Was It Really Samuel? Examining Saul's Encounter with the Medium of Endor
In 1 Samuel 8, the Israelites were pleading to Samuel into giving them a king who will rule them and lead them in their battles just like in other countries. Samuel prayed to Yahweh about this matter, where God answered, "Do what they want and give them a king." A quite some time, Saul, the son of Kish, was chosen to be the first king of Israelites. At first, Saul conveyed obedience to God until he started to become arrogant and disobedient. (1 Samuel 16:4) As a result, Yahweh abandoned him, and the Holy Spirit departed from him. Following this, evil spirits were said to surround him, and his primacy began to deteriorate. When he saw the Philistines assembling near the town of Shunem. He asked God on what to do, but God did not answer him whether through dreams or through Urim or through the prophets. (2 Samuel 28:4) This prompt him into consulting a medium as he has no other choice. He badly needed to talk to someone from the dead to whom he could get advice from regarding his conflict with the Philistines.
Here's the thing; The Bible never confirmed that whom Saul saw is Samuel. It was Saul alone who claim that it was Samuel. It is written in 1 Samuel 28:10-14,
“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.”
The keyword here is: “And Saul perceived that it was Samuel.” In Hebrew transliteration, "way-yê-da' sā-'ul kî- sa-mū-'êl hū."
Way-yê-da' means "to know", "to perceive", "to understand", or "to acknowledge".
SAUL KNOW.
SAUL PERCEIVED.
SAUL UNDERSTAND.
SAUL ACKNOWLEDGED.
The Bible never said like this, “Whom Saul saw is Samuel” or “Saul saw Samuel”. This strongly suggests that Saul believed he saw Samuel with the naked eye; however, unbeknownst to him, he was actually speaking to an evil spirit appearing in the false likeness of Samuel.
Historically and biblically, devils were formerly angels. Angels were spiritual beings. They were not created with physical bodies since they were only created to serve Yahweh in heaven.
Ever since the devils rebelled against Yahweh, they were deprived of the glory of God. But the qualities of an angel are still intact. Meaning, these devils still possess intelligence, power and etc, like the good angels of God have.
Resultantly, they can still imitate the appearance of whoever they want.
In Saul's case: Saul is seeking Samuel that is why the devil appeared as Samuel. This is the true words of Paul in 2 Corinthians 11:14-15,
“For Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness.”
If you invite demons by the activities you do, they will respond accordingly. You call someone through mediums which is prohibited by Yahweh, so you should not expect a good spirit to respond to you.
Some Christians proposed it could be a "good angel". I disagree with this. Right from the start, when Satans was remove from heaven, the surviving angels has pledged to Yahweh that they will be faithful to Him until the end.
It is also frequently proposed that Yahweh make an exception with Samuel. This does not make sense at all. Christians maintain that Mary, mother of Jesus, is also a sinner because God makes no exception. (Romans 3:23) But Yahweh make an exception for Samuel to show up from the dead, just to respond to Saul? In my view, this logic doesn't hold up.
The Bible tells us that when someone dies, they can no longer partake with the living.
1. Job 14:10, “But man dieth, and wasteth away: yea, man giveth up the ghost, and where is he?
2. Psalm 146:4, “His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish.”
3. Ecclesiastes 9:5-6, “For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more reward; for the memory of them is forgotten. Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished; neither have they any more a portion for ever in any thing that is done under the sun.”
Of course, God commanded people not to consult mediums but we have freedom of choice (Deuteronomy 11:26; Deuteronomy 30:15), and He honors that. But it doesn’t mean that we will not face the consequences of our evil choices and disobedience.
In the end, Yahweh punished Saul by being defeated in his battle with the Philistines on Mount Gilboa. When he is about to be captured, he committed suicide instead of falling in the hands of the Philistines because he knows he will be tortured to death by his enemy.
1 Chronicles 10:13-14, “So Saul died for his transgression which he committed against the Lord, even against the word of the Lord, which he kept not, and also for asking counsel of one that had a familiar spirit, to enquire of it. And enquired not of the Lord: therefore he slew him, and turned the kingdom unto David the son of Jesse.”
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