Dangerous Dabbling

Dangerous Dabbling

The Medium Of Endor

Read: 1 Samuel 28:3-14

The talk show Crossing Over ran for four years, launching host John Edward to fame. On each episode, the psychic/medium tried to connect audience members with the spirits of loved ones who had died. Edward remains a best-selling author and a much sought-after speaker and talk show guest. His clients often spend two years on a waiting list for private sessions with him.

When God didn’t answer King Saul’s inquiries by the usual means, Saul found a medium who supposedly possessed the ability to contact the dead. Bible scholars have suggested three possible explanations for what happened next: (1) The woman used deception to trick Saul; (2) she tapped into demonic power to conjure a counterfeit Samuel; or (3) God brought Samuel’s spirit back to prophesy one last time.

Although the medium seemed confident in her abilities, she screamed when Samuel’s spirit appeared, so she must have been taken by surprise. Perhaps she saw that this time God’s power was at work, not her own dark arts. She was not the one in control.

Some people become obsessed with the idea of contacting the spirit of a loved one who has died. Our society feeds that desire through articles, books, and shows featuring stories of people who have supposedly contacted someone “on the other side.” These people are either deceiving us or have been deceived.

Contacting spirits may seem harmless, but this practice is forbidden by God (see Deuteronomy 18:10-11), for good reason. Occult practices are based on the powers of Satan and his demons. We may experience initial “success” for the purpose of luring us in. But eventually, we will discover that we are the ones being controlled. Attempting to “cross over” is contrary to what God commands.

When men tell you to consult mediums and spiritists, who whisper and mutter, should not a people inquire of their God? Why consult the dead on behalf of the living?

Isaiah 8:19 (NIV)