David in Enemy Territory
The Situation
David is standing in Philistine territory, wearing, as it were, the uniform of the enemy, preparing to march against his own people. This is what fear does when it leads instead of faith.
The Warning
This is the 2nd or 3rd order effect of leaning on your own understanding. An emotionally and spiritually empty heart will take you places you never intended to go — and you won't see the risks until it's too late.
"The Lord forbid that I should put out my hand against the Lord's anointed…" — 1 Samuel 26:11
The Spiritual Climate After Samuel's Death
The author pauses the story to remind us: Samuel had died. This is more than a factual statement — it sets the spiritual tension for what follows. Chapters 25–27 show David's response to challenges after Samuel died. Chapter 28 shows Saul's.
David's Encounter
A godly woman met David with wisdom from God — and David listened.
Saul's Encounter
Saul also sought a spiritual woman — but with a devastating difference.
Saul's Silence from God
"And when Saul inquired of the Lord, the Lord did not answer him, either by dreams, or by Urim, or by prophets." — 1 Samuel 28:6
The three means of seeking the Lord were gone: Samuel was dead, the Urim and Thummim belonged to David, and the Spirit had departed from Saul. His problems didn't begin when Samuel died — they began when Saul refused to listen to God's voice. Those who reject God's Word risk spiraling into darkness, unable to hear anything from Him.
Turning to Prohibited Means
The Disguise (v. 8)
Saul disguised himself and went by night to a medium at En-dor — the very practice he had banned from the land.
The Blasphemy (v. 10)
Saul swore by the Lord to protect the medium for disobeying the Lord. Samuel had warned: "Rebellion is as divination." — 1 Samuel 15:23
The Appearance (v. 12–14)
The woman saw Samuel and cried out. Saul knew it was him and bowed to the ground. In an uncommon act, God allowed Samuel's spirit to speak — not in grace, but in judgment.
The Lord prohibits divination not because it's fake, but because it's powerful. There is real spiritual warfare — be watchful and armored up.
Samuel's Verdict
"Why then do you ask me, since the Lord has turned from you and become your enemy?… Tomorrow you and your sons shall be with me." — 1 Samuel 28:16, 19
Saul wasn't seeking the Lord — he was seeking the Lord's answers. Samuel was brutally honest: the kingdom had been torn from Saul's hand and given to David because Saul failed to obey. There comes a time when sentiment must yield to truth. Tomorrow it would be done.
The Root Cause
Saul's failure to obey at Amalek (1 Sam. 15) was the turning point. His silence from God was not sudden — it was the culmination of a long pattern of rebellion and presumption.
Two Men, Two Tables
Both David and Saul were desperate. Both encountered spiritual women. Both were given something to eat. But the contrast is everything.
David
Poised to listen to God's voice → God sent a wise woman with food & wisdom from above → David listened → preserved.
Saul
Refused to listen to God's voice → went searching for a medium → listened to her → ate at the table of demons.
Just Like Adam
"Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten…" — Genesis 3:17. Like Adam, this was the last thing Saul ate before death.
Misdirected Spirituality
Where you turn in your hour of deepest need reveals the truth about your spirituality. Saul couldn't get answers from the Lord through prescribed means, so he turned to prohibited means. He wasn't seeking the Lord — he was seeking the Lord's favor. There's a big difference.
1
True Spirituality
Keeps turning to God even when He feels distant, silent, and disconnected.
2
Misdirected Spirituality
Requires God to answer immediately and favorably to maintain trust. It is superstitious, presumptuous, & rebellious.
3
The Test
The clearest evidence comes not in Sunday morning feels, but when God feels distant. Do you turn to Him — or away?
David said: "How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever?" Psalm 13:1 → "But I have trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation." — Psalm 13:5
"And It Was Night"
Saul ate, rose, and "went away that night" — a spiritual barometer, not a time stamp. It echoes John 13:30: Judas, after receiving the morsel, "immediately went out. And it was night." Another man who feigned spirituality, walked close to Jesus, connected with darkness, and died hours later — but not before handing over the Son of God.
The Gospel Contrast
Jesus entered the spiritual darkness of God's absence — "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Mark 15:34) — so that sinners who deserve to be forsaken could be reconciled to Him instead. He walked through the darkness so we could walk in the light.
Is Yours a Sincere Spirituality?
Until you've breathed your last breath, there is time to turn to Him in sincerity. That you continue to seek God when you feel His absence demonstrates the sincerity of your faith. Give thanks for the seasons that test your faith — they prove you've truly come to hope in Him.
The Question
Do you want God — or just His favor? Are you desperate for His presence or only His answers?
The Assurance
Continued seeking reveals what only God truly knows — the sincere state of your heart.
The Hope
Jesus entered our darkness so we could walk in light. Turn to Him — there is no one else we can turn to.
Thank the Lord the next time you're desperately seeking Him — in your continued seeking, you are demonstrating where your hope truly lies.