I Samuel 28:11-12
“Finally, the woman said, ‘Well, whose spirit do you want me to call up?’ ‘Call up Samuel,’ Saul replied. When the woman saw Samuel, she screamed, ‘You’ve deceived me! You are Saul’”
“The woman said, ‘So whom do you want me to bring up?’ ‘Samuel. Bring me Samuel.’ When the woman saw Samuel, she cried out loudly to Saul, ‘Why did you lie to me? You’re Saul!’”
There are a couple of hard things about these verses. Saul began with such promise. It is heartbreaking to see him come down to this in his last days; spiritually adrift, paralyzed with fear and failure, and consulting a witch.
Then we wonder that God’s prophet Samuel responded to the call of such a woman. Perhaps understanding comes with noting the apparent Samuel accepts Saul’s worship, something the real Samuel never would have done. (I Samuel 28:14 and Deuteronomy 5:7) This was a spirit impersonating Samuel but how did it know the future? Maybe it didn’t but spoke out of Satan’s intention to destroy all God has wrought and only seemed to provide an accurate prediction. Scripture repeatedly confronts us with the choice to trust God or sit in judgement of him. If I understood everything, how would he be God? So, I choose to trust that our good God always acts in accordance with his character and leave the perplexing parts of scripture in his hands.
Lord, I am grateful to rest in your authority and wisdom. You know what you are about, and I don’t have to know everything.