Bible Verse Synopsis 6-12-25

1st Samuel 28:

The Philistines gathered their armies and Achish told David “Know thou assuredly, that thou shalt go out with me to battle, thou and thy men.” - Verse 1. David is asked to join the Philistine army against Israel. Achish makes David the keeper of his head, or personal guard, and David accepts. God is absent from David now and it is plain to see. The Philistines are to be wiped off the earth, not to be joined by the next king of Israel. Even David can get off the path and fall asunder. How has this happened in your life? What enemy (or sin) have you fallen victim to so that you serve it, instead of serving God?

Saul had sent all those who knew the Lord away from him and Israel. And the Philistines pitched in Shunem and Saul gathered his men and pitched in Gilboa. Verse 5 says: “And when Saul saw the host of the Philistines, he was afraid, and his heart greatly trembled.” Where does Saul have to turn in his fear? As we learned in chapter 27, letting fear have influence over us does not allow our faith to shine. Saul has no faith in God, yet he turns to the Lord. Because of his lack of faith, God does not answer him. When we lack faith Him, He is absent from us also. What can you do differently to keep your faith strong and keep God in your life?

Saul asks his men to seek a woman with a spirit of God in her. Saul is desperate to find some guidance and hope and he looks everywhere for it. They find a woman in Endor. And Saul goes to her. He disguises himself and went by night to see her. She knows the law of Saul that banished all of her kind and the other wizards. She believes this is a trap. Saul assured her it is not. Verse 10: “And Saul sware to her by the Lord, saying, As the Lord liveth, there shall no punishment happen to thee for this thing.” Saul asks to see Samuel and have him brought up from the dead. This woman is not an agent of God in the traditional sense, she would seem to practice demonism and other dark magics. In her magic, she finds Samuel. When she does she recognizes Saul for who he is. The woman says she saw gods ascending out of the earth. In fear and desperation Saul has turned to Samuel, his dead mentor and priest. When we are lost, where do we turn?

Samuel’s spirit is presented to Saul. Saul asks for guidance of what to do since God has left him. Samuel tells Saul many things, and the verse that stands out to me is verse 16: “Then said Samuel, Wherefore then dost thou ask of me, seeing the Lord is departed from thee, and is become thine enemy?” When we are not with God, we may as well be His enemy.Are you allied or opposed to the Lord?

Samuel continues to tell Saul of what is to come and his final instruction is clear. Verse 19: “Moreover the Lord will also deliver Israel with thee into the hand of the Philistines: and to morrow shalt thou and thy sons be with me: the Lord also shall deliver the host of Israel into the hand of the Philistines.” Saul is done for. He gives into the weakness of the fear he feels and refuses to eat. The weakness only grows in him until finally he is coerced into eating some bread, in verse 23. When we fall into pity for ourselves, we cannot eat. Not with our flesh nor with our spirit. Saul’s is dead of the spirit and soon will be dead in the flesh. Is your spirit alive and well and able to consume the bread of eternal life? Or has the flesh overtaken the spirit and doomed you, just as it doomed Saul?