Why did Saul seek guidance from a medium in 1 Samuel 28:22? Canonical Setting and Immediate Text 1 Samuel 28 narrates Saul’s final hours of desperation before his death at Mount Gilboa. Verse 22 states: “Now please listen to your servant and let me set a morsel of bread before you so you may eat and have the strength to go on your way.” . The speaker is the woman of Endor—commonly called the “medium.” Her invitation to Saul in v. 22 caps the episode that explains why he came to her at all (vv. 4–21). The answer to “Why did Saul seek guidance from a medium?” must therefore draw from the fuller pericope, Israel’s covenantal history, and Saul’s personal trajectory. Israel’s Covenant Context Yahweh had explicitly outlawed all occult practice. “There must not be found among you … one who practices divination or sorcery or interprets omens or engages in witchcraft … For whoever does these things is detestable to the LORD.” (Deuteronomy 18:10–12). Leviticus 19:31; 20:6 required capital punishment for mediums. Under the Torah, true guidance was offered through prophets, the Urim, and direct revelation. Saul’s Spiritual Decline 1. Disobedience in the Amalekite campaign (1 Samuel 15) led to Yahweh’s rejection of his dynasty. 2. The Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul and an “evil spirit from the LORD” tormented him (1 Samuel 16:14). 3. Saul’s pattern of incomplete obedience (1 Samuel 14; 15; 19) bred hardened unbelief. Thus his plea to Samuel’s spirit through a medium was the climax of a years-long apostasy. Immediate Catalysts • Philistine Threat: The massive Philistine mustering at Shunem (1 Samuel 28:4-5) terrified Saul. • Prophetic Silence: “He inquired of the LORD, but the LORD did not answer him by dreams or Urim or prophets” (1 Samuel 28:6). Divine silence was not from divine impotence but judicial discipline (cf. Proverbs 1:24-28). Psychological and Behavioral Dimensions As terror mounted, Saul exhibited the classic stress-reaction sequence: (a) perceived loss of control, (b) desperate search for information, (c) cognitive narrowing toward any available source. Behavioral science confirms that when intrinsic belief systems collapse, individuals substitute forbidden practices if they promise certainty (see Frankl’s logotherapy, Man’s Search for Meaning, on the human compulsion for ultimate answers). Why a Medium Specifically? 1. Prior Experience with Prophecy: Saul knew prophetic power was real; Samuel’s former guidance was tangible. 2. Expediency Over Covenant: Unlike David who “strengthened himself in the LORD his God” (1 Samuel 30:6), Saul had long replaced covenant loyalty with political pragmatism. 3. Hypocrisy of Reform: Ironically, Saul had expelled mediums (28:3) to mimic covenant fidelity, yet now violates his own edict to save face. The Event at Endor a. Subterfuge: Saul disguises himself (28:8), signaling conscience-driven shame. b. Theophanic Exception: God sovereignly allows Samuel to appear, not by the woman’s power but His own, shocking even the medium (28:12). c. Judgment Sealed: Samuel’s message (28:16-19) reiterates Saul’s doom and announces imminent death. Thus the séance afforded no guidance, only confirmation of earlier prophecy. Verse 22’s Significance The woman’s proposal of food illustrates: • Saul’s physical collapse: “He was filled with fear and had no strength” (28:20). • Futility of Occult Reliance: Having failed spiritually, Saul now needs mere sustenance to stagger back to battle. • Contrast with Covenant Meals: Saul once presided over sacred fellowship meals (1 Samuel 9:13). Now he dines in occult surroundings—symbolic of covenant rupture. Theological Implications 1. Divine Sovereignty: God can employ even forbidden venues to vindicate His word, yet never condones them (Isaiah 46:10). 2. Sin’s Progressive Bondage: Indulgence in lesser compromises (impatience, envy, murder plots) leads to major apostasies. 3. Immutability of Revelation: Samuel’s message echoed earlier prophecy—no new data emerged, underscoring that divine revelation is sufficient and final (Psalm 19:7-9). Practical Lessons for Believers and Skeptics 1. Seek God While He May Be Found (Isaiah 55:6). Delayed obedience may forfeit divine counsel. 2. Test Every Spirit (1 John 4:1). Supernatural phenomena exist, but only those aligning with Scripture are of God. 3. Christ as Sole Mediator (1 Timothy 2:5). Resorting to intermediaries—dead or demonic—denies the sufficiency of the risen Savior. Summary Saul sought a medium because fear, divine silence born of prior rebellion, and a pragmatic, unrepentant heart drove him to violate God’s law. The episode stands as a solemn warning: when one persistently rejects God’s revealed will, He may withhold guidance, leaving the rebel to the horror of their chosen path. True guidance and salvation reside exclusively in the living God and, supremely, in His risen Son, “in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Colossians 2:3). |
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