1 Samuel 28
Saul talks to Samuel’s ghost
David, the Philistine ally
1Philistines started preparing for war with Israel. King Achish told David, “I’m counting on you and your men to go with us. You know that don’t you?”2David said, “Yes, and that’s not a problem. Now you’ll get to see for yourself what we can do in a fight.” [1] The king said, “Looking forward to it. So much so that I’m making you my bodyguard for the rest of your life, or mine.”
A medium connects Saul to dead Samuel
3By this time, Samuel was dead. People had mourned him and buried him in his hometown of Ramah. Saul made it illegal to try talking with the dead. He deported mediums and sorcerers.4Philistines marched their armies north and camped at the valley town of Shunem. [2] Saul marched his army up into the Gilboa Mountains. [3] 5When Saul looked down at the massive Philistine army below, he trembled—terrified.
6Saul asked the LORD about the coming battle, but the LORD said nothing. Not in dreams. Not from prophets. And not from the priest’s tools called Lights and Perfection. [4]
7Saul gave some of his servants a secret mission: “Find a woman who works as a medium. I have a question I’d like to ask her. Then, I’ll go see her myself.” The servants told him, “We’ve found one at Endor.” [5] 8Saul disguised himself by changing clothes, and he went to Endor under the cover of night. He took two men with him. Saul told the woman, “I need you to call up someone whose name I’ll give you.”
9The woman said, “Come on, you know what Saul did. He made it illegal to consult the dead or to do magic. So why are you trying to trap me and get me killed?” 10Saul swore to God, “As sure as the LORD lives, this isn’t a trap. No one’s going to punish you.”
11The woman said, “Well then, who do you want? Saul said, “Bring me Samuel.”
The medium when she sees dead Samuel
12When Samuel appeared, the woman screamed. She told the king, “You’re Saul! Why did you trick me?”13Saul said, “Don’t be afraid. What do you see?” The woman said, “I see a god [6] rising up from the ground.” 14Saul said, “What’s he look like?” She said, “Old. He’s coming up and he’s wearing a robe.” Saul knew this was Samuel, so he bowed his face low to the ground.
15Samuel asked Saul, “What are you doing here, disturbing me like this?” Saul said, “I’m worried. Philistines have come to fight, and I don’t know what to do. The LORD isn’t talking to me. Not through my dreams or the prophets. What should I do?” 16Samuel said, “How should I know? The LORD isn’t on your side anymore. He’s your enemy now. 17The LORD is doing what I told you he would do. He is ripping the kingdom out of your grip and giving it to your neighbor, David. 18He’s doing this because you didn’t finish the job he gave you when you fought the Amalekites. [7] It’s starting to happen now. 19The LORD is giving you to the Philistines, along with your army and your kingdom. And tomorrow, you and your sons will join me here. I’ll see you later.”
Saul drops face-down
20Saul dropped flat and face-down in the dirt, terrified by Samuel’s words and exhausted because he hadn’t eaten all day.21The woman saw that the king was terrified. She went over to him and said, “I’m your servant and I listened to you. Then I risked my life to do what you asked. 22Now, there’s something I’d like you to do. Let me give you some bread. You need to eat something so you’ll have the energy to go back.”
23Saul said, “No. I won’t eat.” But his servants and the lady all pressed him, and he finally agreed to eat. He got up off the ground and sat on a bed.
24The woman had a fattened calf ready to butcher. She killed it. She took some of her flour, kneaded it into dough, and quickly baked it into flat, yeast-free bread. 25She put the meal in front of Saul and his men, and they ate it. Then they left that same night.
Footnotes
David has been lying about his raids all along. It would be hard to lie his way out of this dilemma. Unless he calls off sick.
Shunem, now called Sulam, is in the heart of the sprawling Jezreel Valley, a place French General Napoleon once called the perfect battlefield. Many major battles have been fought there. Saul was about 5-10 miles south of Shunem, somewhere on the Gilboa mountains overlooking the valley. Saul may have had a good view of the enemy because they were probably a quarter of a mile or more below him, 1,600 feet (400 meters). Jezreel Valley was and still is Israel’s most productive farmland. It’s called “Breadbasket of Israel.” Crops today include beans, chickpeas, wheat, cotton, oranges, squash, corn, and watermelon to name a few. There’s also plenty of grass for livestock. First-century Jewish historian Josephus described the area this way: “The land is so rich in soil and pastures and produces such a variety of trees, that even the laziest people are tempted to take up farming there. In fact, every bit of soil has been cultivated by the inhabitants. There’s not a plug of ground going to waste. There are a lot of towns there, with a lot of people because the land is so fertile. The smallest towns have at least 15,000 people each.”
The Gilboa Mountain range overlooks the Jordan River to the east and the huge Jezreel Valley to the northwest. The highest peak hits 1,630 feet (497 meters) above sea level—a quarter of a mile.
The Hebrew names are Urim and Thummim, described as meaning “lights” and “perfection.” These were two objects never described in the Bible. They might have been stones, marked or colored in different ways. The high priest used them to answer questions with a “yes” or “no” or “wait.” See note for 14:3.
Endor was six miles (10 km) northeast of the Philistine camp, across the valley plain. It was perhaps 10 miles (16 km) north of Saul’s position. He had to descend the mountain, cut across the open valley plain, and go past the Philistine camp. Endor was north of the Philistine camp and Saul was south.
The Hebrew word is one of the names for God, Elohim. It can be interpreted dozens of ways, including: god, divine being, angel, ghost.
See 1 Samuel 15:18-19.
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