July 31, 2025
Please use the comment section on this page to share insights from today’s reading OR your own personal Bible reading.
Reading along with us in 1 Samuel and Mark? Here’s today’s reading:
1 Samuel 28 (NIV)
1 In those days the Philistines gathered their forces to fight against Israel. Achish said to David, “You must understand that you and your men will accompany me in the army.”
2 David said, “Then you will see for yourself what your servant can do.”
Achish replied, “Very well, I will make you my bodyguard for life.”….Continue Reading
This is such a great example of God using someone unexpected to get His point accross. Even the medium, who normally would use tricks and frauds to convince someone that she was bringing someone up to talk to, was shocked to see Samuel appear. It doesn’t specify that Samuel says who he is but she seems to immediately know and know that Saul is the king so perhaps the Holy Spirit opened her eyes to what was happening. But God uses this unlikely situation to remind Saul of the fate he already knew was coming and hopefully to scare straight the medium to turn from her life of sin and evil.
1 Samuel 28 and 29
Saul seeks evil means to solve his problem because God has turned his back on him because Saul turned his back on God. It is no wonder he is afraid of the Philistines because God is not on His side. God will never leave or forsake us, but as we follow a path like Saul where we are preoccupied with self, jealousy, hatred and the like, we will not experience God’s presence and He will not be able to bless or provide. We bare the burden of the separation/broken fellowship that we have caused. And in the same way that Saul had opportunities to repent, so we are given those opportunities too. It is even an expression of God’s grace that the tricks of this medium worked. I wonder how odd it was for Saul to ask his men to find one after he had banned them from Israel. As we follow evil, former good conviction easily passes away. So Saul receives the bad news from someone he is familiar with. It is amazing to think that he thought Samuel would tell him something different. That is how deceived we can become when we follow a wrong road….
1 Samuel 28
Here
1 Samuel 27 & 28
1 Samuel 28
Jeremiah 29
1 Samuel 28
”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!”“
I Samuel 28:10-12 NKJV
I think it is humorous that though the Lord has left Saul, he swears by the Lord that no harm will come to her. And then he asks her to summon Samuel, God’s prophet. Of course, Samuel’s message is consistent with his message while among the living.