Gospel Reflections #1014: What Leads to Destruction

1 Samuel 28:7 ‘Saul ordered his servants, “Find me a woman who can summon the dead. I will go to her and consult her.” His servants replied, “There is a woman at En-Dor who can summon the dead.”’

This scene symbolises the spiritual and moral downfall of Saul, the first king of Israel, who had been forsaken by God. Driven by fear and despair, he resolved to seek help from a ‘medium’—an act forbidden by the Law.

The prophet Samuel, who had led Israel, had passed away, and the Philistines, Israel’s arch-enemies, had invaded with a vast army.

Driven by fear, Saul sought an oracle from God, but God gave him no answer whatsoever, whether through ‘dreams’, the ‘Urim’ (the divination instruments used by the priests), or ‘prophets’.

God remained silent because Saul had disobeyed God’s commands on numerous occasions and had once massacred the priests, thereby completely severing his relationship with God. 

Saul had once, in accordance with God’s law, banished mediums and spiritists from the land.

Yet, when he found himself in crisis, he was the first to turn to the very unfaithful means he had previously forbidden.

This reveals that Saul’s faith was not centred on God, but was merely a pretence tailored to his own convenience. 

When God remained silent, what Saul should have done was ‘repent’.

Yet Saul could not wait for God’s silence; instead, he sought to force an answer through ‘the occult’—magic and spiritism—which God detests most.

This passage depicts the ‘tragic end that befalls those who persist in refusing to listen to and obey God’.

Seeking counsel from Satan’s messenger meant crossing over into the enemy’s camp, but what was even more terrifying was that Saul had cast himself into Satan’s side.

Deliberately turning away from God and choosing one’s own path leads to destruction.

However, God never turns away a soul that comes to Him with a sincere and humble heart.

It is not a question of whether we are doing good or not, but whether we truly desire to come to God from the bottom of our hearts.

AUTHOR'S BIO: This Gospel Reflections page is written by Masae San, who resides in Hiroshima, Japan. Masae is a dedicated student of the Bible with a deep passion for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. She shares her daily reflections on Gospel perspectives to reach out to others and spread the message of God's true love through a Christ-centered approach. We are sharing her insights here so that you, too, can experience the joy that comes from knowing and understanding the true Gospel and the love of God through Jesus Christ.