Bible topic
that recently came up during a recent Shabbat meeting is that of
whether or not the dea
d
prophet Samuel truly conversed with King Saul in the account known
as “Saul and the Witch of Endor” (I Samuel 28:1-19). Was it
really Samuel or did the witch conjure up a demonic
counterpart? Although I was familiar with the story, I hadn’t
really ever considered whether or not it was the “real Samuel,”
primarily because I was more interested in the lesson we should
learn instead of the means by which the lesson is taught. The
lesson we should learn is that once we start down the path of
rebellion, the road gets darker and darker and unless we get off
that track we will be forever lost. It seems that Saul’s veering
onto the wrong path started out very subtly; the first clue we see
of his going the wrong way (in I Samuel chapter 15) doesn’t seem all
that bad on the surface, especially with the way in which Saul
explained his decision to not completely abide by Yahweh’s
instruction. Yahweh, through the prophet Samuel, had instructed the
king to utterly destroy the Amalekites, leaving nothing alive, not
even their flocks and herds. Saul didn’t quite destroy everything,
but his explanation seems worthy of consideration. After all, he
DID utterly destroy the Amalekites, just as ordered -- with one
minor exception: he spared the king. Surely there could be
some benefit to sparing the king, right? And Saul DID utterly
destroy all the flocks and herds belonging to the Amalekites, just
as ordered -- with one seemingly noble exception: he spared the
best for sacrificing unto Yahweh.
I can still remember reading this account for the first
time, thinking, “This wasn’t so bad, so surely after
Samuel’s rebuke Saul will get back on track and everything
will be fine.” However, that’s not the way Yahweh saw it and
the prophet Samuel was clearly on the same page with Yahweh.
Lesson learned: It’s easy for us to subtly deviate from
obvious things that Yahweh tells us not to do, such as
telling lies, letting out a few inappropriate words, and
when these inappropriate actions are brought to our
attention we’re often quite adept at justifying them or
making excuses, much like Saul did. Maybe we should take
Yahweh’s word more seriously than we do!
We read that Saul repented of his sin, but ba
sed
on later actions it would seem that it wasn’t a sincere repentance
and that brings us to his eventual decision to seek out “a woman
that hath a familiar spirit” (I Sam. 28:7). Without question, this
was an ill-advised decision, especially in view of the fact that it
goes not only against the grain of Torah, but even against Saul’s
own orders banishing such individuals from his kingdom. By now, the
prophet Samuel was dead and awaiting the resurrection of the just.
Would Yahweh grant Saul’s wish to consult with the spirit of the
dead prophet? Or would a demonic spirit play the role of the
now-departed Samuel? Again, I hadn’t given this question much
thought, if at all, until recently when it became a topic of
conversation -- and controversy. Before I proceed with sharing the
results of my earnest research, I would like to emphasize that I
continue to maintain that the most important aspect of this story is
the lesson learned, not the means by which we learn the lesson.
Thus, if you read my commentary and conclude that I’m wrong, then
from my perspective that’s fine, so long as we can at least agree
that the lesson is the most important part of the story. The
lesson summarized: Obey Yahweh and do it with
love from your whole heart.
When this topic came up in one of our Bible
studies, I initially shared my view that the witch of Endor most
likely summoned up a demonic spirit. It just didn’t seem likely
that Yahweh would allow any individual who had no regard for Torah
to play a role in bringing up the spirit of an actual dead person.
The man with whom I shared this view expressed disagreement. I was
willing to let it go and just agree to disagree agreeably (which we
should always try to do anyway). Nevertheless, when I did a little
bit of individual research I found that first-century historian
Josephus believed that it was indeed Samuel whom Saul consulted in I
Samuel 28. Josephus never hinted at the apparition being a demon.
The following is excerpted from Josephus’ Antiquities of the Jews,
Book VI.14.2:
As soon
as he [King Saul] had induced her [the witch of Endor] by this oath
to fear no harm, he bid her bring up to him the soul of Samuel. She
not knowing who Samuel was, called him out of Hades. When he
appeared, and the woman saw one that was venerable, and of a divine
form, she was in disorder: and being astonished at the sight, she
said, “Art not thou King Saul?” for Samuel had informed her who he
was. When he had owned that to be true, and had asked her, “Whence
her disorder arose?” she said, that “She saw a certain person
ascend, who in his form was like to a mighty one.” And when he bid
her tell him what he resembled; in what habit he appeared; and of
what age he was? she told him, “He was an old man already; and of a
glorious personage; and had on a sacerdotal mantle.” So the King
discovered by these signs that he was Samuel: and he fell down upon
the ground, and saluted, and worshipped him. And when
the soul of Samuel asked him
why he had disturbed him, and caused him to be brought up, he
lamented the necessity he was under: for, he said, that his enemies
pressed heavily upon him; that he was in distress what to do in his
present circumstances; that he was forsaken of the Almighty, and
could obtain no prediction of what was coming, neither by Prophets,
nor by dreams. And that these were the reasons why I have recourse
to thee, who always tookedst great care of me. But Samuel, seeing
that the end of Saul’s life was come, said, “It is in vain for thee
to desire to learn of me any thing farther; when the Almighty hath
forsaken thee. However, hear what I say; that David is to be King,
and to finish this war with good success; and thou art to lose thy
dominion, and thy life; because thou didst not obey the Almighty in
the war with the Amalekites; and hast not kept his commandments; as
I foretold to thee while I was alive. Know therefore, that the
people shall be made subject to their enemies; and that thou, with
thy sons, shall fall in the battle tomorrow; and thou shalt then be
with me [in Hades].”
Upon reading Josephus’ own account of Saul
and the witch of Endor, I could tell that his understanding was that
Saul really did converse with the soul of the deceased prophet
Samuel. In spite of my uncertainty about whether or not Josephus’
understanding was true, I felt I owed it to the man with whom I
disagreed to let him know what I had found, adding that the
testimony of a first-century Jew lends weight to his view. I was
starting to recognize the possibility that, indeed, it may have been
the soul of Samuel with whom King Saul conversed and not some
demonic counterpart.
Reviewing a Study Favoring the Witch Summoning a “Demonic Spirit”
Later, a dear friend who is of the
persuasion that Saul could not have actually communicated with the
spirit of
Samuel texted me the link to an article authored by a man supportive
of her position. The article is titled “The Witch of Endor, a
Familiar Spirit, and the State of the Dead,” by Michael Scheifler.
The author posted his study on his web site (biblelight dot net). I
read the article and decided to post a review and response.
In his introduction, author Michael Scheifler lays down what he feels is the primary reason that some
believers maintain the prophet Samuel was called up to converse with
King Saul. That reason: If Samuel was called up, then he must not
have been truly “dead,” but alive in some other conscious state. He
wrote, “When discussing the state of the dead, that the dead are
really dead and not in heaven, hell, or purgatory, the case of the
Witch of Endor may be presented as proof that people don’t really
die, that they continue in some conscious state even after death. So
let’s examine what happened regarding King Saul and the Witch of
Endor.”
The key word in the above remark is “MAY”:
“... the case of the Witch of Endor MAY be presented as proof
that people don’t really die, that they continue in some conscious
state even after death.” In considering whether or not Samuel was
“called up” to converse with King Saul, it had never occurred to me
that prior to his having been summoned he was in a conscious state.
I assumed that he was asleep just like all who pass away, and that
he, like all righteous saints, was awaiting the resurrection of the
just. I never thought this story might validate believing that when
we die, our soul goes to some other state of consciousness. It
appears, then, that the author and I approach this topic from
different angles.
The author proceeds to cite I Samuel 15:1-3,
7-11, 13-14, 19-28, 35, I Sam. 16:14, proving that Saul disobeyed
the command that Yahweh gave him through the prophet Samuel. As
referenced earlier, Saul was commanded to attack the Amalekites and
utterly destroy them, leaving nothing behind; however, Saul spared
the Amalekite king as well as the best of their flocks and herds.
I’m trying to determine what Saul’s disobedience has to do with
whether or not he conversed with the soul of Samuel. Are we
supposed to believe that if Saul had been righteous and completely
obedient to Yahweh, he would then have been able to converse
with the “real Samuel”?
Of course, the answer to the above question
is NO. Even if Saul had been completely, 100% obedient and faithful
to Yahweh prior to Samuel’s death, this one act -- going to the
witch of Endor in order to summon up Samuel -- would have completely
negated every righteous deed that Saul would have done previously.
In other words, author Michael Scheifler wasted considerable space
in laying an irrelevant foundation of Saul’s disobedience. Yes, he
was disobedient before going to the witch and he was
certainly disobedient by consulting her.
Author Michael Scheifler moves on to I
Samuel 28, where Saul seeks out the Witch of Endor, an act that
clearly violates the directive found in Deuteronomy 18:10-14.
Again, even if King Saul had been righteous in Yahweh’s eyes prior
to seeking out the witch, this one rebellious act would have negated
all his previous righteous deeds. Scheifler adds what he feels is
an important point: “Now, consider an important point. Was the
witch to summon the spirit of Samuel down from heaven? No. Saul knew
the state of the dead, that Samuel was dead in the grave. He was
actually asking the witch to call Samuel up from the grave,
not down from heaven.”
The author’s above “important point” may be
of significance to those who were persuaded that Saul was summoned
from heaven instead of the grave. However, for those of my
persuasion who understand that Saul was indeed temporarily
summoned/awakened from the grave, his comments do not influence me
one way or the other.
Did the
Witch Thwart the Will of Yahweh by Conjuring Up Samuel?
Scheifler proceeds to make what I feel is
his strongest argument: “Note also that God was no longer speaking
to Saul, and God’s prophets were not speaking with Saul (1 Sam
28:6). So now, are we to believe that a witch was going to thwart
the will of God by conjuring up Samuel from the grave, so that Saul
could speak with a prophet of God, against the explicit will of God?
No witch could do such a thing.”
Viewed from Scheifler’s perspective, Saul’s
prior disobedience cost him his relationship with Yahweh, so was
Yahweh NOW going to allow a witch to break down the communication
barrier, especially since the very act of consulting with witches
was itself a violation of Torah? I can understand this reasoning;
nevertheless, I think a more balanced approach recognizes the
possibility that Yahweh deliberately gave Saul the “silent
treatment” as a further trial. Would Saul repent with his whole
heart, even if it meant doing so with sackcloth and ashes, or would
he choose to go even further down the road of rebellion? Saul
clearly chose the latter. With Saul having taken this final step
outside the boundaries of acceptable worship, does this mean it was
beyond the scope of Yahweh’s power to rouse Samuel from his slumber
in the grave for the express purpose of revealing the impending
doom, not only upon Saul, but also upon his entire family -- all
wrought by King Saul’s rebellious actions? Scheifler would likely
answer something to the effect of, “Yahweh would not issue a
prohibition against consulting those with ‘familiar spirits’ only to
reward those who do so with an actual visit with the dead.” I would
answer that Yahweh has been known to use the most vile acts of sin
to suit His own purpose if He so chooses.
Frankly, if I were to follow Scheifler’s approach, I wouldn’t stop
with arguing against the possibility that Saul actually visited with
the resurrected Samuel. I would also argue that Yeshua cannot
possibly be the promised Messiah because, after all, His lineage
bears the mark of some very vile sins. Consider this: a man named
Yehudah slept with his daughter-in-law and one of the twins born
from that union was destined to become a great grandfather of Yeshua
the Messiah. Also among Yeshua’s ancestors is Rahab the prostitute.
I would also argue further that since Moabites were prohibited from
entering into the congregation of Yahweh (Deut 23:3), there is no
way Yahweh could have allowed Ruth to be a great grandmother of
Yeshua. Or how could Yeshua have descended from the adulterous
union of King David and Bathsheba? In the eyes of many, even
one
of these heinous acts should eliminate any possibility of Yeshua
being the promised Messiah, but with so many sinful
relationships involved, there should be NO WAY He could be the One.
However, the fact is Yahweh acts in mysterious ways that man tries
in vain to explain or justify. Why, for example, did He continue to
use Samson in spite of his lust for women, including prostitutes?
Or why did Yahweh use a nation even more wicked than Judah to
destroy their city and the temple? Why did Yahweh choose a man who
consented to the death of so many righteous believers to one day be
His greatest advocate? We could go insane trying to answer these
questions. I think the balanced answer is that how Yahweh chooses
to operate is up to Him. The record of history is full of opinions
of how Yahweh should have acted or how certain things should have turned out. It seems that sometimes Yahweh
intervenes miraculously, but sometimes He works behind the scenes in
ways that we will probably never understand in this lifetime; in the
end His purposes are accomplished in spite of our often misplaced
perceptions about the logistics or the rationale.
So Michael Scheifler’s strongest argument
against Samuel literally being summoned from the grave to deliver
the message of Saul’s impending doom is that Yahweh forbids
consulting with witches; my rebuttal is that Yahweh has used other
vile acts of rebellion to suit His purposes, so why not the
occasion of Saul’s consulting a witch, especially if that’s the way
the Bible says it happened?
Scheifler goes on to write, “Remember also,
the witch at Endor was known for having a familiar spirit. What is a
familiar spirit anyway? It is not an angel of God, surely,
because of God’s strong condemnation against consulting with them. A
familiar spirit is a demonic spirit, a fallen angel in league with
Satan. This is what the woman at Endor had, communication with a
demon, a demon who was quite capable of impersonating Samuel. It was
NOT Samuel who appeared at her summons, it was a demon masquerading
as Samuel.”
Going
With What the Bible Says
The above commentary is merely a
continuation of Scheifler’s argument that Yahweh would not and could
not have allowed anyone having a familiar spirit to rouse the
righteous Samuel from his deathly slumber in order to satisfy Saul’s
insatiable desire to know the future. Nevertheless, if we choose to
actually go with what the Bible says in I Samuel 28:15, we must
reject Scheifler’s conclusion that “it was NOT Samuel who appeared”
because the Bible literally says, “And SAMUEL SAID to Saul, Why hast
thou disquieted me, to bring me up?” The text does not
say, “The apparition said” or “The spirit said”; it says, “And SAMUEL SAID.” You can’t get any more literal than that, but if
you do not wish to believe what the text says because of some
preconceived notions, that is entirely your prerogative.
I think it’s also prudent to check out other
versions of the Bible, especially the Septuagint (the LXX). Many
people ignore the LXX due to various reasons, including the fact
that the dating can be proven inaccurate. Nevertheless, a careful
examination not only reveals that it corrects obvious errors in the
Hebrew Masoretic Text, but this version was also in wide use by the
first century CE and is quoted by New Testament writers more
frequently than the Hebrew text. I mention all this because
according to the LXX translation of I Chronicles 10:13, it was
indeed the prophet Samuel who spoke to Saul:
13 So
Saul died for his transgressions, wherein he transgressed against
the Almighty, against the word of Yahweh, forasmuch as he kept it
not, because Saul enquired of a wizard to seek counsel,
AND SAMUEL THE PROPHET ANSWERED HIM.
The LXX translation was completed before the
1st century CE. While I for one am willing to give credence to the
above
translation, even if you are not, the fact of the matter remains
that the translator, who carried out his work long before the birth
of Yeshua the Messiah, understood that it was Samuel who spoke to
King Saul from the grave, not some demonic spirit. If
the translator had this understanding, you can be certain there were
many others who felt the same way. You don’t have to agree with
them; it just turns out that I am persuaded they knew something that
today’s theologians do not.
The apocryphal book of Ecclesiasticus,
written between 200 and 175 BCE, offers the same understanding. The
following is taken from Ecclesiasticus 46:13-20:
13
Samuel was the beloved of his Master; prophet of Yahweh, he
instituted the kingdom, and anointed rulers over his people.
14 By
the Law of Yahweh he judged the assembly, and Yahweh watched over
Jacob.
15 By
his loyalty he was recognised as a prophet, by his words he was
known to be a trustworthy seer.
16 He
called on Yahweh, the Mighty One, when his enemies pressed in from
all directions, by offering a sucking lamb.
17 And
Yahweh thundered from heaven, and made his voice heard in a rolling
peal;
18 He
massacred the leaders of the enemy, and all the rulers of the
Philistines.
19
Before the time of his everlasting rest he bore witness to Yahweh
and his anointed, ‘Of no property, not even a pair of sandals, have
I ever deprived a soul.’ Nor did anyone accuse him.
20
And, having fallen asleep, he
prophesied again, warning the king of his end; he spoke from the
depths of the earth in prophecy, to blot out the wickedness
of the people.
Many
have claimed that the Book of Ecclesiasticus, written by the Jewish scribe Ben Sira, should have
been included with the canon of Scripture and as late as 1546 the
Roman Catholic Church declared it to be canonical at the fourth
session of the Council of Trent. The book is also known by The
Wisdom of Sirach. Regardless of whether or not it should be
regarded as inspired, the author understood that it was Samuel
who prophesied of King Saul’s death, not some demonic spirit.
Why Did
the Witch Cry?
I find it amazing that author Michael Scheifler quotes I Samuel 28:12, which is where the witch “cried
with a loud voice” when she saw Samuel, but he seems to ignore
why she would cry out with a loud voice. Surely, if the
witch was “familiar” with familiar spirits, Samuel’s appearance
should have been routine -- no need to cry out, right? Here’s the
verse in question:
12 And
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 art
Saul.
The only reason I can think of to explain
why Yahweh would want Bible readers to know that the witch cried out
is to clue us in to the fact that she was taken by surprise by what
she saw, which in turn indicates that this was no ordinary
apparition. If this was a demonic spirit, it was certainly beyond
the realm of the witch’s expectations. C.F. Keil and Franz
Delitzsch, in their Commentary on the Old Testament, Vol. 2,
validate my own understanding of why the witch cried out:
“When
the woman saw Samuel, she cried aloud,” sc., at the form which
appeared to her so unexpectedly. These words imply most
unquestionably that the woman saw an apparition which she did not
anticipate, and therefore that she was not really able to conjure up
departed spirits or persons who had died, but that she either merely
pretended to do so, or if her witchcraft was not mere trickery and
delusion, but had a certain demoniacal background, that the
appearance of Samuel differed essentially from everything she had
experienced and effected before, and therefore filled her with alarm
and horror.
In other words, the witch was either a
“quack” or Yahweh intervened, much to her surprise.
In his conclusion, Micheal Scheifler
continues with his reasoning of how Yahweh could not have allowed
the witch of Endor to have called up the real Samuel from the grave:
King
Saul was looking for help from the witch of Endor, to contact
someone in the grave, a dead Samuel, so that he could know from God
how he could gain a victory over the Philistines. But God was not
talking to Saul any more. By knowing what the Bible teaches about
the state of the dead, and the circumstances regarding Saul’s
relationship with God at the time, we can be quite certain that it
was not actually Samuel raised from the dead speaking to him, but a
fallen angel, a demonic spirit. That Saul even attempted this séance
with a spirit medium (witch) was an abomination, a further rebellion
against God, and Saul paid for his rebellion with his life.
I agree that Saul paid for his rebellion
with h
is
life, but that doesn’t mean Yahweh wouldn’t bring up Samuel from the
grave to render His judgment. If we go by what the text says, it
was Samuel who conversed with Saul. If this was actually a demonic
spirit, I would expect some Biblical narrative to supply this
information instead of apparently misleading readers into thinking that it was Samuel. If it fooled me, it also fooled
the likes of Josephus, the translators of the LXX and the author of
the Book of Ecclesiasticus. There are certainly Scriptural
instances in which the dead are actually raised to life; the story
of the Shunnamite woman and her son comes to mind, as does the story
of Lazarus. We also know that at Yeshua’s death the temple veil was
rent and at that same time, “many bodies of saints which slept arose
and came out of the graves.” Here’s what we read in Matthew
27:50-53:
50
Yeshua, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the
ghost.
51 And,
behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the
bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent;
52 And
the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept
arose,
53 And
came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the
holy city, and appeared unto many.
If it was no big challenge or issue for
Yahweh to cause dead saints to come back to life at Yeshua’s death,
He could certainly have caused the spirit of Samuel to be raised to
serve His desired purpose -- that purpose being to let Saul know
that his end was near. While I recognize the possibility that a
demonic spirit might have known that the lives of Saul and his sons
was to end the following day (cf., Deut. 13:1-3), I nevertheless
find it unlikely. What I find the most persuasive of all evidence
is not the fact that the ancients regarded the apparition as being
that of Samuel, nor even the fact that the witch was surprised at
what she had summoned up, but rather that Scripture itself (I Samuel
28:20) tells us that the words spoken to Saul were indeed “the
words of Samuel”:
20 Then
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.
Were the words spoken to Saul the words of a
demonic spirit or the words of Samuel? Can we believe what the text
says or shall we allow our preconceived notions to determine who
said what?
The finishing touch of author Michael Scheifler’s article is to cite I Chronicles 10:13, based on a
translation from the Masoretic text. We have already cited the
Septuagint translation, which validates believing that Samuel
answered Saul from the grave. Here is the conclusion of Scheifler’s
article:
1 Chr
10:13 So Saul died for his transgression which he committed against
the LORD, even against the word of the LORD, which he kept not, and
also for asking counsel of one that had a familiar spirit, to
inquire of it;
1 Chr
10:14 And inquired not of the LORD: therefore he slew him, and
turned the kingdom unto David the son of Jesse.
The
words in italics in verse 13 are supplied by the translator, as they
are not in the original text. So if you drop those words, it reads:
So Saul
died for his transgression which he committed against the LORD, even
against the word of the LORD, which he kept not, and also for asking
of a familiar spirit, to inquire;
So the
passage above clearly states, Saul communicated with a demonic
spirit, not Samuel.
In response to the above, I would advise the
author to be more concerned with the “original text” and less
concerned with the italics as supplied by the translator. Let’s
take a look at a literal translation of the text of I Chronicles
10:13 as found in Jay P. Green’s The Interlinear Bible:
13 And
Saul died because of his trespass that he trespassed against the
word of Jehovah, against the word of Jehovah that he did not keep,
and also THE
ASKING OF A MEDIUM, to inquire;
The Hebrew word translated “medium” is
word #178 in Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance (pronounced “ôwb”) and
is used in reference to a necromancer. So the passage above clearly
states, Saul inquired of a MEDIUM. If we then review this same
verse in the Septuagint translation, we find moreover that SAMUEL
THE PROPHET ANSWERED HIM -- not a demonic spirit.
