ESOCS Devotional 7 October 2024 – By Passing God
MEMORY VERSE: ““Then said Saul unto his servants, Seek me a woman that hath a familiar spirit, that I may go to her, and enquire of her. And his servants said to him, Behold, there is a woman that hath a familiar spirit at Endor.” 1 Samuel 28:7
TEXT: 1 SAMUEL 28:3-END
Now Samuel had died, and all Israel had lamented for him and buried him in Ramah, in his own city. And Saul had put the mediums and the spiritists out of the land.
4 Then the Philistines gathered together, and came and encamped at Shunem. So Saul gathered all Israel together, and they encamped at Gilboa. 5 When Saul saw the army of the Philistines, he was afraid, and his heart trembled greatly. 6 And when Saul inquired of the Lord, the Lord did not answer him, either by dreams or by Urim or by the prophets.
7 Then Saul said to his servants, “Find me a woman who is a medium, that I may go to her and inquire of her.”
And his servants said to him, “In fact, there is a woman who is a medium at En Dor.”
8 So Saul disguised himself and put on other clothes, and he went, and two men with him; and they came to the woman by night. And he said, “Please conduct a séance for me, and bring up for me the one I shall name to you.”
9 Then the woman said to him, “Look, you know what Saul has done, how he has cut off the mediums and the spiritists from the land. Why then do you lay a snare for my life, to cause me to die?”
10 And Saul swore to her by the Lord, saying, “As the Lord lives, no punishment shall come upon you for this thing.”
11 Then the woman said, “Whom shall I bring up for you?”
And he said, “Bring up Samuel for me.”
12 When the woman saw Samuel, she cried out with a loud voice. And the woman spoke to Saul, saying, “Why have you deceived me? For you are Saul!”
13 And the king said to her, “Do not be afraid. What did you see?”
And the woman said to Saul, “I saw a[a] spirit ascending out of the earth.”
14 So he said to her, “What is his form?”
And she said, “An old man is coming up, and he is covered with a mantle.” And Saul perceived that it was Samuel, and he stooped with his face to the ground and bowed down.
15 Now Samuel said to Saul, “Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?”
And Saul answered, “I am deeply distressed; for the Philistines make war against me, and God has departed from me and does not answer me anymore, neither by prophets nor by dreams. Therefore I have called you, that you may reveal to me what I should do.”
16 Then Samuel said: “So why do you ask me, seeing the Lord has departed from you and has become your enemy? 17 And the Lord has done for [b]Himself as He spoke by me. For the Lord has torn the kingdom out of your hand and given it to your neighbor, David. 18 Because you did not obey the voice of the Lord nor execute His fierce wrath upon Amalek, therefore the Lord has done this thing to you this day. 19 Moreover the Lord will also deliver Israel with you into the hand of the Philistines. And tomorrow you and your sons will be with me. The Lord will also deliver the army of Israel into the hand of the Philistines.”
20 Immediately Saul fell full length on the ground, and was dreadfully afraid because of the words of Samuel. And there was no strength in him, for he had eaten no food all day or all night.
21 And the woman came to Saul and saw that he was severely troubled, and said to him, “Look, your maidservant has obeyed your voice, and I have put my life in my hands and heeded the words which you spoke to me. 22 Now therefore, please, heed also the voice of your maidservant, and let me set a piece of bread before you; and eat, that you may have strength when you go on your way.”
23 But he refused and said, “I will not eat.”
So his servants, together with the woman, urged him; and he heeded their voice. Then he arose from the ground and sat on the bed. 24 Now the woman had a fatted calf in the house, and she hastened to kill it. And she took flour and kneaded it, and baked unleavened bread from it. 25 So she brought it before Saul and his servants, and they ate. Then they rose and went away that night.
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Here we have this incredible event between King Saul, a medium, and the dead prophet Samuel. Saul needs information, but God has stopped talking to him because of his disobedience and rebellion against God. Instead of repenting and turning to God, Saul decides to seek answers from the dead, which God had strictly forbidden. What we are going to see today is how people try to bypass God to find out something or to get something they want. Instead of trusting God, they try something apart from God. What we are about to see is someone who bypassed God by not trusting God, by ignoring God’s Word; and by disobeying God and as a result, they bypass the blessings of God.
God had stopped speaking to Saul. It didn’t matter what method Saul tried to hear from God, God had shut His communication off with Saul. We are told that God did not answer Saul “either by dreams or by sacred lots or by prophets.” These were three very common ways that God talked to the people in Old Testament days.
Dreams: God used dreams and visions several times in the Bible to communicate with people. In the Old Testament, God used dreams to reveal His plan, to further His plan, and to put His people in places of influence.
Sacred lots: The “sacred lots” also known as Urim were stored in the priest’s breastplate close to his heart. On special occasions, they were used to determine God’s “yes” or “no” answers.
Prophets: A prophet in the Old Testament was someone who was used by God to communicate God’s message to an individual, a group of people, or to the whole world. Today, we primarily communicate with God through the Word of God and prayer. But for Saul, God wasn’t talking to him through any of it. God had cut the lines of communication off with Saul because of his previous disobedience. Since God didn’t answer right away, Saul decided to try something else. Remember, Saul was full of fear because of the Philistines and desperate (Prov. 29:25). He was unwilling to repent and impatient. As a result, he told his advisors in verse 7, “Find a woman who is a medium, so I can go and ask her what to do.”
A “medium” is someone who communicates with the dead. Saul gave up on getting an answer from God and instead of trusting God, without an answer, he decided to seek out a “medium” for an answer. Dearly beloved, are you still hearing from God?
- Ensure you don’t do anything that would make God cut His communication with you.
- Lord, please come into my heart that I may be obedient to your word always.
Further Reading: Job 2:1-end; Matthew 7:15-end; 1 Peter 2:1-17
ESOCS Devotional 7 October 2024
