1 Samuel 28:3 Commentary and Bible Study

‘Now Samuel was dead, and all Israel had lamented him.’ He had been dead for some time. That has to be put in here by the chronicler, because it is necessary to explain why Saul is so desperate to consult a medium to bring up Samuel. Nevertheless, ‘Saul had put away those that had familiar spirits.’ Every medium, every spiritist had either been executed or banished: those with familiar spirits and the wizards as our King James Version calls them. It wasn't wholly efficient, as we soon see, but that is what Saul had done. Why had he suddenly done that? Probably this was something he had done quite recently. He had had years to do this and never done it. Why now, after the death of Samuel? It is his insecurity. He is a nominal believer. There is a lot of superstition in him, and he evidently feels that if after Samuel's death he does something that Samuel had always insisted on being done, he would get some release or relief from Samuel's condemnation of him. Well Samuel hadn't personally condemned him; he had only passed on the word of the Lord: that he would lose his kingdom, and be replaced. Saul evidently thinks that if now he pleases Samuel, it will make a difference. But once God speaks, his word cannot be changed. But of course Saul was a hypocrite, and now that he is facing war with the Philistines and is so desperate for guidance, he is ready to ignore his own prohibitions, and to get access to a medium. ‘And the Philistines gathered themselves together, and came and pitched in Shunem: and Saul gathered all Israel together, and they pitched in Gilboa.’ The narrative doesn't tell us this, but Shunem was deep inside Israel's territory. This is another indication of how much time Saul had wasted in pursuing David, rather than getting on with his work as king, because the defences of the land are in a shambles, and when the Philistines want to attack they can penetrate far into the country. They have got a huge number of troops, and Saul's defensive force is relatively small, so he is terrified. He saw the host of the Philistines right inside his territory. His heart greatly trembled and he was terrified out of his wits. ‘And when Saul enquired of the LORD, the LORD answered him not, neither by dreams, nor by Urim, nor by prophets.’ The Urim wasn't with Saul, so unless he sent an emissary to make peace with David, he wouldn't have had access to that. So this is a kind of reflection on much of his life. But the Lord wasn't dealing with Saul any more, just as Samuel hadn't been for a long time before his death. And the prophets, the School of the Prophets, they just wouldn't deal with Saul, it appears. So Saul could have no access to the Lord.