You know what?

"reveal to me"

1 Samuel 28:15

Are you the kind of person who likes to shake a present to see what's in it?  Do you like to see the sizes and shapes of your gifts under the Christmas tree, or do you prefer to be surprised?  The Apple of my Eye won't even let me put presents for him under the tree until Christmas morning.  He doesn't want to accidentally guess what's in a package.

Once when I was a teenager, I was trying to cajole my sister into telling me what she'd gotten me for a gift, instead of just waiting for Christmas, or my birthday, or whatever it was.  She said calmly, "Fine.  It's on the shelf in my closet.  Go look."  And all of a sudden, I didn't want to anymore.  As much as I wanted to know, I realized it would be better to wait until the time was right.  It would be wrapped, and it would be a celebratory day of fun, made better by the gift my sister had gotten for me.   The timing of receiving a gift is important.  The timing of finding out is important.

Today's verse is from Chapter 28 of 1 Samuel.  You can tell that because under the quote it says, "1 Samuel 28...."  Oh, you saw ~ right.  Okay, you're good.

Anyhow, it's toward the end of Saul's life, but of course he doesn't know that ~ yet.  What he does know, is that those pesky Philistines are gathering for war.  Again.  And when he sees that, he is afraid, and his heart trembled greatly. So he did something he had never, ever done before.  He inquired of the Lord.

But the Lord did not answer him.  But really, why should He?  Saul had disobeyed God by disobeying Samuel, God's prophet and representative.  Now Samuel was dead.  And Saul had killed all the priests in his rage over imagined treason by David.  Actually, that's not true.  He had killed all but one priest.  That one priest had escaped, and if you think he was going to report for duty now to help Saul with his communication dilemma.... well, he just wasn't.

Now, even knowing all that Saul had done ~ to David, to Samuel, to the priests, to the people he was supposed to be leading.... I do feel sorry for him.  But Isaiah 55:6 says "Seek the Lord while He may be found; call upon Him while He is near."  If we refuse to talk to Him, there will come a time when He won't listen.

So the only option Saul can think of is a witch.  A medium.  Now mediums, sorcerers and the like have been forbidden by God (Deuteronomy 18) and Saul himself outlawed them from the city.  So he had to ask his servants to find someone for him, and indeed they knew of a woman in a place called En Dor.  So Saul put on a disguise to go to her, to ask her to return to the craft that he had forbidden.  And, um, God of course...

Ezekiel 34 prophesies dire words for the shepherd that does not care for the flock.  Saul, the king, is forcing her to sin for his benefit.  And when she succeeded, she know it was not of her power.  She was frightened, thinking she might now be punished by Saul.

But he puts her at ease, and begs her to tell him what she saw.  And what she saw, was Samuel.  And at Saul's request, Samuel did what he had tried to do for Saul over and over during his life ~ reveal God's truth.  "The Lord has torn the kingdom out of your hand, and given it to David.  Because you did not obey the voice of the Lord... the Lord has done this thing to you this day."

And if that's not bad enough.... "Moreover the Lord will also deliver Israel, with you, into the hand of the Philistines.  The Lord will deliver the army of Israel into the hand of the Philistines, and tomorrow you and your sons will be with Me."

Okay, Saul, you wanted to know what to expect.  Well, be careful what you wish for.  He was struck with fear, and had the energy to return to his camp only because his servants and the medium urged him ~ practically forced him ~ to eat. 

And then in chapter 31, we see it play out exactly as Samuel has prophesied.  To Saul's credit, he did indeed go into battle, despite knowing what would befall him.  He was struck with an arrow by the enemy, and not wanting to die at the hand of the enemy, he asked his armor-bearer to kill him.  But the armor-bearer refused, so Saul took his own life, falling on his sword.

And do you think, that maybe as much as Saul wanted to know, maybe he was sorry he knew?  Knowledge is like that sometimes.  Sometimes we wish we didn't know what we know.  Makes you wanna just trust the One who knows, doesn't it?

~ "For every matter 

there is a time and judgement...

for man does not know what will happen" ~

Ecclesiastes 8:6,7