At the beginning of Saul\u2019s reign, the prophet Samuel clearly warned Saul to fear God only and not people: “Only fear the LORD, and serve Him in truth with all your heart; for consider what great things He has done for you” (1 Sam. 12:24). But Saul did not heed this advise and instead took matters into his own hands over and over again. God did not answer him in this chapter because Saul had killed the high priest and 84 other innocent priests at Nob, because they had innocently helped David. Saul even had the wives and children of the priests killed. Because of his own rebellion and temper, he had removed God’s men from his life and had nowhere to turn for honest, godly counsel. He had no spiritually accountability.\u00a0Saul was now walking in even greater foolishness by seeking out the very ungodly resource of a medium, which he had previously had removed from the land. No doubt the medium normally tricked people into believing she had contacted the dead, but this time God allowed Satan to pull off a counterfeit miracle that frightened Saul to his core, though not enough for him to truly repent and turn back to God.<\/p>\n
It is amazing to see what great lengths God will go to in an effort to draw a man back to Himself. The gifted British pastor Spurgeon loved to tell this story to emphasis the truth that it is never too late. Some years ago a vessel sailing on the northern coast of the South American continent was observed making signals of distress. When hailed by another vessel, they reported themselves as “Dying for water!”\u00a0“Dip it up then,” came the response. “You are in the mouth of the Amazon river.”\u00a0There was fresh water all around them, and all they had to do was pull it up. They were dying of thirst because they thought themselves surrounded by seawater. Jesus is always available and near the honest seeker, even when adrift on an ocean of doubt. We sinners only have to reach down and drink to live. Salvation is close at hand.<\/p>\n
\u201cThank you, LORD, for living water. Help us to give it away to others today.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n =============================================================<\/p>\n\n\n\n 1 Samuel 28 KJV<\/p>\n\n\n\n 1<\/sup>\u00a0And it came to pass in those days, that the Philistines gathered their armies together for warfare, to fight with Israel. And Achish said unto David, Know thou assuredly, that thou shalt go out with me to battle, thou and thy men.\u00a02<\/sup>And David said to Achish, Surely thou shalt know what thy servant can do. And Achish said to David, Therefore will I make thee keeper of mine head for ever. 3<\/sup>\u00a0Now Samuel was dead, and all Israel had lamented him, and buried him in Ramah, even in his own city. And Saul had put away those that had familiar spirits, and the wizards, out of the land.\u00a04<\/sup>\u00a0And the Philistines gathered themselves together, and came and pitched in Shunem: and Saul gathered all Israel together, and they pitched in Gilboa.\u00a05<\/sup>\u00a0And when Saul saw the host of the Philistines, he was afraid, and his heart greatly trembled.\u00a06<\/sup>\u00a0And when Saul enquired of the\u00a0LORD, the\u00a0LORD\u00a0answered him not, neither by dreams, nor by Urim, nor by prophets. 7<\/sup>\u00a0Then said Saul unto his servants, Seek me a woman that hath a familiar spirit, that I may go to her, and enquire of her. And his servants said to him, Behold,\u00a0there is\u00a0<\/em>a woman that hath a familiar spirit at Endor.\u00a08<\/sup>\u00a0And Saul disguised himself, and put on other raiment, and he went, and two men with him, and they came to the woman by night: and he said, I pray thee, divine unto me by the familiar spirit, and bring me\u00a0him\u00a0<\/em>up, whom I shall name unto thee.\u00a09<\/sup>\u00a0And the woman said unto him, Behold, thou knowest what Saul hath done, how he hath cut off those that have familiar spirits, and the wizards, out of the land: wherefore then layest thou a snare for my life, to cause me to die?\u00a010<\/sup>\u00a0And Saul sware to her by the\u00a0LORD, saying,\u00a0As\u00a0<\/em>the\u00a0LORD\u00a0liveth, there shall no punishment happen to thee for this thing.\u00a011<\/sup>\u00a0Then said the woman, Whom shall I bring up unto thee? And he said, Bring me up Samuel.\u00a012<\/sup>\u00a0And when the woman saw Samuel, she cried with a loud voice: and the woman spake to Saul, saying, Why hast thou deceived me? for thou\u00a0art\u00a0<\/em>Saul.\u00a013<\/sup>\u00a0And the king said unto her, Be not afraid: for what sawest thou? And the woman said unto Saul, I saw gods ascending out of the earth.\u00a014<\/sup>\u00a0And he said unto her, What form\u00a0is\u00a0<\/em>he of? And she said, An old man cometh up; and he\u00a0is\u00a0<\/em>covered with a mantle. And Saul perceived that it\u00a0was\u00a0<\/em>Samuel, and he stooped with\u00a0his\u00a0<\/em>face to the ground, and bowed himself.\u00a0 15<\/sup>\u00a0And Samuel said to Saul, Why hast thou disquieted me, to bring me up? And Saul answered, I am sore distressed; for the Philistines make war against me, and God is departed from me, and answereth me no more, neither by prophets, nor by dreams: therefore I have called thee, that thou mayest make known unto me what I shall do.\u00a0\u00a016<\/sup>Then said Samuel, Wherefore then dost thou ask of me, seeing the\u00a0LORD\u00a0is departed from thee, and is become thine enemy?\u00a017<\/sup>\u00a0And the\u00a0LORD\u00a0hath done to him, as he spake by me: for the\u00a0LORD\u00a0hath rent the kingdom out of thine hand, and given it to thy neighbour,\u00a0even\u00a0<\/em>to David:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a018<\/sup>\u00a0Because thou obeyedst not the voice of the\u00a0LORD, nor executedst his fierce wrath upon Amalek, therefore hath the\u00a0LORD\u00a0done this thing unto thee this day.\u00a019<\/sup>\u00a0Moreover the\u00a0LORD\u00a0will also deliver Israel with thee into the hand of the Philistines: and to morrow\u00a0shalt\u00a0<\/em>thou and thy sons\u00a0be\u00a0<\/em>with me: the\u00a0LORD\u00a0also shall deliver the host of Israel into the hand of the Philistines. 20<\/sup>\u00a0Then Saul fell straightway all along on the earth, and was sore afraid, because of the words of Samuel: and there was no strength in him; for he had eaten no bread all the day, nor all the night.\u00a021<\/sup>\u00a0And the woman came unto Saul, and saw that he was sore troubled, and said unto him, Behold, thine handmaid hath obeyed thy voice, and I have put my life in my hand, and have hearkened unto thy words which thou spakest unto me.\u00a022<\/sup>\u00a0Now therefore, I pray thee, hearken thou also unto the voice of thine handmaid, and let me set a morsel of bread before thee; and eat, that thou mayest have strength, when thou goest on thy way.\u00a023<\/sup>\u00a0But he refused, and said, I will not eat. But his servants, together with the woman, compelled him; and he hearkened unto their voice. So he arose from the earth, and sat upon the bed.\u00a024<\/sup>\u00a0And the woman had a fat calf in the house; and she hasted, and killed it, and took flour, and kneaded\u00a0it\u00a0<\/em>, and did bake unleavened bread thereof:\u00a025<\/sup>\u00a0And she brought\u00a0it\u00a0<\/em>before Saul, and before his servants; and they did eat. Then they rose up, and went away that night.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" At the beginning of Saul\u2019s reign, the prophet Samuel clearly warned Saul to fear God only and not people: “Only fear the LORD, and serve Him in truth with all your heart; for consider what great things He has done for you” (1 Sam. 12:24). But Saul did not heed this advise and instead took […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_s2mail":"yes","footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/packinghouseredlands.org\/devotional\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6548"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/packinghouseredlands.org\/devotional\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/packinghouseredlands.org\/devotional\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/packinghouseredlands.org\/devotional\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/packinghouseredlands.org\/devotional\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6548"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/packinghouseredlands.org\/devotional\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6548\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16183,"href":"https:\/\/packinghouseredlands.org\/devotional\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6548\/revisions\/16183"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/packinghouseredlands.org\/devotional\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6548"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/packinghouseredlands.org\/devotional\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6548"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/packinghouseredlands.org\/devotional\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6548"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}