The Witch Of Endor
Although commonly referred to as a “witch,” the right term would be a medium.
1 Samuel 28:16-19
Now Samuel was dead, and all Israel had mourned him and buried him in Ramah, his own city. And Saul had removed the mediums and spiritists from the land. So the Philistines assembled and came and camped in Shunem; and Saul gathered all Israel together, and they camped in Gilboa. When Saul saw the camp of the Philistines, he was afraid and his heart trembled greatly. So Saul inquired of the Lord, but the Lord did not answer him, either in dreams, or by the Urim, or by the prophets. Then Saul said to his servants, “Find for me a woman who is a medium, so that I may go to her and inquire of her.” And his servants said to him, “Behold, there is a woman who is a medium at En-dor.”Then Saul disguised himself by putting on different clothes, and went, he and two men with him, and they came to the woman by night; and he said, “Consult the spirit for me, please, and bring up for me the one whom I shall name for you.” But the woman said to him, “Behold, you know what Saul has done, that he has eliminated the mediums and spiritists from the land. Why are you then setting a trap for my life, to bring about my death?” So Saul swore an oath to her by the Lord, saying, “As the Lord lives, no punishment shall come upon you for this thing.” Then the woman said, “Whom shall I bring up for you?” And he said, “Bring up Samuel for me.” When the woman saw Samuel, she cried out with a loud voice; and the woman spoke to Saul, saying, “Why have you deceived me? For you are Saul!” But the king said to her, “Do not be afraid; but what do you see?” And the woman said to Saul, “I see a divine being coming up from the earth.” He said to her, “How does he appear?” And she said, “An old man is coming up, and he is wrapped in a robe.” Then Saul knew that it was Samuel, and he bowed with his face to the ground and paid homage.
And Samuel said to Saul, “Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?” Saul replied, “I am very distressed, for the Philistines are waging war against me, and God has abandoned me and no longer answers me, either through prophets or in dreams; therefore I have called you, so that you may let me know what I should do.” Samuel said, “But why ask me, since the Lord has abandoned you and has become your enemy? And the Lord has done just as He spoke through me; for the Lord has torn the kingdom from your hand and given it to your neighbor, to David. Just as you did not obey the Lord and did not execute His fierce wrath on Amalek, so the Lord has done this thing to you this day. Furthermore, the Lord will also hand Israel along with you over to the Philistines; so tomorrow you and your sons will be with me. Indeed, the Lord will hand the army of Israel over to the Philistines!”
First, according to the Law, Saul should've stoned this medium to death right off the bat (Leviticus 20:27). Second, Saul ran out the mediums out of Israel in the past (1 Samuel 28:9) and that's why he had to go in disguise (1 Samuel 28:8) to seek her guidance. What Saul is doing here is an abomination, according to the Law.
Scripture records, in 1 Chronicles 10:13, the reason for Saul’s death: “So Saul died for his unfaithfulness which he had committed against the LORD, because he did not keep the word of the LORD, and also because he consulted a medium for guidance.” (Cf. Leviticus 20:6)
While researching this event, I’ve noticed many theologians can’t come to a consensus on whether this event was real, demonic, or a mere deception by the medium. Let’s take a look at what happened in those verses, shall we?
The woman was legitimately scared when she saw the ghost of Samuel (1 Samuel 28:12) because all mediums are frauds;
At first, only the woman saw Samuel, but later Saul heard Samuel (1 Samuel 28:13-15), which would've been a voice he could recognize;
Samuel rebuked Saul for summoning him back to Earth and said Saul was God's enemy (1 Samuel 28:16; 1 Samuel 28:18),
Saul's failure to kill the enemies of God hasn't been forgotten (1 Samuel 28:18-19).
From the text, there's nothing here that would benefit the medium or the devil. Nothing we see here contradicts Scripture. Saul did die as foretold. There is no reason to believe this isn’t a very specific occasion where God allowed someone who was no longer on this earth to return, which was the case with Moses and Elijah's short stay during Jesus’ transfiguration (Matthew 17:1-8). Charles Spurgeon had this to say regarding the appearance of Moses and Elijah: “Saints long departed still live; live in their personality; are known by their names; and enjoy near access to Christ.”1
It is worth noting that Samuel, Moses, and Elijah stayed here for only a short time; no one lingers on this earth once they die (Hebrews 9:27), nor do they return from where they are — apart from God’s permission.
Samuel’s words, “Why have you disturbed me,” remind us of the peace he was in, and to come back to this place of sin and chaos we live in was truly a disturbance.
One final point I’ll make about these verses is the passage where Samuel tells Saul: “tomorrow you and your sons will be with me.” We know Saul committed suicide (1 Samuel 31:4) but Samuel just told Saul would be “with me” the following day, therefore, was Saul saved? No, he wasn’t. Jesus talks about how when people die, they’ll be in proximity to one another (Luke 16:19-31) but in very different places; one will get to experience eternal comfort while the other will experience eternal agony. Saul would be in the general area as Samuel, but because “the Lord has abandoned” king Saul, he would experience eternal agony.
Always remember the word in Galatians 1:8 when dealing with those who claim to be from God, whether they be spirits or real people: “But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed!” If anyone's words contradict Scripture, they were not sent from God.
The Complete Works of C.H. Spurgeon, Volume 46: Sermons 2656 to 2707, (Delmarva Publications, 2013), Sermon Nº. 2658