The Witch of Endor and the Ghost of Samuel
The King’s Desperation and a Forbidden Path
The narrative of “The Witch of Endor and the Ghost of Samuel” found in 1 Samuel 28 stands as one of the most perplexing accounts in the Old Testament. It unfolds during a desperate hour for King Saul, when the Lord had departed from him and left him without divine counsel. The Philistines had gathered for war, and Saul, filled with fear, sought guidance from God, but found none.
And when Saul enquired of the LORD, the LORD answered him not, neither by dreams, nor by Urim, nor by prophets.
1 Samuel 28:6
KJV
In his spiritual emptiness and dread, Saul resorted to a practice explicitly forbidden by the Lord: necromancy, the summoning of the dead. This act revealed the depth of his apostasy.
The Lord’s Clear Prohibition Against Spiritism
From the earliest days of the Law, God had unequivocally condemned all forms of spiritism, divination, and communication with the dead. These practices were an abomination in His sight, rooted in the idolatrous customs of the nations surrounding Israel.
There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch, Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer. 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.
Other passages, such as Leviticus 19:31 and Leviticus 20:6, likewise warn against turning to “familiar spirits” or “wizards.” Saul himself had put away those who had familiar spirits, and the wizards, out of the land (1 Samuel 28:3). His decision to seek out a medium, therefore, reversed his own policy and defied God’s holy commands.
The Encounter at Endor
Driven by his terror, Saul disguised himself and, with two men, journeyed by night to Endor, where a woman with a familiar spirit resided. His request to her was clear:
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. 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.
1 Samuel 28:7-8
KJV
The woman, initially fearful because of Saul’s own decree against mediums, was assured of her safety by an oath from the king. When Saul requested the spirit of Samuel, the woman saw an apparition that caused her to cry out in alarm, recognizing Saul. Her description of what she saw:
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. 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.
The Appearance of Samuel
The central question arising from this account is whether it was truly Samuel who appeared, or a demonic impersonation. The KJV text explicitly states, “Samuel said to Saul” (1 Samuel 28:15), and refers to the apparition as “Samuel” throughout the ensuing dialogue. Four considerations are given for the reading that God, in His sovereignty, allowed Samuel himself to appear:
- The Text’s Plain Reading: The narrative consistently identifies the figure as Samuel. To argue otherwise requires reading into the text a meaning not explicitly stated.
- The Woman’s Reaction: The medium was genuinely terrified and surprised. This suggests that what appeared was not a typical “familiar spirit” under her control, but something beyond her power, likely a divine intervention.
- The Accuracy of the Prophecy: The message was a precise prophecy of Saul’s imminent death, the death of his sons, and Israel’s defeat, and it was fulfilled on Mount Gilboa (1 Samuel 31:2).
- God’s Sovereignty: While God strictly forbids necromancy, He is sovereign over all creation, including the spiritual realm. He can, and sometimes does, use extraordinary means to accomplish His will, even when those means are initiated through sinful acts. In this case, it served to deliver a final, damning judgment to Saul, demonstrating that even in his rebellion, God’s word would prevail. This appearance was not an endorsement of necromancy but a demonstration of God’s ultimate control and judgment.
On this reading, God in His divine prerogative permitted Samuel himself to appear to Saul, and the appearance served as a final judgment upon the king who had forsaken the Lord. Matthew Henry took the other view: that God permitted the devil to take Samuel’s shape, to drive to despair a king who would not enquire of the Lord. On either reading the sentence on Saul was the Lord’s, and the consulting of a medium remains forbidden.
The Message of Doom
Samuel’s words to Saul brought no comfort, only a pronouncement of doom:
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: for the LORD hath rent the kingdom out of thine hand, and given it to thy neighbour, even to David: 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.
Samuel rebuked Saul for his disobedience, specifically referencing his failure to utterly destroy the Amalekites, the sin for which the LORD had rejected him as king (1 Samuel 15:26). He then prophesied that Saul and his sons would die the next day and that Israel would fall before the Philistines. The phrase “to morrow shalt thou and thy sons be with me” means that Saul and his sons would be among the dead.
Saul’s Despair and Downfall
Upon hearing Samuel’s chilling prophecy, Saul’s strength completely abandoned him. He fell prostrate on the ground, overwhelmed by terror and weakness, having eaten nothing all day. The woman urged him to eat; he refused at first, but his servants and the woman compelled him, and he rose from the earth, ate, and went away that night.
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.
1 Samuel 28:20
KJV
True to Samuel’s word, the very next day, the battle raged on Mount Gilboa. Saul’s sons, Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua, were slain. Mortally wounded, Saul ultimately took his own life, fulfilling the prophecy delivered through Samuel’s apparition. His reign ended in defeat, a direct consequence of his persistent disobedience.
Enduring Lessons from Endor
The account of the Witch of Endor offers several lessons for believers today:
- The Gravity of Disobedience: Saul’s end shows the consequences of persistent disobedience. His rebellion led to God’s departure, which led to desperate measures and destruction.
- The Sovereignty of God: Even in the midst of a forbidden practice, God’s sovereign will prevailed: He used this extraordinary event to deliver His final judgment. This does not condone seeking mediums, but shows God’s power to use even the sinful actions of men to achieve His purposes.
- The Danger of Forbidden Practices: Despite the genuine appearance of Samuel, the act of seeking a medium was still an abomination to God. Such practices are inherently dangerous, opening doors to deception and demonic influence, and are never a legitimate means of seeking divine guidance.
- The Importance of God’s Appointed Means: God has provided legitimate and holy means for His people to seek Him: through His Word, prayer, and His appointed ministers. When these are forsaken, individuals become vulnerable to deception and despair, as Saul’s life tragically illustrates.
- The Reality of the Afterlife: The narrative, though not a comprehensive theological treatise on the afterlife, affirms the existence of spirits beyond physical death and God’s power to interact with that realm.
The episode at Endor reveals God’s holiness, His judgment against disobedience, and His sovereignty even over the darkest spiritual realms. It calls for obedience and for seeking the Lord through His appointed means, never through forbidden paths.