Why did Saul go to the woman with a familiar spirit at Endor?

Saul went to the woman at Endor because he was terrified of the Philistine army and felt completely abandoned. God no longer answered him by dreams, by the priestly Urim, or by prophets because of his long pattern of disobedience. Instead of truly humbling himself, Saul broke his own command against mediums and tried to get help through a forbidden way. His visit to the woman shows how fear and desperation can push a person to ignore what they know is wrong, instead of turning back to God in repentance.

What does it mean that the Lord did not answer Saul by dreams, Urim, or prophets?

The silence Saul faced shows how far he had drifted from God. Earlier he had rejected God’s clear commands, especially in the matter of Amalek, and refused to listen to God’s word through Samuel. Now, in his crisis, he wanted guidance, but the normal ways God had used to speak were closed to him. This silence was not because God was weak but because Saul had hardened himself. It warns us not to take God’s guidance lightly or think we can ignore him and then demand answers when we feel afraid.

Was it really Samuel who appeared to Saul at Endor?

The passage speaks as if it really was Samuel who appeared and spoke to Saul, and the message fits what Samuel had already said while alive: the kingdom was taken from Saul and given to David, and judgment would fall because of Saul’s disobedience. The woman is shocked, Saul is terrified, and Samuel’s words are entirely in line with God’s earlier warnings. Some readers find this scene difficult and have seen it in more than one way, but the story’s focus is on God’s judgment, not on explaining how the appearance worked.

What message did Samuel give Saul in this passage?

Samuel told Saul that nothing had changed since the last time God spoke through him. The Lord had departed from Saul and had become his enemy because Saul did not obey God’s voice or fully carry out his command against Amalek. Samuel said the kingdom had been torn from Saul’s hand and given to his neighbor David. He also announced what would happen the next day: the Lord would hand Israel over to the Philistines, and Saul and his sons would die and “be with” Samuel, meaning Saul’s end was now set.

How does Saul’s visit to the medium warn believers today?

Saul’s choice warns us about where we turn when we feel desperate. Instead of confessing his sin and truly seeking God, he looked for help in a way God had clearly forbidden and even used God’s name to promise safety to the medium. This shows how fear can twist a person into hypocrisy. For us, it is a reminder to seek God early and often, to listen when he speaks through his word, and not to look for guidance in dark or forbidden places when we feel that heaven is silent.

What does this passage teach about God’s character and judgment?

This passage shows that God is patient but also just. For years God warned Saul through Samuel and gave him chances to obey. Saul kept choosing his own way. When the Philistines gathered, God’s silence and Samuel’s message made clear that judgment had finally come. God did exactly what had been promised earlier: the kingdom was removed and given to another, and Saul’s sin brought harm to himself and his people. It teaches that God’s word can be trusted, both in promise and in warning.

Why is Saul’s fear and collapse after hearing Samuel’s words important?

Saul’s reaction shows the real weight of God’s judgment. When he heard that God had departed from him and that he and his sons would die in battle, he fell flat on the ground, weak from fear and from not eating. His body and spirit seemed to give way at once. This helps us see that walking away from God is not a small thing. Even a king with an army can be emptied of strength when he realizes he has fought against God and that his choices have led to a bitter end.

What was happening with David and Achish at the start of this story?

At the beginning of the chapter, the Philistines are getting ready to fight Israel, and David is living among them. Achish, a Philistine ruler, expects David and his men to march with him into battle against Israel. David gives a guarded answer, saying Achish will see what he can do. This shows how tangled David’s situation has become as he hides from Saul among Israel’s enemies. While Saul is facing God’s silence and turning to a medium, David is in his own tension, waiting to see how God will resolve it.

1Sam.28.1

1 Samuel 28:1

KJV

And it came to pass in those days, that the Philistines gathered their armies together for warfare, to fight with Israel. And Achish said unto David, Know thou assuredly, that thou shalt go out with me to battle, thou and thy men.

The Philistines Gather against Israel

1 And it came to pass in those days, that the Philistines gathered their armies together for warfare, to fight with Israel. And Achish said unto David, Know thou assuredly, that thou shalt go out with me to battle, thou and thy men.

2 And David said to Achish, Surely thou shalt know what thy servant can do. And Achish said to David, Therefore will I make thee keeper of mine head for ever.

3 ¶ Now Samuel was dead, and all Israel had lamented him, and buried him in Ramah, even in his own city. And Saul had put away those that had familiar spirits, and the wizards, out of the land.

4 And the Philistines gathered themselves together, and came and pitched in Shunem: and Saul gathered all Israel together, and they pitched in Gilboa.

5 And when Saul saw the host of the Philistines, he was afraid, and his heart greatly trembled.

6 And when Saul enquired of the Lord, the Lord answered him not, neither by dreams, nor by Urim, nor by prophets.

Saul and the Medium of Endor

7 ¶ 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 En-dor.

8 And Saul disguised himself, and put on other raiment, and he went, and two men with him, and they came to the woman by night: and he said, I pray thee, divine unto me by the familiar spirit, and bring me him up, whom I shall name unto thee.

9 And the woman said unto him, Behold, thou knowest what Saul hath done, how he hath cut off those that have familiar spirits, and the wizards, out of the land: wherefore then layest thou a snare for my life, to cause me to die?

10 And Saul sware to her by the Lord, saying, As the Lord liveth, there shall no punishment happen to thee for this thing.

11 Then said the woman, Whom shall I bring up unto thee? And he said, Bring me up Samuel.

12 And when the woman saw Samuel, she cried with a loud voice: and the woman spake to Saul, saying, Why hast thou deceived me? for thou art Saul.

13 And the king said unto her, Be not afraid: for what sawest thou? And the woman said unto Saul, I saw gods ascending out of the earth.

14 And he said unto her, What form is he of? And she said, An old man cometh 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 himself.

15 ¶ And Samuel said to Saul, Why hast thou disquieted me, to bring me up? And Saul answered, I am sore distressed; for the Philistines make war against me, and God is departed from me, and answereth me no more, neither by prophets, nor by dreams: therefore I have called thee, that thou mayest make known unto me what I shall do.

16 Then said Samuel, Wherefore then dost thou ask of me, seeing the Lord is departed from thee, and is become thine enemy?

17 And the Lord hath done to him, as he spake by me: for the Lord hath rent the kingdom out of thine hand, and given it to thy neighbour, even to David:

18 Because thou obeyedst not the voice of the Lord, nor executedst his fierce wrath upon Amalek, therefore hath the Lord done this thing unto thee this day.

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.

20 Then Saul fell straightway all along on the earth, and was sore afraid, because of the words of Samuel: and there was no strength in him; for he had eaten no bread all the day, nor all the night.

21 ¶ And the woman came unto Saul, and saw that he was sore troubled, and said unto him, Behold, thine handmaid hath obeyed thy voice, and I have put my life in my hand, and have hearkened unto thy words which thou spakest unto me.

22 Now therefore, I pray thee, hearken thou also unto the voice of thine handmaid, and let me set a morsel of bread before thee; and eat, that thou mayest have strength, when thou goest on thy way.

23 But he refused, and said, I will not eat. But his servants, together with the woman, compelled him; and he hearkened unto their voice. So he arose from the earth, and sat upon the bed.

24 And the woman had a fat calf in the house; and she hasted, and killed it, and took flour, and kneaded it, and did bake unleavened bread thereof:

25 And she brought it before Saul, and before his servants; and they did eat. Then they rose up, and went away that night.

Cross References

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