Saul And The Medium

Saul and the Medium

Q: Whose spirit did Saul ask a medium to call up?

• a. David’s
• b. Samuel’s
• c. Jonathan’s

Saul was afraid. God wasn’t giving him directions anymore because he’d ignored the Lord’s commandments too many times. Samuel, who had often advised Saul, had died. The Philistines set up camp for their enormous army near the Israelites, and Saul wanted someone to tell him what to do. He told his advisers he wanted to find a medium (someone similar to a fortune-teller) for advice.

Saul dressed as a common person and went to Endor to visit the medium. Saul himself had made it illegal to consult with mediums, so when she recognized him, she was afraid. He assured her no harm would come to her. Saul asked her to call up Samuel’s spirit.

Samuel was not happy Saul had done this. He told Saul that God was Saul’s enemy and that the Philistines would defeat the Israelites the next day. What’s more, Samuel told Saul that he and his sons would be killed.

What Samuel said came true, but Saul shouldn’t have asked a medium to summon Samuel. The Bible forbids any kind of witchcraft or sorcery, including calling up the spirits of the dead. We don’t know why God allowed Samuel’s spirit to talk to Saul, or even if it was truly Samuel’s spirit. Perhaps God chose to allow it just to deliver the message to Saul, or perhaps the medium just made up a message based on what she knew about Saul.

God doesn’t want people to try to predict the future or ask others to predict what’s ahead. It’s okay to ask your parents and other trusted adults for advice in making choices about your future, but only God knows what the years ahead will hold for you.

For You

Ask God to help you make wise choices now and when planning for the future. He will guide you through his Spirit, his Word, and spiritually mature people.

Answer: b

Finally, the woman said, “Well, whose spirit do you want me to call up?” “Call up Samuel,” Saul replied. When the woman saw Samuel, she screamed, “You’ve deceived me! You are Saul!”   1 Samuel 28:11-12

(The Whole Story: 1 Samuel 28)