1 Samuel 28:3-20
Now Samuel was dead, and all Israel had lamented him, and buried him in Ramah, even in his own city. And Saul had put away those that had familiar spirits, and the wizards, out of the land. And the Philistines gathered themselves together, and came and pitched in Shunem: and Saul gathered all Israel together, and they pitched in Gilboa. And when Saul saw the host of the Philistines, he was afraid, and his heart greatly trembled. And when Saul enquired of the LORD, the LORD answered him not, neither by dreams, nor by Urim, nor by prophets.
Then said Saul unto his servants, Seek me a woman that hath a familiar spirit, that I may go to her, and enquire of her. And his servants said to him, Behold, there is a woman that hath a familiar spirit at Endor. And Saul disguised himself, and put on other raiment, and he went, and two men with him, and they came to the woman by night: and he said, I pray thee, divine unto me by the familiar spirit, and bring me him up, whom I shall name unto thee.
And the woman said unto him, Behold, thou knowest what Saul hath done, how he hath cut off those that have familiar spirits, and the wizards, out of the land: wherefore then layest thou a snare for my life, to cause me to die? And Saul sware to her by the LORD, saying, As the LORD liveth, there shall no punishment happen to thee for this thing. Then said the woman, Whom shall I bring up unto thee? And he said, Bring me up Samuel.
And when the woman saw Samuel, she cried with a loud voice: and the woman spake to Saul, saying, Why hast thou deceived me? for thou art Saul. And the king said unto her, Be not afraid: for what sawest thou? And the woman said unto Saul, I saw gods ascending out of the earth. And he said unto her, What form is he of? And she said, An old man cometh up; and he is covered with a mantle. And Saul perceived that it was Samuel, and he stooped with his face to the ground, and bowed himself.
And Samuel said to Saul, Why hast thou disquieted me, to bring me up?
And Saul answered, I am sore distressed; for the Philistines make war against me, and God is departed from me, and answereth me no more, neither by prophets, nor by dreams: therefore I have called thee, that thou mayest make known unto me what I shall do.
Then said Samuel, Wherefore then dost thou ask of me, seeing the LORD is departed from thee, and is become thine enemy? And the LORD hath done to him, as he spake by me: for the LORD hath rent the kingdom out of thine hand, and given it to thy neighbour, even to David: Because thou obeyedst not the voice of the LORD, nor executedst his fierce wrath upon Amalek, therefore hath the LORD done this thing unto thee this day. Moreover the LORD will also deliver Israel with thee into the hand of the Philistines: and to morrow shalt thou and thy sons be with me: the LORD also shall deliver the host of Israel into the hand of the Philistines.
Then Saul fell straightway all along on the earth, and was sore afraid, because of the words of Samuel: and there was no strength in him; for he had eaten no bread all the day, nor all the night.
CHARLES SIMEON (1759-1836): That such a thing as witchcraft has existed, we cannot doubt. The account given us of the witch of Endor is one of the most remarkable in the Scriptures; though there are in it some difficulties, which have occasioned a diversity of opinions respecting it—many have thought that Samuel himself did not appear, but that Satan assumed his shape and garb. But there is no intimation in the history that this was the case; on the contrary, every expression has directly the opposite aspect.
WILLIAM KELLY (1821-1906): It was Samuel whom Saul saw. It was an unusual sight the witch beheld. She confessed it, when she told Saul she saw “gods ascending out of the earth.” Her familiar spirit was unable to act, for God Himself had taken up the matter against Saul.
JOHN GILL (1697-1771): But to this it may be objected, that the soul of Samuel would not have “ascended out of the earth,” but come down from heaven; it cannot reasonably be supposed that it was in the power of the witch, by the assistance of the devil, to fetch it from heaven.
ROBERT HAWKER (1753-1827): Neither Satan nor his instruments can have power over the souls of glorified saints—we know the spirits of just men made perfect are with the Lord.
JOHN TRAPP (1601-1699): “Why hast thou disquieted me?” This the true Samuel would never have said; but as the devil had personated Samuel in his form, so now he doth in his words.
THOMAS COKE (1747-1814): Samuel complains not of the woman, but of Saul, for disquieting him; whence it appears clear, that Samuel was not raised up by her magic arts, but by the will of God. Samuel’s disquiet plainly arose from Saul’s hardened impenitence—it was this that grieved and provoked him.
G. CAMPBELL MORGAN (1863-1945): Let it be carefully read, and it becomes perfectly clear that this woman had nothing to do with bringing up Samuel. She commenced, on the occasion of Saul’s visit, to practice the deceptions with which she was familiar. When in response to her incantations, as it seemed, Samuel actually appeared, she was startled beyond measure.
ALFRED H. BURTON (1853-1937): Evidently the witch of Endor was not accustomed to bring up the dead, from her surprise at the appearance of Samuel: the spirit which she and all of her class professed to consult was a demon which personated the one desired. Her alarm at seeing Samuel, whom she herself does not appear to recognize, makes it clear that something unusual had taken place. It was God who interposed in this case to bring up Samuel in reality from the dead, who pronounces from Jehovah the solemn judgment about to fall upon Saul.
JOHN GILL: God would not send Samuel’s soul from heaven on such an errand, to give Saul an answer, when He would not answer him by any prophet on earth, nor in any other way; and especially it seems quite incredible that He should send Samuel at the motion of a witch, and through her enchantments, who, according to a law of His, ought not to live; whereas nothing could have given greater countenance to such a wicked profession than this.
H. A. IRONSIDE (1876-1951): God condemns spiritism in no uncertain terms in the writings of Moses and of the prophet Isaiah.
THOMAS COKE: God is not so tied down to His own institutions, that He cannot at any time depart from them. That God should manifest Himself by His prophets, to encourage or countenance what He Himself had forbidden, is indeed very unlikely, or to speak more justly, very absurd to suppose. But that He should interpose to reprove that practice, is perfectly compatible with all our ideas of His perfections.
G. CAMPBELL MORGAN: That Samuel actually appeared to Saul, there can be no doubt.
ROBERT HAWKER: That it could not be Samuel is evident from other considerations.
MATTHEW POOLE (1624-1679): There are divers passages in this relation which plainly discover that this was no good, but an evil spirit; as First, That he receives that worship from Saul, which good spirits would not suffer, Revelation 19:10; 22:8,9. Secondly, That amongst Saul’s other sins for which he condemns him, he omits this of “asking counsel of one that had a familiar spirit, to inquire of it;” for which transgression, with others, Saul is expressly said to have died, 1 Chronicles 10:13,14—and which the true Samuel, who was so zealous for God’s honour, and so faithful a reprover, would never have neglected—especially now, when he takes Saul in the very fact of it. The only argument of any colour to the contrary is only this: that the devil could not so particularly and punctually discover Saul’s future events as this ‘Samuel’ does.
THOMAS COKE: These predictions of Samuel evidently proved that he spoke by God’s order; for he foretells, first, the victory of the Philistines; secondly, the death of Saul and his sons; and thirdly, the advantages which the Philistines should derive from their victory. And it is surprising, that after such plain predictions as these, which could come only from God, any person should imagine that this apparition of Samuel was a diabolical imposture.
MATTHEW POOLE: But this also hath little weight in it; it being notoriously known that evil spirits in the oracles of heathens, and otherwise, have oft-times foretold future contingencies; God being pleased to reveal such things to them, and to permit them to be the instruments of revealing them to men, for the trial of some, and for the terror and punishment of others.
EDITOR’S NOTE: God, Who knows the end from the beginning, had permitted an evil spirit to terrify king Saul once before: “the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD troubled him;” this evil spirit departed from Saul only when David played the harp, 1 Samuel 16:14,23.
MATTHEW HENRY (1662-1714): An evil spirit foresaw king Ahab’s fall at Ramoth-Gilead and was instrumental in it, 1 Kings 22:19-23—as perhaps this evil spirit, by divine permission, was instrumental in Saul’s destruction…The devil knows how to speak with an air of religion, and can teach false apostles to transform themselves into the apostles of Christ and imitate their language.
JOHN TRAPP: Samuel himself could not have spoken more gravely, severely, divinely, than this fiend does.
MATTHEW HENRY: Yet with what a malicious design! He upbraids him with his disobedience to the command of God in not destroying the Amalekites. Satan had helped him to palliate and excuse that sin when Samuel was dealing with him to bring him to repentance, 1 Samuel 15:13-31. But now he aggravates it, to make him despair of God’s mercy.
JOHN GILL: His intent is to lead him to despair, which shows what sort of spirit he was.
JOHN TRAPP: See how Satan layeth load enough upon this already despairing wretch that he may hurry him to hell. Till men have sinned, Satan is a parasite; when they have sinned, he is a tyrant. This is yet his method to this day: be not ignorant of his wiles.
ALEXANDER MacLAREN (1826-1910): The scene at Endor makes one’s flesh creep. No more tragic picture of failure and despair was ever painted.
