The Story

Samuel was now dead. All Israel had mourned his death and buried him in Ramah, his hometown. Saul had long since cleaned out all those who held séances with the dead. The Philistines had mustered their troops and camped at Shunem. Saul had assembled all Israel and camped at Gilboa. But when Saul saw the Philistine troops, he shook in his boots, scared to death. Saul prayed to God, but God didn’t answer—neither by dream nor by sign nor by prophet.

So Saul ordered his officials, “Find me someone who can call up spirits so I may go and seek counsel from those spirits.” His servants said, “There’s a witch at Endor.” Saul disguised himself by putting on different clothes. Then, taking two men with him, he went under the cover of night to the woman and said, “I want you to consult a ghost for me. Call up the person I name.”

The woman said, “Just hold on now! You know what Saul did, how he swept the country clean of mediums. Why are you trying to trap me and get me killed?” Saul swore solemnly, “As God lives, you won’t get in any trouble for this.” The woman said, “So whom do you want me to bring up?”

“Samuel. Bring me Samuel.”

When the woman saw Samuel, she cried out loudly to Saul, “Why did you lie to me? You’re Saul!”

The king told her, “You have nothing to fear . . . but what do you see?”

“I see a spirit ascending from the underground.”

“And what does he look like?” Saul asked.

“An old man ascending, robed like a priest.”

Saul knew it was Samuel. He fell down, face to the ground, and worshiped. Samuel said to Saul, “Why have you disturbed me by calling me up?”

1 Samuel 28:3-15a (MSG)

What is happening here?

By all means, this story is terrifying! Perhaps the scariest thing is the place from which the story begins. King Saul has repeatedly disobeyed God and made excuses for his behavior. And yet he keeps expecting God to do what he wants. Unfortunately for Saul, God has rejected him as king and removed his Spirit from him. Saul calls out to God in vain. So in the midst of God’s silence, Saul decides to take matters into his own hands by breaking the law found in Leviticus 19:31. The law was clear that Israelites were not to see a medium or sorcerer. God said they would be cut off from his people (Lev 20:6). Saul has reached a new low.

So are witches real? The Bible doesn’t spend a lot of time delving into this. We know for certain that there are a lot of frauds and charlatans who prey on the innocent today by claiming to be mediums or fortune tellers. In this instance we can only assume that this witch is tapping into a power source which can only be described as demonic.

The other possibility is that she was in fact a fraud, and she was just as surprised as Saul to see Samuel in front of her. In either case, God allowed this to happen in his providence to make a greater point. So was Samuel really a ghost? Well yes and no. The word ghost is the same word that simply means spirit. Each of us has a spirit within us. Samuel appeared as a spirit (or ghost) because he will not be reunited with his earthly body until the great resurrection.

Samuel’s reaction to what Saul has done is not pleasant. It’s clear that Samuel was at rest in the presence of God and now Saul (who already irritated him before) has brought him back to the land of the living. Saul tries to explain why he needs Samuel since God isn’t answering. Look at Samuel’s response!

“Why then do you ask me, since the Lord has turned from you and become your enemy?”

— 1 Samuel 28:16

What does it mean for us?

This story, as dramatic as it is, is a great reminder for us that our only hope for this life and the next is found in Jesus Christ. Saul rejected God and it cost him everything. He failed to repent and he failed to trust God with his life. When Saul tried instead to place his hope in Samuel’s ghost, it came up short. Samuel explains that all of Saul’s problems boil down to one thing: Saul disobeyed the Lord (verse 18). Saul is left afraid, weak, alone and terrified. Our hope is that by placing our faith in Jesus, he send us his Spirit to enable us to live a life of obedience to him. And the amazing thing is that God promises to never leave or forsake us!