The Witch of Endor: Samuel or Demon | (un)ANSWERED

Anxiety, Fear, and the Temptation to Seek the Future in Forbidden Ways

We've all experienced the odd occurrence in the Bible, and was left with fringe questions. Watch and listen, as we leave no question unanswered.

We all live in a world in which we are placed into particular situations where we do not know the outcome. Either we got ourselves into the situation by decisions we made, or we came into the situation by no will of our own.

Regardless, though, the outcome is unknown. And when we live in between what is currently happening and that future outcome, it is hard to not think of what will or could occur. And that's not bad, to plan our future according to the position that we are in.

However, anxiety, fears, and worries can creep in, which can lead to spontaneous and reactive decisions. Especially if you think that you can figure out the future by speaking to someone who can communicate with the dead.

This is the exact situation that we are going to speak about today on Unanswered, the rejected King Saul who sought out a witch to get revelation about the future. The question is, did Saul really speak to the prophet Samuel through the witch?

Or was this just a ventriloquism through a cosplay from a familiar spirit? Listen as we go through 1 Samuel 28 through 25 on this episode of Unanswered. There was a king once clothed in splendor, whom God chose to lead the people of Israel.

In might, in honor, he slayed thousands in the name of the Lord. By the hand of God, rescuing Israel from the hands of their enemies, he stood as a beacon of hope for the nation. He came from nothing and was now considered a king of God's chosen nation.

In all first glances, it would appear that he could have anything he had ever desired, but in the quiet discontent of his life, he did not trust the Lord. Instead, he feared his enemies more than he feared God.

This king was to valiantly stand before the armies of the Philistines, for God's hand was with him. However, in fear, he did not proceed to fight in faith against the Philistines. He sought to gain favor from the Lord by offering a sacrifice to the Lord through the prophet.

However, after seven days had passed, the king got tired of waiting for the prophet and performed the sacrifice himself. Now the king had desecrated the sacrifice, for it was the prophet's duty as a priest to offer that to God.

The king, it was stated, was now to be removed from his kingship. The Lord had now rejected the king, as the prophet stated. 1 Samuel 13 14. From that time on, the king of Israel led a life of disobedience, fear, and paranoia.

The king's descent into darkness unfolded through a series of ominous missteps that cast a sinister shadow over his rule of Israel. From a decree that inflicted harm upon his own people, to the blatant disobedience in sparing the Amalekites against God's command, the king's folly knew no bounds.

In between the demise of the king's control over Jerusalem, God was raising up a man after his own heart, a king to come whose heir will reign over God's kingdom forever. While God favored the young man by giving him the gift of his spirit, God's spirit was removed from the king and instead was sent an evil spirit to torment him.

Haunted by God's decree to remove the king from power, the king sought to kill the young man in whom God favored. Twice a deadly dance with a spear was orchestrated. The reign of terror extended to the massacre of 85 Levitical priests.

As the wicked king squandered precious years relentlessly pursuing the young man, forsaking the opportunity to build a formidable nation in fear of the Lord. But the life that the king led finally caught up with him.

The prophet who consistently rebuked and warned the king of the wrath that was coming, died. After the death of the prophet, when the king inquired of the Lord, God would not answer him, either by dreams or by Urim or the prophets.

Following the death of the prophet, the king enacted a law in reflection of the Mosaic law that banished all necromancers and mediums from the land. Yet the king had been overtaken by a superstitious and dark spirit.

And this king, in the dead of night, out of fear of the armies that set themselves up against God's people, sought to gain insight of the war from what was abominable in God's sight. Dressed in unlikely attire, he shrouded his identity from all who could identify him.

And he went into the home of a known witch in Endor to inquire of her concerning the battle that was soon to take place. The woman, hearing his request to speak to the departed prophet, was hesitant since the law would have her condemned for doing such an act.

Yet the king comforted her in the name of the Lord and swore that she would not be harmed for assisting him. She then asked of the king, whom shall I bring up for you? The king replied, Samuel the prophet.

The text states the following. When the woman saw Samuel, she cried out with a loud voice. And the woman said to Saul, Why have you deceived me? You are Saul. The king said to her, Do not be afraid. What do you see?

And the woman said to Saul, I see a god coming up out of the earth. And 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.

Furthermore, a condemnation is given. 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.

Because you did not obey the voice of the Lord and did not carry out his fierce wrath against Amalek, therefore the Lord has done this thing to you this day. 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. Did you hear it? How the mighty has fallen. The rejected king will soon be destroyed. It was prophetically spoken that the Lord will take Saul and his son's lives away from them tomorrow during the battle.

And sure enough, what was said came to pass. The king, who we know as Saul, had his armor-bearer pierce him through, and the three sons of Saul, Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchusha, perished during the battle of Gebulah as well.

Was Samuel Really Speaking Through the Witch of Endor?

So here's the question, was that actually Samuel who spoke to Saul? And is a witch able to communicate with the dead? Are the dead knowledgeable of the affairs of the living? These are great questions, and there's two schools of thought on this difficult text.

One, that God intervened through the witch to have Samuel condemn Saul. And two, Saul did not speak with Samuel. Instead, it was a familiar spirit who took the appearance of Samuel. Could it have been the devil?

Or just a demon? Well, we're going to look at the first argument and break it down and see what our conclusion will be. It's said that through the plain reading of the text, one would walk away with the idea that Samuel was conjured by the witch.

And part of the text used is in 1 Samuel 28, 12. Here's the part of the argument. Starting here in verse 12. Here's the school of thought, that the witch here was terrified that she actually did see something.

The idea is that people who hold to this view believe that mediums or necromancers were mainly tricksters. That during this seance, so to speak, something occurred and this scared her. However, I'm not convinced of this part of the argument.

I can see how in the plain reading of 1 Samuel 28, 3 -25, it could be Samuel. But the witch was surprised here not because she saw something. Instead, she was surprised because at that point she realized it was actually King Saul who she was performing the seance for.

Listen to verses 9 -12 here. Why then are you laying a trap for my life to bring about my death? Now verse 12. Do you see that? It is also reiterated in verse 21. This is what it says. And the woman came to Saul, and when she saw that he was terrified, she said to him, Behold, your servant has obeyed you.

I have taken my life in my hand and have listened to what you have said to me. The text indicates that she was scared for her life because of the law that was made to give capital punishment to all mediums, witches, and necromancers in the land.

Furthermore, during this era in human history, many pagans and nations practiced magic and sorcery all throughout the world. The Bible does not detail that all of their practices are mainly illusions or sleight of hand.

On the other hand, the Bible details that the practice of these pagans actually had some form of power. The magicians in Pharaoh's court, for example, were able to turn a staff into a snake and perform many different wonders similar to Moses during this time to mimic the miracles of God.

But here's the point. We live after the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We live on an opposite side of human history than our ancient counterparts did. Therefore, we look back at history through the lens of Colossians 2 .15, which states this, He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame by triumphing over them in Him.

Meaning that since the powers that once held the nations captive have been disarmed, we forget that they actually once had power, and that has now been diminished by the work of Christ on the cross. To Him will be the obedience of the nations.

Hear the words of God from Deuteronomy 13, 1 -3. And the sign or wonder that He tells you comes to pass, and if He says, So we are warned of people who will do things that happen in real life. That's what Deuteronomy says.

We cannot think that all mediums and sorcerers are performing fake things. Yes, many are, and I would argue today that living on the side of Colossians 2 .15, the majority of them are performing fake things, but in the time of our ancients, some powers were at work within the what?

The sons of disobedience. Though there were powers that did bring about signs and wonders, the issue is that the root of the revelation was forbidden, because it's not profitable for the person, and it ultimately leads to the destruction of the individual and the profaning of the name of the true and living God by what?

False worship, going after other gods. Furthermore, by precedent in the word of God, we find that all mediums, sorcerers, and necromancers were to be viewed as people who dealt in what? Falsehood. Though there may be many truths in what they say, lies are shrouded and often overlooked by the sign and wonder.

In other words, the source for the revelation is not to be trusted. That is why it is condemned by God over and over again. Listen. Exodus 22 18. You must not allow a sorceress to live. Deuteronomy 18 10 through 11.

Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, practices divination or conjury, interprets omens, practices sorcery, casts spells, consults a medium or familiar spirit, or inquires of the dead.

Therefore, we find that the witch did indeed see something, and at this time was able to perform some type of specific wonder, but it does not mean that what is occurring is truly Samuel, nor is it to be trusted.

Why the Text Itself Does Not Prove It Was Samuel

Now, another argument is made in favor of the witch conjuring Samuel. It's the fact that the Bible details him as Samuel, so we must assume that is truly Samuel. And that's compelling even to me, right?

Let's look at verses 11 through 14 from 1 Samuel 28. It says this. Then the woman said, whom shall I bring up for you? He said, bring up Samuel for me. When the woman saw Samuel, she cried out with a loud voice.

And the woman said to Saul, why have you deceived me? You are Saul. The king said to her, do not be afraid. What do you see? 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. But let's dive a little bit deeper. Why should we trust the witch?

Did Saul see Samuel? How is Samuel communicating to Saul? Understand that according to Levitical law in Deuteronomy, we should at first have mistrust of this witch. The king states to bring up Samuel.

Therefore she sees who? Samuel. She is a cipher of revelation and the revelation is from a means which God calls abominable. The witch is the ventriloquist. Saul never saw Samuel. The witch did. Verses 13 -14, right?

The king said to her, do not be afraid. What do you see? And the woman said to Saul, I see a God coming up out of the earth. He said to her, what is his appearance? Do you hear Saul actually seeing anything?

And she said, now continuing in scripture, an old man is coming up and he is wrapped in a robe. Right now, literally think about this. Saul is trusting in an abominable practice to receive revelation not from God.

To indicate that it is the Holy Spirit who, through the authors of 1 Samuel 28, is stating 100 fact that it is Samuel because of the name given, is not to think critically about the passage. Yes, the Holy Spirit penned these words, but the description from what is occurring is through the perspective of the witch and Saul.

It does not necessarily demonstrate that it is indeed Samuel. To Saul, here's an example. To Saul, who went to the length of abominable practices to inquire of God, he knew it to be Samuel because he wanted it to be Samuel.

Verse 14, right? And Saul knew that it was Samuel and he bowed with his face to the ground in paid homage. Herein lies another crucial detail that can be often overlooked. The Septuagint states and uses a word that means worship, okay?

And it comes from the root word proskuneo, which means to worship. It's just a different form of that word. And the question we must ask ourselves is why, if this is the prophet Samuel, does he not stop Saul from paying worship to him?

Not even angels receive worship and we see that in Revelation 19 .10 when the angel stops John. Could this be a clear indicator that the one who is speaking is indeed not Samuel? Perhaps. It seems pretty compelling to me.

However, though, we now find a prophecy occurring in the following verses from 1 Samuel 28, starting in verse 15. The Lord has done to you as he spoke by me, for the Lord has torn the kingdom out of your hand and has given it to your neighbor David.

Because you did not obey the voice of the Lord and did not carry out his fierce wrath against Amalek, therefore the Lord has done this thing to you this day. Here's the prophecy. 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. Is this the nail in the coffin? That since this prophecy came to pass that it was Samuel speaking? Many will make that argument, but let's take a closer look and you can decide what you think later.

Saul makes a stunning admission here. God has turned away from me and answers me no more. That's what he said, right? Either by prophets or by dreams. Then he says, therefore I have summoned you to tell me what I should do.

This echoes what 1 Samuel 15 and what 1 Samuel 28 has communicated. Here's 1 Samuel 15 verse 35. And to the day of his death, Samuel never again visited Saul. Samuel mourned for Saul, and the Lord regretted that he had made Saul king over Israel.

So in 1 Samuel 15, 35, after that, Samuel never even visited Saul again. And then 1 Samuel 28, 6. And when Saul inquired of the Lord, the Lord did not answer him, either by dreams or by Urim or by the prophets.

So we should ask ourselves, why then is the Lord communicating with him now and through abominable means? Samuel then states in verse 16, why then do you ask me since the Lord has turned from you and become your enemy?

Remember, Saul does not see Samuel here. He is being spoken to through the witch. One could argue that whoever is speaking is stating that since God is no longer speaking to you, why are you consulting me?

Meaning that this is not Samuel. For the prophet, if it was Samuel, is a mouthpiece for who? For God, and speaks on behalf of God, meaning that God would be speaking to him. Whatever is speaking to Saul through the sorceress never identifies himself as Samuel as well.

But instead, he receives worship. Then asks why, if God is not speaking to you, would you come to me? I think those are some interesting things to consider. What do you think so far? Let us know in the comments below.

Can Demons Predict the Future?

Let's dig into the prophecy though. Would it be correct to assume that demons or the devil cannot know aspects of the future? That since there is a prophecy given that comes to pass, that this is indeed Samuel speaking to Saul?

I'm not convinced. I don't think so. One answer, again, is in Deuteronomy 13 verses 1 through 2. Let me look at that again real quick with you. If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or wonder, and the sign or wonder that he tells you comes to pass, do you hear it?

There are false prophets, sorcerers, or necromancers, and they can indeed predict things. And they do come to pass. Remember Matthew 8, 29, what the demons say to Jesus? What is it that they say? They say, The demons here know the Son of God and they also understand an aspect of the apocalypse that we have no idea about.

Also, what is being communicated to Saul is not necessarily new information. Instead, Saul was going to a battle, and this condemnation seems to be the worst fear of Saul coming to fruition. Though it is indeed true that these things did occur, we must understand the following from Scripture.

Furthermore, from the context of this passage, we find Saul then seeks out necromancy to get revelation. I find that the overwhelming amount of context here really makes it hard to believe that this is indeed Samuel speaking to Saul.

However, I could be wrong, right? What do you think? Could this be the only account in Scripture where God takes a saint from Abraham's bosom and uses them through a sorcerer to reveal prophecy to Saul?

Was it a miraculous divine condemnation brought about through Samuel to repudiate Saul? 1 Chronicles 10, 13 -14 says this,. The word for medium here can also be translated as one with a familiar spirit, or spirit of the dead, which would be concerning necromancy.

I find this to be part of the most compelling evidence that Saul indeed did not inquire of the Lord, but instead received guidance from a familiar spirit who took the appearance and likeness of Samuel.

And in like manner, according to the law of God, Saul was punished by the Lord, which was the final nail in the coffin for Saul's disobedience. Regardless of the position that you hold, both sides, though opposite in outcome, understand the same premise.

We both understand that consulting a witch for revelation is condemned by God and should never be Saul. We should not be like Saul when we come to troubling situations in our lives. We, at points, live in the unknown, to our own human perspective.

But we have a God who knows all, and He loves us and cares for us. He shepherds us through any situation and promises that it's for our good and His glory. In the midst of trials and calamity, we must first give our thanks to God, ask of the Lord of what we need, and believe that our hearts and minds will be guarded in Christ Jesus.

We must never, by any circumstance, inquire of those who believe that the dead speak to them. We must seek the oracles that are from God and His word, and not the oracles that are considered an abomination by a sorceress or a witch.

For this time, I will consider this one answered. What do you think?