What is the meaning of 1 Samuel 28:6? He inquired of the LORD Saul knew where true guidance should come from. Earlier he had sought the LORD’s counsel in battles (1 Samuel 14:37; 23:2). God had proven faithful to direct His people whenever they humbly asked (2 Samuel 5:19). Yet this scene shows Saul treating the LORD more like a last-minute resource than the first source of help. • The verb “inquired” reminds us that God invites His people to seek Him (Psalm 34:4). • The pattern throughout Scripture is clear: those who approach earnestly, believing, receive direction (James 1:5). but the LORD did not answer him Silence from heaven is never arbitrary. Psalm 66:18 warns that cherished sin blocks fellowship; Isaiah 59:2 says iniquities “have hidden His face.” Saul had slain the priests of Nob (1 Samuel 22:17-19) and persisted in disobedience regarding Amalek (15:23-26). Now the consequences surface. • Proverbs 1:28 speaks of those who “will call on Me, but I will not answer.” • Micah 3:4 describes leaders who “cry to the LORD, but He will not answer them” because of persistent wrongdoing. Saul’s life illustrates how unrepented sin deafens a once-sensitive conscience to God’s voice. by dreams Numbers 12:6 explains that God makes Himself known to prophets “in visions” and “speaks...in dreams.” He guided Joseph (Genesis 37:5-11), warned Abimelech (Genesis 20:3), and protected the holy family (Matthew 2:12-13) through dreams. Saul’s closed line of communication shows that supernatural dreams are not mechanical guarantees; they flow from relationship. Jeremiah 23:28 contrasts true dreams from God with the self-generated claims of the disobedient. Saul received none because fellowship was broken. or Urim The Urim and Thummim, kept in the high priest’s breastpiece (Exodus 28:30), provided yes-or-no direction (Numbers 27:21). Earlier, Saul had relied on this means (1 Samuel 14:41). But after ordering the massacre of the priests, he had effectively destroyed his own access. Ezra 2:63 notes that without a legitimate priesthood “they could not eat of the most holy things until a priest stood up with the Urim and Thummim.” Saul’s earlier violence left him without the ordained mediator needed for this sacred consultation. or prophets God “spoke to our fathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways” (Hebrews 1:1). Samuel had once been Saul’s trusted prophet (1 Samuel 9:19; 12:19-25). Saul’s repeated dismissal of Samuel’s words (15:24-35) culminated in permanent separation. Later prophets rebuked kings who refused to listen (2 Kings 17:13-14). Now no prophet stands beside Saul; the silence underscores estrangement from God’s appointed messengers. summary 1 Samuel 28:6 spotlights the tragedy of a king who once tasted God’s guidance yet forfeited it through persistent disobedience. Every normal channel—dreams, priestly Urim, prophetic word—falls silent because Saul had severed the very relationship those channels presuppose. The verse warns that seeking God is not a ritual but a relational privilege; ongoing rebellion silences the answers we crave, while humble obedience keeps every avenue of divine direction open. |
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