1st Samuel 28&29

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1^st Samuel 28:1-25

“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 enquired 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 enquire of her. And his servants said to him, Behold, there is a woman that hath a familiar spirit at Endor. 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, 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 [Hebrew: “judges”] 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 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.”

Introduction

[Audio versionhttps://resources.ccphilly.org/detail.asp?TopicID=&Teaching=WED663]

“Chapter 28, David has been in Ziklag, he is wearied and tired of Saul pursuing him, he says he’s like a partridge on the mountains, for years it’s gone on. And finally it seems that David, in a spiritual fatigue, has broken down and just left the territory of Israel and gone down actually to Gath to live with Achish, where Goliath had come from, he has 600 men with him and their wives, their children. And then he asked Achish, ‘Look, we don’t want to stay here in the royal city, how about, is their a smaller city? And Achish gave to David and his men the city of Ziklag where they were living.’ No doubt, outside of God’s will, outside of Israel, outside of the Land of Promise, and David just wearied, David making then raids on the Amalekites and the Geshurites, and you read through different marauding tribes, he had attacked them and slaughtered them, it says, men, women and children, he left no one left alive to tell Achish, very much unlike David, and very cruel, David no doubt patting his own conscience, being where he shouldn’t be, and he doesn’t want Achish to find out. He’s telling Achish ‘We’re raiding the southern area of Judah, we’re hitting there,’ and Achish is thinking ‘This is great, this kid’s endearing himself to me, the Jews are going to hate him more and more and he’s going to be my ally,’ and he finally tells David ‘Hey, we’re going to go to battle, you’re going to be right by my side, in fact I’m making you my personal bodyguard,’ and no doubt expecting David to give him a big smile, and David said ‘Well, we are going to see what we can do when we’re called upon,’ kind of giving him a strange answer. We’ll begin by reading chapter 28, verse 1, we’ve come as far as 28, verse 3, but it says, “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. 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.” (verses 1-2) ‘You’re gonna be permanently my personal bodyguard,’ David has got himself into a pickle now, being the personal bodyguard of the king of Gath in a war against his own people. [David had gotten himself pretty deep into this pickle, this lie, with no apparent way out. But God’s merciful, ass we shall see, and gives David and his men a way out of this lie.]

God’s Law Against Witches and Wizards

Now, verse 3, sets our context for what we’re going to look at this evening. “Now Samuel was dead, and all Israel had lamented him, and buried him in Ramah, even in his own city.” it’s giving us a side-note, no doubt at the instruction of Samuel, “And Saul had put away those that had familiar spirits, and the wizards, out of the land.” (verse 3) this sets our context. The Philistines no doubt are emboldened, because Samuel is dead. The Philistines were terrified of Samuel. The Philistines at times outnumbered the children of Israel with massive armies, and came. And it says Samuel at one point took a sucking lamb and took it to the mountaintop and cut it’s throat and sacrificed it, got on his knees and prayed, and the whole area shook, and it says the Philistines were discomfited and there was a great slaughter, with lightning coming down, they were scared to death of Samuel. They were superstitious, they were pagan. And now Samuel is dead, and no doubt they are emboldened, they know there’s tension between David and Saul, and no doubt rumours have spread of Saul’s madness to some degree. And now that Samuel is dead and out of the way, so the Philistines then are emboldened to move against Israel. But it tells us that king Saul, no doubt under the instruction of Samuel, had put away all of those that had familiar spirits and wizards out of the land of Israel. We’re told this in Exodus chapter 22, verse 18 it says “Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live,” that’s talking about religious, but just to give you a flavour of the constraints in regards to familiar spirits and so forth. [Comment: With Yahweh as the literal and real King of Israel, witchcraft and wizardry were in a very real sense treason against God’s nation of Israel, since witches and wizards owe their allegiance to Satan, he’s their king in reality. That’s why the death penalty was imposed, just as someone in the time of the kings, say of England or France, who was seeking the overthrow of the king or working for the enemies of the king, if captured, they were executed for treason. With Yahweh as the actual although invisible King of Israel, any worshipper of Satan within the territory of Israel, the Promised Land, would be doing so in treason against God’s government, nation, and God himself. That explains why the death penalty. Within the walls of the churches Jesus established through the apostles Peter and Paul, all the death penalties of the Old Testament Law of God were abrogated, as the Laws of God now applied to churches, and not a theocracy. Those New Testament churches of God were never created as or intended to be theocracies or theocratic governments ruling over mankind in general. If a believer consistently broke the laws of God within any of those churches, the only penalty was to put that person out of the church. When the Puritan government of the Massachusetts Bay Colony was formed, it was run like a theocracy, where death penalties could be imposed for disobedience against certain laws of God--that was a wrong application of the Law of God which was intended for the churches of Jesus Christ, they were wrong in forming that type of theocratic government over ordinary citizens of a colony or state. Now a form of Christian Nationalism is forming within the United States, and that is totally in opposition to proper Christian church government (for more on this subject, see https://unityinchrist.com/topical%20studies/America-ModernRomans6.htm.] Leviticus chapter 20 says “The soul that turneth after such as have familiar spirits and after wizards, to go a whoring after them, I will even set my face against that soul, and will cut him off from among his people. A man also or a woman that hath a familiar spirit,” you know, a medium, you go to somebody that’s a medium and they have a séance, “a man also or a woman that hath a familiar spirit or that is a wizard shall surely be put to death, they shall stone them with stones, their blood shall be upon them.” In Deuteronomy, as the Law is reiterated, where they go into the land, the LORD there says “When thou art come into the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those nations, there shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire.” When they worshipped Molech they put their newborn children into the brazen statue of Molech, it would be heated up until it was glowing, and they would sacrifice their children to Molech. He says “There shall be none among you that causes his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divinations,” this is tea cups, palm readings, you remember when Joseph was down in Egypt they had this special cup that they were taking readings from, “or an observer of times,” astrology, soothsayer, we have astrology in TV Guide today, we have it everywhere, we have people asking you ‘What sign are you?’ just say Stop Sign, that’s what I have. But astrology, forbidden. You know, we don’t believe in fate, the stars and the planets that supposedly determine our lives and our potentials, we have a loving Father in heaven, we have a Shepherd, we have a Saviour who died for us, whose the Lord of lords and the King of kings, who rules over the known Universe, and all the other planes, the spiritual planes, and he’s directly involved in caring for our lives. We are not consigned to any type of astrological fate. “Ye shall not have an enchanter,” those who use potions. Listen, as we go through this, realize, Paul forbid in the New Testament “sorcery,” that word is “pharmekia,” we get pharmacy from it, it is the using and selling of illegal drugs. I am not saying that you shouldn’t take your prescriptions, I take a prescription, I have to take a drug every day because they fried my thyroid with radiation years ago. So for the rest of my life I take a little pill, or I may start preaching strange things [chuckles]. I’m not saying ‘Don’t follow the directions of a physician,’ I’m saying the Bible prohibits the use of illegal drugs, when they use mushrooms, they used mescalin, they use potions and so forth, smokin’ dope, snortin’ coke, nothing new, nothing new. The average person in our culture does not get involved in sorcery, and when Paul used this specific word, he could have used other words, they didn’t get involved in sorcery by sacrificing a chicken in their living room or putting a pentagram on the wall, they got involved by smokin’ dope and snortin’ coke, that’s how the average sap, like I was, getting sucked into the world of sorcery and spiritual realms they shouldn’t be involved in. So “enchanters” are forbidden, “or a witch,” and it’s in the masculine here, which is a wizard, “or a charmer,” and that would be a witch, more feminine, which casts spells and so forth [Comment: In Africa today, “the buying of a charm” is a common practice, which yields the person buying such “a charm” protection, which obviously comes from the demonic world, so it is powerful protection (rich politicians often do it). The buying of a charm will often be done by the means of taking a human life, for various body parts, used in the making of “the charm.” I learned this from a Black friend of mine who attended the Feast of Tabernacles in an African nation some years back, and learned of this practice from the natives he met, who described the practice to him. Some of the practices going on in these nations are really dark, demonic. In America, Satan doesn’t want people to believe his demonic world is real, so it’s mainly hidden from us Americans and people in the rich, Western affluent nations. But it’s right out in the open in these poor African nations, and in India or the Southeast Asian nations, natives of those nations know it’s for real.] “or a consulter with familiar spirits,” again, we have channelers, we have séances, “or a wizard,” that’s specifically a channeler or a necromancer, one whose in touch with the dead, “for all that do these things are an abomination unto the LORD, and because of these abominations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee.” Look, human beings are keenly aware of eternity, in fact the Scripture says that God has put eternity in our hearts. Unlike the animal kingdom, again, the cows are not walking in the field, looking at each other saying ‘You know, why are we here? I feel like I have no purpose, leaves me Moooohdy all the time.’ Human beings are cognizant of the fact that they’re fragile, that they’re mortal, ‘What happens when I die? Why am I here?’ and that whole awareness we have of the spirit and of the body opens the realm for all these things (cf. 1^st Corinthians 2:9-13, read it). Listen, I don’t know if you saw in the news this week, one of the big Air Force bases, I believe now, they’ve set up a Wikan, a circle of rocks where those who are, and they have chaplains on some of the bases who are those into Wikan, that are into a form of witchcraft. It’s throughout our culture, throughout our nation right now. And besides that there are genuine families of Satanists that are there, with ritual abuse and so forth. God says, look, you want to know the future, you want to know about the spiritual, he sends Prophets, and we don’t have to go to the Psychic Hotline or the National Enquirer to get the predictions of the future [see https://www.unityinchrist.com/Prophets_Prophecy.html].

Saul Sees This Massive Philistine Army, And Tries Unsuccessfully To Enquire Of The LORD

So Saul, no doubt under the guidance of Samuel, whose a remarkable man, went through Israel and it says he rid Israel, put away all those who had a familiar spirit and wizards. Now this is going to set the stage for us, for this study. Verse 4 says, “And the Philistines gathered themselves together, and came and pitched in Shunem:” in the area of the Jezreel Valley, “and Saul gathered all Israel together, and they pitched in Gilboa.” Mount Gilboa. So Saul on the top of Gilboa, about 1,050 foot above the Jezreel Valley. He has a view of all of the Philistines there, no doubt very much like Joshua’s campaign, the Philistines know that if they can have victory there, they can cut the land in half. They have the resource of the Jordan River, it’s a strategic valley there where the trade would come down through the Jezreel Valley and so forth. So it’s a strategic place, and you have them camped there, it’s pretty far north for the Philistines, but this is a strategic move for them. “And when Saul saw the host of the Philistines, he was afraid, and his heart greatly trembled.” (verse 5) Now he’s afraid because of a guilty conscience, the Scripture says the righteous are as bold as a lion. Saul has turned his back on God, turned his back on God, rebelled against the Word of God, and tried to kill David over and over, knowing that David was going to be the rightful king.

Map of Israel During King Saul's Reign

And Saul now sees this huge host, and he is terrified, because his conscience is guilty. He hasn’t been walking with the LORD and he’s afraid, “his heart greatly trembled.” Notice this, “And when Saul enquired of the LORD, the LORD answered him not, neither by dreams, nor by Urim, nor by prophets.” (verse 6) So Saul’s seeking the LORD, it doesn’t tell us how many days in different ways, God granted no dream to anyone there, sometimes people in our church have dreams, I’m not a dream interpreter. If you come up and tell me you’ve had a dream, I think it’s great, I’ve had dreams, once or twice in my life, prophetic, we knew that after the fact, I don’t know how to interpret dreams. Daniel was good, I’m not, just save yourself some time. Most of the time when people tell me about those strange dreams, I think ‘You ate too much pepperoni pizza before you went to bed, that’s where this dream came from.’ And you know, sometimes dreams are from the Lord. His Word is how he speaks to me. “nor by Urim,” because he had slaughtered, Saul had slaughtered the priests and killed them all, David, evidently the ephod is with him at this point in time, and the Urim also, so there’s no answer that way for Saul. “nor by prophets,” the only prophets that were legitimate at this point in time had joined themselves to David. So, interesting picture. Now look, there’s a lesson here certainly for us. I would say when God is speaking, listen. The only thing that’s harder than obedience sometimes is disobedience, the only thing that’s harder sometimes in the things we know the Lord’s asking us to do, is when the Lord ain’t talking at all, and Saul is terrified. I don’t believe as New Testament believers, we can be in the same predicament that Saul is in. When we don’t listen, we get whupped, by a loving Father. It says in Hebrews 12 that chastening is not pleasant in the present, but it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness. In fact if we are the Lord’s children, and we are disobedient, that he chastens us. But listening is still easier than that. My encouragement to you and my encouragement to myself as I read through this, you know, God speaking to us is actually wonderful, it’s miraculous, it’s amazing. God not speaking is terrible [tell me about it]. So my encouragement would be when he speaks, listen. And it says here he is not speaking. Now for the unbeliever, you know, in the days of Noah God said ‘My spirit shall not always strive with man,’ look, the unbelieving world that we live in today, is running out of time. It’s running out of time morally, God, as you study him through the Old Testament, through the Scripture, doesn’t measure time with the clock and with the calendar, he measures time morally. And when a people come to the place where there is no longer redemption, God moves. God said to Abraham, he said ‘Your descendants are going to be taken down into Egypt for 400 years,’ he said ‘because the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet come to a full.’ God would wait over 400 years to judge the nations in Canaan, and even then, the prostitute on the wall, Rahab was able to come to a genuine faith…But God measures time morally. And by the way, we look around us, we watch what’s going on, I’m amazed as I listen to the news, and I hear the president of Iran telling Israel that on February 11^th we’re gonna smoke you. You listen to that, he’s giving a date. February 11^th, it’s the anniversary of the Islamic revolution, ‘so in February 11^th we’re gonna deal a major blow to you.’ Now, I’m here, will be here on the 17^th, so we may not even need him to come by that time. [as of 2021, the Israelis keep one or two modern Dolphin class subs with A.I.P. engines parked off of Iran, each with four launch tubes armed with its own Pop-Eye cruise missile, each missile armed with a 200 kiloton nuclear warhead, that’s 800 to 1,600 kilotons of nuclear explosive power parked off the Iranian coast, just waiting for orders to shoot, and as a former sub sailor, I tell you if they got that order, they will shoot first and ask questions later. Pastor Joe gave this sermon on 3 February 2010.] People say, how can he say that? Well he’s a radical Shiite Muslim of a particular persuasion that believes in sincerity that Allah, whom he thinks is God, it isn’t, but he believes that Allah has called him to start World War III so the Madi can come. He believe that with all of his heart, that’s why he does what he does, you have to understand. At the same time, very interesting, I don’t know if you saw the Israeli president, Netanyahu in Poland at Auschwitz there standing there addressing this huge audience, telling them, that the rebirth of the nation of Israel is the fulfillment of Ezekiel chapter 37, that God came to them in Europe and brought their dry bones out of their graves and breathed life into them again, and the present state of Israel is the fulfillment of Ezekiel chapter 37, and people just listening with their mouths open. Now, by the way, I believe if he’s saying that, he must be reading 38 and 39 too, I know he didn’t stop reading in 37. [Comment: I sincerely believe that is a misinterpretation of Ezekiel 37:1-14, which I believe points to the 2^nd resurrection, cross-referencing to Revelation 20:11-13 (see https://www.unityinchrist.com/E-Mails/June%2014/FallHolyDays-short.htm and understand as you read Ezekiel 37:1-14, read verses 13-14 very carefully, as it states that those being resurrected are being given the Holy Spirit, as well as being placed in their land again. The Israeli nation is a carnal nation right now, with not many living there that have the indwelling Holy Spirit in them. Also, all the Old Testament prophecies that have been already fulfilled and are in the history books, were literally fulfilled, they were not allegorical in their interpretations. So Ezekiel 37:1-14 that Pastor Joe is referring to is a literal resurrection back to life. Most Christians, and even some Jews misinterpret that prophecy.] So, we have these interesting tensions taking place in the world all around us this evening. [Comment: he’s saying that in February of 2010, it is now December 2022 as I transcribe this, and Vladimir Putin has invaded the Ukraine with the Russian army, the invasion having taken place on 24 February 2022. Ukraine has been enduring 10 months now of intense ground warfare, with the United States and NATO nations supplying the Ukrainian armed forces with weapons so that can keep fighting the Russian army. This war is giving the nations of the European Union, the EU, a HUGE incentive to unite into a superpower, which the Bible has prophecied for over 2500 years (see https://unityinchrist.com/prophecies/2ndcoming_4.htm). We are very close to the start of the 7-year tribulation, the first 3.5 years being when the Beast person and False prophet arise in Europe, uniting it into 10 nations under the authority of this dictator that is prophecied to come, and the last 3.5 years will be when the shooting war, WWIII will take place. We’re close, folks.] For you and I, God is speaking, Jesus said his Spirit would come and show us things to come, we have his Word speaking to us so clearly, so wonderfully. But for the unbeliever, that persists in a particular direction, and refuses to listen, I wonder if we’re running out of time, because God said his spirit will not always strive with man, man and his rebellion. God is not speaking to Saul, Solomon, the wisest man that ever lived would say this, “Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me: for that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD: they would [have] none of my counsel: they despised all of my reproof. Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devises. For the turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them. But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely and shall be quiet from the fear of evil.” (Proverbs 1:28-33) Here is Saul, it tells us he’s afraid, because he hasn’t listened, that’s Proverbs chapter 1, hasn’t given his heart to the LORD, and the LORD is not answering him.

Saul Seeks Out A Witch To Tell Him The Future

So look at verse 7 now, this is amazing, verse 7 says, “Then said Saul unto his servants, Seek me a woman that hath a familiar spirit, that I may go to her, and enquire of her. And his servants said to him, Behold, there is a woman that hath a familiar spirit at Endor.” Now, the Scripture said ‘anybody who seeks somebody with a familiar spirit shall be cut off from his people, shall be put to death.’ All of that is so clear, no doubt Samuel through his encouragement, Saul had cut off all of those spirits from Israel, now Saul himself turning against the very Word of God. God won’t speak to him, he feels like he’s in need of some spiritual direction with this battle in front of him, so he seeks a woman with a familiar spirit. The familiar spirit is called an “ov” or an “ob,” very interesting, it is a specific spirit that would communicate to her in regards to the dead, and “ov,” ‘find me a woman with an ov.’ So Saul, then, they said there’s one in Endor, the Well of Dor, the Spring of Dor. He’s gotta make a ten mile journey at night, from where he is, around the back of Shunem where the Philistines are, to get to Endor. If you go to Israel with us, if the Lord tarries that long, from the hill of Megiddo you can see the whole plain, from Carmel where this thing took place with Elijah, you can see the whole plain, you can see Gilboa, you can see Tabor, you can see Endor, it’s remarkable to see the whole thing laid out. So he’s got to make this journey at night, and it says “And Saul disguised himself,” as, how many seven-foot whatever he disguises himself as, the Jolly Green Giant, whatever he disguises himself as, he’s seven-foot tall, “and he put on other raiment, 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. 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?” (verses 8-9) ‘it’s a bust, you must be kidding me.’ Now, the question I always have when I come to this is, if she can’t recognize Saul, whose 7-foot tall, how’s she going to recognize Samuel when he comes up? She must have just taken Witch-101, she never got any further I guess. Listen to this, “And Saul sware to her by the LORD, saying, As the LORD liveth, there shall no punishment happen to thee for this thing.” (verse 10) Now it’s the last time we hear word Yahweh come out of the mouth of Saul, he’ll never say the word LORD again, he dies shortly after this. He just swore by the LORD, who in his Word said that you’re to put these witches to death, you’re to deal with this. Now he’s swearing by the same LORD that no harm’s going to come to her. Listen, when people are in sin and compromise, first of all, Saul’s trying to get her to do what she shouldn’t be doing. So, when you know Christians that are compromised, they’re backslidden, you can guarantee they’re out there recruiting, any Christians whose backslidden, first of all is outside the Church, they’re under conviction, Saul’s under conviction here, he’s afraid. Any Christian whose backslidden stands outside as a critic, and says ‘Oh those Christians, church, you don’t have to listen to them,’ and they’re recruiting, they’re evangelizing, they have their favourite verses on their bumper-sticker ‘Let he who is without sin cast the first stone,’ they got all their favourite verses, they try to gather everybody, because they need moral support. And here’s Saul getting this witch, swearing to her by the LORD. Saul, who do you think you are? you’re only a king, you’re only a man. He says that nothing’s going to happen to her if she’ll cooperate. “Then said the woman, Whom shall I bring up unto thee? And he said, Bring me up Samuel.” (verse 11) Now, we don’t know how much time is between verse 11 and verse 12, it seems like it happened suddenly. “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 “elohim” gods ascending out of the earth.” (verses 12-13) “god-like ones ascending out of the earth.” “And he said unto her, What form is he of?” ‘What did he look like?’ “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.” (verse 14) “and he’s covered with a mantle” that’s the exact same word that’s used in chapter 15, verse 27 when Saul took ahold of Samuel’s mantle and it tore, same word.

Bible Scholars Have Been Arguing Here For Longer Than I’ve Been Alive, ‘Is This Really Samuel?’

He’s wearing a mantle, “and Saul perceived that it was Samuel, and he stooped with his face to the ground, and bowed himself.” Bible scholars have been arguing here for longer than I’ve been alive, is this really Samuel? Is this really something that God allowed? [According to some interpretations, the dead are not conscious when they die, according to Solomon in Ecclesiastes, that the dead know nothing, and their human spirit when they die goes to God in the heavens, unconscious, until the resurrection back to life. If this is so, then this image of Samuel is a demonic apparition meant to look like Samuel.] Is this just a demon? What’s happening here? Because on one side, you have something that God prohibits. Would God allow something that he prohibits? this woman bringing up Samuel? Augustine said that the Church Fathers in his day [and this is the proto-Catholic church (see https://unityinchrist.com/history2/earlychurch3.htm)] believed that this was demonic, because it said that he “came up,” and in their perception hades and sheol were exactly the same thing, in the Greek hades is a place that’s down, sheol can be the grave, sheol can be the place of torment that’s down, and sheol can be the “unsaved realm,” it’s actually broader than hades [in scholarly interpretation]. But Augustine in his day said it can’t be Samuel, number 1, because he came up, number 2 is would he still be old? ‘I mean, I was hoping once I go to heaven and come back, and say ‘Man, he looked old, you should have seen him.’ So there is the whole side that say this can’t be Samuel, it’s a demonic deception. Over against that, on the other side, why would God in the passage distinctly condemn this business of a witch or a familiar spirit, and then allow it to happen? Number 2, if it was really a demonic spirit, why is the woman, the witch so freaked out? this is her business, she does it all the time. Because what she saw was not her nob, it was Samuel. And what happened was filled with reality, and it overcame her, and she freaked out. Not only that, when we read what Samuel says, I don’t find anywhere where God really allows Satan to speak on his behalf. The only time we hear Satan where he’s confronting Jesus, then we hear him quoting Scripture back to Jesus wrongly. But we’re going to have an entire passage here, and it specifically says Samuel’s speaking, and all of it is true, and there’s several major parts of it that are prophetic and 100 percent accurate, and God says in Isaiah ‘Hey, test me, let me see your gods, let me see idols, can they predict the future, can they tell it out accurately? Can they do this, can they do that?’ So there’s great evidence also here that this is in fact Samuel. She didn’t bring Samuel up. God allowed him to step back onto the scene. Questions, is it a resurrection of his physical frame? Is he really standing there? We don’t know it. Evidently Saul ends up hearing him, but doesn’t see him, because initially he says ‘What are you seeing?’ He falls down on his face, and then we have the dialogue going back and forth, it seems, between Samuel and Saul himself. You can say ‘Well that’s a contradiction of Scripture.’ Well look, it says it’s appointed unto man once to die, and then the judgment. But the widow of Zarephath, her son died and Elijah prayed and he came back to life, and Elisha prayed for the widow’s son, and he came back to life again. You have the widow of Nain’s son, you have Jairus’ daughter, you have four or five places in the Bible, you know, you have Dorcas, where people were raised from the dead. But I wouldn’t count on that if I were you, I would say it’s much more certain to say it’s appointed unto man once to die and then the judgment. You know, the billions of people that have lived over the past 6,000 years, I wouldn’t count on you being one of them that comes back again [except through a resurrection of the dead, of which the Bible predicts two are to take place]. Generally, I would think that’s a safe rule. [Comment: there are differing beliefs about the “unsaved dead,” heaven and hell within the greater Body of Christ. For some of these, see https://unityinchrist.com/plaintruth/battle.htm] Does God allow spirits to come back? Well we see Moses and Elijah with Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration [and there’s all kinds of interpretations for that one as well]. I’m not sure which way to go with this. Ten years ago when I taught it, I was leaning towards ‘Now this must be a demon,’ ten years later I’m leaning towards ‘I think this might be Samuel,’ could be because I’m going crazy, could be because I’m old, don’t believe anything I say, study this and have your own opinion. And at this point I’m convinced the woman did not bring Samuel, the LORD allowed him to come. [One thing is for sure, we’ll all find out which way it was at the soon-coming Wedding Feast of the Lamb (cf. Revelation 19:7-10).] It wasn’t her ob that she’s used to working with, and it just freaked her out and she screamed out in fear, her response to this gives us clearly the picture that she did not cause this to happen. So it says in verse 13, “for what sawest thou?” so at this point he doesn’t see Samuel, she describes Samuel as an old man with a mantle, if she had described Samuel in a glorified form Saul would not have known who he was, she describes Samuel as an old man with a mantle, and it says “And Saul perceived that it was Samuel, and he stooped with his face to the ground, and bowed himself.” (verse 14b) “And Samuel said to Saul, Why hast thou disquieted me, to bring me up?” insinuating he was at rest, my Pastor, Chuck Smith always said, listen, “If I drop dead, I don’t want you guys to get around me and pray for me to be resurrected, if I get out of here and get into glory, and you guys pray and I came back, as soon as I stand up I’m punching the first one of you in the nose I’m closest to.”…so there’s a complaint here from Samuel, ‘What’s your problem, man? I was at rest, why did you drag me back here?’ “And Saul answered, I am sore distressed;” not over his sin, the fact that the Philistines have a bigger army, “for the Philistines make war against me, and God is departed from me, and answereth me no more, neither by prophets, nor by dreams:” He doesn’t mentioned the priests or the Urim because he had killed the priests. “therefore I have called thee, that thou mayest make known unto me what I shall do.” (verse 15) Samuel must be thinking ‘You never really listened to God, why in the world would you listen to me?’ I’ve faced that in counsel all the time, people come and ask this question, and I’ll say ‘You’re here, in church, asking what you should do, which betrays the fact you already know what you should do.’ You’re not in a bar, you’re not at a psychiatrist’s office, you’re at church asking ‘What should I do?’ and the reason you’re here is because you already know. If you’re not willing to listen to God, why would you listen to me? Here’s what his Word says. You want to know what Mad Magazine says for your life? You want to find out what Ann Landers has to say to do, or Jacque Cousteau or something? Stick with the Bible if it’s ok with you. He says ‘I want to know what I should do?’ “Then said Samuel, Wherefore then does thou ask of me, seeing the LORD is departed from thee, and is become thine enemy?” (verse 16) Now Samuel’s going to mention the LORD seven times in these three verses, over and over he’s going to mention the LORD, that is something an ob wouldn’t do, not that I know any obs. “Then said Samuel, Wherefore then dost thou ask of me, seeing the LORD is departed from thee, and is become thine enemy? And the LORD hath done to him, as he spake by me:” now that has to be Samuel talking, “for the LORD hath rent the kingdom out of thine hand, and given it to thy neighbour, even to David:” and as far as we know, that was just Saul and Samuel when that happened. Now back in chapter 15 that’s what he said. He said ‘the LORD has torn the kingdom from your hand, and is giving it to your neighbour, a man that’s better than you.’ Now listen to what Samuel does here, he says “for the LORD hath rent the kingdom out of thine hand, and given it to thy neighbour, even to David:” he’s predicting, 100 percent accurate, “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. 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.” (verses 17b-19) Now, again, he foretells the future exactly. No ob has that ability. So, he says ‘Tomorrow, Saul you’re one day from eternity, you and your sons are one day from eternity.’ I think Saul wasted so many years, he had Samuel as his mentor, when you consider the character of Samuel, the man that he was, and here Saul was around Samuel personally all those years, to sit with Samuel, to ask questions of Samuel, just to pray with Samuel, we really don’t find that, opportunities that he had wasted, and he says ‘Tomorrow you and your sons are going to die in battle, you’re going to be with me.’ “Then Saul fell straightway all along 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.” (verse 20) he’s fasting, he’s that afraid, like that’s going to cause the LORD’s heart to turn in his direction. “And the woman came to Saul, and saw 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.” (verse 21) So, Witches and Handmaids Are Us, you know, she’s taken a broader role. “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.” (verse 22) So I don’t think she’s there with a black hat and big hooked nose with a wort on it, stirring some weird pot with snakes and lizards, speaking in a high-pitched tone ‘ah, let me give you something to eat before you go,’ I don’t get the evidence of that here. “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. 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:” she must have been a woman of some means, to have a fatted calf to slaughter, “and baked unleavened bread” because of the lack of time, “and she brought it before Saul, and before his servants; and they did eat. Then they rose up, and went away that night.” (verses 23-25) What a strange picture, what a strange picture.

1^st Samuel 29:1-11

“Now the Philistines gathered together all their armies to Aphek: and the Israelites pitched by a fountain which is in Jezreel. 2 And the lords of the Philistines passed on by hundreds, and by thousands: but David and his men passed on in the rereward with Achish. 3 Then said the princes of the Philistines, What do these Hebrews here? And Achish said unto the princes of the Philistines, Is not this David, the servant of Saul the king of Israel, which hath been with me these days, or these years, and I have found no fault in him since he fell unto me unto this day? 4 And the princes of the Philistines were wroth with him; and the princes of the Philistines said unto him, Make this fellow return, that he may go again to his place which thou hast appointed him, and let him not go down with us to battle, lest in the battle he be an adversary to us: for wherewith should he reconcile himself unto his master? should it not be with the heads of these men? 5 Is not this David, of whom they sang one to another in dances, saying, Saul slew his thousands, and David his ten thousands? 6 Then Achish called David, and said unto him, Surely as the LORD liveth, thou hast been upright, and thy going out and thy coming in with me in the host is good in my sight: for I have not found evil in thee since the day of thy coming unto me unto this day: nevertheless the lords favour thee not. 7 Wherefore now return, and go in peace, that thou displease not the lords of the Philistines. 8 And David said unto Achish, But what have I done? and what hast thou found in thy servant so long as I have been with thee unto this day, that I may not go fight against the enemies of my lord the king? 9 And Achish answered and said to David, I know that thou art good in my sight, as an angel of God: notwithstanding the princes of the Philistines have said, He shall not go up with us to the battle. 10 Wherefore now rise up early in the morning with thy master’s servants that are come with thee: and as soon as ye be up early in the morning, and have light, depart. 11 So David and his men rose up early to depart in the morning, to return into the land of the Philistines. And the Philistines went up to Jezreel.”

The Enemies Of God Are Always Aware Of Where God’s People Should Be And Shouldn’t Be

“Now the Philistines gathered together all their armies to Aphek: and the Israelites pitched by a fountain which is in Jezreel.” (verse 1) maybe Gideon’s Spring, it’s not specific. The Philistines are pitched in Aphek, listen, back in chapter 4, verses 10 and 11 it was at Aphek where the Philistines defeated the children of Israel and carried away the Ark of the Covenant. So again, they come back to this same position, feeling that maybe it works in their favour. “And the lords of the Philistines passed on by hundreds, and by thousands: but David and his men passed on in the rereward [old King James English for “rearward”] with Achish.” (verse 2) Here’s David and his men accompanying the king of Gath, Achish, with the hundreds and the thousands of the Philistines. And I have to think, what are David’s men thinking? They must be thinking ‘David, you have got us into a pickle this time. What in the world, why did we get ourselves into this?’ they’re out on the battlefield, amassing with the Philistine army of thousands and thousands to go slaughter the Israelites. “Then said the princes of the Philistines, What do these Hebrews here? And Achish said unto the princes of the Philistines, Is not this David, the servant of Saul the king of Israel, which hath been with me these days, or these years,” it’s been about 16 to 18 months, “and I have found no fault in him since he fell unto me unto this day.” (verse 3) the sense is he defected, ‘he came unto me, there isn’t anything wrong with him.’ Isn’t it interesting that the enemies of God are always aware of where God’s people should be and shouldn’t be. The unbeliever always knows how we should act. The unbeliever always knows where God’s people should be and shouldn’t be, they’ll tell you, ‘What are you doing here in a bar? Ain’t you a Bible-thumper? What are you doing at the racetrack, what are you doing here in this place? You’re not supposed to be here? Aren’t you one of those?’ And you’re dead in the water when unbelievers are rebuking you for not being a Christian. But they know where God’s people should be and shouldn’t be. ‘What are these Hebrews doing here? They shouldn’t be here, they don’t belong here.’ And Achish says ‘Hey, David’s been loyal to me, he’s been a blessing to me since the day he turned away from Saul, and he’s here.’ “And the princes of the Philistines were wroth with him; and the princes of the Philistines said unto him, Make this fellow return, that he may go again to his place which thou hast appointed him, and let him not go down with us to battle, lest in the battle he be an adversary to us: for wherewith should he reconcile himself unto his masters? Should it not be with the heads of these men?” (verse 4) they say, ‘Hey look, are you kidding me, that guy’s behind us in battle, the Israelites are in front of us, how do we know this guy David with his 600 warriors that are battle-proven are not going to turn against us, you know it’s going to be our heads rolling out there, what better way could he have to reconcile with his old boss, no thanks, we don’t want this guy behind us. We want you to get him out of here.’ And they say “Is not this David, of whom they sang one to another in dances, saying, Saul slew his thousands, and David his ten thousands?” (verse 5) that was a number one hit in Israel for a long time, it’s like Louey, Loui, everybody knows it for decades after it, everybody knows that song. And interesting, to David, the victory over Goliath is a faded memory now. He went out there as a 17-year-old boy and faced a warrior, a monster that the armies of Israel were terrified of, and trusted in the LORD. Now he’s living in Ziklag in a walled city for his protection. So different, it’s interesting to see that God uses this song here, to steer David’s life and to protect him, they still know that song, ‘Isn’t that the guy they sang that song about?’ “Then Achish called David, and said unto him, Surely as the LORD liveth, thou hast been upright, and thy going out and thy coming in with me in the host is good in my sight: for I have not found evil in thee since the day of thy coming unto me unto this day: nevertheless the lords favour thee not. Wherefore now return, and go in peace, that thou displease not the lords of the Philistines.” (verses 6-7) Now David can’t just say ‘All right!’ he can’t do that. “And David said unto Achish, But what have I done? and what hast thou found in thy servant so long as I have been with thee unto this day, that I may not go fight against the enemies of my lord the king?” (verse 8) ‘What have I done wrong? You don’t love me.’ “Enemies of my lord the king”? David, wrong enemies, wrong lord, wrong king. Now David’s done a lot of acting around Achish. Back in chapter 21 he acted like an insane person and drooled and dribbled, drooled on his beard, and Achish said ‘Get him outa here, I got enough nuts in the kingdom, I don’t need one more.’ (1^st Samuel 21:14-15) And now, he’s acting again, saying, ‘I love you, Achish, I want to serve you, I want to go to battle with you, I want to help in the fight, to fight the enemies of my lord king,’ David’s men must be saying ‘What!? let’s go.’ “And Achish answered and said to David, I know that thou art good in my sight, as an angel of God:” what god? one of the gods of the Philistines I guess, ‘he looks like an angel of Dagon to me.’ “notwithstanding the princes of the Philistines have said, He shall not go up with us to battle. Wherefore now rise up early in the morning with thy master’s servants that are come with thee: and as soon as ye be up early in the morning, and have light, depart.” (verses 9-10) “So David and his men rose up early to depart in the morning, to return into the land of the Philistines. And the Philistines went up to Jezreel.” (verse 11)

1^st Samuel 30:1-10

“And it came to pass, when David and his men were come to Ziklag on the third day, that the Amalekites had invaded the south, and Ziklag, and smitten Ziklag, and burned it with fire; 2 and had taken the women captives, that were therein: they slew not any, either great or small, but carried them away, and went on their way. 3 So David and his men came to the city, and, behold, it was burned with fire; and their wives, and their sons, and their daughters, were taken captives. 4 Then David and the people that were with him lifted up their voice and wept, until they had no more power to weep. 5 And David’s two wives were taken captive, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite. 6 And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the LORD his God. 7 And David said to Abiathar the priest, Ahimelech’s son, I pray thee, bring me hither the ephod. And Abiathar brought thither the ephod to David. 8 And David enquired at the LORD, saying, shall I pursue after this troop? shall I overtake them? And he answered him, Pursue: for thou shalt surely overtake them, and without fail recover all. 9 So David went, he and the six hundred men that were with him, and came to the brook Besor, where those that were left behind stayed. 10 But David pursued, he and four hundred men: for two hundred abode behind, which were so faint that they could not go over the brook Besor.”

David’s Final Lesson From The LORD

‘except the LORD build the house they labour in vain. Except the LORD watches, the watchmen labour in vain’

“And it came to pass, when David and his men were come to Ziklag on the third day, that the Amalekites had invaded the south, and Ziklag, and smitten Ziklag, and burned it with fire;” (verse 1) so they’re tired, a three-day undertaking to cover this much ground. Now the Amalekites are quite aware that the armies of the Philistines and Israelites are gathered up towards the Valley of Jezreel and all the attention’s up there, and they know it’s a great time to avenge themselves on David. Because David and his 600 men were raiding Amalekite strongholds and killing men, women and children, leaving no one alive, and they’re keenly aware that David and the army has left, that Achish’s armies are gone, so it’s a great time for them now to come in, and they come in while David is gone. Saul should have ended the Amalekites back in chapter 15, but now here come the Amalekites, they invade the south, and they burn Ziklag with fire, they’re having now revenge. “And had taken the women captives, that were therein: they slew not any, either great or small, but carried them away, and went on their way.” (verse 2) more merciful than David had been with their women. “So David and his men came to the city, and, behold, it was burned with fire; and their wives, and their sons, and their daughters, were taken captives.” (verse 3) fortified city, useless, ‘unless the LORD blesses, except the LORD build the house they labour in vain. Except the LORD watches, the watchmen labour in vain.’ Outside of God’s will, there is no fortress that makes us secure. And David is learning that here. David is, there’s no rest apart from God’s will, he’s seeing the ruin now of his supposed fortresss, the city’s burned, all of their wives are taken, false security is ripped out. This is the turning point of David’s life, his heart’s going to turn back to the LORD, this is the most important lesson David learns in 16 years or so of seminary now, where God’s had him in the wilderness, this is one of the most important lessons that he has to learn. He has stepped away from God’s path and now it has brought ruin. Imagine getting home tonight, they don’t have to imagine this in Haiti, imagine you getting home to the block that you live on, and every home on the block is leveled and burned, and you get there with your friends that live here, and all their wives are gone, all the children are gone, there’s nobody there. I mean it’s easy for us to just read through this, imagine what David and his men face as they come there, their wives are gone, the children are gone, the walls of Ziklag no doubt torn down, and they’re just standing there looking, standing there looking. They’ve come back to what they’ve thought was going to be their haven, and it was gone. “David and the people that were with him lifted up their voice and wept,” listen, “until they had no more power to weep.” (verse 4) Did you ever cry that long before? I’ve seen people there, that weep, they’re so broken they weep until they have no more power to weep, rarely, but I’ve been around several people like that. Again, years ago, out at the West Coast, when the Siberian Seven were first released from Moscow, Lydia Vashchenko was there and spoke to us, and she was empty, she was hollow, you could tell, she was cried out, there was nothing [see the story here]. And she talked about being a girl in Russia and the KGB watching the family, the things they did to them, they persecuted them, and one night at the dinner table because they were saying grace, they broke through the doors, they broke through the house, and they tore the family apart, and she was eight years old, and she said “I grabbed my mother’s dress, I was screaming,” and she said “they pulled me away,” and she said “I had a handful of my mother’s dress in each hand,” and she said “I had no idea that at eight years old anybody could be stronger than my mom or my dad.” And the family was separated for about 16 years, and she grew up in Gulags and concentration camps, and then she got into this place, caring for single moms and illegitimate children, working as a servant, and they knew she was a Christian, and she had watched this one baby born with great difficulty, and the mom died and she cared for this little girl and raised this little girl until she was between two and three years old, and because they knew she loved that little girl, she said they took that little girl and did experiments on her, and they cut her in pieces. And story after story, one day getting to the America Embassy in Moscow, and the rest of her family getting there, and they were in the basement I believe for 7 years, where Mike MacIntosh and some of the guys got involved and were able to negotiate and got them out. I remember when they got off the plane in Europe, they had Calvary Chapel Praise the Lord T-Shirts on, the whole family, but she came and she spoke to us at a pastor’s conference, and she said “You need to preach the Gospel in this country, you have no idea the freedom you have, the opportunity you have,” it may wear away as time goes on. But I just remember looking at her and you could almost look down into her, she was cried out, she had nothing left, her emotions were wrung out, it has no doubt been years before that. It says these were great warriors here, they wept “until they had no more power to weep.” “And David’s two wives” the Holy Spirit always takes note of that, double trouble, just reminding us “were taken captives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite.” (verse 5) “And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the LORD his God.” (verse 6) Now look, it’s a very interesting picture here. David, as it were, has become Saul, David has turned away from God’s plan and from God’s path. Because of that, these men, imagine you know, I’ve been to the Vietnam Memorial and you see guys there who were in that war together, you see them there looking in each other’s eyes, you see the tears, my Dad, Okinawa, Midway, it was a shame, and it was about time they up that World War II Memorial, but I would see him with someone who had been there, you’d see the look in their eye, they would tell the stories, they were comrades. But imagine 16 years with fighting the battles with sword and shield, these men no doubt had fallen in love, these men were knit together, you can imagine the pain when these men turn on David and they want to stone David and kill him, because he’s taken away their wives, he’s taken away their children, he’s taken away their livelihood. These are the men from chapter 22, verse 2, that says they were distressed, they were angry, they were broke, and they hated Saul because everything in their life had been taken away, and David’s standing there looking at them no doubt thinking they look just like they did back in the Cave of Adullam. ‘I’m looking at them and they look just the way they looked when they hated Saul. And here are eyes that I know, faces that I’ve seen with blood on them, these are men I’ve stood side by side with,’ and we have this interesting picture as it were almost of a tale of two kings here, that is so important. Because Saul turns to the witch of Endor, against unimaginable odds, and David, face to face with 600 men that want to put him to death, they are warriors, tough guys, and it says this “but David encouraged himself in the LORD his God.” (verse 6c) You see at Adullam David had been a victim, now David is the cause of the problem. And something dawns on David here, and he turns back to his God. David is alone with God again, and that’s exactly where God wanted him to be. It’s a turning point in his life, his faith is genuine, he cries out to the LORD, he turns back to God, the faith he had was not disingenuous, it was very real, and here’s David now turning back to God. And the thing that we’re going to fall in love with David about, is whenever we see David in extremity and in the most of terrible circumstances, David turns to the LORD, he doesn’t turn away from the LORD. So much so that God will rebuke Solomon and say ‘Your heart is not like the heart of your father David, who had committed adultery, murder,’ he says ‘Your heart is not like the heart of your father David, it isn’t perfect towards me like your father’s heart.’ Because David sinned, but never turned to another god, David did things wrong, but never turned to another god, that was not part of David’s makeup. Solomon would let his wives worship all of these other gods, he set up idols and so forth in Jerusalem. Here’s David returning back to his God, “And David said to Abiathar the priest, Ahimelech’s son, I pray thee, bring me hither the ephod. And Abiathar brought thither the ephod to David.” (verse 7) everybody’s standing around growling. Do they have stones in their hands? He says “I pray thee, bring me hither the ephod. And Abiathar brought thither the ephod to David.” First time we hear him praying in 16 months. He’s turned back to the LORD. Does he offer a sacrifice? I imagine he does, it doesn’t say that here specifically, but David now is broken before the LORD when he realizes ‘I have become Saul. I’ve become the very thing that my men hated back in the Cave of Adullam, their eyes are looking at me that way, they have lost their wives, they have lost their children, they’ve lost everything, they sound like they did back in Adullam, and it’s because LORD I’ve turned away from you. And my turning away from you has affected my family, it’s affected my wife, it’s affected my children, it’s affected other lives, LORD I’ve turned away. I haven’t sought you in 16 months, I’ve been in rebellion, I’ve been moving in the enemy’s territory, I’ve been where I shouldn’t have been, I’ve been fighting the wrong battles, I’ve been doing everything wrong.’ And he calls now for Abiathar, he calls for the ephod to be brought, “And David enquired at the LORD, saying, Shall I pursue after this troop? shall I overtake them? And he answered him, Pursue: for thou shalt surely overtake them, and without fail recover all.” (verse 8) ‘I’m not doing anything anymore unless I hear from you.’ David’s self-confidence is gone, it’s exactly where the LORD wants him, it’s a major turning point in his life. Listen, isn’t this beautiful. The LORD doesn’t say ‘Excuse me? Do I know you? Your voice is familiar but I don’t think I’ve heard that voice for a year and a half or so, where did we last meet? What’s your name?’ There’s none of that, there’s none of that in our lives, when a heart genuinely turns to the Lord, ‘LORD, shall I pursue? shall I step back into this, shall I have victory?’ ‘Pursue, pursue, you will surely have victory, and you will regather all, your wives, your children, pursue,’ another king, refusing to listen, turning to his own phony and empty spirituality, using the name of the LORD against the LORD. How many times do we find somebody who calls himself a Christian saying ‘Oh the Lord understands, it’s ok with him if I sleep with my girlfriend, he don’t care if I smoke pot, it’s natural.’ I hear some of the stupidest things, natural, what’s not natural, something from another dimension, lead is natural, shoot each other. Uranium’s natural, blow each other up, what’s not natural?... “So David went, he and the six hundred men that were with him, and came to the brook Besor, where those that were left behind stayed. But David pursued, he and four hundred men: for two hundred abode behind, which were so faint that they could not go over the brook Besor.” (verses 9-10)…[transcript of a connective expository sermon in 1^st Samuel 28:1-25, 1^st Samuel 29:1-11 and 1^st Samuel 30:1-10, given by Pastor Joe Focht, Calvary Chapel of Philadelphia, 13500 Philmont Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19116]