Witching Hour for a Wayward King      1 Samuel 28:3-25 Sermon 10 September 5th, 2010     A woman went to the local psychic in hopes of contacting her dearly departed grandmother. The psychic’s eyelids began fluttering and she began to moan and eventually, a voice came, saying, "Granddaughter? Are you there?" The granddaughter, wide-eyed responded, "Grandma? Is that you?" "Yes granddaughter, it’s me." "It’s really you, Grandma?" the woman repeats. "Yes, it’s really me, granddaughter."   The woman pauses a moment, "Grandma, I have just one question for you." "Anything, my child." "When did you learn to speak English?"   “I see dead people.” That’s a phrase you don’t often hear from a pulpit, yet today it’s increasingly popular and acceptable to have some form of spirituality or interaction with the spirit realm. Think for a moment of all of the TV shows that deal with the supernatural: Medium, Ghost Whisperer, Crossing Over, True Blood, Reaper…to name just a few.   Do you believe that you can talk to someone who has died, who’s “crossed over”? 40% of Americans say that they’ve made contact with the dead. Many say that they’ve felt the presence of someone who has crossed over; they’ve heard a voice; felt a light touch; seen visual images of their lost loved one.   This morning we’re going to look at what the Bible says about talking with the dead. We’re looking at the story of a King, the very first king of Israel, Saul, who really did talk to a dead person. Of all of the night scenes in the Bible, this one is perhaps the strangest and most dramatic. The spirit of a dead prophet, Samuel, returned to announce the doom of this despairing king who was out of options. Samuel the prophet and Saul the King meet one last time, and it’s not a happy meeting.   According to European folklore, the “witching hour” is the time when supernatural creatures such as witches, demons and ghosts are thought to be at their most powerful, and black magic at its most effective. This hour is typically midnight. King Saul visits a medium, a necromancer, or what the KJV refers to as a “witch” to help him make contact with a dead person. Sadly, it was the Witching Hour for a Wayward King. My Bible is open to 1 Samuel 28 (p. 212). King Saul’s encounter with the Medium from Endor Story: The late Dr. William Culbertson, one time president of Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, often prayed, “Lord, help us to end well!” The saintly British preacher, F.B. Meyer, said at the close of his life, “I don’t want my life to end in a swamp.” What were they saying? Something that we all know, it’s much easier to start well than it is to end well. Remember Judy Garland. Nearly everyone has seen The Wizard of Oz. She was one of the brightest, yet most tragic stars from Hollywood’s Golden Era. Her acting career spanned nearly fifty years with some two dozen movies. Though an award winning actress, Judy Garland battled personal problems throughout her life, struggling for decades with prescription drug addiction. She was married five times, with her first four marriages ending in divorce. Attempting suicide on a number of occasions, she ultimately died of an accidental drug overdose when she was only 47. It’s much easier to start well, than it is to end well. Good beginnings are no guarantee of successful endings. King Saul is proof of that. If any one had a great opportunity to do God’s will, to be a success with God, it was Saul. Yet, King Saul, at the end of his life, consults a witch and then commits suicide the next day on the battlefield. Saul, tragically, went from hero to zero over the course of his lifetime. He started out with a heart for God and ends up going over to the dark side. If you think President Obama’s popularity is dropping, you should have seen Saul’s – his had submarined. He’s about as popular as Lebron James in Cleveland, Brett Favre in Green Bay or Michael Vick in Atlanta. His mentor and spiritual guide, Samuel, is dead and Saul is in deep weeds. The armies of the Philistines have gathered for battle against his army. Samuel isn’t there to rescue the nation; he’s not there to give King Saul God’s counsel. When Samuel was alive, he’d told Saul and the people over and over again what they needed to do to defeat their enemies. It was a very dark hour for the nation of Israel, but if God had deserted them, it was only because Saul had first deserted God. The Philistine arm is mobilizing, and Saul and his army aren’t ready to meet them. When Saul saw them assembled in battle formation, ready to go to war, he became very frightened. So King Saul has an emergency. Verse 6 tells us that Saul tries to get a hold of God, “[Saul] inquired of the LORD, but the LORD did not answer him by dreams or Urim or prophets.” He attempted to get in touch with the Lord through dreams but there was no answer. He had no prophet with him. The “Urim” mentioned was part of the official clothing of the high priest, part of his sacred breastplate and was used to get a message from God. But Saul didn’t have a high priest with him. No matter what means of communication Saul tried to get in touch with God, he kept getting a busy signal. There was no answer from God. Throughout most of his reign Saul did not have time for God and now God does not have time for Saul. And Saul is desperate. He fears going into battle without some communication with the supernatural world. In obedience to the Law and God’s command, Saul had expelled all psychics and those who used the occult from the land. Old Testament Law condemns all forms of spiritism, so Saul did the right thing in ridding the land of them. But now, with his own back is against the wall, he seeks their help. This issue, from the biblical point of view, is part of a larger question, the question of guidance. G.K. Chesterton, many years ago, pointed out that when men stop believing in the Bible, they do not end up believing in nothing, but they end up believing in anything. Whether we like it or not, we have an insatiable desire to know about the future, and we have a tendency to look in strange places for answers to our questions about it. That was King Saul. While Saul should have known better than to turn to the occult for guidance, desperate men do desperate things. Interestingly, he got an answer he didn’t want. Saul asks if anyone knew where there was a necromancer, someone who was able to conjure up the spirits of the dead for purposes of supernaturally revealing the future or influencing the course of events. The fact that some of his servants knew where a medium lived suggests that Saul’s clean-up campaign might have been more symbolism than substance. It also reveals that he had some officers who were at least sympathetic with the occult.  The night before this major battle Saul disguises himself, taking off every sign of royalty and dressing in common clothes. In a tragic sense, Saul is also revealing himself…the darkness in his own soul was coming out. He makes a ten mile trip, passing very near the Philistine lines. He didn’t want the enemy or this medium to recognize him as the King of Israel. But this medium is no fool. She hadn’t survived Saul’s purges because she was naïve. She wants to make certain that this is not some trap to catch her and condemn her. Spiritism was a capital offense in Israel, so Saul takes an oath using the name of the Lord whose law he was breaking that she would not be prosecuted. Then, and only then, she agrees to help him. Saul not only violated the law himself but he encouraged her to violate it too. He asked her to get in contact with the prophet, Samuel, the very man that Saul didn’t want to contact when Samuel was still alive. Samuel appears and this is where it gets really interesting. The medium, who is supposed to be in contact with the dead, is shocked when the dead person she is calling up actually appears. Mark it down. Samuel didn’t come up from the dead because she was a good medium but because the Lord willed it to happen. This was not, as she expected, a demon imitating Samuel or this medium using some clever trick – otherwise she wouldn’t have been shocked. She shouts when Samuel actually appears. She can see the prophet but Saul didn’t. But Samuel spoke directly to Saul and not through the medium. King Saul has only one question for Samuel, “What should I do?” The Philistines are ready to attack. Saul is both weak and worried, and the Lord had turned His back on him. Seven times in this brief dialogue Samuel used the word “Lord,” as he reminded Saul that God had departed from him because he’d refused to obey God. But the heaviest news of all from Samuel was that the next day in battle, Saul and his sons were all going to be killed in battle and join Samuel in the realm of the dead. When Saul heard Samuel’s prophecy, he falls helpless, prostrate on the floor. He’d wanted a message from the Lord but when it came, it wasn’t the message that he wanted. He was shaking with fear at the announcement of his death and that of his sons. He was also weak from fasting. Some mediums of that day required people to fast before they came to a séance. That may have been the reason Saul had fasted. But after Saul faints, the medium shifts into a maternal role, urging him to eat something. He had a long and dangerous trip back to his troops. He was going to need strength to lead his army into battle. Saul tries to tough it out and turns down food. But finally, the medium and the men who came with him talk him into eating what would be his last supper. Saul ate and then left the medium’s house. The next day Saul and his sons are killed in battle, and Israel’s armies are defeated. There are some vital truths for us in this story: It’s a very sad story. King Saul has a tragic end. In our own history it would be similar to Watergate and the resignation in shame by then President Richard Nixon. But God has made this part of His Word and He has vital truths for us here. Let me suggest then…   1. Christians should have nothing to do with the occult. Many believers think nothing of glancing at the horoscope column in the local newspaper. They know what sign they are. Horoscopes, as innocuous as they may appear, are not just products of someone’s imagination. The authors of these columns are astrologers; some are psychics. Astrological philosophy is based on the occult worldview that asserts "as above, so below." According to this worldview, everything in the universe is one and is connected; therefore, the patterns of the planets reflect our lives on earth. So when you read a horoscope, in a subtle way you’re either accepting that worldview or assigning some kind of value to it. The belief that the patterns and movements of the planets, sun and moon reflect our lives is in direct contradiction to Scripture. The stars and planets don’t direct our lives. It’s a sovereign God who controls our lives and this world. He created the heavenly bodies to reflect and proclaim His glory, not ours. Astrology is an occult practice of divination and is severely condemned in God's word. Even horoscope columns are rooted in the occult. They may be marketed in trendy magazines, but this packaging is deceptive. If you take reading horoscopes lightly or "just in fun," you’re denying that the occult is forbidden or possibly dangerous. To read horoscopes is to take God's word lightly and it’s trifling with the occult. In Leviticus 19:31 God says, “Do not turn to mediums or seek out spiritists, for you will be defiled by them. I am the LORD your God.” Leviticus 20:6, “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.” Ephesians 5:11 also commands us, “Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.” Jesus said that you can’t serve two masters. You’ll either love the one and hate the other, or vise versa. You’ll either look to God for your answers to the future… or you’ll look to the occult. God tells us He won’t share you in this matter! That’s why Christians are to have nothing to do with palm readers or séances or Ouija Boards or even horoscopes. It’s not only spiritual betrayal, it’s dangerous. Astrology is a religious system that originated with Satan. It’s his turf and domain.   2. Dead people do not come back from the grave unless God wills it. In Revelation 1:18, Jesus said, “I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.” Turn to Luke 16:19-31 (p. 741). We learn some important facts from this passage about what happens to dead people, about what they can do and what they can’t do. First, this passage clearly teaches that the righteous dead are not allowed to return to this earth. Remember, when the believer dies he/she is immediately in the presence of our Savior in heaven. Why then would they want to return to earth, even if they could? We also learn that the wicked dead in hell cannot return to interact with the living even if they wanted to. The rich man died and went to hell. While he is there, he’s in torment and asks for relief. He then asks Abraham to send Lazarus to his brothers to warn them of what awaits them in hell. Never once does he ask if he can return to warn them himself…he knows that he can’t return. But why not? Why can’t someone whose soul is in hell return to the living to warn them of the torment of the afterlife if they reject Christ. Abraham gives us the first reason. He says that those who are alive have Moses and the prophets that warn them of hell. He says the living have the very Word of God, the warnings of the prophets that God has sent among them, and the teachings of the righteous. Everyone has the opportunity to make the decision for Christ and salvation. If they won’t listen to the warnings that they already have, chances are they won’t listen to a ghost either. Some people refuse to listen to the truth no matter what form it comes in. But the main reason those in hell can’t return to earth and interact with the living is because they’re confined there until the Day of Judgment. The Bible talks about hell as having gates. Jesus said, “And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it” (Matt. 16:18). Gates have a purpose of either keeping something or someone inside of them, or outside of them. They act as a barrier. Hell’s gates confine the spirits of the wicked dead from escaping their punishment. Thus, the wicked dead, those who have never accepted Christ as their Savior, cannot return to haunt or speak to the living. So, if the spirits of the dead, which are called ghosts, are not allowed or cannot return to haunt or speak to the living, then what are those apparitions that do haunt the living? Who or what are people talking to or interacting with?   The Bible indicates that in the spirit world, the spirits are either righteous and good…they’re referred to as angels of light or messengers of God…or they’re evil referred to as evil spirits, demons, fallen angels. Each category of spirits has a hierarchy and the different levels go by different names. Angles of light can be called archangels, seraphim, cherubim, or just angels. Evil spirits can be called principalities, powers, seducing spirits, demons, fallen angels. 1 John 4:1 warns us, “Dear friends do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.”  So if we know that what people call ghosts aren’t really the spirits of dead people because they’re not allowed to interact with the living; that means they must be some other kind of spirits. That means they’re either angels from God or angels of the Devil. They’re either angels of light or angels of darkness. So how do we figure out which ones they are? How do we test the spirits? Well, let’s just assume for a moment that they could be angels from God. After all in the Bible several times we see that angels took on the form of man to bring messages to God’s people. People who say that they have seen ghosts say that sometimes they look like men or women that were once alive. They look like dead relatives, or famous people, etc. which is why many believe that they’re the spirits of those relatives or people. But as we’ve said, they can’t be since those spirits cannot communicate with us. But since angels have taken on the form of man to speak to the physical world before, could these spirits that people call ghosts actually be angels? Well, what do we know of the encounters that people say they have with ghosts? What do we know about hauntings or séances or the work of psychics? Have you ever noticed that the sites of hauntings are usually connected in some way to some sort of violence, horror, pain or evil? A battlefield, a prison, a place where someone was murdered or died an unnatural death, a place where someone was mentally or emotionally tormented or physically tortured. Likewise, séances tend to have a darkness associated with them. What’s one of the first things that they do at a séance? They turn off all the lights. And even psychics that supposedly talk to the dead are speaking to those who have had some sort of violence or evil befall them such as victims of a crime. When you compare these facts with the appearances of angels in Scripture, you’ll notice that there’s very little similarity. Angels of God are messengers that bring news of the will of God to humans. Hauntings are frightening experiences that usually trouble, confuse, or terrify people. Also, people who have seen apparitions or ghosts say that they look like people who once lived. But although the Bible says that angels have taken on the form of man to speak to humans, it never says that the people they are speaking to recognize them as some dead relative or person who once lived. They don’t recognize them as the spirit of a person. In fact, some of them weren’t even recognized as spirits. So while the Bible does not come right out and tell us directly that ghosts are not angels from God, I think that what we can conclude based on the instances where people encounter these spirits and what we do know about God’s angels, these all clearly shows us that ghosts, hauntings, and the supposed spirits of dead people that are talking to humans are definitely NOT angels from God. That then leaves only one possibility, they must be evil spirits. Remember, we said that the places that are most likely haunted usually have some sort of violence or death or torment associated with them? For me, that fact alone is evidence of the presence of Satan and/or his demons. When people say they see or can talk to dead people, they’re not talking to or seeing the actual ghost of that person. I believe they’re talking to a demon, an evil spirit that was familiar enough with that person when they were alive to pretend to be them. The next time you hear of a psychic talking to a dead person, or receiving a message from a dead person, realize that they aren’t talking to the dead. The Bible says that we can’t do that. They’re talking to an evil spirit. The next time you see a program about ghosts or haunted places, know that those apparitions are evil spirits impersonating the dead and you don’t want to have anything to do with it no matter how good or positive the messages or experiences may be.   3. Christians must be very cautious about dabbling with the Enemy. As a Christian, you know that you’re protected by the Holy Spirit that lives within you (1 Cor. 6:19-20). A believer can never be possessed or taken over by an evil spirit after that individual has given their life to Christ. However, that does not mean they cannot be attacked by, confused by, tempted by, oppressed, or even physically defeated by the enemy. It would be foolishness for anyone, even a Christian to purposely go to a place that they know is haunted by evil spirits, or to take part in séances or psychic readings or have anything to do with the occult. Just because the enemy can’t possess you doesn’t mean they won’t attack you. And if you purposely walk into their presence, don’t think they won’t attack you. As a believer, you’re their enemy and you’re stepping into their territory. That’s asking for trouble. Not only that, it’s also tempting God. It’s putting God to a foolish test and as Jesus clearly said to Satan in Matthew 4:7, when he tried that trick on Him, “It is written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”  Christians should stay away from anything that has to do with ghosts or spirits or hauntings. If there’s an evil or dark connotation attached to it, then don’t mess with it. It’s like setting one foot on the path to destruction. You’re opening a doorway that should remain closed and locked. 4. Today is always the day of repentance because we don’t know if we have tomorrow. Saul learned that his time was up. The next day he was going to die. Saul asked Samuel what he should do but Samuel never told him what to do, because it was too late to do anything. All Samuel told him was what would happen because God's judgment was already in motion. Before this time, King Saul had plenty of time to repent; but now time has run out. We can never assume that we’ll have as much time as we want to repent. The desire to repent, and the opportunity to repent are gifts from God. If we have the desire and the opportunity today, we must seize upon it, because it may not be there tomorrow.  5. There are no harmless sins. Saul’s disobedience not only cost him the kingdom and his own life, but his sons were killed with him. His son, Jonathan, was David’s dearest friend. He was a godly man yet because of Saul’s sin, God took the dynasty from Saul’s family and Jonathan too was killed in battle. The whole nation suffered defeat because of Saul’s sin. Too often we think that what we’re doing either doesn’t hurt anyone or only hurts us. Sin has long reaching ramifications. Conclusion: We have an expression that goes: “All’s well that ends well.” If this is true, all is not well, at least so far as Saul is concerned. Without a doubt, this encounter with a medium was the darkest day of Saul’s life – so far. The next (and his last) day will be even darker. Here’s the king of Israel, so weak with hunger and terror, he can’t even stand up. He’s dressed in some pathetic attempt at disguise, but that also has failed. He’s in the house of a medium, seeking to inquire of her. And when he manages to speak with Samuel, the prophet tells him only an ancient version of “I told you so.” He goes on to tell Saul that he and his sons will die in battle the following day. He offers him no encouragement, no hope, no chance to repent. It’s simply too late. What a tragic picture of Saul we see here. Yet forty years earlier, Saul was a promising young ruler and a marvelous physical specimen. He stood head and shoulders above his fellow-Israelites. He started his military career liberating the people of Jabesh-Gilead by decisively defeating the Ammonites. But his life ends in a tragedy. In fact, he takes his own life. God’s Word clearly affirms that we’re engaged in combat with an unseen enemy who is intent on destroying the human race: “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Eph. 6:12). That’s a frightening truth which no one should doubt or ignore. But many do doubt it and live as if it is not true. The Apostle John affirms that “the Son of God appeared for this purpose, that He might destroy the works of the devil” (1 John 3:8). There’s a spiritual battle raging with two and only two sides. Clearly, Jesus has authority over Satan and his forces. And everyone is on one side or the other. My friend, if you are not decisively on Jesus’ side, God’s Word says that you are against Him. To join His side, you must believe in Him, you must commit your life to Him and follow Him in obedient faith…and you must not dialogue or dabble with the darkness of the Enemy. Was King Saul a believer? I don’t know. Only heaven knows. I do know that at the end of his life, he dabbled with the dark side and his life ended in tragedy. He started out so well but he ended so poorly. How will your life end? Will you end well? Will you be faithful until the Lord calls you Home? By God’s grace, let’s determine not to just start well but also to end well!