How does Saul's experience in 1 Samuel 28:6 warn against ignoring God's commands? Setting the Scene • Saul once enjoyed clear guidance: “Then the Spirit of God came powerfully upon Saul” (1 Samuel 11:6). • Years later, repeated compromise eroded that fellowship. He spared Amalek’s king and livestock (1 Samuel 15), built a monument to himself (15:12), and pursued David in jealousy (18–26). • Now the Philistines mass for war, and “Saul was afraid; terror filled his heart” (28:5). Saul’s Troubled Inquiry “Saul inquired of the LORD, but the LORD did not answer him by dreams or Urim or prophets.” (1 Samuel 28:6) • Three ordinary channels of revelation—dreams, priestly Urim, prophetic word—fall silent. • Silence is not divine indifference; it is divine protest. Isaiah 59:2: “Your iniquities have separated you from your God.” • Persistent disobedience eventually removes the privilege of fresh instruction (Proverbs 1:24-28). Why the Silence? • Known, unrepented sin: “To obey is better than sacrifice… rebellion is as the sin of divination” (1 Samuel 15:22-23). • God had earlier removed His Spirit (16:14). Saul’s kingship continued outwardly, but the inner reality was gone. • When fellowship is broken, the forms of guidance remain empty (cf. Matthew 7:21-23). The Downward Spiral • Deuteronomy 18:10-12 condemns consulting the dead, yet Saul turns to a medium (28:7-8). Rejecting God’s word drives him toward what God forbids. • The séance yields doom, not comfort: “Tomorrow you and your sons will be with me” (28:19). • Next day, Saul falls on his own sword (31:4). Compromise ends in catastrophe. Timeless Warnings • Disobedience silences guidance. Psalm 66:18: “If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.” • Sin hardens hearts, making later obedience harder (Hebrews 3:12-13). • Seeking spiritual counsel outside God’s boundaries invites deception (2 Corinthians 11:14). • God’s commands are protective; ignoring them removes His shield (Psalm 119:1-2). Walking in Obedience • Quick repentance restores fellowship (1 John 1:9). • Cherish Scripture daily; it keeps conscience tender (Psalm 119:11). • Submit to the Spirit’s prompting: “Whoever has My commands and keeps them is the one who loves Me” (John 14:21). • Value godly counsel while it is available (Proverbs 13:20). Saul’s tragedy stands as a clear, sobering signal: persistent disregard for God’s commands silences His voice, drives us toward destructive alternatives, and ends in loss. Heed the warning while the Lord still speaks. |
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