๐ 1 Samuel 28 Summary: ๐ A chapter that speaks of the silence of the Lord God
Did Saul obey or disobey the Lord's command?
• David did not trust Saul's solemn promise ("I will not try to harm you again") and fled to the land of the Philistines to escape Saul's hands forever.
• Deceived by David's wise strategy, King Achish of Gath mistakenly assumed David had become obnoxious to Israel and would serve him as a vassal forever.
1 Samuel 28 begins with the phrase: "In those days..." At the exact moment Achish thought David was fully his subordinate, the Philistines gathered their forces to wage war against Israel.
- ๐ David's Ambiguous Answer: When Achish demanded his participation in the war, David gave an enigmatic response: "Then you will see for yourself what your servant can do."
- ๐ก️ Achish's Misconception: Achish took this as an oath of loyalty and declared he would make David his "bodyguard for life."
1️⃣ Saul's Growing Fear Amidst the Lord's Silence (vv. 3–6)
Samuel, Israel's spiritual pillar, had already died, and Saul had expelled the mediums and spiritists from the land. When Saul saw the massive Philistine army, he was terrified and his heart trembled (v. 5).
๐ An Interesting Point to Observe ๐
- When David was in Israel, Saul had no need to fear the Philistine army.
- However, now that David is gone, Saul trembles in terror before the Philistines.
- The ironic and shocking fact is that David, whom Saul hunted so relentlessly, is now standing on the side of the Philistine army!
2️⃣ Saul Visits the Medium at En-dor (vv. 7–14)
Overwhelmed by fear, Saul inquired of the Lord, but God did not answer him by dreams, Urim, or prophets. Saul then ordered his servants to find a medium—a practice strictly forbidden by God—to summon Samuel.
- The medium was cautious: "You know what Saul has done, how he has cut off the mediums from the land. Why are you setting a trap for my life?"
- Ironically, Saul swore by the Lord that no punishment would come upon her for this.
- Eventually, through the figure brought up, the woman recognized that the disguised man was King Saul himself.
3️⃣ Saul's Question and Samuel's Severe Judgment (vv. 15–25)
"Why do you consult me, now that the Lord has departed from you and become your enemy?" (v. 16)
๐๐๐ The real reason for God's silence is revealed!
The response "Why do you consult me?" is the crucial key that unlocks the mystery of God's silence. Since God had turned away and become Saul's enemy, there was no reason for Him to answer Saul's belated inquiry.
In 1 Samuel 15:28, God told Saul, "The Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel from you and given it to one of your neighbors who is better than you," but at that time, the neighbor's name was not explicitly stated.
➔ However, in 28:17, Samuel clearly declares that "that neighbor is David"! ๐
There are few records of Saul obeying God's commands, but early in Chapter 28, he seemed to comply with the Law by expelling mediums and spiritists from the land (Deut 18:9–14). ๐ข
❌ However, when crisis struck, he demonstrated blatant hypocrisy by reversing his own decree and secretly seeking out a medium. He forced holiness on the people while abandoning God's command in the shadows.
๐ Deuteronomy 18:9–14: The Lord God repeatedly emphasized that the people should not imitate the abominable customs of Egypt and Canaan, and seeking mediums was precisely following those pagan practices. Saul put on a hypocritical show of holiness by banning them publicly, yet behind closed doors, he abandoned God's command and sought out a medium himself. ๐
The people of Israel rejected God and demanded a king who would lead them in war "like all the other nations" (1 Sam 8:20). Saul was impressive in appearance, a head taller than anyone else (9:2), but he lacked any actual ability to lead a battle.
- When they defeated the Philistines previously, the initiative and leadership originated with Jonathan.
- When defeating Goliath, the battle was led and won by David.
- Just as he hid among the supplies before becoming king (10:22), Saul ends up paralyzed with fear before his final battle.
๐ Through the biblical record, we realize that the reason Israel could achieve victory in war was never human strength, but the presence of the Lord God Himself. ๐
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