Saul directions.
- Not by prophets.
- Not by dreams!
- So, I decided to contact you!
- Tell me what I need to do!
- Samuel explains the situation and he gives Saul a pile of bad news!
I Samuel 28:16-20 Samuel said, “Why then do you ask me, since the LORD has departed from you and has become your adversary?
17 “The LORD has done accordingly as He spoke through me; for the LORD has torn the kingdom out of your hand and given it to your neighbor, to David.
18 “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.
19 “Moreover the LORD will also give over Israel along with you into the hands of the Philistines, therefore tomorrow you and your sons will be with me. Indeed the LORD will give over the army of Israel into the hands of the Philistines!”
20 Then Saul immediately fell full length upon the ground and was very afraid because of the words of Samuel; also there was no strength in him, for he had eaten no food all day and all night.
- Samuel tells Saul “This is all your own fault!”
- You didn’t do what God expressly told you to do!
- You decided to do things your own way instead of what God said to do.
- You are going to lose the battle tomorrow.
- Your sons will die in the battle.
- YOU will die in the battle.
- That’s a lot to take in!
- Saul pulls himself together and goes to do battle, even though he knows the outcome.
1 Samuel 31:1–6 Now the Philistines were fighting against Israel, and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines and fell slain on Mount Gilboa.
2 The Philistines overtook Saul and his sons; and the Philistines killed Jonathan and Abinadab and Malchi-shua the sons of Saul.
3 The battle went heavily against Saul, and the archers hit him; and he was badly wounded by the archers.
4 Then Saul said to his armor bearer, “Draw your sword and pierce me through with it, otherwise these uncircumcised will come and pierce me through and make sport of me.” But his armor bearer would not, for he was greatly afraid. So Saul took his sword and fell on it.
5 When his armor bearer saw that Saul was dead, he also fell on his sword and died with him.
6 Thus Saul died with his three sons, his armor bearer, and all his men on that day together.
- Saul seems pretty brave to begin with. He goes with his sons to fight.
- The bravery doesn’t last very long.
- The army runs from the battlefield in a panic.
- It would be nice to describe the death of Saul, his sons and his armor bearer as a valiant fight against incredible odds…. (Like Borimir in Lord of the rings…. He dies from many arrows, protecting the Hobbits.)
- But it wasn’t anything like that!
- The army is running…
- This could have had a heroic ending. “Saul and his sons die covering the retreat of the army….” There’s just one problem….
- Saul and his sons are running too. (vs 2)
- Saul wouldn’t fight Goliath, and now he is running again.
- Even Jonathan is running for his life.
- The Philistines catch up to Saul, his sons and his armor bearer.
- Sauls’ sons are killed outright.
- Saul is wounded with arrows.
- Saul fears being captured and tortured.
- He tells his armor bearer to kill him.
- The armor bearer was too afraid to do anything apparently.
- Saul kills himself by “falling on his own sword.”
- His armor bearer follows his example.
- This is the inglorious end of King Saul of Israel…
Conclusion: What a Terrible story! Is there anything good to bring out of all this tragedy? Is there anything we can learn from all of this?
Yes, there is!
- Saul let his fear and desperation lead him to do a terrible thing!
- Saul knew that “calling up” Samuel was wrong, But he let fear and desperation rule.
- This is because he had been disobedient to God.
- His disobedience led to his break with God.
- He wanted God to tell him what he wanted to hear.
- He only listened to God when it suited him, and he did what God said when it didn’t conflict with his own plans.
- It’s easy to criticize Saul, but sometimes, we allow ourselves to do the same.
- We let our fear control us.
- We don’t do what’s right.
- We do what’s wrong.
- Jesus did what was right.
- Even though it was hard.
- Even when it wasn’t what He wanted to do.
- Isn’t it great for us that He did this?
- Saul wanted Godly advice….
- He takes two of his men, on the eve of battle, and keeps them up all night.
- These men might have done better in battle if they and Saul had been well rested.
- Saul led “the woman of Endor” into sin.
- He comes to her and asks her to break the law of the nation, and the law of God!
- Again, it’s easy to condemn Saul… “I can’t believe that he would do such a thing…”
- But I suspect all of us have drawn someone else into our sinful behavior at one time or another….
- Only Jesus, who never sinned avoided committing that sin.
- Saul is so disobedient to God, that the Lord deserts Him.
- He wants God’s direction, but God refuses.
- God does not have fickle friends.
- You are either on God’s side, or you are not!
- There is no middle ground.
- Leaving God out of your life until you get into a bind where you need His help just doesn’t cut it!
- When exactly does this happen? I don’t know.
- But as long as we are moving closer to God instead of trying to see how much I can be disobedient and still be ok, we don’t have to worry about crossing that line.
- He is LORD, or He is NOT.
- Jesus never left God’s will for His own will.
- Neither should we.
- Saul suffered a shameful death, after putting up a good front.
- He goes into battle with his sons, but when things get rough, he’s running.
- He didn’t “Rally the troops.”
- He didn’t fight a fierce “Last stand.”
- He is shot with arrows, almost certainly in the back, not the front.
- We can’t allow fear to rule us.
- Who do we follow? The Lord of the Universe!
- Whom shall we fear? Nothing… Nobody!
- Again, Jesus is our example.
- He went to the cross, willingly for us! All because it was God’s plan.
- If He could do that, I like to think that we can deal heroically with the piddly stuff that comes our way!
