Quiet Talks by Samuel Dickey: Gordon, Samuel Dickey - Quiet Talks on Life After Death: 48. The Witch of Endor

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Quiet Talks by Samuel Dickey: Gordon, Samuel Dickey - Quiet Talks on Life After Death: 48. The Witch of Endor



TOPIC: Gordon, Samuel Dickey - Quiet Talks on Life After Death (Other Topics in this Collection)
SUBJECT: 48. The Witch of Endor

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The Witch of Endor

But now before leaving this part of our talk where the Scripture is being quoted, I want to refer to two passages more. These come at the first flush as a distinct surprise. There are two instances in the Bible of communication with

those who have died. They stand out sharply as the only two. They were plainly planned by God himself. And they stand out in such detailed contrast as must be painful in the extreme to those believing in the devil's sort of communications.

The first of these is the case of Samuel and the witch of Endor (1Sa_28:3-19). Look at it briefly. King Saul, who sought the witch's help, was out of touch with God. That is an outstanding feature of the story. Twice he had openly disobeyed God's explicit command. And he was the national leader. That made a bad thing so much worse. Whatever he did, the crowds would do (1Sa_13:8-14; 1Sa_15:1-23).

Now in an emergency (it's always an emergency that tempts one so sorely), he sought an illegitimate means of guidance. He himself had forbidden witchcraft under penalty of death. Now, disguised, he makes a secret night journey up north to Endor to consult a witch there. He succeeds in overcoming her cautious regard for her own safety in doing a prohibited thing, and asks her to bring Samuel up for consultation. Samuel had been dead some little time.

Now the striking thing to note is, that Samuel did come and talk with Saul. But it is quite clear that the witch had nothing to do with Samuel's coming. Instead she was utterly taken back, astonished and startled beyond measure by what happened. The whole thing was taken quite out of her hands.

To her intense fright a spirit actually came up before her eyes. There is instant identification of who it is. It is Samuel, No one was better known to the common people, for years the nation's great leader. Her recognition of him is immediate and unquestioning.

At once a startled cry comes from her lips. The common translation in the King James' version and in the Revisions is, "she cried with a loud voice." A more full accurate translation would be "she was greatly startled and gave out suddenly a piercing shriek of distress."

Her shrewd native cunning made her quick to sense instantly that this disguised man consulting her was the King himself. Samuel, who had put Saul on the throne, actually coming up in person in this unprecedented way, naturally suggested to her keen wits that this other was Saul. For the break between Samuel and Saul had been open talk.

This is the first thing to note. The witch had nothing to do with Samuel's coming. This was a new experience to her, and a distinctly unwelcome experience. Something was happening wholly out of her realm of incantation.

A second thing to notice is the contrast of the sharpest kind between this communication from Samuel and all so-called communications from the dead. The latter are characteristically vague, cryptic, or cunningly double meaninged and distinctly below the known intelligence of the one supposed to be speaking. And further they seek to leave an agreeable impression.

But, here, Samuel speaks in his accustomed way. He gave definite detailed information, of a very unwelcome sort about the triple tragic happenings of the morrow. Saul would be deeated by the Philistines. He would lose the kingdom, and he would meet death, and his sons with him. And with this was a stinging rebuke that must have had a decidedly unpleasant familiarity to Saul as it cut its edge into the quick.

And now, mark keenly the influence of this incident on these impressionable Hebrew Orientals. The thing was commonly known. It could not be hid. The grapevine telegraph took it to every corner of Israel. It was the talk of the nation. And, more, it plainly gave a sharp set-back to witchery and all like practices.

There is no mention or allusion to such things for at least half a century, though they had been prevalent up to this time. An awe or fear comes over the people. They are afraid to attempt this sort of thing. God had rebuked it. This is the only thing of the sort in the whole Old Testament.

The other exceptional instance is the appearance of Moses on the Mount of Transfiguration (Mat_17:1-8 and parallels). This is referred to only because it plainly is an instance of communication with the dead. But it is recognized at once that it belongs to a wholly different realm from that being discussed, and as much above it as the heavens are above the earth.

Moses had died sixteen centuries before. Now he plainly appears. He appears in company with Elijah, the fiery denouncer of all witchery and devilcraft. His identity is undoubted. Recognition of him is immediate. He talks with our Lord Jesus. He talks too, on a subject peculiarly obnoxious to the devil and to the whole tribe of the black art under whatever guise, namely, the sacrificial death of Jesus on the cross.

These are the two exceptions in this Book. And plainly they do but put into a sharper prominence the terrible characterizations and prohibitions of this Book on the whole brood of practices of devilcraft and its allied arts. Plainly in these two instances God deemed it wise for some practical purpose to have these occurrences take place and be recorded. And in both cases He took the initiative.