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Texts -- 1 Samuel 28:11-25 (NET)

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28:11 The woman replied , “Who is it that I should bring up for you?” He said , “Bring up for me Samuel .” 28:12 When the woman saw Samuel , she cried out loudly . The woman said to Saul , “Why have you deceived me? You are Saul !” 28:13 The king said to her, “Don’t be afraid ! What have you seen ?” The woman replied to Saul , “I have seen one like a god coming up from the ground !” 28:14 He said to her, “What about his appearance ?” She said , “An old man is coming up ! He is wrapped in a robe !” Then Saul realized it was Samuel , and he bowed his face toward the ground and kneeled down . 28:15 Samuel said to Saul , “Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up ?” Saul replied , “I am terribly troubled ! The Philistines are fighting against me and God has turned away from me. He does not answer me– not by the prophets nor by dreams . So I have called on you to tell me what I should do .” 28:16 Samuel said , “Why are you asking me, now that the Lord has turned away from you and has become your enemy ? 28:17 The Lord has done exactly as I prophesied ! The Lord has torn the kingdom from your hand and has given it to your neighbor David ! 28:18 Since you did not obey the Lord and did not carry out his fierce anger against the Amalekites , the Lord has done this thing to you today . 28:19 The Lord will hand you and Israel over to the Philistines ! Tomorrow both you and your sons will be with me. The Lord will also hand the army of Israel over to the Philistines !” 28:20 Saul quickly fell full length on the ground and was very afraid because of Samuel’s words . He was completely drained of energy , not having eaten anything all that day and night . 28:21 When the woman came to Saul and saw how terrified he was, she said to him, “Your servant has done what you asked . I took my life into my own hands and did what you told me. 28:22 Now it’s your turn to listen to your servant ! Let me set before you a bit of bread so that you can eat . When you regain your strength , you can go on your way .” 28:23 But he refused , saying , “I won’t eat !” Both his servants and the woman urged him to eat, so he gave in . He got up from the ground and sat down on the bed . 28:24 Now the woman had a well-fed calf at her home that she quickly slaughtered . Taking some flour , she kneaded bread and baked it without leaven . 28:25 She brought it to Saul and his servants , and they ate . Then they arose and left that same night .

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Bible Dictionary

  • Witchcraft

    [ebd] (1 Sam. 15:23; 2 Kings 9:22; 2 Chr. 33:6; Micah 5:12; Nahum 3:4; Gal. 5:20). In the popular sense of the word no mention is made either of witches or of witchcraft in Scripture. The "witch of En-dor" (1 Sam. 28) was a necrom...
    [nave] WITCHCRAFT Law concerning, Ex. 22:18; Lev. 19:31; 20:6, 27. Witch of Endor, 1 Sam. 28:7-25. Witches destroyed, 1 Sam. 28:3, 9. See: Sorcery.

  • Saul

    [ebd] asked for. (1.) A king of Edom (Gen. 36:37, 38); called Shaul in 1 Chr. 1:48. (2.) The son of Kish (probably his only son, and a child of prayer, "asked for"), of the tribe of Benjamin, the first king of the Jewish nation. T...
    [nave] SAUL 1. Called also Shaul. King of Edom, Gen. 36:37, 38; 1 Chr. 1:48, 49. 2. King of Israel. A Benjamite, son of Kish, 1 Sam. 9:1, 2. Sons of, 1 Chr. 8:33. His personal appearance, 1 Sam. 9:2; 10:23. Made king of Israel,...

  • Samuel

    [isbe] SAMUEL - sam'-u-el (shemu'el; Samouel): The word "Samuel" signifies "name of God," or "his name is El" (God). Other interpretations of the name that have been offered are almost certainly mistaken. The play upon the name in ...
    [nave] SAMUEL Miraculous birth of, 1 Sam. 1:7-20. Consecrated to God before his birth, 1 Sam. 1:11, 22, 24-28. His mother's song of thanksgiving, 1 Sam. 2:1-10. Ministered in the house of God, 1 Sam. 2:11, 18, 19. Blessed of Go...

  • BETH-SHEMITE

    [isbe] BETH-SHEMITE - beth-she'-mit beth-shimshi (1 Sam 6:14,28)): An inhabitant of Beth-shemesh in Judah (compare BETH-SHEMESH 1).

  • ASTROLOGY

    [isbe] ASTROLOGY - as-trol'-o-ji: I. THE DESIRE TO FORECAST THE FUTURE 1. Methods of Soothsaying 2. Divination 3. Looking in the Liver 4. The Astrologers, or Dividers of the Heavens 5. The Stargazers, or Seers of the Constellations...

  • EN-DOR, WITCH OF

    [isbe] EN-DOR, WITCH OF - wich: In 1 Sam 28:3-25, it is narrated how Saul, in despair of mind because Yahweh had forsaken him, on the eve of the fatal battle of Gilboa, resorted in disguise to "a woman that had a familiar spirit" (...

  • CHRONICLES, BOOKS OF

    [isbe] CHRONICLES, BOOKS OF - kron'-i-k'-ls (dibhere ha-yamim, "The Words of the Days"; Septuagint paraleipomenon: 1. The Name 2. The Position of Chronicles in the Old Testament 3. Two Books, or One? 4. The Contents 5. Sources Bibl...

  • SAMUEL, BOOKS OF

    [isbe] SAMUEL, BOOKS OF - || I. PLACE OF THE BOOKS OF SAMUEL IN THE HEBREW CANON II. CONTENTS OF THE BOOKS AND PERIOD OF TIME COVERED BY THE HISTORY III. SUMMARY AND ANALYSIS 1. Life of Samuel (1 Samuel 1 through 15) 2. Reign and D...

  • Sorcery

    [nave] SORCERY, divination by an alleged assistance of evil spirits. Forbidden, Lev. 19:26-28, 31; 20:6; Deut. 18:9-14. Denounced, Isa. 8:19; Mal. 3:5. Practiced: By the Egyptians, Isa. 19:3, 11, 12; by the magicians, Ex. 7:11, 22...

  • Familiar Spirits

    [nave] FAMILIAR SPIRITS Consulting of, forbidden, Lev. 19:31; 20:6, 27; Deut. 18:10, 11; vain, Isa. 8:19; 19:3. Those who consulted, to be cut off, Lev. 20:6, 27. Instances of Those Who Consulted Saul, 1 Sam. 28:3-25; 1 Chr. 10:...

  • Divination

    [ebd] of false prophets (Deut. 18:10, 14; Micah 3:6, 7, 11), of necromancers (1 Sam. 28:8), of the Philistine priests and diviners (1 Sam. 6:2), of Balaam (Josh. 13:22). Three kinds of divination are mentioned in Ezek. 21:21, by a...

  • En-Dor

    [nave] EN-DOR, a city of Manasseh, Josh. 17:11. The witch of, consulted by Saul, 1 Sam. 28:7-25. Deborah triumphs at, over Sisera, Judg. 4; Psa. 83:10.

  • WITCH; WITCHCRAFT

    [isbe] WITCH; WITCHCRAFT - wich, wich'-kraft: 1. Meaning and Use of the Words 2. Biblical Usage 3. Common Elements in Witchcraft and Ancient Oriental Magic 4. Rise, Spread and Persecution of Witchcraft LITERATURE 1. Meaning and Use...

  • COMMUNION WITH DEMONS; DEVILS

    [isbe] COMMUNION WITH DEMONS; DEVILS - de'-monz, (dev'-'-lz): I. Use of Term: The actual expression "communion with demons" (koinonoi ton daimonion) occurs but once in Scripture (1 Cor 10:20) where its figurative meaning is evident...

  • David

    [ebd] beloved, the eighth and youngest son of Jesse, a citizen of Bethlehem. His father seems to have been a man in humble life. His mother's name is not recorded. Some think she was the Nahash of 2 Sam. 17:25. As to his personal ...

  • INTERCESSION

    [isbe] INTERCESSION - in-ter-sesh'-un (pagha`, "to make intercession"; originally "to strike upon," or "against"; then in a good sense, "to assail anyone with petitions," "to urge," and when on behalf of another, "to intercede" (Ru...

  • Magic

    [ebd] The Jews seem early to have consulted the teraphim (q.v.) for oracular answers (Judg. 18:5, 6; Zech. 10:2). There is a remarkable illustration of this divining by teraphim in Ezek. 21:19-22. We read also of the divining cup ...

  • Necromancy

    [nave] NECROMANCY, Deut. 18:11; 26:14; Isa. 8:19; 29:4. Instance of The witch of En-dor, 1 Sam. 28:7-19. See: Familiar Spirits; Sorcery; Witchcraft.

  • SHEOL

    [isbe] SHEOL - she'-ol (she'ol): 1. The Name 2. The Abode of the Dead (1) Not a State of Unconsciousness (2) Not Removed from God's Jurisdiction (3) Relation to Immortality 3. Post-canonical Period 1. The Name: This word is often t...

  • WOMAN

    [isbe] WOMAN - woom'-an ('ishshah, "a woman" (feminine of 'ish, "a man"]; gune, "a woman" "wife"): I. IN THE CREATIVE PLAN II. IN OLD TESTAMENT TIMES 1. Prominence of Women 2. Social Equality 3. Marriage Laws 4. Inheritance 5. Dome...
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Arts

Questions

  • From the first mention of the tree of life in Paradise, the eating of which would make immortal, the idea of a continued existence has had a place in Jewish theology. Many passages might be quoted to show this belief. See the...
  • I would have problems with your view of praying to dead saints for several reasons. First, the Bible is clear that there is one Mediator between man and God, our Lord Jesus 1 Timothy 2:5. Our Lord lives forever to make...

Sermon Illustrations

Unclean Spirits

Resources/Books

Expository Notes on the Bible (Constable)

  • Another preparation for entering Canaan involved appointing a new leader to take Moses' place.God foretold that Moses would die without entering the land (cf. 20:1-13). Graciously He allowed His servant to see the Promised La...
  • The context of this section is significant as usual. Verses 1-8 deal with people who ministered to Yahweh in various ways for the people, and verses 15-22 concern the delivery of God's revelations to His people. Verses 9-14 c...
  • The Book of Samuel covers the period of Israel's history bracketed by Samuel's conception and the end of David's reign. David turned the kingdom over to Solomon in 971 B.C.3David reigned for 40 and one-half years (2 Sam. 2:11...
  • I. Eli and Samuel chs. 1-3A. The change from barrenness to fertility 1:1-2:101. Hannah's condition 1:1-82. Hannah's vow 1:9-183. Hannah's obedience 1:19-284. Hannah's song 2:1-10B. The contrast between Samuel and Eli's sons 2...
  • The basic theme in Samuel, that blessing, and in particular fertility of all kinds, follows from faithful commitment to God's revealed will, continues in this section. However another major motif now becomes more prominent. W...
  • In chapters 21-30 we see David's forces growing stronger and stronger while Saul's forces get weaker and weaker. This is a further demonstration of the fertility theme. However these chapters also develop the motif of the pro...
  • The writer's attention focused next on Saul's activities. He used the literary device of focusing on David, then on Saul, then on David, etc. He used the same technique in chapters 1-3 with Samuel and Eli's sons to contrast S...
  • Samuel's death and the mention of Saul's commendable removal of mediums and spiritists prepare for what follows (cf. Lev. 19:3; Deut. 18:11). Mediums are people who communicate with the dead, and spiritists are those who comm...
  • Evidently Saul knew the woman would not cooperate with him if she knew who he was, so he disguised himself (v. 8). He further hid his hypocrisy by visiting her under cover of darkness. Saul sank so low as to swear to the woma...
  • Samuel's soul had been at peace in the place of departed spirits, but now Saul had disturbed that rest. Saul described his reason for doing so. He wanted to obtain divine guidance concerning the Philistines from Samuel since ...
  • Why did the writer give us so much information about this woman's concern for Saul? For one thing, it is another instance of the reversal of fortune motif that is so common in 1 and 2 Samuel. Saul should have executing the wo...
  • As Saul reached the depth of his fortunes, David attained the height of his popularity thus far. This chapter seems to antedate the previous one slightly. The writer appears to have incorporated it in his narrative here to hi...
  • David obtained an answer through the Urim and Thummim, which the high priest carried in the breastpiece of his ephod (cf. 23:2, 4, 9). God no longer responded to Saul's prayers (28:15), but He did answer David's (v. 8). David...
  • The other Israelite soldiers retreated when they heard that Saul and his sons had died. This left towns in the region open for Philistine seizure. Instead of driving the native inhabitants out of the land Saul had made it pos...
  • Ackroyd, Peter R. The First Book of Samuel. Cambridge Bible Commentary on the New English Bible series. Cambridge, Eng.: University Press, 1971._____. "The Verb Love--'Aheb in the David-Jonathan Narratives--A Footnote."Vetus ...
  • Students of David's lament over Saul and Jonathan's deaths have called it the Song of the Bow (cf. v. 22).10Many people in Judah learned and sang it (v. 18). The Book of Jasher (v. 18) is no longer extant (cf. Josh. 10:13)."H...
  • Chapters 9-20 contrast with chapters 2-8 in that this later section is negative whereas the earlier one was positive. It records failure; the former records success. Compare the similar narrative of Saul's triumphs (1 Sam. 7-...
  • At first, David piously tried to salve Joab's conscience for his complicity in Uriah's death (11:25). The Hebrew word translated "displease"literally means "be evil in your sight."David was calling what was sin something othe...
  • 3:17-18 If Peter's charges against his hearers were harsh (vv. 13-15), his concession that they acted out of ignorance was tender. Peter undoubtedly hoped that his gentle approach would win a reversal of his hearers' attitude...

Expositions Of Holy Scripture (Maclaren)

  • 1 Samuel 28:15Among all the persons of Scripture who are represented as having fallen away from God and wrecked their lives, perhaps there is none so impressive as the giant form of the first king of Israel. Huge and black, s...
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