The united kingdom · 1 Samuel 28
Saul and the Medium of Endor
The Philistines camp at Shunem, and Saul at Gilboa, gripped by fear. The LORD does not answer him, whether by dreams, by the Urim, or by the prophets. Samuel is dead, and Saul had driven the mediums out of the land. Yet he orders: “Seek me a woman who is a medium.” Disguised, he goes by night to the one at Endor: “Bring up Samuel for me.” The woman sees Samuel, cries out with a loud voice, and realizes who Saul is. Samuel says to him: “Why do you ask me, seeing the LORD has departed from you?” The kingdom has been given to David, because Saul did not obey regarding Amalek. “Tomorrow you and your sons shall be with me.” Saul falls full length on the ground, drained of strength: he has eaten nothing all day and all night. The woman urges him to eat.
What happens
- Gripped by fear, Saul gets no answer from the LORD 1 Samuel 28:5–6
- He disguises himself and goes by night to the medium of Endor 1 Samuel 28:7–8
- “Bring up Samuel for me” 1 Samuel 28:11–12
- “Why do you ask me, seeing the LORD has departed from you?” 1 Samuel 28:15–16
- “Tomorrow you and your sons shall be with me” 1 Samuel 28:19
- Drained of strength, Saul eats the meal the woman prepared 1 Samuel 28:22–25
Who is in this story
The lesson
When the LORD is silent because of our disobedience, the answer is not to look for other voices: Saul turns to what the Law forbids (Deut 18:10-11) instead of returning to God. According to Chronicles, he dies in part because he “inquired not of the LORD” (1 Chr 10:13-14).
And when Saul enquired of the Lord, the Lord answered him not, neither by dreams, nor by Urim, nor by prophets.
Quick quiz on this story
Which dead man does Saul ask the woman to bring up?
The woman asks, “Whom shall I bring up unto thee?” Saul answers, “Bring me up Samuel.” 1 Samuel 28:11
Where does Saul’s army camp facing the Philistines?
“The Philistines gathered themselves together, and came and pitched in Shunem: and Saul gathered all Israel together, and they pitched in Gilboa.” 1 Samuel 28:4
What does the woman of Endor prepare for Saul and his servants before they leave?
The woman had “a fat calf in the house; and she hasted, and killed it”; she kneaded flour and baked unleavened bread, and set it before Saul and his servants. 1 Samuel 28:24–25
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