1 Samuel 26-28

Saul did not learn the lesson from Israel’s failure to follow God in Eli’s day (1 Samuel 4-5).  The time when God was not answering Israel’s petitions but the sought to force God to act by carrying the ark into battle.  Saul’s desperate desire to find some sort of spiritual guidance led him to violate the principles he had left; he sought out a medium.  Earlier in his reign Saul had waged a war of sorts against those who practiced witchcraft, and had succeeded in driving those who remained underground.  But Saul was desperate for some spiritual guidance.  I imagine Saul muttering to himself as he summarized the situation; the Philistine army before him, the attention of Israel divide between the chase after David and the defense against invaders, and the ever present silence from God.  “If Samuel were alive I could go to him and seek his council.  But Samuel is not alive.  If only there were a way…….”  Once again Saul came up with a plan that not only violated God’s law, as the sacrifice Saul had made did, but totally rejected God’s involvement in Israel.  As a precursor of how future kings of Israel would act Saul went  “around” God to gain guidance by seeking out a medium.  Was Saul’s plan successful?  Saul did received spiritual guidance, though not the news for which he had hoped.  More importantly we can see the lesson that there is only one choice to make when God is not working in our lives; repent of our sin and seek out God on his terms.  I think that Saul’s plan failed and it cost him his life.

Stuart