The Medium and Samuel’s Return (1 Sam 28)

Few scenes in the Bible are as dark and disturbing as 1 Samuel 28. Israel’s first king, once chosen and empowered by God, disguises himself, travels through the night (a journey of roughly three to six hours, depending on whether he goes by foot or by horse), and consults a medium at Endor (Ein Dor). The Philistine army has gathered for battle, Saul is terrified, and the LORD no longer answers him through dreams, prophets, or the priestly Urim and Thummim.

Desperate for guidance, Saul asks the woman to bring up the dead prophet Samuel. But why would Israel’s God refuse to answer the inquiries of Israel’s king? The answer goes back to Saul’s own actions.

Saul’s Rebellion

The Amalekites attacked Israel soon after the exodus, targeting those who were weary

, weak, and falling behind (Deut 25:17–18). Because of their persistent hostility, the LORD declared that judgment would eventually come upon them (Exod 17:8–16; Deut 25:19).

Generations later, God commanded Saul to carry out that judgment:

“Go and strike Amalek and completely destroy all that he has” (1 Sam 15:3).

Saul defeated the Amalekites but disobeyed the command. He spared King Agag and kept the best livestock and possessions, destroying only what he considered worthless (1 Sam 15:8–9). Saul claimed obedience, but the surviving animals exposed the truth. He blamed the people, sought public honor, and admitted that he feared them more than the LORD (1 Sam 15:13–14, 21, 24, 30).

Samuel responded that obedience is better than sacrifice and declared that Saul’s rejection of God’s word had cost him the kingdom. He added, “Rebellion is as reprehensible as the sin of divination” (1 Sam 15:23). This statement back in 1 Sam 15 turned out to be quite prophetic (1 Sam 28).

The Road to Endor

Samuel had died, the Philistines had gathered at Shunem, and Saul was terrified. He inquired of the LORD, but received no answer through dreams, the Urim, or the prophets (1 Sam 28:6).

Samuel had explained why the kingdom was being taken from him: Saul had rejected the word of the LORD. Saul wanted a new message to solve his crisis without responding to the message already given.

Instead of repenting, Saul sought a witch/medium at Endor who consulted the dead. The irony is painful. Saul had expelled mediums, yet now traveled in disguise to seek their help. The king who refused to obey Samuel while he lived now tried to summon him from the dead. Saul wanted different results without changing.

Was It Really Samuel?

When King Saul and his man arrived at the house of the medium incognito, we read:

⁸ Then Saul disguised himself by putting on different clothes and went, he and two men with him, and they came to the woman by night, and he said, “Consult the spirit for me, please, and bring up for me the one whom I shall name for you.” ⁹ But the woman said to him, “Behold, you know what Saul has done, that he has eliminated the mediums and spiritists from the land. Why are you then setting a trap for my life, to bring about my death?” ¹⁰ So Saul swore an oath to her by the Lord, saying, “As the Lord lives, no punishment shall come upon you for this thing.” (1 Samuel 28:8-10)

When the woman felt reasonably assured that no harm would come to her, she said:

¹¹ …“Whom shall I bring up for you?” And he said, “Bring up Samuel for me.” (1 Samuel 28:11)

No doubt the witch was taken back by the request, since Samuel was the prophet who served alongside King Saul; their names were often associated, especially in relation to the nationwide religious anti-medium reform that King Saul had carried out just a short time ago under Samuel’s guidance.

¹² 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!” (1 Samuel 28:12)

It is not easily understood how exactly she has correctly concluded that it was King Saul who was with her (perhaps his earlier confident oath gave it away), but the sense of the text seems to be that she was very surprised and even scared to see what she did. Saul quickly followed up:

¹³ …“Do not be afraid, but what do you see?” (1 Samuel 28:13)

The woman’s answer is very intriguing, especially if we see what she told King Saul in Hebrew:

“I see a divine being coming up from the earth. (אֱלֹהִים רָאִיתִי עֹלִים מִן־הָאָרֶץ, elohim ra’iti olim min-ha’aretz)” (1 Samuel 28:13)

Very literally: “The woman said to Saul, ‘I saw elohim (gods/divine beings) ascending from the earth.’” Both אֱלֹהִים (elohim) and עֹלִים (olim, “ascending”) are grammatically plural. Thus, “I saw divine beings coming up from the earth” is the most straightforward grammatical rendering.

Saul, focused on his mission and indifferent to everything else (he also did not eat anything for a while), clarified with her:

^{14 …}“How does he appear?” And she said, “An old man is coming up, and he is wrapped in a robe.” Then Saul knew that it was Samuel, and he bowed with his face to the ground and paid homage. (1 Samuel 28:14)

The Hebrew word for robe is meʿil (מְעִיל), a distinctive outer garment associated with prophets, priests, and important officials. Samuel is specifically described as wearing a meʿil earlier in the book. His mother made him “a little robe” each year when he served before the LORD (1 Sam 2:19).

The robe also carried a powerful personal memory for Saul. In 1 Sam 15:27–28, Saul grabbed the edge of Samuel’s robe as the prophet turned away, and it tore. Samuel then declared:

“The LORD has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today.”

Therefore, when the medium described an elderly man wrapped in a prophetic robe, Saul immediately connected the appearance with Samuel. The garment, Samuel’s age, and the supernatural circumstances together convinced him.

The most natural reading of the chapter is that the figure who appeared was genuinely Samuel, though the passage portrays Samuel’s appearance as something beyond the woman’s expectation or control. She herself was surprised, shocked, and scared. Additionally, the narrator repeatedly calls the figure “Samuel.” And Samuel’s message agrees completely with everything he had already announced during his lifetime. God, in His sovereignty, caused Samuel to appear to dramatically deliver the confirmation of his prior judgment. Samuel asked Saul:

“Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?” (1 Sam 28:15).

In his foolish stubbornness, Saul explained that the Philistines were attacking and that God had turned away from him. Samuel’s response was devastating:

“Why then do you ask me, since the LORD has turned away from you and has become your enemy?” (1 Sam 28:16).

Samuel then connected Saul’s present crisis directly to his earlier disobedience:

“Just as you did not obey the voice of the LORD and did not execute His fierce wrath on Amalek, so the LORD has done this thing to you this day” (1 Sam 28:18).

Saul Asked, But He Did Not Truly Seek

At first glance, 1 Samuel 28 appears to conflict with the later summary of Saul’s death in 1 Chronicles 10. First Samuel says Saul “inquired of the LORD” (1 Sam 28:6), while Chronicles says he “did not inquire of the LORD” (1 Chr 10:14).

“So Saul died for his unfaithfulness, which he committed against the LORD, because of the word of the LORD, which he did not keep, and also because he asked counsel of a medium, making inquiry of her, and did not seek the LORD” (1 Chr 10:13–14).

The Hebrew helps clarify the difference. In 1 Samuel 28:6, the verb is שָׁאַל (sha’al), meaning “to ask” or “to inquire”: Saul asked the LORD for information. Chronicles uses a different verb, דָּרַשׁ, emphasizing that Saul did not truly seek the LORD in a faithful, covenantal way.

The Faithful King

Saul’s failure points beyond him to Israel’s need for a better king. When the people first demanded a ruler like the surrounding nations, Samuel reminded them of what they had forgotten: “The LORD your God was your king” (1 Sam 12:12). Israel’s human king was therefore called to rule under God’s authority, faithfully obeying His word. Saul failed precisely at this point.

Saul rejected God’s command, protected his own honor, and sought divine guidance without genuine repentance. Jesus, by contrast, obeyed the Father completely, even when obedience led to suffering and death. Where Saul feared the people, Christ remained faithful to God. Where Saul tried to preserve his kingdom, Jesus surrendered His life and received an everlasting kingdom.

The gospel announces that Jesus bore the judgment deserved by rebellious people like Saul and like us. Through His death and resurrection, sinners are no longer left in darkness or cut off from God. Those who repent and trust in Christ receive forgiveness, reconciliation, and the Holy Spirit. We do not need forbidden paths to reach beyond the grave, because the risen King has conquered death and opened the way to the Father.

Conclusion

Saul’s journey to Endor began long before he entered the darkness that night. It began each time he heard the word of the LORD but chose his own judgment, protected his own honor, and postponed repentance. He still asked God for answers, but he no longer truly sought God Himself. That distinction remains relevant. We may desire guidance or relief while resisting the truth God has placed before us. Yet Saul’s story need not become ours. When Scripture exposes our disobedience, we do not need to hide behind disguises, excuses, or religious appearances. We can step into the light, confess what is true, and return to God, whose warnings are an expression of mercy. Saul sought a new word because he would not obey the old one. The wiser path is repentance, for those who truly seek the LORD begin by listening to the voice He has already given.