Why did Saul seek a medium, contrary to God's commands in Deuteronomy 18:10-12? Setting the Scene 1 Samuel 28:7: “Then Saul said to his servants, ‘Find me a woman who is a medium, so I can go and inquire of her.’” What Brought Saul to This Point? •Years earlier, Saul had “put the mediums and spiritists out of the land” (1 Samuel 28:3), fully aware of Deuteronomy 18:10-12, where the LORD calls such practices “detestable.” •In 1 Samuel 28:5–6 Saul faces an overwhelming Philistine army. When he “inquired of the LORD, the LORD did not answer him.” Divine silence exposed the depth of his spiritual crisis. Saul’s Spiritual Decline •Repeated Disobedience – 1 Samuel 13:8-14: impatient sacrifice. – 1 Samuel 15:1-23: partial obedience regarding Amalek. •Grieved Spirit of God – 1 Samuel 16:14: “The Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul.” •Severed Prophetic Guidance – 1 Samuel 28:6 lists every normal channel—dreams, Urim, prophets—now closed. Lifelong patterns of rebellion culminated in divine silence. Immediate Pressures •Military Panic: The Philistine threat (1 Samuel 28:4-5) felt existential. •Personal Isolation: Samuel, his trusted prophet, was dead (1 Samuel 28:3). •Political Fear: Losing the throne to David (1 Samuel 18:8-12) heightened desperation. Underlying Heart Issues •Fear Replacing Faith – Isaiah 8:19 warns against seeking mediums when fear grips the heart. •Stubborn Self-Reliance – Proverbs 14:12: “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.” Saul chose what “seemed right” instead of waiting on God. •Unrepentant Pride – 1 Samuel 15:30 shows Saul’s concern for honor before people, not true repentance before God. Contrast With God’s Clear Command “No one among you is to... consult a medium or a spiritist... For whoever does these things is detestable to the LORD.” •The command was explicit, comprehensive, and non-negotiable. •Saul knowingly crossed a forbidden line, illustrating James 1:15: desire → sin → death. The High Cost of Disobedience •Immediate Judgment: 1 Samuel 28:19 foretells his death; fulfilled in 1 Samuel 31. •National Consequences: Israel’s defeat and loss of leadership stability. •Spiritual Tragedy: Saul’s story ends not in repentance but in despair (1 Samuel 31:4-5). Timeless Lessons •Unchecked sin dulls spiritual hearing; habitual refusal of God’s voice leads to His silence (Psalm 66:18; Hebrews 3:7-8). •Fear tempts believers to grasp forbidden solutions, yet only trust in the LORD brings deliverance (Psalm 34:4). •Obedience today preserves guidance tomorrow; compromise today invites confusion tomorrow (Proverbs 3:5-6). Saul sought a medium because fear overwhelmed faith, pride overruled obedience, and years of unrepentant sin severed the very lines of communication he now desperately needed. |
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