The First Book of Samuel, otherwise called the First Book of the Kings
1 Samuel 28
Chapter XXVIII · Vol. II, pp. 670–671
1 Achish putteth confidence in David. 3 Saul, having destroyed the workers with familiar spirits, 4 and now in his fear forsaken of God, 7 seeketh to a witch. 9 The witch, encouraged by Saul, raiseth up Samuel. 15 Saul, hearing his ruin, fainteth. 21 The woman, with his servants, refresh him with meat.
1 And it came to pass in those days, athat the Philistines gathered their armies together for warfare to fight with Israel. And Achish said unto David, Know thou1 assuredly bthat thou shalt go out with me to battle, thou and thy men.
2 And David said to Achish, cSurely thou shalt know what thy servant can do. And Achish said to David, Therefore will I make thee keeper of mine head for ever.
c ch.27.10. Ro.12.9.
3 Now dSamuel 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 efamiliar spirits, and the wizards,2 out of the land.3
d ch.25.1. Is.57.1,2.
e Ex.22.18. De.18.11. Le.19.31; 20.27.
2 This was according to the divine law (Ex. 22. 18. Le. 19. 31), wherein Saul evidenced how readily a man may engage in the external reformation of evils without the inward reformation of his own heart.—C.
3 This explanatory verse is inserted to prepare for a full understanding of all the incidents which follow regarding Saul and the 'witch of En-dor.'—P.
4 And the Philistines gathered themselves together, and came and fpitched in Shunem; and Saul gathered all Israel together, and they pitched gin Gilboa.4
A.M. cir. 2948. B.C. cir. 1056.
g ch.31.1. 2 Sa.1.21.
4 The position of the two armies was almost exactly the same as that occupied by Gideon and the Midianites. Shunem lay on the northern side of the valley of Jezreel, near the base of the hill of Moreh, while Saul took up a position on the side of Gilboa, east of Jezreel, and just over the fountain of Harod.—P.
6 And when Saul iinquired of the LORD, the LORD answered him not, neither by kdreams, nor by Urim, nor by prophets.5
7 Then said Saul unto his servants, lSeek me a woman that hath a familiar spirit, that I may go to her, and inquire of her. And his servants said to him, Behold, there is a woman that hath a familiar spirit at En-dor.6
l Le.19.31. De.18.11. 2 Ki.1.2,3. Ac.16.16. Is.8.19.
6 Endor lay on the north side of the hill Moreh, and consequently beyond the camp of the Philistines. Saul's night journey, therefore, was long—not less than nine miles—and dangerous; for he must have made a considerable detour to the east to avoid the camp of the enemy; and had his journey been discovered, he could easily have been cut off.—P.
8 And Saul mdisguised 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.
m 1 Ki.14.2; 22.30. 1 Ch.10.13. Is.8.19,20. Jn.3.19,20. Ep.5.11.
9 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?
10 And nSaul sware to her by the LORD, saying, As the LORD liveth, there shall no punishment happen to thee for this thing.7
11 Then said the woman, Whom shall I bring up unto thee? And he said, Bring me up Samuel.
12 And when the woman saw oSamuel, she cried with a loud voice: and the woman spake to Saul, saying, Why hast thou deceived me? for thou part Saul.
o 2 Co.11.14, with Is.57.2. A devil in his likeness. Satan hath no power over the souls of the glorified saints. God would never give him any, to countenance consulting of devils. Samuel's soul had not to come out of the earth; nor would he have said, Saul should be with him to-morrow. It doth not even seem probable that the battle was fought on the morrow. The woman's having a familiar spirit, and her exposing herself to danger, manifest it to have been no mere juggle.—Rev. J. Brown.
p ver.3. Ex.22.18.
13 And the king said unto her, Be not afraid: for what sawest thou? And the woman said unto Saul, I saw qgods ascending out of the earth.
q 2 Co.11.14. Ex.32.4.
14 And he said unto her, What form is he of?8 And she said, An old man cometh up; and he is covered with a mantle. And Saul rperceived that it was Samuel, and he sstooped with his face to the ground, and bowed himself.
15 Andt Samuel said to Saul, Why hast thou disquieted me, to bring me up?1 And Saul answered, I am usore distressed; for the Philistines make war against me, and God is departed from me, and answereth me no more, neither by prophets,2 nor by dreams: therefore I have called thee, that thou mayest make known unto me what I shall do.
16 Then said Samuel, Wherefore then dost thou ask of me, xseeing the LORD is departed from thee, and is become thine enemy?3
x 2 Co.11.14; 2.11. 2 Th.2.10,11.
3 The Greek, Syr. and Arab. versions read, 'and is with thy neighbour or rival,' which is adopted by Dathe, Boothroyd, Hales, &c., and agrees with ver. 17, and also with ch. 15. 28.—I.
17 And the LORD hath done to yhim zas he spake by me:4 for the LORD hath rent the kingdom out of thine hand, and given it to thy neighbour, even to David;
18 Because thou aobeyedst not the voice of the LORD, nor executedst his fierce wrath upon Amalek, therefore hath the LORD done this thing unto thee this day.
a ch.15.3,23,26. 1 Ki.20.42. Je.48.10.
19 Moreover the LORD will also deliver Israel with thee into the hand of the Philistines: and bto-morrow shalt thou and thy sons be with me: cthe LORD also shall deliver the host of Israel into the hand of the Philistines.
20 Then Saul fell straightway all along on the earth,5 and dwas sore afraid, because of the words of Samuel:6 and there was no strength in him; for he had eaten no bread all the day, nor all the night.
5 Heb. made haste and fell with the fulness of his stature.
d ch.25.37. Ps.48.5,6; 50.21,22. Job 15.20-22,24; 20.5.
6 Here was another proof of the reality of the appearance. The question as to the more immediate agency by which it was effected presents greater difficulties. That the woman seemed to arrogate the power to herself, ver.21, proves nothing. Yet it might be conceded that diabolical agency was enabled and permitted to effect such a result in this particular instance, without its following that demons were vested with any such power at other times. But the simpler view is to suppose that before the woman had time to employ her usual incantations, the Almighty, for wise and important ends, sent back Samuel for a short season from the world of spirits. This was the belief of the ancient Jewish church. 'After his death he prophesied, and showed the king his end, and lift up his voice in prophecy to blot out the wickedness of the people,' Ecclus.46.20. Various great purposes were served by the transaction, e.g. Saul's crime in 'asking counsel of Ob' was made the means of his punishment 1 Ch. 10. 13, 14; the superiority of the oracle of Jehovah to the real or imaginary oracles of Satan was clearly evinced; and the doctrines of a future state and a resurrection of the dead received an awfully solemn confirmation, which was very necessary in that age of darkness.—I.
21 And the woman came unto Saul, and saw that he was sore troubled, and said unto him, Behold, thine handmaid hath obeyed thy voice, and eI have put my life in my hand, and have hearkened unto thy words which thou spakest unto me.
22 Now therefore, I pray thee, hearken thou also unto the voice of thine handmaid, and let me set a morsel of bread before thee; and eat, that thou mayest have strength, when thou goest on thy way.
23 But he refused, and said, fI will not eat. But his servants, together with the woman, compelled him; and he hearkened unto their voice. So he arose from the earth, and sat upon the bed.
f Pr.25.20. 1 Ki.20.43; 21.4.
24 And the woman had a fat calf7 in the house; and she hasted and killed it, and took flour, and kneaded it, and did bake unleavened8 bread thereof:
7 As in these hot countries flesh is soon tainted, they kill and dress their meat as it is required.—I.
8 The preparing of leavened bread would have taken some time, until the whole lump was leavened.—I.
25 And she brought it before Saul, and before his servants; and they did eat. Then they rose up, and went away that night.
Notes
[Ver. 12. And when the woman saw Samuel, she cried with a loud voice, &c. Every interpretation of the venerable Brown is entitled to respect, and the marginal note is not merely the popular opinion, but is largely supported by most learned authorities. Nevertheless, regard to what we believe truth compels us to express a different opinion, on the following grounds:—(1) The possessors of familiar spirits, whether such possession be considered a reality or pretence, were utterly condemned by God. See note on ver. 3. (2) This woman tells practically a lie; for she pretends to be able to bring up any one from the dead, and that not the appearance, but the very person—a thing impossible, Ec. 12. 7; Re. 1. 18. (3) Saul had already discovered himself (see note on ver. 10), and she pretends not to know him. (4) The reasoning in ver. 12 is false; for even had Samuel come up, that did not prove the querist was Saul. (5) She tells another lie; for she not only reports that she saw 'gods ascending out of the earth,' but affirms Samuel came out of it also; now he was buried at Ramah, not at Endor. (6) Saul did not look at the pretended apparition, but bowed to the ground. (7) The pretended Samuel (for no doubt there was an accomplice of the Pythoness to represent him) admits her power to bring him up from the dead—another falsehood, seeing it contradicts the aforesaid scriptures, and ascribes to a condemned sinner the power of giving life—the prerogative of God alone. But if all were imposture why does the narrative speak of Samuel as if he were really raised? Because it records what occurred as matter of history, leaving the history to explain itself. But if the apparition were not Samuel, how could it foretell the death of Saul and his sons? Because the event was very probable, yet the answer equivocal; for whether Saul and his sons died or survived, the words 'thou shalt be with me' could have been pleaded as true; for Samuel, according to the Pythoness, was either dead or alive as might best suit her purpose. C.]
Reflections.—The enemies of the church craftily seize their opportunity when their principal opponents are out of the way. And when God has left a country, it is easy for enemies to penetrate into the very heart of it. How hard it is for saints to act honestly when they have wandered out of God's way! Whether they take part with friends or foes they are apt to be ensnared. But dreadful is the case of men who are abandoned by God, and deprived of his prophets and ministers. And they who refuse to seek God while he may be found, will cry in vain when he refuses to answer, and have their troubles doubly aggravated by the terrors of an evil conscience. When men throw off their cloak of religion, they ordinarily abandon themselves to the very abominations against which they had professed much zeal. Works of darkness hate the light: and many who have cast off the fear of God are ashamed to appear so bad as they are before men. But it is shocking for persons, amidst gospel light, to enter into leagues or fellowship with devils;—absurd to profess hatred to Satan in others and yet indulge him in our heart; dangerous to flee to the devourer for relief when the God of grace hath cast us off;—and stupid to fear the laws of men and the wrath of a wicked king, more than the authority and eternal justice of almighty God. But God often gives up to strong and devilish delusions the men who have no pleasure in his truth: and those who undervalue the Lord's prophets, at last get devils in their stead. Cold comfort indeed will the devil administer to his servants, even in their greatest distress. But they have themselves only to blame for all the miseries to which they are reduced; for vain is their knocking when the door of mercy is once shut. Having departed from God they have forsaken their own mercies. A miserable life, and more miserable death, are all the portion they can expect. And when once a man is given up to despair, he rushes on to his own destruction as the horse rushes into the battle.