1S28-11: The Spirit Speaks – God’s Final Verdict on Saul

“Sh’mu’el asked Sha’ul, ‘Why have you disturbed me and brought me up?’ Sha’ul answered, ‘I’m very upset; because the P’lishtim are making war against me; and God has left me and doesn’t answer me anymore, neither by prophets nor by dreams. This is why I’ve called you, so that you can let me know what to do.’   Sh’mu’el said, ‘Why ask me, if Adonai has left you and become your enemy?  Adonai has done for himself what he foretold through me — Adonai has torn the kingdom out of your hands and given it to your fellow countryman David.”-1 Samuel 28:15-16

Although Saul was unable to see the spirit, he knew it was Samuel so he bowed down to the ghost to show respect.

However, the apparition wasn’t too happy about being disturbed from his deep slumber.

The spirit asks Saul…

“Why have you disturbed me and brought me up?”

This wasn’t the cheerful response of a Genie whose sole purpose was to grant his master’s wishes.

This spirit was grumpy, and annoyed and wanted to know why he was brought up in the first place.

Saul’s response is as laughable as it is tragic.

“I’m very upset; because the P’lishtim are making war against me; and God has left me and doesn’t answer me anymore, neither by prophets nor by dreams. This is why I’ve called you, so that you can let me know what to do.”

You can almost hear Samuel sighing in exasperation.

He tells Saul…

“Why ask me, if Adonai has left you and become your enemy?  Adonai has done for himself what he foretold through me — Adonai has torn the kingdom out of your hands and given it to your fellow countryman David because you didn’t obey what Adonai said and execute his furious anger toward ‘Amalek. That’s why Adonai is doing this to you today.  Adonai is giving Isra’el as well as yourself over into the power of the P’lishtim, and tomorrow you and your sons will be with me. Adonai will hand over Isra’el’s army to the power of the P’lishtim.”

Notice all of the verbs are in the complete or perfect tense.

In other words, this spirit of Samuel is saying that God has already done these things.

Nothing can be reversed or changed.

The result has already happened from God’s perspective.

Now, it’s just a matter of it happening on earth.

Saul is going to be defeated by the Philistines…

The Kingdom of Israel will be taken over by the Philistines…

Saul and all his sons will be killed during this battle…

And it was all going to happen in a couple of hours.

But here’s the point.

Everything this ghost of Samuel pronounced wasn’t new news to Saul.

For years, Saul’s inner circle had been telling him God had left him.

Everyone who served in the royal court knew Saul was constantly being tormented by evil spirits.

On top of that, Samuel, one of Israel’s greatest prophets and the very man who crowned Saul king of Israel, departed from Saul right before telling him God had left him forever.

Although Saul paid little heed to the Torah, he well understood the consequences of disobedience.

He had lived his life with the assumption he could go against God’s Will and get away with it.

But deep down inside he must have known there would be a price to pay for his sins against God.

Well, that day of reckoning had finally arrived.

This leads us to our takeaway.

As I’ve said before, there is both a little David and a little Saul in all of us.

Here we are given an ugly portrait of Saul that lies in all of us.

I’d rather not look at this portrait but if “all scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness that we may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works”, then we would be wise to pay heed to the warnings Scripture provides as well.

This story reveals just how irrational we can be.

We know the truth.

We know we will be judged for disobedience.

Yet, we still live our lives as if there will be no consequences.