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“Who Knew It'd Be Possible?” • 8.30.15 • Calvary Christian
Fellowship, Sunday Morning Service
Intro.
- We left off last week with a man of God, who
had had enough. David made a decision to walk away, at least temporarily, from
God's direction and plan, into the realm of self-sufficiency.
- He was tired of being the hunted man and he
had a growing family unit. He requested asylum in Philistia and hoping to stay
under the radar, asked to be assigned to a city out of the way.
- I'm convinced that he wants invisibility,
peace and quiet, but his commitment to himself will come at a cost of
compromising his position as the future King of Israel.
• I Samuel
28:1,2 : "Now it happened in those days that the
Philistines gathered their armies together for war, to fight with Israel. And
Achish said to David, 'You assuredly know that you will go out with me to
battle, you and your men.' So David said to Achish, 'Surely you know what your
servant can do.' And Achish said to David, 'Therefore I will make you one of my
chief guardians forever.'" : Maybe David thought that it
wouldn't happen, but that's what we all think when we are in sin! The phrase,
"I would never" goes out the window and gives birth to "How did
I get here!?"
- In our study this week, we'll see Saul in
chapter 28 and David in chapter 29, in scenarios they thought they'd
never be in! Look at verse 3.
Text
•
I Samuel 28:3-7 : "Now Samuel had died, and all Israel
had lamented for him and buried him in Ramah, in his own city. And Saul had put
the mediums and the spiritists out of the land. Then the Philistines gathered
together, and came and encamped at Shunem. So Saul gathered all Israel
together, and they encamped at Gilboa. When
Saul saw the army of the Philistines, he was afraid, and his heart trembled
greatly. And when Saul inquired of the Lord, the Lord did not answer him,
either by dreams or by Urim or by the prophets. Then Saul said to his servants, 'Find me a woman who is a
medium, that I may go to her and inquire of her.' And his servants said to him, 'In fact, there is a woman
who is a medium at En Dor.'" : The
author brings us back in time to Samuel's death and Saul's response with regard
to religious reform in Israel.
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God's Word demanded that mediums and spiritists be executed, not expelled from
the land in the Mosaic Law, specifically, Leviticus
20:27.
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But it was not until the opportune time of Samuel's death that the King made it
his business to "expel" (NIV)
or "ban" (NLT) mediums
from Israel. It was a token move on his part.
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The word "medium" comes from a phrase meaning "water skin
bottle." The idea is that the medium became an empty vessel which then
spoke out the wishes and intent of the dead.
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The Greeks employed their word for "ventroloquism" to capture the
sense. The second words speaks to wizardry, a conjurer, a knowing one.
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With Samuel dead and the occultic leaders ousted from Israel, the superstitious
Philistines again threatened Israel and Saul panicked!
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He was in dreadful terror and the word tells us that Saul inquired of the Lord,
who didn't answer him by the usual methods, either dreams of by the Urim of the
prophets.
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These were the methods employed by people before God's Word was complete.
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The King or any person that God called could expect God to speak to them in
various ways.
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Saul came up empty each time, through any normal means. It's not that God
couldn't talk. It's that he wouldn't talk to Saul! What was Saul's issue?
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We have seen it time and time again. If God or a person didn't answer in a
timely manner, Saul simply took matters into his own hand. And when God did
communicate, Saul refused to listen!
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Being bereft of any scriptural source, Saul settles instead for a "spiritual"
source, namely from a medium. Hadn't he cast them out? His servants knew where
to find one.
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It's telling that the people that Saul kept around him were men with intimate knowledge
of sinful resource. It's not a wise thing for a person wanting to follow God to
maintain such relationships!
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In doing this, Saul ignored the clear teaching of Leviticus 20:6 which condemns any person who would turn to such an
individual to death! Saul figures that he is a dead man anyway!
•
I Samuel 28:8-14 : "So Saul disguised himself and put
on other clothes, and he went, and two men with him; and they came to the woman
by night. And he said, 'Please conduct a séance for me, and bring up for me the
one I shall name to you.' Then the woman said to him, 'Look, you know what Saul has
done, how he 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?' And Saul swore to her by the Lord, saying, 'As the Lord lives, no punishment
shall come upon you for this thing.' Then the
woman said, 'Whom shall I bring up for you?' And
he said, 'Bring up Samuel for me.' When the
woman saw Samuel, she cried out with a loud voice. And the woman spoke to Saul,
saying, 'Why have you deceived me? For you are Saul!' And the king said to her, 'Do not be afraid. What did you
see?' And the woman said to Saul, 'I saw a
spirit ascending out of the earth.' So he said to her, 'What is his form?' And she said, '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." : If an
Israeli citizen saw King Saul, it was usually from a distance and never without
his royal robes, thus the disguise and the late night cover of darkness.
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if you have to disguise yourself and go to lengths for anonymity, you are in
the wrong place!
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Saul asks her to perform a seance, which she is to do given the current climate.
The King uses the Lord's Name to assure her safety!
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Not only does Saul employ God's Name in vain, he does so at the sake of this
person's soul! He can promise no punishment on earth, but that wasn't the case
in heaven!
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This sadly misinformed King did not do this woman any services by not warning
her that her occultic practices were condemned before the Lord!
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Being a party to such things almost guarantees that we'll compromise the truth!
As she began her seance Saul asked her to bring up Samuel.
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She was in the beginning of her act of when she saw a spirit, literally,
"gods" acending and was afraid.
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I believe that she was afraid both because of the discovery of Saul and the
actuality of a true spirit showing up! She probably wasn't used to that!
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When Saul asked about what she saw, she replied that it was an old man covered
with a mantle and Saul came to believe that this was Samuel, which caused Saul
to prostrate himself.
•
I Samuel 28:15a: "Now Samuel said to Saul, 'Why have
you disturbed me by bringing me up?'" : For
those who have trouble wondering about whether or not this was Samuel, let us
allow the Bible to settle it. The author tells us that Samuel spoke to Saul.
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Samuel was not dispatched at the beck and call of a spiritist, as if they have
any power other than that of deception. Rather, God allows Samuel to make a
posthumous appearance.
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It certainly doesn't begin very well! "Why have you disturbed me?" In
the Greek translation, the word "annoyed" is employed!
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Samuel spoke from the other side, specifically having come "up" or
ascended from somewhere. Two things occur to each of us that require our
attention.
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First, Samuel was still alive. His body had died, but his spirit continued on
and went to "a" place. Physical death is not the end of life, but is
in fact, the beginning!
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The Sadducees didn't believe in the resurrection and presented Jesus with an
extreme example of Levirate marriage in which a woman married multiple brothers
who had died.
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She finally dies and they wonder, with snickering arrogance, which husband
would take on the wife in the resurrection. That was the pretext. The issue was
resurrection.
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That is when Jesus tells them, "You don't know your Bible. God is the God
of the living, not the dead, for all live to God." (Luke 20:37,38) Samuel was still alive and well!
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He's also not the only one to have come back in such a way from the dead? In
Matthew 17, the Bible records that
Moses and Elijah also appeared and talked with Jesus!
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This brings us to the second consideration: Where did Samuel go? In Luke 16:22, Jesus describes a place
called "Abraham's Bosom."
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The Bible describes it is a place separated from the unrighteous dead (16:23), wherein the righteous are
comforted (16:25) and are in a fixed
or permanent position (16:26).
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Jesus will later call it "Paradise" when He turns to the repentant
thief on the cross next to Him and assures him of his place in it on that very
day! (Luke 23:43)
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Samuel had been dwelling in Abraham's bosom, Paradise, the place of the
righteous dead which existed before Christ died and and subsequently emptied it
after His resurrection.
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Ephesians 4:8 tells us that Jesus
"led captivity captive" after His resurrection. The place where the
righteous dead had been, where Samuel had been, is now empty because Jesus
rose!
•
I Samuel 28:15b-20 : "And Saul
answered, 'I am deeply distressed; for the Philistines make war against me, and
God has departed from me and does not answer me anymore, neither by prophets
nor by dreams. Therefore I have called you, that you may reveal to me what I
should do.' Then
Samuel said: 'So why do you ask me, seeing the Lord has departed from you and has become your enemy? And the Lord has done for Himself as He spoke by me. For
the Lord has
torn the kingdom out of your hand and given it to your neighbor, David. Because you did not obey the voice of the Lord nor execute His fierce
wrath upon Amalek, therefore the Lord has done this thing to you this day. Moreover the Lord will also deliver Israel with you into the hand of the
Philistines. And tomorrow you and your sons will be with me. The Lord will also deliver the
army of Israel into the hand of the Philistines.' Immediately Saul fell full length on the ground, and was
dreadfully afraid because of the words of Samuel. And there was no strength in
him, for he had eaten no food all day or all night." : Saul laid out the situation before Samuel. He was in despair,
his soul cramped into paralysis, as the Philstines were again at his door.
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Saul laments that in his time of great turmoil, God had departed from him and
would not speak to him as He had before, which was why he called upon Samuel.
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Saul treated God as many treat Him today: As an idol who must perform in their
most desperate hour! Certainly, for the child of God, God does indeed meet His
own there.
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But Saul presumed that he could ignore God's call upon His life, ignore His
statutes and precepts and brazenly walk right into a place of spiritual
rejection and still expect God to answer!
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What an outrage! Will God be sought by such a person? Will He extend Himself on
that occasion when the person has made a life of insulting God? Samuel cuts it
straight for Saul.
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"God has departed from you and become your enemy!" What words top the
list of words that you wish never to hear? I imagine that these would be near
the very top if not the top themselves!
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God was actively moving against Saul. This should not have been a surprise to
Saul, as these were the implications of Samuel's words to Saul when he was
disobedient to the Lord!
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Years had passed and Saul had enjoyed the benefit of being the King, but God
was now calling him to account for that seminal moment of complete rebellion in
his life!
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When he spared the Amalekites, Saul turned fully and finally from God's way.
Saul knew he was doomed and fell to the ground like a dead man, unable to stand
before the judgment of God!
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Listen to those words again: "The Kingdom is torn from you and given to
David. Tomorrow you will be with me!" Saul would join Samuel, but most
certainly not in Paradise!
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Note first that Samuel's word to Saul was nothing new. This was what he had
said when he was on the earth! God's decree through him had stood and God would
now bring His Word to pass.
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From a human standpoint, the adrenaline of the moment had kept Saul going, but
when the excitement of the moment ran out, his body had nothing to convert into
energy.
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Spiritually, it is an apt picture of a man who has no ability to defend himself
before the mighty judgment of God! Saul is silent because all excuses fail
before the perfect, all seeing One!
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All arguments are closed and every mouth is shut before the Judge of all the
Earth! Even Saul, in all his splendor and might before men, lays helpless and
hopeless before God!
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May the thought seize you if you consider rebellion or are walking in blatant
disobedience to His Word today!
•
I Samuel 28:21-25 : "And the woman came to Saul and saw
that he was severely troubled, and said to him, 'Look, your maidservant has
obeyed your voice, and I have put my life in my hands and heeded the words
which you spoke to me. Now therefore, please, heed also the voice of your maidservant,
and let me set a piece of bread before you; and eat, that you may have strength
when you go on your way.' But he refused and said, 'I will not eat.' So his servants, together with the woman, urged him; and
he heeded their voice. Then he arose from the ground and sat on the bed. Now the woman had a fatted calf in the house, and she
hastened to kill it. And she took flour and kneaded it, and baked unleavened
bread from it. So she brought it before Saul
and his servants, and they ate. Then they rose and went away that night." : Saul was distraught, greatly shaken before the woman, causing
her to pity Saul's condition and to offer him food.
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He's just been told that tomorrow will be his last day on Earth! He will be
joining Samuel in the realm of the dead! How does he respond?
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Does he call out to God for mercy? Does he get on his knees and repent? No, he
sits there unable or unwilling to act!
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His hopeless condition forced him to initially refuse to eat until his men
joined her in pleading. For all intents and purposes, this is Saul's final
meal, after which, they left the medium's house.
• I Samuel
29:1,2 : "Then the Philistines
gathered together all their armies at Aphek, and the Israelites encamped by a
fountain which is in Jezreel. And the lords of the
Philistines passed in review by hundreds and by thousands, but David and his
men passed in review at the rear with Achish." : We are now brought into the present moment in Philistia and
David's "how did I get here?" moment.
- David is marching into attack position
against Israel! Can you imagine what was going through David's mind? How about
his men? They could not want this, but how could they get out?
- If David goes into battle against Israel,
there is no way he will ever be the King! That would have been an unforgiveable
offense!
• I Samuel
29:1,2 : "Then the princes of the
Philistines said, 'What are these Hebrews doing here?' And Achish said to the princes of
the Philistines, 'Is this not David, the servant of Saul king of Israel, who
has been with me these days, or these years? And to this day I have found no
fault in him since he defected to me.' But the princes of the Philistines were angry with him; so the
princes of the Philistines said to him, 'Make this fellow return, that he may
go back to the place which you have appointed for him, and do not let him go
down with us to battle, lest in the battle he become our adversary. For with
what could he reconcile himself to his master, if not with the heads of these
men? Is this
not David, of whom they sang to one another in dances, saying: ‘Saul
has slain his thousands,
and David his ten thousands’?'"
: God intervened through the discontent of
the Philistine soldiers who decried David's presence!
- The enemies of God know when a person or
group of people are somewhere that they do not belong! You know it's bad when
the world rebukes you! "Aren't you supposed to be a Christian?"
- Achish defended David, but the commanders
made sure to make their point quickly. There was no better way for David to
return to national favor than to betray them in battle.
- They bring the national anthem of Israel to
his attention: David has killed his ten thousands! Don't forget who you are
dealing with Achish!
• I Samuel
29:6-11 : "Then Achish called David
and said to him, 'Surely, as the Lord
lives, you have been upright, and your going out and your coming in with me in
the army is good in my sight. For to this day I have not found evil in you
since the day of your coming to me. Nevertheless the lords do not favor you. Therefore
return now, and go in peace, that you may not displease the lords of the
Philistines.' So
David said to Achish, 'But what have I done? And to this day what have you
found in your servant as long as I have been with you, that I may not go and
fight against the enemies of my lord the king?' Then Achish answered and said to
David, 'I know that you are as good in my sight as an angel of God;
nevertheless the princes of the Philistines have said, ‘He shall not go up with
us to the battle.’ Now therefore, rise early in the morning with your master’s
servants who have come with you. And as soon as you are up early in
the morning and have light, depart.' So David and his men rose early to depart in the morning, to
return to the land of the Philistines. And the Philistines went up to Jezreel." : Achish has been thoroughly deceived! David has not been a good
man, not by a mile!
- He hadn't found evil because he hadn't looked
very hard! Thankfully, in God's sovereign protective hand, the opinions of the
Philistine captains won out!
- David, either truly disappointed or playing
out the deception objects, which brings more praise to David from Achish.
"You've been like an angel to me!"
- David and his men could stay the night, but
would have to leave at sunrise the next day. David is living the reality of a
compromised life. He is no good to the world or to the Lord! Sad.
Conclusion
- Two
men. Two stories which could not have been believed. Two destinies being worked
out in time. Saul was a man who was doomed because of his obstinant, blatant
rebellion against God.
- He
stood silent before the Lord, as He spoke through Samuel, the King's doom.
-
David is spared from a treasonous act by the superintending grace of God, but
his failure to trust the Lord had led him to that moment.
- How
you respond to God's Word today sets your path for tomorrow and your destiny
for eternity! I have said it week after week, but I remind you now.
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Jesus Christ lived perfectly before God, fulfilling His righteous law for 33
years. He died vicariously, taking on the sins of the World at His death.
- He
rose victoriously, defeating sin and death and providing righteousness for
those who believe, trust, place their hope in Him! He lives eternally to show
His love toward them!
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Today, if you will go to hell, know you must go over His proverbial dead body!
I pray though, that you will trust Him and know the life He wants to give you!