David, having temporarily put in his lot with the Philistines and King Achish, finds himself in a precarious situation as I Samuel 28 begins. The Philistine armies are seeking to make war with the Israelites and King Achish, impressed with David’s abilities as a warrior, expects David to fight with the Philistines against the Israelites and says to David in verse 1: “You assuredly know that you will go out with me to battle, you and your men.”
David’s response is intentionally ambiguous: “Surely you know what your servant can do.”
By responding this way, David makes sure that he will not incur the immediate wrath of King Achish and he also does not commit to fighting against the Israelites. As the coming king, fighting against the Israelites to ensure his personal safety would have been out of David’s character at this point in his life. He has done much to protect and defend Israel, both in faith and in deed. David needed to ensure that he was still on good terms with Achish while also secretly serving the protection of Israel. This response covered both bases, another shrewd action from David.
As the chapter continues, Saul realizes that Israel is about to be attacked by the Philistines. Saul goes to God in prayer, but is ignored. Thus begins the sad unfolding of events in this chapter for king Saul. While Saul had not done much that God expected, he had done one good thing: expelled necromancers and other occultists from the land of Israel. The commands to do such are outlined in the following passages:
“You shall not permit a sorceress to live.”
– Exodus 22:18
“Give no regard to mediums and familiar spirits; do not seek after them, to be defiled by them: I am the Lord your God.”
- Leviticus 19:31
And the passage that has the most detail in forbidding such things is found in Deuteronomy 18:9-14. The directives in these verses do two things: 1) They confirm the existence of such practices, and 2) They prohibit God’s people from participating in them in any way.
“When you come into the land which the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not learn to follow the abominations of those nations. There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, or one who practices witchcraft, or a soothsayer, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, or one who conjures spells, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead. For all who do these things are an abomination to the Lord, and because of these abominations the Lord your God drives them out from before you. You shall be blameless before the Lord your God. For these nations which you will dispossess listened to soothsayers and diviners; but as for you, the Lord your God has not appointed such for you.”
The reason that these directives are so significant to Saul is because they reveal his hypocrisy. Verse three tells us that Saul had put the mediums and spiritists out of the land. But when Saul sees the Philistine army camped and ready to do battle with Israel, he becomes scared. He first goes to God, but we can tell from God’s reaction that Saul’s heart is not right. Indeed, Saul’s heart has not been right before God for a long time now. Saul seeks himself and his own glory. He goes to God only when he feels like God is the best option, or when there are little to no other choices. We can reasonably conclude that God’s response of ignoring Saul is due to Saul’s approach to God and the sad condition of Saul’s heart. Saul was not going to God sincerely with a penitent heart for the ways he had foolishly acted in the past. Saul was seeking God’s help selfishly, and not having put anything on the altar of God nor giving God his due, Saul got from God what he deserved: he was ignored.
After this, much like the claim in Romans 1:28, Saul seeks a medium and he suffers for it: “And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting;” thus Saul suffers.
Saul lost his way long ago and it seems to have started with a sense of his own greatness, putting a premium on himself rather than on God. Now we have to recognize the probability that God gave Israel a first king as weak as Saul to demonstrate both the fallibility of man’s leadership and the idea that man should rely on God alone. Watching Saul degrade himself in this chapter is a cautionary tale worthy of all students of destructive hubris.
Saul seeks the medium to bring forth the spirit of Samuel. Samuel, whose death was recorded in I Samuel 25, appears in spirit to Saul and asks him, “Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?”
Samuel’s answer is so woeful that it is pitiful. We see a man that has reached the end of hopelessness. He is resorting to things he should not to get answers that will not help him. Have you ever found yourself in a position such as this? Surely most, if not all of us have. Saul says to the spirit of Samuel, “I am deeply distressed; for the Philistines make war against me, and God has departed from me and does not answer me anymore, neither by prophets nor by dreams. Therefore I have called you, that you may reveal to me what I should do.”
Samuel’s response to Saul makes Saul’s blood run cold. The spirit of Samuel tells Saul in no uncertain terms that the Lord has deserted Saul and Saul is now the enemy of the Lord. David will soon rule over Israel because Saul has not obeyed God in killing the Amalekites. The Lord will deliver Israel to the Philistines and Saul and his sons will perish.
The remainder of the chapter paints an even more pitiful picture of Israel’s first king. Saul lays prostrate on the floor, too weak to get up and too weak to eat the bread offered to him by the medium. But after being encouraged some by his servants, and by the medium, he finally relents, eating a from a fatted calf and unleavened bread from the house.
Saul’s is a cautionary tale of pride, self-reliance, and misplaced loyalties. His end is nearing.
Monday Night Bible Study 