1 AND it came to pass in those days, that the Philistines gathered their armies together for warfare, to fight with Israel. And Achish said unto David, Know thou assuredly, that thou shalt go out with me to battle, thou and thy men.
2 And David said to Achish, Surely thou shalt know what thy servant can do. And Achish said to David, Therefore will I make thee keeper of mine head for ever.
3 Now Samuel 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 familiar spirits, and the wizards, out of the land.
4 And the Philistines gathered themselves together, and came and pitched in Shunem: and Saul gathered all Israel together, and they pitched in Gilboa.
5 And when Saul saw the host of the Philistines, he was afraid, and his heart greatly trembled.
6 And when Saul inquired of the Lord, the Lord answered him not, neither by dreams, nor by Urim, nor by prophets.
7 Then said Saul unto his servants, Seek 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.
8 And Saul disguised 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.
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 Saul sware to her by the Lord, saying, As the Lord liveth, there shall no punishment happen to thee for this thing.
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 Samuel, she cried with a loud voice: and the woman spake to Saul, saying, Why hast thou deceived me? for thou art Saul.
13 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.
14 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.
15 And Samuel said to Saul, Why hast thou disquieted me, to bring me up? And Saul answered, I am sore distressed; for the Philistines make war against me, and God is departed from me, and answereth me no more, neither by prophets, 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, seeing the Lord is departed from thee, and is become thine enemy?
17 And the Lord hath done to him, as he spake by me: for the Lord hath rent the kingdom out of thine hand, and given it to thy neighbour, even to David:
18 Because thou obeyedst not the voice of the Lord, nor executedst his fierce wrath upon Amalek, therefore hath the Lord done this thing unto thee this day.
19 Moreover the Lord will also deliver Israel with thee into the hand of the Philistines: and to morrow shalt thou and thy sons be with me: the Lord also shall deliver the host of Israel into the hand of the Philistines.
20 Then Saul fell straightway all along on the earth, and was sore afraid, because of the words of Samuel: and there was no strength in him; for he had eaten no bread all the day, nor all the night.
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 I 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, I 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.
24 And the woman had a fat calf in the house; and she hasted, and killed it, and took flour, and kneaded it, and did bake unleavened bread thereof:
25 And she brought it before Saul, and before his servants; and they did eat. Then they rose up, and went away that night.

1And it came to passe in those dayes, that the Philistines gathered their armies together for warfare, to fight with Israel: And Achish said vnto Dauid, Knowe thou assuredly, that thou shalt goe out with me to battell, thou, and thy men.

2And Dauid said to Achish, Surely thou shalt know what thy seruant can doe. And Achish said to Dauid, Therfore will I make thee keeper of mine head for euer.

3 Now Samuel was dead, and all Israel had lamented him, and buried him in Ramah, euen in his owne citie: and Saul had put away those that had familiar spirits, and the wyzards, out of the land.

4And the Philistines gathered themselues together, and came and pitched in Shunem: and Saul gathered all Israel together, and they pitched in Gilboa.

5And when Saul saw the hoste of the Philistines, he was afraid, and his heart greatly trembled.

6And when Saul enquired of the Lord, the Lord answered him not, neither by dreames, nor by Urim, nor by Prophets.

7 Then said Saul vnto his seruants, Seeke me a woman that hath a familiar spirit, that I may goe to her, and enquire of her. And his seruant said to him, Beholde, there is a woman that hath a familiar spirit at Endor.

8And Saul disguised himselfe, and put on other raiment, and hee went, and two men with him, and they came to the woman by night, and he said, I pray thee diuine vnto me by the familiar spirit, and bring me him vp whom I shall name vnto thee.

9And the woman saide vnto him, Beholde, thou knowest what Saul hath done, how hee hath cut off those that haue familiar spirits, and the wyzards out of the land: wherefore then layest thou a snare for my life, to cause me to die?

10And Saul sware to her by the Lord, saying, As the Lord liueth, there shall no punishment happen to thee for this thing.

11Then said the woman, Whome shall I bring vp vnto thee? and he said, Bring me vp Samuel.

12And when the woman saw Samuel, she cried with a lowd voyce; and the woman spake to Saul, saying, Why hast thou deceiued me? for thou art Saul.

13And the king sayd vnto her, Be not afraid: for what sawest thou? And the woman said vnto Saul, I saw gods ascending out of the earth.

14And he said vnto her, What forme is he of? And she said, An old man commeth vp, and he is couered with a mantle. And Saul perceiued that it was Samuel, and hee stouped with his face to the ground, and bowed himselfe.

15 And Samuel said to Saul, Why hast thou disquieted me, to bring me vp? And Saul answered, I am sore distressed; for the Philistins make war against me, and God is departed from me, and answereth me no more, neither by Prophets, nor by dreames: therefore I haue called thee, that thou mayst make knowen vnto me, what I shall doe.

16Then said Samuel, Wherefore then doest thou aske of mee, seeing the Lord is departed from thee, and is become thine enemy?

17And the Lord hath done to him, as hee spake by mee: for the Lord hath rent the kingdome out of thine hand, and giuen it to thy neighbour, euen to Dauid:

18Because thou obeiedst not the voice of the Lord, nor executedst his fierce wrath vpon Amalek, therefore hath the Lord done this thing vnto thee this day.

19Moreouer, the Lord will also deliuer Israel with thee, into the hand of the Philistines: and to morrow shalt thou and thy sonnes bee with mee: the Lord also shall deliuer the hoste of Israel into the hand of the Philistines.

20Then Saul fell straightway all along on the earth, and was sore afraid, because of the words of Samuel, & there was no strength in him: for he had eaten no bread all the day, nor al the night.

21 And the woman came vnto Saul, and saw that he was sore troubled, and sayd vnto him, Behold, thine handmayd hath obeyed thy voice, and I haue put my life in my hand, and haue hearkened vnto thy words which thou spakest vnto me:

22Now therefore, I pray thee, hearken thou also vnto the voyce of thine handmaid, & let me set a morsel of bread before thee; & eat, that thou mayest haue strength, when thou goest on thy way.

23But hee refused, and said, I will not eate. But his seruants together with the woman compelled him, and he hearkened vnto their voyce: so he arose from the earth, & sate vpon the bed.

24And the woman had a fat calfe in the house, and she hasted, and killed it, and tooke flower and kneaded it, and did bake vnleauened bread thereof.

25And she brought it before Saul, and before his seruants, and they did eate: then they arose vp, and went away that night.

I == 1st Sam 29:1

 

 

 

 

 

 

III == Ex 22:18 ; Lev 19:31 ; 20:27 ; deut 18:10-11 ; 1st Sam 25:1 ; 28:9

 

IV == Josh 19:18 ; 1st Sam 31:1 ; 2nd Kings 4:8

 

V == Jog 18:11

 

VI == Ex 28:30 ; Num 12:6 ; 27:21 ; Deut 33:8 ; 1st Sam 14:37 ; Prov 1:28 ; Lam 2:9

 

 

 

VIII == Deut 18:11 ; 1st Chr 10:13 ; Isa 8:19

 

 

 

IX == 1st Sam 28:3

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

XIII == Ex 22:28

 

 

XIV == 1st Sam 15:27 ; 2nd Kings 2:8 , 13

 

 

XV == 1st Sam 18:12 28:6 ; Prov 5:11-13 ; 14:14

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

XVII == 1st Sam 15:28

 

 

XVIII == 1st Sam 15:9 ; 1st Kings 20:42 ; 1st Chr 10:13 ; Jer 48:10

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

XXI == Judg 12:3 ; 1st Sam 19:5 ; Job 13:14

 

 

1 In those days the Philistines mustered their military forces to fight against Israel. So Achish said to David, "You realize, of course, that you and your men must go out on campaign with me to Jezreel."

2 David answered Achish, "Good! Now you shall learn what your servant can do." Then Achish said to David, "I shall appoint you my permanent bodyguard."

3 Now Samuel had died and, after being mourned by all Israel, was buried in his city, Ramah. Meanwhile Saul had driven mediums and fortune-tellers out of the land.

4 The Philistine levies advanced to Shunem and encamped. Saul, too, mustered all Israel; they camped on Gilboa.

5 When Saul saw the camp of the Philistines, he was dismayed and lost heart completely.

6 He therefore consulted the LORD; but the LORD gave no answer, whether in dreams or by the Urim or through prophets.

7 Then Saul said to his servants, "Find me a woman who is a medium, to whom I can go to seek counsel through her." His servants answered him, "There is a woman in Endor who is a medium."

8 So he disguised himself, putting on other clothes, and set out with two companions. They came to the woman by night, and Saul said to her, "Tell my fortune through a ghost; conjure up for me the one I ask you to."

9 But the woman answered him, "You are surely aware of what Saul has done, in driving the mediums and fortune-tellers out of the land. Why, then, are you laying snares for my life, to have me killed?"

10 But Saul swore to her by the LORD, "As the LORD lives, you shall incur no blame for this."

11 Then the woman asked him, "Whom do you want me to conjure up?" and he answered, "Samuel."

12 When the woman saw Samuel, she shrieked at the top of her voice and said to Saul, "Why have you deceived me? You are Saul!"

13 But the king said to her, "Have no fear. What do you see?" The woman answered Saul, "I see a preternatural being rising from the earth."

14 "What does he look like?" asked Saul. And she replied, "It is an old man who is rising, clothed in a mantle." Saul knew that it was Samuel, and so he bowed face to the ground in homage.

15 Samuel then said to Saul, "Why do you disturb me by conjuring me up?" Saul replied: "I am in great straits, for the Philistines are waging war against me and God has abandoned me. Since he no longer answers me through prophets or in dreams, I have called you to tell me what I should do."

16 To this Samuel said: "But why do you ask me, if the LORD has abandoned you and is with your neighbor?

17 The LORD has done to you what he foretold through me: he has torn the kingdom from your grasp and has given it to your neighbor David.

18 "Because you disobeyed the LORD'S directive and would not carry out his fierce anger against Amalek, the LORD has done this to you today.

19 Moreover, the LORD will deliver Israel, and you as well, into the clutches of the Philistines. By tomorrow you and your sons will be with me, and the LORD will have delivered the army of Israel into the hands of the Philistines."

20 Immediately Saul fell full length on the ground, for he was badly shaken by Samuel's message. Moreover, he had no bodily strength left, since he had eaten nothing all that day and night.

21 Then the woman came to Saul, and seeing that he was quite terror-stricken, said to him: "Remember, your maidservant obeyed you: I took my life in my hands and fulfilled the request you made of me.

22 Now you, in turn, please listen to your maidservant. Let me set something before you to eat, so that you may have strength when you go on your way."

23 But he refused, saying, "I will not eat." However, when his servants joined the woman in urging him, he listened to their entreaties, got up from the ground, and sat on a couch.

24 The woman had a stall-fed calf in the house, which she now quickly slaughtered. Then taking flour, she kneaded it and baked unleavened bread.

25 She set the meal before Saul and his servants, and they ate. Then they stood up and left the same night.

v 1.2. David’s covenant with Achish  now places him in a dilemma. Philistines are going to go to war against Israel, and David has no choice but to go against his own countrymen in order to keep his word with Achish. His reply was a little ambiguous, but Achish took it affirmatively, and appointed him as his life long body guard.

v 3-6. Saul is in a different dilemma. In spite of other failures, he had properly put out all necromancers, fortune tellers etc. from the land. Now Philistines were poised to invade and Saul was very much afraid. Samuel was dead, and the Lord would not answer Saul by dreams, by the priests through the Urim, or by prophets. It was his own actions that had shut the Lord out, why He would not hear his prayer, Ps. 66:18.

v 7-10. Since he couldn’t go to the Lord, he sought a medium, that he might gain an answer. Though they had been outlawed, Saul’s servant knew of one who had survived the purge, but Saul knew she wouldn’t talk to him if she knew who he was. Saul’s desperation is seen in that he had to skirt the Philistine line to get to her. The woman was fearful it might be a “sting” to trap her, but Saul promised her safety. She had safety from Saul, but not from Divine judgment for breaking God’s law.

v 11-14  The woman probably did much by fraud, but she is surprised to see the apparition of Samuel.  Saul did not see him but heard his voice, and identified him as an old man in priest’s apparel. This enabled the woman to recognize Saul.
There is much difference of opinion on whether or not this was of God. The wording in following verses seems to indicate it was, but look behond the words to their context. I believe this was demonic from start to finish.
God had quit answering Saul by any means at all, so Saul goes to a witch, a woman who should have been sttoned, to get answer in spite of God. Except for the defeat and day of his death, the apparition does not give any information that Saul does not already know. The creatures see saw would have been demonic, not angels.

v 15-19. How much better if Saul had consistently called upon God through Samuel during his life, but now it is too late. The Lord had departed from him and rent the kingdom from him because of his disobedience regarding Amalek, 15:3-9. Previously Samuel told him he was being replaced by someone better, 15:28, but here he specifically adds the name of David, which Saul already knew.  Samuel further informs him that the Philistines will win the the next day’s battle, and Saul and his sons will be killed. This was a true demonic revelation, and is fulfilled in chapter 31. We see examples in two New Testament of demon controlled people recognizing Jesus and Paul. If Saul was a believer, in spite of his many wicked deeds, he would go to the portion of Hades known as Abraham’s bosom, Lk. 16:22. If not, he would go to the other side, in torment.  We note that Saul was rebuked for disobedince, for saving the Amalakite king and for going to a medium. We shold stay away from fortune tellers, wiege boards etc.

v 20. Saul had bowed low, v 14, but at this message he collapsed flat on the ground. His strength was not helped by the fact he had lost appetite to eat in 24 hours.

v 21-25. Even though the woman’s life might yet be in jeopardy, she had grace and care to see that he got essential nourishment. His servants joined her in this. She even honored him as king by killing her pet calf and baking fresh bread for him. The men all finally ate and left, Saul going to his doom.