Sarah
Around that time, the Philistines started stirring things up again.
They gathered a huge army, getting ready to fight Israel.
The Philistine king, Achish, came to David and said:
“David, you’d better understand this. You and all your men are going to battle with me.”
David heard that and started feeling a little uneasy.
After all, even though he was living in Philistine territory, deep down, he was still an Israelite.
But David didn’t give him a straight answer. He simply said:
“Well, the king will find out what your servant is capable of.”
Achish heard that and was pretty pleased.
He probably thought:
“This young man is alright!”
So he said directly to David:
“Alright then. From now on, I’ll make you my bodyguard for life!”
But let’s put David’s story aside for a moment.
Now, back to Israel.
By this time, Samuel had already died.
All the people of Israel were deeply saddened. Everyone mourned for Samuel, and finally they buried him in Ramah, his hometown.
With Samuel gone, Israel had lost a man who truly heard from God.
And Saul?
Well, Saul had once ordered all the mediums and people who practiced witchcraft to be removed from Israel.
But here’s the problem—
He said one thing, but that didn’t mean his heart followed it.
Meanwhile, the Philistine army had already gathered at Shunem.
Saul gathered the Israelite army and camped at Mount Gilboa.
Saul looked across at the Philistine army…
Good grief!
There were people everywhere.
That was it.
Saul completely lost his nerve.
The Bible says:
“When Saul saw the Philistine army, he was afraid; terror filled his heart.”
In plain Northeast-talk:
He was scared stiff.
So Saul thought:
“This is serious. I’d better ask God what I’m supposed to do.”
But here was the problem.
Saul asked the Lord for guidance, but the Lord didn’t answer him.
A dream?
Nothing.
The Urim?
Nothing.
A prophet?
Nothing.
Saul was completely panicked.
God wasn’t answering him, and Saul had no idea what to do.
Then suddenly, he remembered something.
So he said to his servants:
“Quick! Find me a woman who can communicate with the dead. I want to go ask her.”
Saul was basically grabbing at whatever he could think of because he was desperate.
His servants told him:
“There’s a woman who practices this stuff in Endor.”
Saul said:
“Alright. Let’s go!”
But Saul knew that people would recognize him immediately.
So he changed his clothes and disguised himself.
Then he took two of his men and secretly went to see the woman in the middle of the night.
When he got there, Saul said to her:
“Use your powers and bring up the dead person I tell you about.”
The woman was immediately scared.
She said:
“Don’t you know that Saul has already removed all the mediums and people who practice witchcraft from the land?
If someone finds out what I’m doing, I could lose my life!”
Saul quickly promised her:
“Don’t worry. I swear by the living Lord that you won’t be punished for this.”
Only then did the woman ask:
“Alright, who do you want me to bring up?”
Saul answered:
“Samuel.”
And that’s when things got serious.
The woman began to call up the dead.
Suddenly, she saw Samuel.
She screamed:
“You tricked me!
You’re Saul!”
Saul quickly said:
“Don’t be afraid!
What do you see?”
The woman answered:
“I see a divine being coming up from the ground.”
Saul asked:
“What does he look like?”
She said:
“An old man wearing a robe.”
Saul knew immediately that it was Samuel.
So he bowed down with his face to the ground.
When Samuel appeared, his first words weren’t exactly friendly:
“Why have you disturbed me?
Why have you brought me up?”
Saul started pouring out his troubles:
“I’m in serious trouble.
The Philistines are attacking me.
God has left me.
He won’t answer me anymore.
I asked God, but He didn’t answer.
The prophets aren’t saying anything.
I don’t even have dreams anymore.
So I didn’t know what else to do.
That’s why I came to you.
Tell me—what am I supposed to do?”
Samuel answered him directly:
“What’s the point of asking me now?
The Lord has turned away from you and has become your enemy.”
The moment Saul heard that, his heart sank.
Samuel continued:
“You didn’t listen to the Lord before.
When God commanded you to attack the Amalekites, you didn’t fully obey His command.
So God has done exactly what He told you through me before.
He has taken the kingdom away from you.
And now He has given it to your neighbor—David.”
Saul probably felt even worse when he heard the name David.
Because David had been the biggest thorn in Saul’s side for years.
But Samuel wasn’t finished.
He said:
“Moreover, the Lord will hand you and the people of Israel over to the Philistines.
Tomorrow, you and your sons will be with me.
And the Lord will hand the army of Israel over to the Philistines.”
The Bible says:
“Immediately Saul fell full length on the ground, filled with fear because of Samuel’s words, and he had no strength left.”
In plain Northeast-talk:
His legs went completely weak.
The woman saw how terrified Saul was and felt sorry for him.
She said:
“My lord, I risked my own life by doing what you told me.
Now please listen to me.
Let me give you something to eat.
You need some strength before you go back.”
Saul shook his head.
“I’m not eating.”
But his servants and the woman kept urging him.
Finally, Saul had no choice.
He got up from the ground and sat on the bed.
The woman hurried into the kitchen.
She slaughtered a fattened calf, mixed up some flour, and baked some unleavened bread.
Then she put the food in front of Saul and his two servants.
Nobody really felt like eating.
But eventually, they ate.
After they finished, they got up.
And under the cover of darkness, they left.
And just like that,
Saul spent that whole night not finding hope, but hearing the final judgment on his life.
God did not suddenly leave Saul.
Saul had slowly walked himself into this situation through one act of rebellion after another, one refusal to listen after another.
Don’t wait until life reaches a dead end before remembering God.
When life is peaceful, listen to God.
When everything is going well, follow God.
Because real faith isn’t waiting until trouble comes and then shouting:
“God, hurry up and help me!”
Real faith is being willing to say every day:
“God, whatever You say, that’s what I’ll do.”