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SERIES J --- THE WARRIOR KING |
BIBLE STUDY LESSON 10
THE WITCH OF ENDOR THE WOMAN OF ENDOR Saul put on a disguise so the woman would not recognize him, changed his clothes and went by night to see her. ‘I want you to call back a man from the dead,’ he said to her. ‘You know that King Saul executes people for doing such things,’ the woman protested. ‘Why should I do this for you and get myself killed?’ But Saul swore solemnly to her by the Lord, ‘as surely as the Lord lives, you will not be punished for this.’ ‘Which person do you want returned from the dead?’ the woman asked. ‘Samuel,’ Saul answered. But when Samuel appeared, the woman screamed. ‘Why have you deceived me?’ she demanded. ‘You are Saul!’ ‘Please do not be afraid,’ Saul told the woman. ‘What do you see?’ ‘A god-like form rising from the earth,’ she answered. ‘What does he look like?’ Saul asked. ‘Like an old man wrapped in a robe,’ said the woman. Saul knew now that this was indeed Samuel and he bowed down with his face to the ground. ‘Why have you disturbed me this way?’ Samuel demanded. ‘I’m in trouble,’ said Saul. ‘The Philistine army is here, ready for war. God will not answer me by prophets or dreams. I must know what to do, so I called for you.’ ‘Why ask me if the Lord has turned against you?’ returned Samuel. ‘The Lord has already taken your kingdom from you and has given it to David, just as He said He would do. This has happened because you would not obey the Lord’s commands when He wanted to destroy the Amalekites. Tomorrow you and your sons will be killed and will be here with me in death and the army of Israel will be conquered by the Philistines.’ Saul fell to the floor, for he was terrified by the things Samuel told him. He was very weak, for he had not eaten all that day and night. The woman saw how terrified Saul was and how weak he had become. ‘I risked my life to obey your orders,’ she said. ‘Now you must listen to me. Let me get you something to eat so that you may be strong enough to travel home.’ Saul at first refused to eat, but his companions joined the woman in urging him until he got up from the floor and sat on a couch. The woman quickly butchered a calf she had been fattening. She also kneaded dough which she made with flour and baked some unleavened cakes. Then she served this food to Saul and his companions. When they had eaten, they left that same night to walk back to their camp. COMMENTARY WITCHES AND VENTRILOQUISM They knew how to “throw their voices” so that the sound seemed to be coming from the spirits who were trapped beneath the earth. When the “spirit voices” had delivered their message, the diviner offered to interpret it. Egyptian priests in the temple of Horus, the falcon god, used a similar technique. Worshipers who brought offerings before the image of the god were allowed to ask it a question. A hidden priest gave the idol’s answer, using ventriloquism to make his voice come from the mouth of the image. But the law of Moses forbade the Israelites to engage in these forms of divination. Anyone caught practicing witchcraft was immediately condemned to death by stoning. But not even the death penalty succeeded in wiping out every trace of witchcraft. Magic and divination remained alive, practiced by many Israelites in secret. Even after Saul had rid the country of witches, his servants knew where to find a woman at Endor with the power to call up the spirits of the dead. TEST YOURSELF 1.) Who was Saul fighting when he tried to find out the will of God? 2.) Where did Saul go to find a medium? 3.) Who did Saul ask the medium to summon? 4.) Why was Saul condemned? 5.) What was used by the ancient diviners to produce results? 6.) Which Egyptian god’s priests practiced this craft? |