“What does he look like?” he asked.
“An old man wearing a robe is coming up,” she said.
Then Saul knew it was Samuel, and he bowed down and prostrated
himself with his face to the ground.
Samuel said to Saul, “Why have you disturbed me by bringing me
up?”
1 Samuel 28:14b-15a
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Do you believe in ghosts? Whenever
the question comes up, I think of Samuel. I’ve never paid much attention to
this chapter of the Bible because the story of King Saul begging a medium to call up
Samuel’s ghost is odd in so many ways and leaves us with more questions than it
answers. More than anything it simply shows
us how unhinged Saul has become.
The chapter begins by telling us Saul has outlawed mediums. Then here he is consulting one himself
because he’s desperate to hear from God and the only way he knows how is
through Samuel, but Samuel is dead. Figures
he’d make a rule and then be the first one to break it.
I love Samuel’s first words.
“Why have you disturbed me?” Good
question and certainly furthers our expectation that in death we get to rest.
Reading this story, maybe the biggest question is whether God
truly gave up on Saul and, if so, does God give up on us?
No. “God is not . . . a human being, that he should change his
mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?”
(Numbers 23:19). 1 Corinthians 13:8 and Romans 8:38-39 both tell us that God’s
love never leaves us. There’s a great article with more scriptures here.
So why does Samuel say, “Why
do you call me when the Lord has abandoned you and become your enemy?”
(1 Sam. 28:16)
In my experience, God doesn’t leave
us, but it feels that way sometimes. I went through a season of not wanting to
hear from God and shutting God out. Saul
seems to have done this all his life. Maybe Samuel knew Saul wasn’t going to
listen to anything he didn’t want to hear.
What might God be trying to tell us that we don’t want to hear?
And now I must go ponder that question for myself.
Thanks, God.
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