1 Samuel 28

David was a man of war on the side of the Lord, the God of Israel. Yet he was also living under the wing of Israel's enemy, the Philistines, as an outcast from his own people. Yet Achish, a leader among the Philistines did not know that David remained fiercely loyal to God and to Israel. He presumed that David would serve the Philistines in their military campaigns against Israel. David did not relieve him of that wrong opinion, but reinforced it with a deliberately ambiguous statement: “You shall know what your servant can do.”

The day of military engagement between the Philistines and Israel swiftly drew near. Samuel had died. Yet Samuel was also alive in another realm. Saul, the king over Israel's fighting men, was desperate to speak with him. He knew very well that the Lord had forbidden unauthorized communications across the heaven/earth divide.

Saul was very afraid and he needed the Lord's direction. When Saul inquired of the Lord he received no answer. Therefore he chose to go against the law of the Lord in order to try to find out the secret providence of God from the deceased holy man, Samuel.

He had to work through a woman who was skilled in the ways of forbidden spiritual communications. Though Saul tried to deceive this woman about his identity, when she conjured up the spirit of Samuel, she immediately knew that the disguised man in front of her was Saul. The king reassured her that no harm would come to her, at least from him.

The message of Samuel to Saul is worth our consideration. Samuel, though he was now living in eternal realms, had a visible form and was well aware of past events and former relationships. He was also aware of what would happen to Saul in the coming battle with the Philistines. He said, “The LORD will give Israel ... into the hand of the Philistines, and tomorrow you and your sons shall be with me.”

This was a startling revelation, not only concerning Israel's upcoming battle, but also regarding Saul's destiny. Was Samuel just saying that Saul would die, or was there some eternal hope for Saul in this word from heaven? David would later eulogize Saul and his righteous son, Jonathan, with these words: “In life and in death they were not divided.” Again, is this a word of hope, or just a statement that both men lived together, fought together, and died together? We leave such matters in the Lord's capable hands, but we do believe in His kind mercy to weak sinners who have called upon His Name.

Saul's life was almost over and he was utterly distressed. Psalm 4:8 speaks to our hearts about the person who is living in the trust of the Lord: “In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.” What happens to the suffering soul who cannot find any peace?

Our peace is not in our own mental stability. Saul was a tortured man who had lost communion with God at the end of his life. Those who are weak can still place their trust in Jesus. When their strength fails, when their minds are lost in confusion, the God of all the earth knows how to rescue them from the deepest pit of anxious fear.