"Samuel said to Saul, "Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?" "I am in great distress," Saul said. "The Philistines are fighting against me, and God has turned away from me. He no longer answers me, either by prophets or by dreams. So I have called on you to tell me what to do." Samuel said, "Why do you consult me, now that the LORD has turned away from you and become your enemy? The LORD has done what he predicted through me. The LORD has torn the kingdom out of your hands and given it to one of your neighbors--to David. Because you did not obey the LORD or carry out his fierce wrath against the Amalekites, the LORD has done this to you today. The LORD will hand over both Israel and you to the Philistines, and tomorrow you and your sons will be with me. The LORD will also hand over the army of Israel to the Philistines."

"Immediately Saul fell full length on the ground, filled with fear because of Samuel's words. His strength was gone, for he had eaten nothing all that day and night. When the woman came to Saul and saw that he was greatly shaken, she said, "Look, your maidservant has obeyed you. I took my life in my hands and did what you told me to do. Now please listen to your servant and let me give you some food so you may eat and have the strength to go on your way." He refused and said, "I will not eat." But his men joined the woman in urging him, and he listened to them. He got up from the ground and sat on the couch. The woman had a fattened calf at the house, which she butchered at once. She took some flour, kneaded it and baked bread without yeast. Then she set it before Saul and his men, and they ate. That same night they got up and left." (1Samuel 28:5-25, NIV)

I would begin by saying that I don't believe the vision that appeared to Saul through the Witch of Endor was really Samuel. Let me explain this statement.

The Hebrew words for "medium", "spiritists" and so on are b'el owb, which means, "possessing a familiar spirit".

God spoke about the punishment that would come to those who sought the services of such possessed individuals:

"'Do not turn to mediums or seek out spiritists, for you will be defiled by them. I am the LORD your God.'" (Leviticus 19:31, NIV)

"'I will set my face against the person who turns to mediums and spiritists to prostitute himself by following them, and I will cut him off from his people.'" (Leviticus 20:6, NIV)

"'A man or woman who is a medium or spiritist among you must be put to death. You are to stone them; their blood will be on their own heads.' " (Leviticus 20:27, NIV)

He had Moses tell the children of Israel that it was the practices of the original inhabitants of the land of Canaan, such as human sacrifice, divination, sorcery, witchcraft and consulting the dead, that had cause Him to decide that the children of Israel would destroy this people out of their land and take it from them.

"When you enter the land the LORD your God is giving you, do not learn to imitate the detestable ways of the nations there. Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. Anyone who does these things is detestable to the LORD, and because of these detestable practices the LORD your God will drive out those nations before you. You must be blameless before the LORD your God. The nations you will dispossess listen to those who practice sorcery or divination. But as for you, the LORD your God has not permitted you to do so. " (Deuteronomy 18:9-14, NIV)

Although we are not told specifically that the Witch of Endor was using the power of Satan to do her "consulting of the dead", we are told that she was "possessed" with a "familiar spirit", i.e., a demon, and by the scriptures quoted and many others, we know such things DO NOT come from God.

Whatever or whoever it was that Saul saw in his vision, it certainly was not Samuel for Samuel was dead [1 Samuel 28:3]. We also know that the dead "know nothing" and have no part "in any thing under the sun".

"For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing; they have no further reward, and even the memory of them is forgotten. Their love, their hate and their jealousy have long since vanished; never again will they have a part in anything that happens under the sun. " (Ecclesiastes 9:5-6, NIV)

Whatever or whoever it was that Saul saw in that vision, it (he) told Samuel that Israel was going to lose its battle and that Saul and his sons would be killed and Saul’s kingdom handed over to David. That is exactly what happened. [ 1 Samuel 31:1-6; 2 Samuel , chapters 1-5] God controls all things. Perhaps He controlled the vision that Saul saw, but I think it more likely that the demon in the Witch of Endor took delight in taunting Saul, the King of Israel.

Other Recommended Bible Study Resources:

• Timeline of Kings of Ancient Israel and Judah
• Old Testament Timeline of Events

Answer Given By: Clay Willis