Samuel and Saul Redux

1 Samuel 28

Last Sunday we left David and his men in the company of Achish the Philistine. David had decided to flee into Philistine territory to escape from Saul, and he had designed a ruse to make it look like he had turned against his own people. David led his men on raiding expeditions, and when he returned with the spoils he told Achish that he had raided the Israelites – when actually he was attacking the Amalekites and other longstanding enemies of Israel. So he gained the confidence of Achish, who wanted him to be his servant for life. There was something impressive about David, and Achish certainly wanted him as an ally rather than an enemy. However, it put David in rather a precarious position, since he was, in effect, living a lie. A potential crisis looms as we begin chapter 28 of 1 Samuel:

In those days the Philistines gathered their forces to fight against Israel. Achish said to David, “You must understand that you and your men will accompany me in the army.”

David said, “Then you will see for yourself what your servant can do.”

Achish replied, “Very well, I will make you my bodyguard for life.”—I Samuel 28:1-2

Achish thought David was loyal to him and would join him in fighting the Israelites. David gives a very evasive answer. He was now in a tight spot. Was his deceit about to be exposed? What could he do? Perhaps he planned to go ahead and go with Achish but turn on him in the heat of the battle.

As we have seen so many times before, the Lord would deliver David when David turned to him in faith. However, whenever David turned to his own tricky devices, trying to figure things out on his own, there were always terrible consequences. People died. Was David operating out of faith here? The text does not tell us. His deceit had backed him into a corner. Would he look to the Lord or try to wriggle out on his own? We will have to wait until the next chapter to see what happened. But I will give you a clue by reading the first two verses of Psalm 40:

I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.—Psalm 40:1-2

This was so often David’s experience. He would be in a slimy pit, sometimes trapped by his own sin and waywardness, but he would call out to God for help. He needed to acknowledge his own helplessness and wait patiently for God’s deliverance. Whenever he did so, the Lord never failed to lift him up, rescue him, and give him a firm place to stand.

I am reminded of a time I was trekking with a Nepali brother in a remote highland area of beautiful meadows and evergreen trees. I was very proud of my new hiking boots, which were even waterproof. So when we came to a place where the trail made a wide curve around what appeared to be a meadow covered with a couple of inches of gently flowing water, I decided to take a shortcut. My boots would keep me dry. However, I stepped off the trail and immediately went in up to my thighs. My friend realized it was a bog and was worried that I might sink in completely. So he grabbed onto my pack and tried to drag me back onto the trail. I did eventually make it out of the mud and mire and regained my footing on a rock. I was a mess from the waist down, with my new boots also full of mud. I learned my lesson and stayed on the firm trail after that.

How often do we get into metaphorical mud in our lives? Often it’s not even a conscious choice. We drift off the trail as we get comfortable, into a routine, self-confident in the wrong way. We might think we can handle life, that we have it figured out, and God begins to fade from the picture. Eventually we will realize that we have gotten ourselves into a mess, a slimy pit, and we can’t climb out on our own. That’s when we need to join David in calling out to God and waiting for him to deliver us, acknowledging our need for him to be involved in everything we do, even the things we think we can handle on our own.

Now in our reading we leave David for a time and return to the sad story of what is happening with Saul.

Now Samuel was dead, and all Israel had mourned for him and buried him in his own town of Ramah. Saul had expelled the mediums and spiritists from the land.—I Samuel 28:3

Saul had abandoned God, so God had abandoned him. Samuel was dead, so Saul’s last link with God was broken. Mediums and spiritists mentioned here are essentially one and the same: people who seek power and knowledge by communicating with the spirits of the dead. This practice was strictly banned in the law of Moses, so Saul had done the right thing in expelling these people from the land.

The Philistines assembled and came and set up camp at Shunem, while Saul gathered all Israel and set up camp at Gilboa. When Saul saw the Philistine army, he was afraid; terror filled his heart. He inquired of the Lord, but the Lord did not answer him by dreams or Urim or prophets. Saul then said to his attendants, “Find me a woman who is a medium, so I may go and inquire of her.”

“There is one in Endor,” they said.—I Samuel 28:4-7

Shunem and Gilboa are on opposite sides of the Valley of Jezreel, which connected the Jordan Valley to the Mediterranean coast. There is some uncertainty about the location of Endor, but it is often assumed to be on the northern side of the valley. As we have seen before, the Philistine and Israelite armies set up camp on opposite sides of a valley, each able to see the other side but occupying high ground for protection and strategic advantage if attacked.

Saul was terrified at the sight of the Philistine army, it says. He needed some direction, some assurance of victory. It says that he inquired of the Lord, hoping for some kind of answer. But there was no dream, no guidance from the Urim (which was probably like casting lots), and no prophetic voice. God was not going to help him out again. He had squandered his last chance long before. The Lord was not going to operate like a cosmic vending machine, dispensing answers at the press of a button.

In his fear and desperation, Saul turns a medium. He must have known this would be displeasing to God, but he has abandoned all his principles. His attendants tell him of one nearby, who must have escaped the earlier purge.

 So Saul disguised himself, putting on other clothes, and at night he and two men went to the woman. “Consult a spirit for me,” he said, “and bring up for me the one I name.”

But the woman said to him, “Surely you know what Saul has done. He has cut off the mediums and spiritists from the land. Why have you set a trap for my life to bring about my death?”

Saul swore to her by the Lord, “As surely as the Lord lives, you will not be punished for this.”—I Samuel 28:8-10

Saul tries to hide his identity with a disguise. This may have been out of embarrassment or perhaps, if Endor was on the northern side of the valley, he needed to cross enemy lines to get there. There is certainly a note of irony in the response of the woman to his request to bring up a spirit. He who should be defending God’s law is now not only asking someone else to break it but also assuring them that they will not be punished. He takes the Lord’s name in defending his supposed right to do as he pleased in transgressing the law. It shows just how far he has fallen. He has completely lost his moral compass.

Then the woman asked, “Whom shall I bring up for you?”

“Bring up Samuel,” he said.

 When the woman saw Samuel, she cried out at the top of her voice and said to Saul, “Why have you deceived me? You are Saul!”—I Samuel 28:11-12

It’s not clear how seeing Samuel helped the woman recognize Saul. Perhaps she remembered the close relationship that had existed at one time between the two men. Saul presses on.

The king said to her, “Don’t be afraid. What do you see?”

The woman said, “I see a ghostly figure coming up out of the earth.”

“What does he look like?” he asked.

“An old man wearing a robe is coming up,” she said.

Then Saul knew it was Samuel, and he bowed down and prostrated himself with his face to the ground.—I Samuel 28:13-14

An important part of the mystery of this story is how the medium was even allowed to summon Samuel. Some commentators claim that it was not actually Samuel who appeared but a demon. If that were the case, however, how could it accurately foretell the future, speaking God’s truth in judging Saul? We know that people can be brought back from the dead to interact in this world again. Moses and Elijah appeared with Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration, and it says that they were speaking with him. In any case, God has a final message for Saul.

 Samuel said to Saul, “Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?”

“I am in great distress,” Saul said. “The Philistines are fighting against me, and God has departed from me. He no longer answers me, either by prophets or by dreams. So I have called on you to tell me what to do.”

 Samuel said, “Why do you consult me, now that the Lord has departed from you and become your enemy? The Lord has done what he predicted through me. The Lord has torn the kingdom out of your hands and given it to one of your neighbors—to David. Because you did not obey the Lord or carry out his fierce wrath against the Amalekites, the Lord has done this to you today. The Lord will deliver both Israel and you into the hands of the Philistines, and tomorrow you and your sons will be with me. The Lord will also give the army of Israel into the hands of the Philistines.”—I Samuel 28:15-19

It seems irrational for Saul to think that Samuel would help him if God had completely abandoned him. You can get a sense of just how alone Saul felt at this stage. His doom was closing in, and he had nothing and no one to turn to. Samuel once again reminds Saul of why this has come on him – because of his flagrant disobedience, on more than one occasion. You will recall that when Samuel had confronted Saul about his sin, he only ever made excuses. He never repented, as David was quick to do.

The additional prophecy at this stage is the pronouncement that Saul will be defeated by the Philistines the next day and that both he and his sons will be killed. They will enter the place of the dead where Samuel was and await the final judgment. This place of the dead is referred to as Sheol in Hebrew. The Greek equivalent is Hades, or the Underworld. The Old Testament describes Sheol in poetic language, distinguishing it from “the grave,” but it does not specify what eventually happens to the souls who go there. Based on what the New Testament teaches us about death, we understand Sheol to be an intermediate place where the dead await the resurrection and the final judgment. It is impossible to explain fully, because it is outside of time.

Immediately Saul fell full length on the ground, filled with fear because of Samuel’s words. His strength was gone, for he had eaten nothing all that day and all that night.

When the woman came to Saul and saw that he was greatly shaken, she said, “Look, your servant has obeyed you. I took my life in my hands and did what you told me to do. Now please listen to your servant and let me give you some food so you may eat and have the strength to go on your way.”

 He refused and said, “I will not eat.”

But his men joined the woman in urging him, and he listened to them. He got up from the ground and sat on the couch.

The woman had a fattened calf at the house, which she butchered at once. She took some flour, kneaded it and baked bread without yeast. Then she set it before Saul and his men, and they ate. That same night they got up and left.—I Samuel 28:20-25

I find it interesting to consider the details that God saw fit to include in the Bible. Saul has received this awful news and collapsed on the ground. His life is as good as over. But he had not eaten all day, and this woman, this medium who dubiously consults spirits, takes it upon herself to feed him. It even describes the process of her preparing the food as quickly as possible. This would be normal hospitality in the Middle East. Does it put a human face on this nameless woman? Why does she decide to honor the king one more time? It makes the story seem even more tragic.

We will see the prophecy fulfilled in the next chapter, as Saul and his sons are struck down by the Philistines. One thing we might question is why Jonathan was included in God’s judgment of Saul. Jonathan was David’s friend, loyal to him at great personal cost. There is no question that Jonathan had a heart for God’s ways, even going against his father at times. He was the one to encourage David in his walk with God as we saw back in chapter 23. In that same passage he willingly made himself subordinate to David, stating his intention to step aside as the expected heir to Saul’s throne to acknowledge that God had chosen David as king instead. So it might seem unfair that Jonathan had to die alongside his father.

Once again, we cannot completely know the mind of God on this. We know that God does see death differently than we do. This isn’t to minimize the horror and pain of Jonathan’s death, but perhaps God was saving him from something worse in the future. If he had survived and Saul’s followers had made him king by force, would that have been setting him up for conflict with David? David did have to fight the house of Saul for some time after Saul’s death before he was acknowledged unequivocally as king of the whole nation. We cannot say for sure why God permits some people to die young. However, we can join with the prophet Daniel in saying

“Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever; wisdom and power are his. He changes times and seasons; he deposes kings and raises up others. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning. He reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what lies in darkness, and light dwells with him.—Daniel 2:20-22

God is ultimately in control of all human authority. He raises up and brings down leaders as he pleases. Since he is the source of all wisdom he is able to bestow that on those he chooses. I especially like the last verse here. He knows what lies in darkness. There is no human experience that is beyond his knowledge and understanding. He is willing to enter any darkness and dispel it with his light. When we consider the darkness of Saul we realize that he could have come into the light – but he kept choosing to stay in the darkness. In contrast, David could say, “Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” The rod and staff of discipline were a comfort to David, because he knew that the hard things were for his own good.

The consequences of Saul’s actions followed him his whole life. The Lord was true to his word, gracious or harsh. Saul often pretended to be something that he was not, but God can always see through that. God wants us to live lives of integrity, where we always stand up for what is true and right.

I am reading a book at the moment called Canoeing the Mountains, which uses the Lewis and Clark expedition as a metaphor for navigating change in Christian organizations. The title comes from the fact that Lewis and Clark expected and prepared to find a waterway connection to the Pacific Ocean, not realizing that the Rocky Mountains stood in the way. They had to adjust along the way and come up with a completely new approach. In the same way we have to expect the unexpected in adapting to a rapidly changing world, where old institutions and approaches are becoming irrelevant.

One concept from the book that I have been pondering is something the author calls “relational coherence.” He talks about how competence creates credibility, which is important, but that the true foundation for effective relationships is trust, which in turn depends on relational coherence: “the ability to be fundamentally the same person with the same values in every relationship, in every circumstance, and especially amidst every crisis.” Who we are and the way act and treat other people should not depend on where we are and who is around us. I think this is especially a challenge for young people, who are still figuring out their identity. It is important to decide early on who one is going to be. Will I be consistent with what I know to be true and moral, in accordance with the Bible? Or will I be like a chameleon, taking on the language and attitudes and behavior of those around me? If we are consistent in who we are and how we behave, maintaining our standards in every situation, then people will feel like they can trust us. So relational coherence is especially vital for leaders – and we should all be leaders of one sort or another.

Credibility based on technical competence is not enough. Leaders will be ineffective if people feel that they cannot trust them to be authentic and consistent in their values, identity, and self-expression, keeping their promises to God, to themselves, and to others. You may have heard the saying, “Integrity is who you are when only God is watching.” It could equally be stated, “Integrity is who you always are no matter who is watching.” It’s a tall order. Each of us is so far from perfect. We can’t do this on our own. May God give each of us the grace and courage to be relationally coherent.