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Saul Takes His Own Life
433
“Then Saul said to his servants, ‘Find me a woman who is a
medium, that I may go to her and inquire of her.’” The Lord had
forbidden attempts to talk with the dead, and the sentence of death
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was pronounced against anyone who practiced such unholy arts.
Saul had commanded that all wizards and those who arranged spirit
contact should be put to death, but now, in desperation, he resorted
to that which he had condemned as an abomination.
A woman who had an evil spirit was living in hiding at Endor.
She had promised Satan to fulfill his purposes and, in return, the
prince of evil revealed secret things to her.
Pretending to be someone else, Saul went by night with two other
men to find the sorceress. Oh, what a pitiful sight! The king of Israel
led captive by Satan! Trust in God and obedience to His will were
the only conditions on which Saul could be king of Israel. If he had
respected these conditions, his kingdom would have been safe; God
would have been his guide, the Almighty his shield. Although his
rebellion and stubbornness had nearly silenced the divine voice in
his soul, there was still opportunity for him to repent. But when Saul,
facing danger, turned to Satan, he cut the last tie that bound him to
his Maker. He placed himself fully under the control of the satanic
power that for years had brought him to the edge of destruction.
Under cover of darkness, Saul and his companions safely passed
the Philistine army. They crossed the mountain ridge to the lonely
home of the sorceress of Endor. Even though he was disguised,
Saul’s unusual height and kingly bearing showed that he was not
a common soldier. The rich gifts that he offered strengthened her
suspicions. To his request the woman answered, “Saul has ... cut off
the mediums and the spiritists from the land. Why then do you lay a
snare for my life, to cause me to die?” Then “Saul swore to her by
the Lord, saying, ‘As the Lord lives, no punishment shall come upon
you for this thing.’” And when she said, “Whom shall I bring up for
you?” he answered, “Samuel.”
After performing her magic rituals, she said, “‘I saw a spirit
ascending out of the earth. ... An old man is coming 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 down.”
It was not God’s prophet that appeared. Samuel was not present
in that den of evil spirits. Satan could as easily take the form of