1 Samuel 26-29
Seeking Answers from the Wrong Places

The sinful choices of Kings Saul of Israel were slowly coming to a head as we come to chapter 28, and they were about to take their toll. By setting his course away from David, he set his course away from God. He was no longer dallying in willfulness, he was in open rebellion. But, with the forces of the Philistines gathering against his nation, and Samuel the judge and prophet now dead, Saul felt very alone and afraid. He tried to seek answers from God, but not as a repentant man, only one wanting to use God for a little while. "And when Saul inquired of the Lord, the Lord did not answer him, either by dreams, or by Urim, or by prophets" (1 Samuel 28:6).

Spurned by the LORD because of his refusal to repent, Saul, still needing answer, turned elsewhere: he sought a medium, or fortuneteller. Practicers of the occult had been banned from the land (Deuteronomy 18:10-11; Leviticus 19:31), but still practiced their arts in secret. Saul's men found a woman in En Dor reputed to be a medium, and Saul, desperate for answers, went to her. We don't know if the woman was a charlatan, or if demonic forces used her to deceive people; regardless, the LORD used her to send a final message to the seditious king from the dead prophet Samuel. "Then Samuel said to Saul, Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up? Saul answered, I am in great distress, for the Philistines are warring against me, and God has turned away from me and answers me no more, either by prophets or by dreams. Therefore I have summoned you to tell me what I shall do. And Samuel said, Why then do you ask me, since the Lord has turned from you and become your enemy? The Lord has done to you as he spoke by me, for the Lord has torn the kingdom out of your hand and given it to your neighbor, David. Because you did not obey the voice of the Lord and did not carry out his fierce wrath against Amalek, therefore the Lord has done this thing to you this day. Moreover, the Lord will give Israel also with you into the hand of the Philistines, and tomorrow you and your sons shall be with me. The Lord will give the army of Israel also into the hand of the Philistines" (28:15-19). True to Samuel's word, the next day, Israel suffered a great defeat, and Saul and his sons lost their lives.

This story illustrates for us that all men, at some point in their lives, need answer that only God can provide. But, if they are not willing to turn to Him and submit, they will turn to even the most outlandish places. It may be religious leaders who tell us what we want to hear, rather than what we need to hear; it may be to worldly advisors; drugs or alcohol; maybe even witchcraft, or pagan religions. All people at some point are filled with questions and long for answers. There is only one source to which we can really turn for the answers of life-God, who guides us today through His word, the Bible. "Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand" (Proverbs 19:21). But, God's answers will only be accepted by and effective to those who will submit to Him and follow His word.