Saul and Witch of Endor a tragic tale
A single of the Bible’s strangest stories is about King Saul and the Witch of Endor and the condemnation Saul gained for consulting a medium.
In 1st Samuel 28:1-25, Saul sees the big Philistine army encamped against him and God does not respond to his entreaties since he had failed to ruin the idolatrous Amalekites.
The Revs. Don Caywood and James Archie say Saul’s satisfaction caused him to reduce his kingdom and be changed by David.
“Saul went to God and requested for assist and when God didn’t response, he went to the Witch of Endor, disguising himself for the reason that he experienced before provided the edict that no one should get the job done with familiar spirits,” reported the Rev. Caywood, senior pastor of Odessa Christian Faith Middle. “So she asked him, ‘Who do you want to call up?’
“And he mentioned, ‘The Prophet Samuel.’ A common spirit is a demonic illustration of another person. There is no way that God would allow a witch to connect with up a godly prophet of God.”
Scholars say Saul reigned more than Israel for 20 yrs in the late 11th Century B.C. and that Endor was a village on the south edge of the Jezreel Valley in northern Israel.
Caywood said a familiar spirit of Samuel expressed significant disgruntlement at obtaining been disturbed and explained Saul and his sons Jonathan, Abinadab and Malki-Shua would all die in the subsequent day’s battle. “So Satan was operating by the Witch of Endor and Saul as very well,” he mentioned.
“If Saul had just repented, God would have most likely turned factors all around for him. But he would not repent. When people have good results, they can turn into far too proud to repent.
“First John 2:16 claims the 3 key categories of sin are the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the delight of lifetime and Proverbs 16:18 says delight goes ahead of destruction.
“Lesson No. 1 from this is that the devil is actual and he will do every little thing he can to lie and deceive folks into imagining that he is God,” Caywood explained. “Always request God’s kingdom and his righteousness and you will be safe.”
The Rev. Archie, pastor of Freedom Missionary Baptist Church, explained Saul “was at unfastened ends for the reason that he saw the army of the Philistines and God wouldn’t say nearly anything.
“He was in dire straits,” Archie claimed. “He didn’t know what was going to come about or what to do and at this place he went from the legal guidelines of Leviticus that claimed not to be connected with soothsayers or mediums. He was heading versus his own guidelines since he had banished all the witches and soothsayers and wizards from the kingdom.
“Instead of going in his royal robes and permitting the witch know he was the king, he disguised himself to go and converse with her. She was nonetheless worried that one thing would take place to her even while he swore, ‘As definitely as the Lord life, you will not be punished for this.’ But they did have a séance and Samuel arrived.
“Then Saul bowed down and prostrated himself with his experience to the ground.”
Archie reported the lesson to be drawn “is that we are servants of God and we will need to do exactly what God tells us to do mainly because if we don’t pay attention and adhere to the Phrase of God, we can conclude up like Saul.
“He experienced been advised to kill all the Amalekites, even their livestock, and he went against the phrase of God,” he said. “If God tells us to do a thing, we nonetheless need to do it even if we consider it is wrong.
“The next day, Saul and his sons all died in battle and David was crowned king. It was a problem the place God not only took him out but took out his whole household line.”
