Day 139 – Saul Consults a Medium

• Today’s Old Testament passage opens with David in exile in Philistine, and Saul has temporarily stopped chasing him. The Philistine army are preparing to attack and are a mighty foe indeed. Both David (1 Samuel 28:1) and Saul (verse 5) are therefore preparing for battle, but in very different ways.
• As Samuel is now dead, Saul lacks someone to whom he can turn for advice about what to do. He turns to God in verse 1 Samuel 28:6, probably in desperation. What happens? Based on what you know of Saul’s actions up to now, why do you think God doesn’t reply?
• What does Saul do instead in the middle of the night? Look at 1 Samuel 28:3 – the Bible clearly describes this as a bad thing, as the mediums had been previously removed from the country (or at least they should have been).
• A medium, or necromancer, is someone who tries to contact the dead. It’s sometimes called channelling. The Scriptures forbid it. Many people who claim to be able to do it now are frauds, but this passage makes no suggestion that the medium with Saul was a fraud. Taken at face value, Saul really is talking to the dead Samuel. Whether this was generally possible, or whether this was a one-off instance of God allowing something like this to happen, is probably something not too consider at this point in our reading plan.
• Samuel gives some terrifying news to Saul in verses 1 Samuel 28:17-19. What sort of things does he say? What must Saul have been feeling?
• What was the reaction of Saul from verse 20 to the end of the chapter? As he ate the meal that is prepared for him, he must have been contemplating his impending death. Think back on Saul’s life. How do you think he came to be in such a pitiful position as this?
• Today we also read a brief except from 1 Chronicles, referencing the death of Saul. We will look at Saul’s final moments later this week.
• God is rich in mercy but the passage in Proverbs helps us understand God’s silence when Saul attempted to speak with Him. Which verses are particularly relevant to today’s readings?
• What can we learn about God’s character in today’s readings?

The occult is a dangerous thing. Palm reading, mediums, Ouija boards, tarot cards (and many more) are examples of things connected with the occult, and I urge you to stay well away from them.

“How the mighty are fallen” goes the famous quote, and it can’t have been written for more apt a situation as this. Saul, the so-called people’s king, has let his anger and jealousy of David drive him through the land to the point where he’s estranged from God, interacting with occultist practices and facing the prospect of ignominious defeat on the battlefield against the Philistines.

From our vantage point we can see Saul’s failings loud and clear. Why didn’t he just appreciate the good that David brought him? Why did he not try and deal with his anger and pride? Why didn’t he turn more often to the God who gave him his kingly role? I bet you have many other questions that you would ask Saul if you could. I wonder, however, whether you could imagine having a similar bird’s eye view of your own life, in the way we can look at Saul’s. Would you be shocked at the events you saw too?

During our lives we have the opportunity to come back to God in repentance, however far off we are. Jesus’ act of indescribable love on the cross ensures that. If, however, we choose to live on a path that leads away from God, we have that choice too. When our time on this earth is up, those choices are set in stone, which Saul found out to his despair in today’s verses. Take heed of the warning of today’s words, and treat them seriously. If you are walking away from God, even whilst doing these daily bible readings, perhaps now is the day to turn back.