King Saul and the Witch of Endor
In the Old Testament, we find the story of King Saul and the Witch of Endor in 1 Samuel 28:4-25. Many people have misunderstood this story by falsely concluding that mediums can actually communicate with the dead. Let’s read this story and find out.
1 Samuel 28 (ESV) “vs. 1 In those days the Philistines gathered their forces for war, to fight against Israel…vss. 3-8 Now Samuel had died, and all Israel had mourned for him… Saul had put the mediums and the necromancers out of the land. The Philistines assembled and came and encamped at Shunem. And Saul gathered all Israel, and they encamped at Gilboa. When Saul saw the army of the Philistines, he was afraid, and his heart trembled greatly. And when Saul inquired of the LORD, the LORD did not answer him, either by dreams, or by Urim, or by prophets. Then Saul said to his servants, ‘Seek out 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 medium at Endor.’ So Saul disguised himself and put on other garments and went, he and two men with him. And they came to the woman by night. And he said, ‘Divine for me by a spirit’…vs. 11 ‘Bring up Samuel for me.’ vss. 13-17…And the woman said to Saul, ‘I see a god coming up out of the earth.’ He said to her, ‘What is his appearance?’ And she said, ‘An old man is coming up, and he is wrapped in a robe.’ And Saul knew that it was Samuel, and he bowed with his face to the ground and paid homage. Then Samuel said to Saul, ‘Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?’ Saul answered, ‘I am in great distress, for the Philistines are warring against me, and God has turned away from me and answers me no more, either by prophets or by dreams. Therefore I have summoned you to tell me what I shall do.’ And Samuel said, ‘Why then do you ask me, since the LORD has turned from you and become your enemy? The LORD has done to you as he spoke by me, for the LORD has torn the kingdom out of your hand and given it to your neighbor, David. vss. 19-20 Moreover, the LORD will give Israel also with you into the hand of the Philistines, and tomorrow you and your sons shall be with me. The LORD will give the army of Israel also into the hand of the Philistines.’ Then Saul fell at once full length on the ground, filled with fear because of the words of Samuel.”
There are some strange happenings in this story that at face value do not make sense. For example, recall verse 15, “Then Samuel said to Saul, ‘Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?’”
Unconscious in the Sleep of Death
This answer contradicts the idea that Samuel was up in heaven, but corresponds better to the Jewish belief that when a person died he became unconscious in sheol, waiting for a resurrection (sheol is the Hebrew word for grave). Job speaks of this…
Job 14:12-15 (NKJV), “So man lies down and does not rise. Till the heavens are no more, they will not awake nor be roused from their sleep. ‘Oh, that You would hide me in the grave [sheol], that You would conceal me until Your wrath is past, that You would appoint me a set time, and remember me! If a man dies, shall he live again? All the days of my hard service I will wait, till my change comes. You shall call, and I will answer You...’”
Job believed that in death he would sleep, awaiting a future awakening, a “change” back to a living and conscious condition. David also believed in a future conscious awakening from death:
Psalm 90:3 (Rotherham), “Thou causest man to return unto dust, and hast said—Return, ye sons of Adam!”
David also said in Psalm 71 (NKJV) “vss. 17-18 O God, You have taught me from my youth…Now also when I am old and gray-headed, O God, do not forsake me… vs. 20 You, who have shown me great and severe troubles, shall revive me again, and bring me up again from the depths of the earth.”
Keeping in line with this Old Testament understanding, which was how King Saul viewed the matter, the demonic spirit speaking through the witch portrayed Samuel as if she had brought him up from the grave, and not down from heaven, and that his rest or peaceful “sleep” was disturbed (vs 15). However, the voice that will call those asleep to be raised is the voice of Jesus, not the voice of a medium (John 5:28-29).
Other Bible verses support this view of sleep and unconsciousness in death awaiting the resurrection. For example, King Solomon said in Ecclesiastes 9:5-6 (NET), “For the living know that they will die, but the dead do not know anything; they have no further reward – and even the memory of them disappears. What they loved, as well as what they hated and envied, perished long ago, and they no longer have a part in anything that happens on earth.”
The “dead do not know anything” because they are unconscious in the sleep of death.
Jesus said to his disciples in John 11:11-14 (NKJV) “…‘Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up.’ Then his disciples said, ‘Lord, if he sleeps he will get well.’ However, Jesus spoke of his death, but they thought that he was speaking about taking rest in sleep. Then Jesus said to them plainly, ‘Lazarus is dead.’”
So, Jesus described the death state as a sleep. In the story of Lazarus, after he is raised from the dead, Lazarus provides no account of any conscious visit to heaven (John 11:44). He was asleep and unconscious in death until Jesus raised him from the dead.
Did Dead Samuel Really Speak to King Saul?
Now back to the story of Saul and the Witch of Endor. Since Samuel was asleep in death, he could not have communicated with Saul through a medium. Even before he died, Samuel had stopped speaking to King Saul, and God would not answer Saul either.
1 Samuel 15:35 (NKJV) “And Samuel went no more to see Saul until the day of his death.”
1 Samuel 28:6 (ESV) “And when Saul inquired of the LORD, the LORD did not answer him, either by dreams, or by Urim, or by prophets.”
Notice God’s clear command. Leviticus 19:31 (ESV) “Do not turn to mediums or necromancers; do not seek them out, and so make yourselves unclean by them: I am the LORD your God.”
God commanded the people NOT to turn to mediums. Thus, we cannot believe the faithful prophet Samuel would go against God’s wishes and speak to Saul even if he could. Hence, an evil spirit impersonated the dead as they often do; in this case, the dead Samuel.
Mediums speak for the fallen angel spirit who is impersonating the dead person, simply repeating what the demon says. Saul never actually saw Samuel. Nor did Saul speak directly to Samuel. He asked the witch to describe what she saw. When she answered “an old man… wrapped in a robe,” Saul’s confirmation bias decided that she was in contact with Samuel as he had hoped. Demons are deceivers.
Demonic Spirits are Deceitful
Describing the devil, Jesus says in John 8:44 (ESV), “he is a liar and the father of lies.” Satan’s first recorded evil act was to deceive Eve in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:13). He also attempted to deceive Jesus in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1). Demonic influence is deceitful. A major strategy Satan and his hosts employ is to deceive people into trusting these supposed insights rather than for them to rely on God, the Bible and the holy spirit, God’s power and influence.
1 Timothy 4:1 (ESV) warns, “…some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons.”
Sometimes those bringing a lying message might seem at first to be in line with God. God spoke this warning through the prophet Ezekiel:
Ezekiel 13:6-8 (ESV) “They have seen false visions and lying divinations. They say, ‘Declares the LORD,’ when the LORD has not sent them, and yet they expect him to fulfill their word. Have you not seen a false vision and uttered a lying divination, whenever you have said, ‘Declares the LORD,’ although I have not spoken? Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: ‘Because you have uttered falsehood and seen lying visions, therefore behold, I am against you, declares the Lord GOD.’”
Messages coming from seemingly friendly and concerned mediums, astrologers, psychics or tarot card readers who are in contact with the spirit world are in opposition to God, whether by intent or whether they are simply misled. Of course, many are frauds just after your money. Fallen angels are in rebellion against God, communicating their supposed revelations through fortune tellers against God’s clear prohibitions in Scripture.
Message to Saul from Spirit World Not Accurate
1 Samuel 28:19-20 (ESV) states, “’Moreover, the LORD will give Israel also with you into the hand of the Philistines, and tomorrow you and your sons shall be with me. The LORD will give the army of Israel also into the hand of the Philistines.’ Then Saul fell at once full length on the ground, filled with fear because of the words of Samuel…”
The demon impersonating Samuel indicated that Israel would fall to the Philistines in battle. The well-informed demons knew of the Philistines military strength, that Saul was panic-stricken, that God was against Saul, and that God would soon make David Saul's successor. It wasn't difficult to predict Israel’s army would be defeated.
The statement recited by the witch, “tomorrow you and your sons shall be with me” was NOT correct. It was a false statement. Saul died three days later in battle, not “tomorrow” as the witch reported; and not all Saul’s sons died. The real Samuel would not have spoken falsely. Let’s verify this error.
The day after Saul met the Witch of Endor, we read in 1 Samuel 29:1 (NKJV), “Then the Philistines gathered together all their armies at Aphek, and the Israelites encamped by a fountain which is in Jezreel.”
This is the first day AFTER the witch reported that TOMORROW Israel will be defeated in battle and Saul and his sons would die. David and his men were with the Philistine army pretending to be prepared to fight with them against Saul’s army. However, the Philistine rulers were rightly afraid David would turn on them, so they sent David and his men away. Hence we read in 1 Samuel 29:11 (NKJV), “So David and his men rose early to depart in the morning…” This would be the second day after Saul’s encounter with the Witch of Endor.
Now notice that 1 Samuel 30:1 (NKJV) says, “Now it happened, when David and his men came to Ziklag, on the third day…” This was three days after Saul’s visit to the Witch at Endor. Continuing, we read in 1 Samuel 31:1,8 (NKJV) “Now the Philistines fought against Israel… vs. 8 So it happened the next day, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, that they found Saul and his three sons fallen on Mount Gilboa.”
Saul and three of his sons died on the third day and were discovered on the next day or fourth day after. The witch was wrong in reporting that “tomorrow” Saul and his sons would die - it was three days later. Another error occurs when the medium said Saul’s sons would die, she never revealed that some sons would survive, yet we find two of them still alive in a later account. Years later, we discover in 2 Samuel 21:8 (NKJV) “So the king [David] took Armoni and Mephibosheth, the two sons of…Saul…” So, these are two surviving sons of Saul still alive years after the battle with the Philistines.
The important lesson is that even if a spirit was trying to convey the truth through the Witch of Endor, he could only give his best guess. More importantly, these demons are in rebellion against God, since the Bible forbids contact with them. If they wanted to obey God, they would have no contact with people. God wants us to be dependent on Him, His providences and His Word. Relying on insights from spirit guides is placing our faith not in God, but in the influence of rebellious fallen angels.
