The King over every king

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01 Oct 2023

The King over every king

Passage 1 Samuel 28:1–25

Speaker Hugh Bourne

Service Morning

Series David: Following the True King of Israel

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Passage: 1 Samuel 28:1–25

28 In those days the Philistines gathered their forces to fight against Israel. Achish said to David, ‘You must understand that you and your men will accompany me in the army.’

David said, ‘Then you will see for yourself what your servant can do.’

Achish replied, ‘Very well, I will make you my bodyguard for life.’

Now Samuel was dead, and all Israel had mourned for him and buried him in his own town of Ramah. Saul had expelled the mediums and spiritists from the land.

The Philistines assembled and came and set up camp at Shunem, while Saul gathered all Israel and set up camp at Gilboa. When Saul saw the Philistine army, he was afraid; terror filled his heart. He enquired of the Lord, but the Lord did not answer him by dreams or Urim or prophets. Saul then said to his attendants, ‘Find me a woman who is a medium, so that I may go and enquire of her.’

‘There is one in Endor,’ they said.

So Saul disguised himself, putting on other clothes, and at night he and two men went to the woman. ‘Consult a spirit for me,’ he said, ‘and bring up for me the one I name.’

But the woman said to him, ‘Surely you know what Saul has done. He has cut off the mediums and spiritists from the land. Why have you set a trap for my life to bring about my death?’

10 Saul swore to her by the Lord, ‘As surely as the Lord lives, you will not be punished for this.’

11 Then the woman asked, ‘Whom shall I bring up for you?’

‘Bring up Samuel,’ he said.

12 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!’

13 The king said to her, ‘Don’t be afraid. What do you see?’

The woman said, ‘I see a ghostly figure coming up out of the earth.’

14 ‘What does he look like?’ he asked.

‘An old man wearing a robe is coming up,’ she said.

Then Saul knew it was Samuel, and he bowed down and prostrated himself with his face to the ground.

15 Samuel said to Saul, ‘Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?’

‘I am in great distress,’ Saul said. ‘The Philistines are fighting against me, and God has departed from me. He no longer answers me, either by prophets or by dreams. So I have called on you to tell me what to do.’

16 Samuel said, ‘Why do you consult me, now that the Lord has departed from you and become your enemy? 17 The Lord has done what he predicted through me. The Lord has torn the kingdom out of your hands and given it to one of your neighbours – to David. 18 Because you did not obey the Lord or carry out his fierce wrath against the Amalekites, the Lord has done this to you today. 19 The Lord will deliver both Israel and you into the hands of the Philistines, and tomorrow you and your sons will be with me. The Lord will also give the army of Israel into the hands of the Philistines.’

20 Immediately Saul fell full length on the ground, filled with fear because of Samuel’s words. His strength was gone, for he had eaten nothing all that day and all that night.

21 When the woman came to Saul and saw that he was greatly shaken, she said, ‘Look, your servant has obeyed you. I took my life in my hands and did what you told me to do. 22 Now please listen to your servant and let me give you some food so that you may eat and have the strength to go on your way.’

23 He refused and said, ‘I will not eat.’

But his men joined the woman in urging him, and he listened to them. He got up from the ground and sat on the couch.

24 The woman had a fattened calf at the house, which she slaughtered at once. She took some flour, kneaded it and baked bread without yeast. 25 Then she set it before Saul and his men, and they ate. That same night they got up and left.

New International Version - UK (NIVUK)

Holy Bible, New International Version® Anglicized, NIV® Copyright © 1979, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Transcript (Auto-generated)

This transcript has been automatically generated, and therefore may not be 100% accurate.

Today's reading is taken from one Samuel 28, verses one to 25 in the church Bibles. It's on page 301. One Samuel 28, one to 25.

In those days, the Philistines gathered their forces to fight against Israel. Akish said to David, you must understand that you and your men will accompany me in the army. David said, then you will see for yourself what your servant can do. Akish replied, very well. I will make you my bodyguard for life.

Saul and the medium at Endor now Samuel was dead, and all Israel had mourned for him and buried him in his own town of Ramah. Saul had expelled the mediums and spiritists from the land. The Philistines assembled and came and set up camp at Shunem, while Saul gathered all Israel and set up camp at Gilboa. When Saul saw the Philistine army, he was afraid. Terror filled his heart.

He inquired of the Lord, but the lord did not answer him by dreams or urim or prophets. Saul then said to his attendants, find me a woman who is a medium so that I may go and inquire of her. There is one in Endor, they said. So Saul disguised himself, putting on other clothes, and at night he and two men went to the woman. Consult a spirit for me, he said, and bring up for me the one I name.

But the woman said to him, surely you know what Saul has done. He has cut off the mediums and spiritists from the land. Why have you set a trap for my life to bring about my death? Saul swore to her by the lord, as surely as the Lord lives, you will not be punished for this. Then the woman asked, whom shall I bring up for you?

Bring up Samuel, he said. 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. The king said to her, don't be afraid. What do you see?

The woman said, I see a ghostly figure coming up out of the earth. What does he look like? He asked. An old man wearing a robe is coming up, she said. Then Saul knew it was Samuel, and he bowed down and prostrated himself with his face to the ground.

Samuel said to Saul, why have you disturbed me by bringing me up? I am in great distress. Saul said. The Philistines are fighting against me, and God has departed from me. He no longer answers me, either by prophets or by dreams.

So I have called on you to tell me what to do. Samuel said, why do you consult me now that the Lord has departed from you and become your enemy? The Lord has done what he predicted through me. The Lord has torn the kingdom out of your hands and given it to one of your neighbours, to David. Because you did not obey the Lord or carry out his fierce wrath against the Amalekites.

The Lord has done this to you. Today the Lord will deliver both Israel and you into the hands of the Philistines. And tomorrow you and your sons will be with me. The Lord will also give the army of Israel into the hands of the Philistines. Immediately Saul fell full length on the ground filled with fear because of Samuel's words.

His strength was gone, for he had eaten nothing all that day and all that night. When the woman came to Saul and saw that he was greatly shaken, she said, look, your servant has obeyed you. I took my life in my hands and did what you told me to do. Now please listen to your servant and let me give you some food so that you may eat and have the strength to go on your way. He refused and said, I will not eat.

But his men joined the woman in urging him and he listened to them. He got up from the ground and sat on the couch. The woman had a fattened calf at the house which she slaughtered at once. She took some flour, kneaded it and baked bread without yeast. Then she set it before Saul and his men and they ate.

That same night they got up and left. This is the word of the Lord.

Becky, thank you so much. Well, please do keep your bibles open in one. Samuel 28. I'm sure you came to church expecting to hear stories about witches and ghosts this morning. But we're going to find out how.

That is a story that is really helpful for our learning, even though it's a bit strange. Well, I wonder, where do you turn in a crisis? I'd hope we'd all have places that we could turn. Perhaps family, friends. I hope we might feel able to turn to the church family in a crisis.

And I'd hope for those of us who follow the Lord Jesus that we'd be able to turn to him. That we'd pray, open our bibles and believe God's promises to be with us by his holy spirit. But where do you turn in a crisis when God is silent? When you feel like you've exhausted all avenues of help and you feel like you've exhausted God, you perhaps start to wonder, does he care? Does he listen?

Can he help? Why is he silent? Where should I turn if it feels like God's not listening?

Well, chapter 28 of one. Samuel is going to help us answer these questions, though perhaps in a negative way, how not to answer some of these questions. But it's a bit of an interruption. Yes, the story is strange in itself, but it's a bit of a strange interruption in the flow of the story. We've not covered all these chapters, but if you look back at chapter 27, you'll see that this is about David being among the Philistines.

And through to verses one and two of 28, it's about David with the Philistines. And then if we flick on to chapter 29, we see again it's David with the Philistines. This short account of Saul and this witch, this medium in Endor, is a bit of an interruption to the flow of the story. Why has the author put this interruption in? What's going to happen to David?

We've had quite an exciting account of David, and now we switch to Stutzul. Well, perhaps this is another way in which the author wants us to see, as we've seen over recent weeks, the contrast between Saul and David. Well, there is a crisis going on at the moment, a crisis for Saul, and the crisis we see is there in verses four and five. Verse four, the Philistines assembled and came to set up camp at Shunam, while Saul gathered all the Israelites and set up camp at Gilboa. When Saul saw the Philistine army, he was afraid.

Terror filled his heart. The Philistines, who we've already seen various battles against, have set up camp, ready to fight Israel. Saul was afraid. Terror filled his heart. This is not the first time we've seen Saul terrified in the face of the Philistines.

We saw it back in chapter 17 with the story of David and Goliath. And last time, of course, it was David, with the Lord's help, who got Saul out of a hole. But now he's chased David away, who's fled to the Philistines. So Saul needs some guidance. What should he do?

See, not only has David gone, but we read in verse three that Samuel the prophet has died. And it goes on to tell us in verse three that Saul has rightly expelled the mediums, the spiritualists, from the land. He can't seek them for guidance, not that he should be. And verse six develops the crisis of guidance. Verse six.

There he inquired of the Lord, but the Lord did not answer him by dreams or Urim or prophets. These were common ways in which the Lord might have spoken to a king through dreams or through the prophets or through Urim, which is a word for how guidance would be derived through the priests. But these are problems of Saul's own making. In chapters 13 to 15, Saul has already rejected God's word, and Samuel the prophet has left him. Well, we read in verse 22 the story, chapter 22, the account of when Saul killed the priests.

He's gotten rid of the priests. And it says at the end of chapter 22 that the ephod, which is the high priest's breastplate, his garment, which contain the urim, that has gone to David. So the method of priestly guidance has departed Saul and gone to David. So all out of options for guidance, he says in verse seven, find me a woman who is a medium. Now, Saul, of course, he knew this was wrong.

That's why he banished them from the land. He knew God's law. Leviticus 19, verse 31, for example, says, do not turn to mediums or seek out spiritists, for you will be defiled by them. I am the Lord your God. Saul knew it was wrong.

But not only was it wrong, and he knew it was wrong. It's crazy. This medium, this witch in Endor, is the other side of the Philistine army. He's faced with this army, and in order to get guidance about what he should do, he has to sneak around the army to get to Endor to speak to this woman.

He knows it's wrong and it's crazy what he's doing. It's foolish, but he does anyway. And so the bulk of the account here is Saul meeting with this medium, this witch in Endor. And that account rather speaks for itself. It's a sorry tale of desperation.

But just know with me a few details along the way. Look at verse eight with me.

So Saul disguised himself, putting on other clothes. And at night he and two men went to the woman. Consult a spirit for me, he said, and bring up to me the one I named. Did you notice? He changes his clothes.

He goes in disguise. He can't be seen by the Philistines, and he doesn't want the medium to know who he is. But more than that, he's taking off his robes. He's taking off his royal garments. It's like he's deliberately abandoning any last pretence of being the king.

He goes in disguise. Or look at verse ten.

The medium was worried. Will I be put to death? Does Saul know I'm here? Verse ten. Saul swore to her by the Lord, as surely as the Lord leaves, you will not be punished for this.

Here, Saul swears by the Lord against the Lord's word. Look how far Saul has fallen. Once he was the one who listened to God's word, who banished the mediums. Now here he is, invoking the Lord's name to declare the medium innocent.

He's gone now from simply ignoring God's word to usurping it to saying, no, this is what I say. You will not be punished.

It's quite a fool, isn't it? Taking off the royal robes, invoking the Lord's name to declare this woman innocent, where he knows full well what the Lord's word says. So the medium summons the spirit of Samuel. This is a strange passage for modern western ears to hear. Doesn't really fit with our understanding of the world.

And yet it's perhaps a reminder that this world exists beyond the material, beyond what we can see, touch and fully understand. It's confusing, it's troubling. And yet we know, written here, for us to deepen our love and trust in the Lord Jesus. So that's why we're reading it today, and that's why we're looking at this story now. In verse 15, Saul explains his concern to Samuel.

He wants to know what he should do. He's troubled by the Philistines, but he seems even more concerned that God is now silent. What should I do? God is not speaking to me. What's Samuel going to say in response?

Well, not a lot, really. Not a lot. Because Samuel really only reiterates what he's already said to Saul in chapter 15. He says, your kingdom will be torn away from you, and it will be given to another because you did not obey the Lord. There's some fascinating imagery going on here with the king's robes.

When Samuel first spoke those words in chapter 15, there's a moment at the end where Samuel is holding on to the end of Saul's royal robes, and they rip as he moves away. Last week in chapter 24, we saw the story of David and Saul in the cave. And do you remember, if you were here, that David just cut off the corner of Saul's robes, like another picture of the kingdom being torn away and given to David. And here in chapter 28, what happens to the robes? Saul takes them off himself.

He abandons any pretence of being the king. He abandons his kingdom, and he takes them off to cover his own disobedience, to cover his own shame.

Of course, one day a greater king would come, an even better David. And we learn of the Lord Jesus that he would take off his royal robes not in disobedience, not to cover up his shame, but in obedience.

He would take off his robes to cover the shame of his people. You see this king, the true king, king Jesus, would let his robe be torn away, not to lose his kingdom, but to share it with his people. That all might know his blessing. You see, even in these strange details, this imagery of robes is woven throughout one Samuel. And here, sadly, tragically, Saul abandons his kingship.

Samuel does, however, add one detail here in verse 19. Here is some new information for Saul. Tomorrow you and your sons, Israel and its army will be defeated by the Philistines. You'll be with me. You'll be killed.

Not simply killed in action, but it's quite deliberate. The wording here, you'll be handed over by the Lord. You've orchestrated your own downfall up to now, Saul, but tomorrow the Lord will hand you over. And so, verse 20, Saul falls to the ground, filled with fear, emptied of strength, emptied from food.

He's the king of Israel, but he's abandoned by God, rejected by the prophets, and still continuing to plunge himself deeper into the pit.

So where can we turn? My story and your story is not Saul's story. And yet I can't not be troubled, cautioned, convicted by the trajectory of his life, once king over God's people, and now look at him, he disobeyed God's word and stopped listening. Saul's life serves as a warning, you see, when I face a crisis, when I experience suffering, when it feels like God is silent, I'm tempted to disobey God's word. I'm tempted to stop listening to him.

I'm tempted to push away the wise counsel of God's people.

Like Saul, I'm tempted to seek guidance elsewhere.

I want God to affirm my choices. I want God only to speak to me words of comfort. I want God to agree with me. Frankly, I often want a less costly Christianity.

How quickly am I in danger of turning from the laws of the Lord to follow the words of the world?

I know that's true for me. I know that's how my heart is wired so often. To reject the words, to reject the guidance that God offers me, and to look elsewhere in contrast with Saul, comes in a couple of chapters. Time. Chapter 30, verse seven and eight.

Then David said to Abathar, the priest, son of Ahimelek, bring me the ephod. Remember, that's the name for the priest's breastplate where the urim was. And David inquired of the Lord, shall I pursue them? Pursue them, he answered. David inquired of the Lord, and the Lord spoke to him.

That's the contrast, David inquires, and the God speaks. David has now the ephod, the urim. He asks the Lord, and the Lord answers. Now, Urim, the word means light, light in the sense of illuminating truth.

Whereas in chapter 28, how does that end? It ends with Saul leaving in the night. Saul goes out into the darkness.

He's left without any guidance. There will be any help to him. He leaves in the night, whereas David consults the Lord, and he receives the light of his counsel. Friends, we've not been abandoned like Saul. We're not like him.

We have not been abandoned in that way. God's given us his word, his people, his spirit, his son.

So please don't turn away from all that he's given us. Don't give up. Don't stop listening. Don't stop living in obedience to how he has called us to live.

But even with all these good things God gives us, doesn't make it easy. You might remember the story at the end of John, chapter six. Jesus has been teaching. He's been teaching some hard things. He's been teaching some things about what it means to truly find life and how if you really want to find life, you're going to have to come to Jesus for it.

And after that, many people desert him. There's a huge groups of followers, and a lot of people think, I don't like that. That's a hard word. We're going to go and listen somewhere else.

But his closest disciples come to him at the end, and Peter says to him, lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. This is it, Jesus. We've got nowhere else to turn. We don't want to turn anywhere else, because you alone are the place that we can find life.

So, friends, I think the message is simple. Where can we turn? Keep turning to Jesus. Each day afresh, keep turning to Jesus. He will never turn you away.

So this chapter ends curiously. There's a feast, a banquet, a fattened calf. This looks like the meal for a king.

But Saul is dining with the devil. Saul eats, if you like, a false passover, that's a meal of unleavened bread. This was a meal that the Israelites would eat to celebrate God's rescue, remembering the Lord who'd rescued his people from Egypt. But here he is having fellowship with a witch, a kind of personification of the evil of Egypt. Ashamed, filled with guilt and despair, Saul leaves into the night and heads out into the darkness.

There's something very soul like about Judas.

John captures it really well. After Judas shares with Jesus the Passover meal, John records these words. As soon as Judas had taken the bread, he went out and it was night.

But Jesus goes out into that same night. He's not betraying, he's praying. He's seeking his father, inquiring of him, reminded of his words, resolved to obey him even in the darkest cris, you see this king. King Jesus doesn't do deals with the devil or dwell in darkness. He's the king of light.

But on this night, in John's gospel, he will enter the darkness for you. He will lead God's people into battle. Unlike Saul, he defeats our enemies. He rescues from sin. He covers shame.

He gives hope. Even in the depths, he speaks words of comfort.

Saul entered the darkness alone and ashamed. Don't repeat his folly. Rather follow the true king. King Jesus, the king of light. That.

28 In those days the Philistines gathered their forces to fight against Israel. Achish said to David, ‘You must understand that you and your men will accompany me in the army.’

David said, ‘Then you will see for yourself what your servant can do.’

Achish replied, ‘Very well, I will make you my bodyguard for life.’

Now Samuel was dead, and all Israel had mourned for him and buried him in his own town of Ramah. Saul had expelled the mediums and spiritists from the land.

The Philistines assembled and came and set up camp at Shunem, while Saul gathered all Israel and set up camp at Gilboa. When Saul saw the Philistine army, he was afraid; terror filled his heart. He enquired of the Lord, but the Lord did not answer him by dreams or Urim or prophets. Saul then said to his attendants, ‘Find me a woman who is a medium, so that I may go and enquire of her.’

‘There is one in Endor,’ they said.

So Saul disguised himself, putting on other clothes, and at night he and two men went to the woman. ‘Consult a spirit for me,’ he said, ‘and bring up for me the one I name.’

But the woman said to him, ‘Surely you know what Saul has done. He has cut off the mediums and spiritists from the land. Why have you set a trap for my life to bring about my death?’

10 Saul swore to her by the Lord, ‘As surely as the Lord lives, you will not be punished for this.’

11 Then the woman asked, ‘Whom shall I bring up for you?’

‘Bring up Samuel,’ he said.

12 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!’

13 The king said to her, ‘Don’t be afraid. What do you see?’

The woman said, ‘I see a ghostly figure coming up out of the earth.’

14 ‘What does he look like?’ he asked.

‘An old man wearing a robe is coming up,’ she said.

Then Saul knew it was Samuel, and he bowed down and prostrated himself with his face to the ground.

15 Samuel said to Saul, ‘Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?’

‘I am in great distress,’ Saul said. ‘The Philistines are fighting against me, and God has departed from me. He no longer answers me, either by prophets or by dreams. So I have called on you to tell me what to do.’

16 Samuel said, ‘Why do you consult me, now that the Lord has departed from you and become your enemy? 17 The Lord has done what he predicted through me. The Lord has torn the kingdom out of your hands and given it to one of your neighbours – to David. 18 Because you did not obey the Lord or carry out his fierce wrath against the Amalekites, the Lord has done this to you today. 19 The Lord will deliver both Israel and you into the hands of the Philistines, and tomorrow you and your sons will be with me. The Lord will also give the army of Israel into the hands of the Philistines.’

20 Immediately Saul fell full length on the ground, filled with fear because of Samuel’s words. His strength was gone, for he had eaten nothing all that day and all that night.

21 When the woman came to Saul and saw that he was greatly shaken, she said, ‘Look, your servant has obeyed you. I took my life in my hands and did what you told me to do. 22 Now please listen to your servant and let me give you some food so that you may eat and have the strength to go on your way.’

23 He refused and said, ‘I will not eat.’

But his men joined the woman in urging him, and he listened to them. He got up from the ground and sat on the couch.

24 The woman had a fattened calf at the house, which she slaughtered at once. She took some flour, kneaded it and baked bread without yeast. 25 Then she set it before Saul and his men, and they ate. That same night they got up and left.

New International Version – UK (NIVUK)

Holy Bible, New International Version® Anglicized, NIV® Copyright © 1979, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

This transcript has been automatically generated and therefore may not be 100% accurate

Today’s reading is taken from one Samuel 28, verses one to 25 in the church Bibles. It’s on page 301. One Samuel 28, one to 25.

In those days, the Philistines gathered their forces to fight against Israel. Akish said to David, you must understand that you and your men will accompany me in the army. David said, then you will see for yourself what your servant can do. Akish replied, very well. I will make you my bodyguard for life.

Saul and the medium at Endor now Samuel was dead, and all Israel had mourned for him and buried him in his own town of Ramah. Saul had expelled the mediums and spiritists from the land. The Philistines assembled and came and set up camp at Shunem, while Saul gathered all Israel and set up camp at Gilboa. When Saul saw the Philistine army, he was afraid. Terror filled his heart.

He inquired of the Lord, but the lord did not answer him by dreams or urim or prophets. Saul then said to his attendants, find me a woman who is a medium so that I may go and inquire of her. There is one in Endor, they said. So Saul disguised himself, putting on other clothes, and at night he and two men went to the woman. Consult a spirit for me, he said, and bring up for me the one I name.

But the woman said to him, surely you know what Saul has done. He has cut off the mediums and spiritists from the land. Why have you set a trap for my life to bring about my death? Saul swore to her by the lord, as surely as the Lord lives, you will not be punished for this. Then the woman asked, whom shall I bring up for you?

Bring up Samuel, he said. 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. The king said to her, don’t be afraid. What do you see?

The woman said, I see a ghostly figure coming up out of the earth. What does he look like? He asked. An old man wearing a robe is coming up, she said. Then Saul knew it was Samuel, and he bowed down and prostrated himself with his face to the ground.

Samuel said to Saul, why have you disturbed me by bringing me up? I am in great distress. Saul said. The Philistines are fighting against me, and God has departed from me. He no longer answers me, either by prophets or by dreams.

So I have called on you to tell me what to do. Samuel said, why do you consult me now that the Lord has departed from you and become your enemy? The Lord has done what he predicted through me. The Lord has torn the kingdom out of your hands and given it to one of your neighbours, to David. Because you did not obey the Lord or carry out his fierce wrath against the Amalekites.

The Lord has done this to you. Today the Lord will deliver both Israel and you into the hands of the Philistines. And tomorrow you and your sons will be with me. The Lord will also give the army of Israel into the hands of the Philistines. Immediately Saul fell full length on the ground filled with fear because of Samuel’s words.

His strength was gone, for he had eaten nothing all that day and all that night. When the woman came to Saul and saw that he was greatly shaken, she said, look, your servant has obeyed you. I took my life in my hands and did what you told me to do. Now please listen to your servant and let me give you some food so that you may eat and have the strength to go on your way. He refused and said, I will not eat.

But his men joined the woman in urging him and he listened to them. He got up from the ground and sat on the couch. The woman had a fattened calf at the house which she slaughtered at once. She took some flour, kneaded it and baked bread without yeast. Then she set it before Saul and his men and they ate.

That same night they got up and left. This is the word of the Lord.

Becky, thank you so much. Well, please do keep your bibles open in one. Samuel 28. I’m sure you came to church expecting to hear stories about witches and ghosts this morning. But we’re going to find out how.

That is a story that is really helpful for our learning, even though it’s a bit strange. Well, I wonder, where do you turn in a crisis? I’d hope we’d all have places that we could turn. Perhaps family, friends. I hope we might feel able to turn to the church family in a crisis.

And I’d hope for those of us who follow the Lord Jesus that we’d be able to turn to him. That we’d pray, open our bibles and believe God’s promises to be with us by his holy spirit. But where do you turn in a crisis when God is silent? When you feel like you’ve exhausted all avenues of help and you feel like you’ve exhausted God, you perhaps start to wonder, does he care? Does he listen?

Can he help? Why is he silent? Where should I turn if it feels like God’s not listening?

Well, chapter 28 of one. Samuel is going to help us answer these questions, though perhaps in a negative way, how not to answer some of these questions. But it’s a bit of an interruption. Yes, the story is strange in itself, but it’s a bit of a strange interruption in the flow of the story. We’ve not covered all these chapters, but if you look back at chapter 27, you’ll see that this is about David being among the Philistines.

And through to verses one and two of 28, it’s about David with the Philistines. And then if we flick on to chapter 29, we see again it’s David with the Philistines. This short account of Saul and this witch, this medium in Endor, is a bit of an interruption to the flow of the story. Why has the author put this interruption in? What’s going to happen to David?

We’ve had quite an exciting account of David, and now we switch to Stutzul. Well, perhaps this is another way in which the author wants us to see, as we’ve seen over recent weeks, the contrast between Saul and David. Well, there is a crisis going on at the moment, a crisis for Saul, and the crisis we see is there in verses four and five. Verse four, the Philistines assembled and came to set up camp at Shunam, while Saul gathered all the Israelites and set up camp at Gilboa. When Saul saw the Philistine army, he was afraid.

Terror filled his heart. The Philistines, who we’ve already seen various battles against, have set up camp, ready to fight Israel. Saul was afraid. Terror filled his heart. This is not the first time we’ve seen Saul terrified in the face of the Philistines.

We saw it back in chapter 17 with the story of David and Goliath. And last time, of course, it was David, with the Lord’s help, who got Saul out of a hole. But now he’s chased David away, who’s fled to the Philistines. So Saul needs some guidance. What should he do?

See, not only has David gone, but we read in verse three that Samuel the prophet has died. And it goes on to tell us in verse three that Saul has rightly expelled the mediums, the spiritualists, from the land. He can’t seek them for guidance, not that he should be. And verse six develops the crisis of guidance. Verse six.

There he inquired of the Lord, but the Lord did not answer him by dreams or Urim or prophets. These were common ways in which the Lord might have spoken to a king through dreams or through the prophets or through Urim, which is a word for how guidance would be derived through the priests. But these are problems of Saul’s own making. In chapters 13 to 15, Saul has already rejected God’s word, and Samuel the prophet has left him. Well, we read in verse 22 the story, chapter 22, the account of when Saul killed the priests.

He’s gotten rid of the priests. And it says at the end of chapter 22 that the ephod, which is the high priest’s breastplate, his garment, which contain the urim, that has gone to David. So the method of priestly guidance has departed Saul and gone to David. So all out of options for guidance, he says in verse seven, find me a woman who is a medium. Now, Saul, of course, he knew this was wrong.

That’s why he banished them from the land. He knew God’s law. Leviticus 19, verse 31, for example, says, do not turn to mediums or seek out spiritists, for you will be defiled by them. I am the Lord your God. Saul knew it was wrong.

But not only was it wrong, and he knew it was wrong. It’s crazy. This medium, this witch in Endor, is the other side of the Philistine army. He’s faced with this army, and in order to get guidance about what he should do, he has to sneak around the army to get to Endor to speak to this woman.

He knows it’s wrong and it’s crazy what he’s doing. It’s foolish, but he does anyway. And so the bulk of the account here is Saul meeting with this medium, this witch in Endor. And that account rather speaks for itself. It’s a sorry tale of desperation.

But just know with me a few details along the way. Look at verse eight with me.

So Saul disguised himself, putting on other clothes. And at night he and two men went to the woman. Consult a spirit for me, he said, and bring up to me the one I named. Did you notice? He changes his clothes.

He goes in disguise. He can’t be seen by the Philistines, and he doesn’t want the medium to know who he is. But more than that, he’s taking off his robes. He’s taking off his royal garments. It’s like he’s deliberately abandoning any last pretence of being the king.

He goes in disguise. Or look at verse ten.

The medium was worried. Will I be put to death? Does Saul know I’m here? Verse ten. Saul swore to her by the Lord, as surely as the Lord leaves, you will not be punished for this.

Here, Saul swears by the Lord against the Lord’s word. Look how far Saul has fallen. Once he was the one who listened to God’s word, who banished the mediums. Now here he is, invoking the Lord’s name to declare the medium innocent.

He’s gone now from simply ignoring God’s word to usurping it to saying, no, this is what I say. You will not be punished.

It’s quite a fool, isn’t it? Taking off the royal robes, invoking the Lord’s name to declare this woman innocent, where he knows full well what the Lord’s word says. So the medium summons the spirit of Samuel. This is a strange passage for modern western ears to hear. Doesn’t really fit with our understanding of the world.

And yet it’s perhaps a reminder that this world exists beyond the material, beyond what we can see, touch and fully understand. It’s confusing, it’s troubling. And yet we know, written here, for us to deepen our love and trust in the Lord Jesus. So that’s why we’re reading it today, and that’s why we’re looking at this story now. In verse 15, Saul explains his concern to Samuel.

He wants to know what he should do. He’s troubled by the Philistines, but he seems even more concerned that God is now silent. What should I do? God is not speaking to me. What’s Samuel going to say in response?

Well, not a lot, really. Not a lot. Because Samuel really only reiterates what he’s already said to Saul in chapter 15. He says, your kingdom will be torn away from you, and it will be given to another because you did not obey the Lord. There’s some fascinating imagery going on here with the king’s robes.

When Samuel first spoke those words in chapter 15, there’s a moment at the end where Samuel is holding on to the end of Saul’s royal robes, and they rip as he moves away. Last week in chapter 24, we saw the story of David and Saul in the cave. And do you remember, if you were here, that David just cut off the corner of Saul’s robes, like another picture of the kingdom being torn away and given to David. And here in chapter 28, what happens to the robes? Saul takes them off himself.

He abandons any pretence of being the king. He abandons his kingdom, and he takes them off to cover his own disobedience, to cover his own shame.

Of course, one day a greater king would come, an even better David. And we learn of the Lord Jesus that he would take off his royal robes not in disobedience, not to cover up his shame, but in obedience.

He would take off his robes to cover the shame of his people. You see this king, the true king, king Jesus, would let his robe be torn away, not to lose his kingdom, but to share it with his people. That all might know his blessing. You see, even in these strange details, this imagery of robes is woven throughout one Samuel. And here, sadly, tragically, Saul abandons his kingship.

Samuel does, however, add one detail here in verse 19. Here is some new information for Saul. Tomorrow you and your sons, Israel and its army will be defeated by the Philistines. You’ll be with me. You’ll be killed.

Not simply killed in action, but it’s quite deliberate. The wording here, you’ll be handed over by the Lord. You’ve orchestrated your own downfall up to now, Saul, but tomorrow the Lord will hand you over. And so, verse 20, Saul falls to the ground, filled with fear, emptied of strength, emptied from food.

He’s the king of Israel, but he’s abandoned by God, rejected by the prophets, and still continuing to plunge himself deeper into the pit.

So where can we turn? My story and your story is not Saul’s story. And yet I can’t not be troubled, cautioned, convicted by the trajectory of his life, once king over God’s people, and now look at him, he disobeyed God’s word and stopped listening. Saul’s life serves as a warning, you see, when I face a crisis, when I experience suffering, when it feels like God is silent, I’m tempted to disobey God’s word. I’m tempted to stop listening to him.

I’m tempted to push away the wise counsel of God’s people.

Like Saul, I’m tempted to seek guidance elsewhere.

I want God to affirm my choices. I want God only to speak to me words of comfort. I want God to agree with me. Frankly, I often want a less costly Christianity.

How quickly am I in danger of turning from the laws of the Lord to follow the words of the world?

I know that’s true for me. I know that’s how my heart is wired so often. To reject the words, to reject the guidance that God offers me, and to look elsewhere in contrast with Saul, comes in a couple of chapters. Time. Chapter 30, verse seven and eight.

Then David said to Abathar, the priest, son of Ahimelek, bring me the ephod. Remember, that’s the name for the priest’s breastplate where the urim was. And David inquired of the Lord, shall I pursue them? Pursue them, he answered. David inquired of the Lord, and the Lord spoke to him.

That’s the contrast, David inquires, and the God speaks. David has now the ephod, the urim. He asks the Lord, and the Lord answers. Now, Urim, the word means light, light in the sense of illuminating truth.

Whereas in chapter 28, how does that end? It ends with Saul leaving in the night. Saul goes out into the darkness.

He’s left without any guidance. There will be any help to him. He leaves in the night, whereas David consults the Lord, and he receives the light of his counsel. Friends, we’ve not been abandoned like Saul. We’re not like him.

We have not been abandoned in that way. God’s given us his word, his people, his spirit, his son.

So please don’t turn away from all that he’s given us. Don’t give up. Don’t stop listening. Don’t stop living in obedience to how he has called us to live.

But even with all these good things God gives us, doesn’t make it easy. You might remember the story at the end of John, chapter six. Jesus has been teaching. He’s been teaching some hard things. He’s been teaching some things about what it means to truly find life and how if you really want to find life, you’re going to have to come to Jesus for it.

And after that, many people desert him. There’s a huge groups of followers, and a lot of people think, I don’t like that. That’s a hard word. We’re going to go and listen somewhere else.

But his closest disciples come to him at the end, and Peter says to him, lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. This is it, Jesus. We’ve got nowhere else to turn. We don’t want to turn anywhere else, because you alone are the place that we can find life.

So, friends, I think the message is simple. Where can we turn? Keep turning to Jesus. Each day afresh, keep turning to Jesus. He will never turn you away.

So this chapter ends curiously. There’s a feast, a banquet, a fattened calf. This looks like the meal for a king.

But Saul is dining with the devil. Saul eats, if you like, a false passover, that’s a meal of unleavened bread. This was a meal that the Israelites would eat to celebrate God’s rescue, remembering the Lord who’d rescued his people from Egypt. But here he is having fellowship with a witch, a kind of personification of the evil of Egypt. Ashamed, filled with guilt and despair, Saul leaves into the night and heads out into the darkness.

There’s something very soul like about Judas.

John captures it really well. After Judas shares with Jesus the Passover meal, John records these words. As soon as Judas had taken the bread, he went out and it was night.

But Jesus goes out into that same night. He’s not betraying, he’s praying. He’s seeking his father, inquiring of him, reminded of his words, resolved to obey him even in the darkest cris, you see this king. King Jesus doesn’t do deals with the devil or dwell in darkness. He’s the king of light.

But on this night, in John’s gospel, he will enter the darkness for you. He will lead God’s people into battle. Unlike Saul, he defeats our enemies. He rescues from sin. He covers shame.

He gives hope. Even in the depths, he speaks words of comfort.

Saul entered the darkness alone and ashamed. Don’t repeat his folly. Rather follow the true king. King Jesus, the king of light. That.

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