1 Samuel 28

1 Samuel 28

Morgan - The Lord is departed from thee, and is become thine adversary.—1 Sam. 28.16. Perhaps there is no chapter in Old Testament history more tragic than this. Saul's visit in the day of his trouble to the witch of Endor, was the last manifestation of his degradation. Yet what a testimony it affords to that inherent capacity of man for the spiritual! In the day of his direct calamity, he knew the insufficiency of his own wisdom, the uselessness of human advice, and he longed for a voice from the spirit world. In order to secure it, he turned to a woman whose practices were condemned by the law of God. This is the history of spiritism always. It is more than strange how this story has been quoted in defence of things occult. As a matter of fact it condemns them. Let it be carefully read, and it becomes perfectly evident that this woman had nothing to do with the bringing up of Samuel. Still practising her black art, she commenced to practise the deceptions with which she was familiar. When Samuel appeared, she was startled beyond measure. That he did appear to Saul, there can be no question, but he did not come in response to her call. He was sent of God, for the express purpose of rebuking Saul for his unholy traffic with these evil things, and to pronounce his doom. The words are full of solemn import. God, departed from a man, becomes his adversary, and that in the necessity of the case. God never departs from a man until the man has departed from Him. Then, in the interest of righteousness, God is against that man. (Borrow Life applications from every chapter of the Bible) 1 Samuel 28:17 "The LORD has done accordingly as He spoke through me; for the LORD has torn the kingdom out of your hand and given it to your neighbor, to David. BGT 1 Samuel 28:17 καὶ πεποίηκεν κύριός σοι καθὼς ἐλάλησεν ἐν χειρί μου καὶ διαρρήξει κύριος τὴν βασιλείαν σου ἐκ χειρός σου καὶ δώσει αὐτὴν τῷ πλησίον σου τῷ Δαυιδ LXE 1 Samuel 28:17 And the Lord has done to thee, as the Lord spoke by me; and the Lord will rend thy kingdom out of thy hand, and will give it to thy neighbour David. KJV 1 Samuel 28:17 And the LORD hath done to him, as he spake by me: for the LORD hath rent the kingdom out of thine hand, and given it to thy neighbour, even to David: NET 1 Samuel 28:17 The LORD has done exactly as I prophesied! The LORD has torn the kingdom from your hand and has given it to your neighbor David! CSB 1 Samuel 28:17 The LORD has done exactly what He said through me: The LORD has torn the kingship out of your hand and given it to your neighbor David. ESV 1 Samuel 28:17 The LORD has done to you as he spoke by me, for the LORD has torn the kingdom out of your hand and given it to your neighbor, David. NIV 1 Samuel 28:17 The LORD has done what he predicted through me. The LORD has torn the kingdom out of your hands and given it to one of your neighbors--to David. NLT 1 Samuel 28:17 The LORD has done just as he said he would. He has torn the kingdom from you and given it to your rival, David. NRS 1 Samuel 28:17 The LORD has done to you just as he spoke by me; for the LORD has torn the kingdom out of your hand, and given it to your neighbor, David. NJB 1 Samuel 28:17 Yahweh has treated you as he foretold through me; he has snatched the sovereignty from your hand and given it to your neighbour, David, NAB 1 Samuel 28:17 The LORD has done to you what he foretold through me: he has torn the kingdom from your grasp and has given it to your neighbor David. YLT 1 Samuel 28:17 And Jehovah doth for Himself as He hath spoken by my hand, and Jehovah rendeth the kingdom out of thy hand, and giveth it to thy neighbour -- to David. GWN 1 Samuel 28:17 The LORD has done to you exactly what he spoke through me: The LORD has torn the kingship out of your hands and given it to your fellow Israelite David. BBE 1 Samuel 28:17 And the Lord himself has done what I said: the Lord has taken the kingdom out of your hand and given it to your neighbour David; RSV 1 Samuel 28:17 The LORD has done to you as he spoke by me; for the LORD has torn the kingdom out of your hand, and given it to your neighbor, David. NKJ 1 Samuel 28:17 "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. ASV 1 Samuel 28:17 And Jehovah hath done unto thee, as he spake by me: and Jehovah hath rent the kingdom out of thy hand, and given it to thy neighbor, even to David. to him: or, for himself, The LXX. read [soi,] and the Vulgate {tibi,} to thee; which is the reading of five of Dr. Kennicott's and De Rossi's MSS., as well as both the Bibles printed at Venice in 1518, where we read {lecha,} "to thee," for {lo,} "to him;" and as the words are spoken to Saul, this seems to be evidently the correct reading. Pr 16:4 as He spoke through me: 1Sa 13:13-14 1Sa 15:27-29 thy neighbour: 1Sa 15:28 16:13 24:20 1 Samuel 28 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Related Passages: 1 Samuel 13:13-14+ Samuel said to Saul, “You have acted foolishly; you have not kept the commandment of the LORD your God, which He commanded you, for now the LORD would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. 14 “But now your kingdom shall not endure. The LORD has sought out for Himself a man after His own heart, and the LORD has appointed him as ruler over His people, because you have not kept what the LORD commanded you.” 1 Samuel 15:27-29+ As Samuel turned to go, Saul seized the edge of his robe, and it tore. 28 So Samuel said to him, “The LORD has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today and has given it to your neighbor, who is better than you. 29 “Also the Glory of Israel will not lie or change His mind; for He is not a man that He should change His mind.” 1 Chronicles 10:13-14+ So Saul died for his trespass which he committed against the LORD, (2) because of the word of the LORD which he did not keep (SEE PASSAGES ABOVE); and (2) also because he asked counsel of a medium, making inquiry of it, 14 and did not inquire of the LORD. Therefore He killed him and turned the kingdom to David the son of Jesse. SAMUEL'S PROPHECY RE SAUL IS FULFILLED The LORD has done accordingly as He spoke through me - NET = "The LORD has done exactly as I prophesied!" CSB = "The LORD has done exactly what He said through me." Note Samuel's use of the past tense, so sure would be the events of the next 24 hours. For the LORD has torn the kingdom out of your hand and given it to your neighbor, to David - See above for the prophetic words of Samuel. Has torn is past tense just as it had been stated several decades before in 1Sa 15:28+. It was past tense then because it was so sure to come to pass (Why? because God does not change His mind - 1Sa 15:29+!). It was now even more sure, and in fact would be fulfilled within the next 24 hours when God would kill Saul for his disobedience to the Word of the LORD and for seeking a medium and turn over "the kingdom to David the son of Jesse." (see 1Ch 10:13-14+). There was nothing to add because Saul's heart had not changed since that fateful day almost 40 years earlier (estimate) at Gilgal (cf 1Sa 10:8+ with 1Sa 13:8-14+). 1 Samuel 28:18 "As you did not obey the LORD and did not execute His fierce wrath on Amalek, so the LORD has done this thing to you this day. obey: 1Sa 13:9 1Sa 15:9,23-26 1Ki 20:42 1Ch 10:13 Jer 48:10 the Lord: Ps 50:21,22 1 Samuel 28 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Related Passages: 1 Samuel 13:9 So Saul said, “Bring to me the burnt offering and the peace offerings.” And he offered the burnt offering. 1 Samuel 15:9; 23-26 But Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep, the oxen, the fatlings, the lambs, and all that was good, and were not willing to destroy them utterly; but everything despised and worthless, that they utterly destroyed.....23-26 “For rebellion is as the sin of divination, And insubordination is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, He has also rejected you from being king.” 24 Then Saul said to Samuel, “I have sinned; I have indeed transgressed the command of the LORD and your words, because I feared the people and listened to their voice. 25 “Now therefore, please pardon my sin and return with me, that I may worship the LORD.” 26 But Samuel said to Saul, “I will not return with you; for you have rejected the word of the LORD, and the LORD has rejected you from being king over Israel.” O, THE CONSEQUENCES OF A MOMENT OF DISOBEDIENCE! As you did not obey the LORD and did not execute His fierce wrath on Amalek - Note the phrase His fierce wrath indicating that Saul was to have been God's instrument for carrying out His divine edict and justice against Amalek. Saul refused to obey. In case Saul might think the prophetic decree was too harsh, Samuel turns the hands of time back almost 40 years to remind Saul of his moment of rebellion. There is a touch of strange irony here for in that former prophecy Samuel had declared "rebellion is as the sin of divination, and insubordination is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, He has also rejected you from being king.” What began with rebellion like divination came to an end with rebellious divination which cost him his kingdom and would cost him his life! (1Ch 10:13-14+) So the LORD has done this thing to you this day - The Judge of all mankind had tried Saul and found him wanting (of obedience) and judged him guilty of capital crimes against the LORD Himself. One is reminded of Daniel 2:19-23+ - "Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven; 20 Daniel said, “Let the name of God be blessed forever and ever, For wisdom and power belong to Him. 21 “It is He who changes the times and the epochs; He removes kings and establishes kings; He gives wisdom to wise men And knowledge to men of understanding. 22 “It is He who reveals the profound and hidden things; He knows what is in the darkness, And the light dwells with Him. 23 “To You, O God of my fathers, I give thanks and praise, For You have given me wisdom and power; Even now You have made known to me what we requested of You, For You have made known to us the king’s matter.” One is also reminded of the three words from another great prophet to another king some 500 years later, when the prophet Daniel declared to Belshazzar "Now this is the inscription that was written out: 'MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN.' "This is the interpretation of the message: 'MENE'-- God has numbered your kingdom and put an end to it. "'TEKEL'-- you have been weighed on the scales and found deficient. "'PERES'-- your kingdom has been divided and given over to the Medes and Persians. (EVEN AS SAUL'S WAS GIVEN TO DAVID). That same night Belshazzar the Chaldean king was slain. 31 So Darius the Mede received the kingdom at about the age of sixty-two" (Daniel 5:25-30+). F B