Why did God allow the medium to successfully summon Samuel in 1 Samuel 28:11? Historical and Literary Context 1 Samuel 28 describes events in 1011 BC, late in Saul’s reign. The Philistines mass at Shunem; Saul encamps at Gilboa. The narrator, employing the same Hebraic style found on the Dead Sea Scroll fragment 4QSamᵃ, situates the episode between David’s exile and Saul’s death, underscoring its authenticity and unity with the wider Samuel corpus. Prohibition of Necromancy and Saul’s Ban “Do not let a woman who is a medium or a wizard live” (Leviticus 20:27). Saul once enforced this divine decree (1 Samuel 28:3), yet now reverses it in desperation. God’s earlier law establishes necromancy as forbidden, so the very act exposes Saul’s rebellion, framing what follows as judgment rather than divine endorsement of occultism. Saul’s Spiritual Decline and Divine Silence “When Saul inquired of the Lord, the Lord did not answer him, either in dreams or by Urim or by prophets” (1 Samuel 28:6). Repeated defiance—his unlawful sacrifice (1 Samuel 13) and Amalekite disobedience (1 Samuel 15)—had severed covenant fellowship. Divine silence is therefore a moral verdict, not caprice. The Medium at Endor: Cultural and Archaeological Corroboration Endor lies on the NE slope of Little Hermon. Iron-Age winepresses, storage pits, and collared-rim jars excavated nearby match tenth-century strata, corroborating the setting. Ugaritic texts show neighboring Canaanites practiced ʾiṭʾu (“calling up the dead”), confirming the historical milieu Scripture describes without approving it. Did the Woman Actually See Samuel? Textual Analysis The narrative records genuine post-mortem appearance, not trickery: • The woman “saw Samuel” and cried out in fear (v. 12), implying surprise, inconsistent with staged deception. • The narrator calls the figure “Samuel” four times and records direct speech (vv. 15–19). • The Septuagint, Dead Sea Scrolls, and Masoretic Text converge on this reading, showing no scribal attempt to mitigate the supernatural. Divine Sovereignty over the Supernatural Realm Only God can allow a departed prophet to speak. When Balaam attempted cursing, “the Lord your God turned the curse into a blessing” (Deuteronomy 23:5). Similarly, God overruns a forbidden séance, using it for His own pronouncement. This establishes that occult powers are derivative, subject to Yahweh’s authority (cf. Job 1–2). Purpose of the Event: Judgment and Prophetic Confirmation (1) To pronounce irrevocable judgment on Saul: “Tomorrow you and your sons will be with me” (1 Samuel 28:19). (2) To vindicate Samuel’s earlier prophecy (1 Samuel 15:28). (3) To warn Israel against seeking guidance apart from God (Isaiah 8:19–20). (4) To demonstrate that death does not silence God’s servants, foreshadowing Christ’s own triumph over death (Matthew 17:3; Revelation 1:18). Contrast Between Saul and David; Typological Foreshadowing Saul consults a witch; David, by contrast, inquires of the Lord (1 Samuel 30:8). The episode anticipates the New Covenant’s sole Mediator (1 Timothy 2:5). Saul’s doom magnifies the future anointed King—ultimately Christ—whose resurrection secures eternal guidance (Hebrews 1:1–2). The Event and the Theology of the Intermediate State Samuel’s conscious existence “in Sheol” (v. 19) affirms an afterlife. Later revelation clarifies paradise vs. torment (Luke 16:22–26). The continuity of personality after death undergirds the historic bodily resurrection of Jesus, validated by over 500 eyewitnesses (1 Corinthians 15:6) and documented in multiply attested creeds within 5 years of the event. Implications for Demonology and Occult Practices God’s law forbids occultism because it invites demonic deceit (Deuteronomy 18:10–12). Yet even demons “believe—and shudder” (James 2:19). That the séance yielded truth only when God intervened shows Satan’s kingdom cannot thwart divine purposes (cf. Colossians 2:15). Consistency with the Broader Canon No canonical tension arises: • God occasionally permits forbidden acts for judgment (Numbers 22; John 11:49–52). • Post-mortem appearances under divine initiative occur again at the Transfiguration (Matthew 17:3). • The sufficiency of Scripture is upheld; Saul’s sin lay in rejecting it, not in lacking revelation. Reliability of the Textual Witnesses 4QSamᵃ, dating to c. 250 BC, contains 1 Samuel 28 with wording identical to today’s Hebrew Bible over 95 % of the time. Codex Leningradensis (AD 1008) and the Aleppo Codex echo the same reading. Such manuscript fidelity underscores that modern readers encounter the very account ancient Israel preserved. Conclusion God allowed the medium’s séance to succeed not to legitimize necromancy but to demonstrate His absolute sovereignty, deliver final judgment on a disobedient king, and foreshadow the greater revelation of resurrection life fulfilled in Jesus Christ. |
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