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Whether or not you believe in old ladies that fly a magic-powered broomstick, or the undead wrapped in linen, there is one that you should believe in with absolute certainty. You should believe in Jesus with a faith that makes you unafraid of anything. Hebrews 2 says that there is nothing hidden from the presence of God, and the psalms say that no harm will overtake you.
Welcome to Redemption Church. My name is Chris Fluitt and I say hello to everyone joining us in person and everyone joining us online.
We are in the last week of our spooky sermon series called Biblical Horror Story.
Tonight’s story is found in 1 Samuel 28 and while you are turning there, I want to ask you… are they real?
Vampires?
Mummies?
Werewolves?
Ghosts?
Witches?
Our Bible story tonight might make you think a little differently about the things that go bump in the night. Our story tonight is a tale I like to call the witch of Endor.
The Witch of Endor
To help me tell this story are dramatic readers playing 4 roles.
Narrator, King Saul, the prophet Samuel, & the witch of Endor
Narrator: The people of Israel wanted a king. God gave them a handsome and tall king named Saul. King Saul was the first king of Israel. The prophet Samuel anointed Saul as king and Saul tried to help the king, but on several occasions, Saul disobeyed the commands of God.
The prophet Samuel sternly told King Saul.
Samuel: Saul listen!
[1 Samuel 15:22-23] To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams. 23For rebellion is like the sin of WITCHCRAFT, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has rejected you as king.”Narrator: It has been many years, and now…
[1 Sam 28] 3 Now Samuel was dead, and all Israel had mourned for him and buried him in his own town of Ramah. Saul had expelled the mediums and WITCHES from the land.4 The Philistines assembled and came and set up camp at Shunem, while Saul gathered all Israel and set up camp at Gilboa. 5 When Saul saw the Philistine army, he was afraid; terror filled his heart. 6 He inquired of the Lord, but the Lord did not answer him by dreams or Urim or prophets. 7 Saul then said to his attendants,
Saul: “Find me a woman who is a WITCH, so I may go and inquire of her.”
Narrator: The attendants said ““There is one in Endor.” 8 So Saul disguised himself, putting on other clothes, and at night he and two men went to the woman.
Saul: Consult a spirit for me and bring up for me the one I name.
Witch: Surely you know what Saul has done. He has cut off the mediums and WITCHES from the land. Why have you set a trap for my life to bring about my death?
Saul: As surely as the Lord lives, you will not be punished for this.
Witch: Whom shall I bring up for you?”
Saul: Bring up Samuel,
Narrator: 12 When the woman saw Samuel, she cried out at the top of her voice and said to Saul…
Witch: Why have you deceived me? You are king Saul!
Saul: Don’t be afraid. What do you see?
Witch: I see a ghostly figure coming up out of the earth.
Saul: What does he look like?
Witch: An old man wearing a robe is coming up.
Narrator: Then Saul knew it was Samuel, and he bowed down and prostrated himself with his face to the ground. 15 Samuel said to Saul…
Samuel: Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?
Saul: I am in great distress. The Philistines are fighting against me, and God has departed from me. He no longer answers me, either by prophets or by dreams. So, I have called on you to tell me what to do.
Samuel: Why do you consult me, now that the Lord has departed from you and become your enemy? 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. 18 Because you did not obey the Lord or carry out his fierce wrath against the Amalekites, the Lord has done this to you today. 19 The Lord will deliver both Israel and you into the hands of the Philistines, and tomorrow you and your sons will be with me. The Lord will also give the army of Israel into the hands of the Philistines.
Narrator: 20 Immediately Saul fell full length on the ground, filled with fear because of Samuel’s words. His strength was gone, for he had eaten nothing all that day and all that night. 21 When the woman came to Saul and saw that he was greatly shaken, she said,
Witch: Look, your servant has obeyed you. I took my life in my hands and did what you told me to do.
Narrator: King Saul left the witch. The next day Saul and his 3 sons all died in battle.
Saul had heard the voice of a ghost.
Saul had enquired the knowledge of a witch.
But what Saul really needed was to hear & obey of the LORD.
The end.
Let’s have a round of applause for our performers.
The witch of Endor
Who were the characters in our story?
There was a king named… Saul.
There was a ghostly prophet named… Samuel.
There was another character… the witch of Endor.
Did that really happen?
That was a wild story.
There was a witch in that story who used dark powers to talk to the dead. Is that real or fake?
The Bible really talks about it like it is real. Some people may fake supernatural powers, but it seems like the witch in the story was not a fake. We know there are bad spirits called devils, and some people have relationships with evil spirits.
The people of God where commanded not to have anything to do with people who were using evil spirits to speak to the dead.
So… should king Saul been seeking the wisdom of a witch? No Saul was being disobedient to even go see the witch.
The witch calls forth the spirit of the prophet Samuel who had died. Did that really happen? The Bible leads us believe that it did happen.
The witch sees Samuel and the witch cries out and realizes that the man who asked for the spirit of Samuel was king Saul. The witch was afraid. King Saul was afraid and bowed down and laid on the floor.
Was Samuel a ghost? Are ghosts real?
A ghost is the spirit of someone who has departed. When someone dies, we bury their body, and the spirit of the person goes to a holding place awaiting Jesus to call them forward for judgment or for a rapture to heaven. Samuel is a spirit in this story, but do not be afraid… Ghostly spirits of the dead do not walk our streets or hide under your bed.
In this story God allowed Samuel to speak one last time to king Saul. What did Samuel say to Saul?
The answer to that question is also the answer to this question.
Why is this story in my Bible?
We believe the Word of God, even when we don’t understand the Word of God.
What do you think God wants us to learn from the story?
The spirit of Samuel told Saul that he had disobeyed God, and because he had disobeyed God he was going to be in trouble.
1 Samuel 28:18-19(NIV) 18 Because you did not obey the Lord or carry out his fierce wrath against the Amalekites, the Lord has done this to you today. 19 The Lord will deliver both Israel and you into the hands of the Philistines, and tomorrow you and your sons will be with me. The Lord will also give the army of Israel into the hands of the Philistines.”
King Saul is in the house of a witch and speaking to the spirit of a dead prophet… all because he did not obey the Lord.
This story in in our Bible as a reminder that we need to obey God. There is nothing more important than obeying God.
Saul did not obey God… and it affected his relationship with God.
If we don’t obey God… it will affect our relationship with God.
Saul stopped obeying the voice of God… so God stopped talking.
If we don’t obey the voice of God… God could stop talking to us.
Are you disobeying God?
Are you listening to God’s voice?
The Bible tells us that we all are sinners… we have all disobeyed God.
The Bible tells us what to do if we have disobeyed God…
1 John 1:9 (NIV) If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
In a few moments we are going to pray together. I would love to see all our families in this altar today. I would love to see everyone who wants to have a good relationship with Jesus in this altar today.
This verse says if we sin, we can confess, and He will forgive us.
This is exactly what King Saul needed to do… King Saul did not need to talk to a witch… King Saul did not need to seek a dead prophet… King Saul could have confessed his sin directly to God and been forgiven.
This story shows us that ghosts might be real.
Witches may be real…
But know this; GOD IS REAL.