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Response
The story of the witch of Endor summoning Samuel from the dead is documented in 1 Samuel 28:7–20. It stands as the sole biblical narrative of a séance. Interpretations vary concerning the event: did Samuel truly manifest himself, was it an illusion crafted by the witch, or was it a demonic deception?
King Saul’s encounter with the witch of Endor occurred towards the end of his reign. The Philistines had positioned themselves for battle against Israel, and Saul “was afraid; terror filled his heart” «And when Saul saw the host of the Philistines, he was afraid, and his heart greatly trembled. », (1 Samuel 28:5). Since Samuel was deceased, Saul sought guidance from the Lord through alternative means, “but the Lord did not answer him by dreams or Urim or prophets.” God’s silence resulted from Saul’s disobedience to Him (verse 6).
With no divine communication, Saul dispatched his servants to locate a medium, who informed him of one in the town of Endor «Then said Saul unto his servants, Seek me a woman that hath a familiar spirit, that I may go to her, and enquire of her. And his servants said to him, Behold, there is a woman that hath a familiar spirit at En-dor. », (1 Samuel 28:7). Earlier, Saul had banished all spiritists and mediums from the land (verse 3), yet evidently some remained. According to divine law, mediums and spiritists were prohibited in Israel «or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer. », (Deuteronomy 18:11). Saul’s act of seeking counsel from an occult source he had previously outlawed, in his desperation, reveals his hypocrisy.Risky and indicates how far he had fallen from God’s grace.
King Saul fasted all day, disguised himself, and visited the witch of Endor with two of his servants. Saul told her, “Consult a spirit for me, . . . and bring up for me the one I name” «And Saul disguised himself, and put on other raiment, and he went, and two men with him, and they came to the woman by night: and he said, I pray thee, divine unto me by the familiar spirit, and bring me him up, whom I shall name unto thee. », (1 Samuel 28:8). The woman, wary of a trap, balked at the request. Saul swore an oath that she would not be punished (verse 10), and he indicated that he wished to speak to Samuel. During the séance, the prophet appeared: “When the woman saw Samuel, she cried out at the top of her voice and said to Saul, ‘Why have you deceived me? You are Saul!’” (verse 12).
Saul, who did not see what the woman saw, told her not to be afraid and to describe what she saw «And the king said unto her, Be not afraid: for what sawest thou? And the woman said unto Saul, I saw gods ascending out of the earth. », (1 Samuel 28:13). The witch said, “I see a ghostly figure coming up out of the earth,” further describing him as “an old man wearing a robe” (verses 13–14). “Then Saul knew it was Samuel, and he bowed down and prostrated himself with his face to the ground” (verse 14).
In the ensuing conversation, “Samuel said to Saul, ‘Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?’” «And Samuel said to Saul, Why hast thou disquieted me, to bring me up? And Saul answered, I am sore distressed; for the Philistines make war against me, and God is departed from me, and answereth me no more, neither by prophets, nor by dreams: therefore I have called thee, that thou mayest make known unto me what I shall do. », (1 Samuel 28:15). The king recounted the situation with the Philistines and how God was no longer responding to him (verse 16). Samuel then conveyed a solemn message to Saul:
“Why do you seek guidance from me, now that the Lord has turned away from you and has become your adversary? The Lord has fulfilled what he foretold through me. The Lord has taken the kingdom from your grasp and given it to one of your associates—David. Because you did not heed the Lord or execute his fierce anger against the Amalekites, the Lord has brought this upon you today. The Lord will hand over both Israel and you to the Philistines, and tomorrow you and your sons will be with me. The Lord will also deliver the army of Israel into the hands of the Philistines.
