Kings of Israel-Saul: “How We Finish Matters!”

Week 11: “Saul Consults the Medium”

1 Samuel 28:3-25

11/3/24

John Arobio

Message Notes for Week 11

At the end of chapter 27, we see that David had fled to Gath in the land of the Philistines

with his two wives and all his men. He is given the town of Ziklag.

 

PHILISTINES PLAN AN ATTACK.

1 Samuel 28:1-2 ESV

In those days, the Philistines gathered their forces for war, to fight against Israel.

 

David in now living in the land of the enemy, he had been asked to fight against Saul

and the Israelites. David marches with the Philistines.

 

SAMUEL DIED.

1 Samuel 28:3 ESV

Now Samuel had died, and all Isarel had mourned for him and buried him in Ramah, his own city. And Saul had put the mediums and the necromancers out of the land.

 

SAUL SEES THE ENEMY ARMY AND REACTS TO IT.

1 Samuel 28:5-7

When Saul saw the army of the Philistines, he was afraid, and his heart trembled greatly. And when Saul inquired of the Lord, the Lord did not answer him, either by dreams or by Urim, or by prophets.

 

Psalm 66:18 ESV

If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.

 

 

SAUL GOES TO THE MEDIUM.

When Saul does not hear from God, he goes to other sources and seeks a medium

who he thinks can contact Samuel although this was clearly forbidden by God.

 

WHAT THE MEDIUM TOLD SAUL THAT SAMUEL SAID.

There is nothing new in what she said Samuel said.

• The Lord rejected you because you disobeyed Him in dealing with the Amalekites.
• The kingdom will be given to David and taken out of Saul’s hand.
• Saul and his sons will be killed.
• The army of Israel will be defeated, and the land and people will be given to the Philistines.

 

WHAT CAN WE LEARN?

• First do not reject God, If you do it completely, He will reject you and not listen to you or your prayers.
• We cannot depend on people and must stay relying on only God. We can and should seek advice from men of God, but we must realize that God is the one we must listen to in the end. Thankfully, we have the Holy Spirit in us to guide us in our actions.
• Those who are healers who claim special knowledge that the medical community does know or hides from us, spiritualists, mediums, astrologers, and those who claim special revelations from God, the stars, or omens are fakes, and we must not consult or heed them. They are not what they claim and are fakes.

 

THE BOTTOM LINE:

We must trust and follow God and His leading

and not to listen to or follow humans who are probably fakes.

 

• Dan Hall is the transition team lead.  Please contact him with any questions.
• Transition Team Needs
  • Areas that still need to be covered. If interested, contact Dan Hall:
    • Tech—Audio/Video and worship lyric technician.
    • IT/Hardware—manage the various connections of the service IT components/internet/wifi, etc.

• A Search Team will be put together to start the process of finding a new pastor.
  • The typical time to replace a Pastor is 12-18 months. Please wait on the Lord with us!
  • The team will update the church regularly

• Prayer is a critical part of this process! Please pray continually for the board’s guidance in seeking God’s will.

 

Movie & Popcorn Bar Night!

Saturday, November 9^th 6:30pm at the church

Bring your comfy blanket and come in your comfy clothes!

Invite your family friends and neighbors

Popcorn with a variety of fixins!

See Paulette for more details.

 

Benevolence Committee

Please see Jenni Nikolakakis for more information

Need a few people to help support the ministry

Still finalizing details for the committee

Men’s Bible Study! 

Wednesday’s 6-8 PM see Jim for details

Refresh!  Woman’s Group

Hosted by Dondra, Starting at 2:00pm  November 12^th at the church

The group will start out with “Keys to the Kingdom”

Ruth will be leading a parallel study Wednesday night’s

at 7:00pm starting November 13^th at the church.

Space still open for both studies!!

Please see Dondra if you are interested.

Zelle

The board is working on setting up Zelle to use for a digital option for giving

Stay tuned for more details in the next few weeks

 

1. List the first 3 kings of Israel that were appointed by God.

2. Is voting biblical? Why or why not?

3. Read 1 Samuel 28:1-3, who is Samuel and what are some of the things you can recall about him? What is a medium or a necromancer in verse 3?  Why do you think Saul would put them out of the land?

4. Ream 1 Samuel 28:4-7, does God always answer us when we reach out to Him? Why or why not?  How would you look up a scripture that would help support your answer that question?  What is meant by “Urim” in verse 6?  Is seeking out a medium biblical?  If Christians are not under the law, are they permitted to seek out a medium?

5. Will God ever abandon a Christian? Why or why not?   Would God ever abandon a non-Christian?  Please explain, preferably with scriptural support.

6. Read Luke 16:26, what is the context of this verse? Why do you think there would be a chasm between both sides that is not passable?

7. In our study the last 11 weeks have you found anywhere that seems like Saul repented of his sins? Is it mandatory for Christians to repent of our sins?  Why or why not.

8. What are some ways we can go against God when we are in desperate situations?

9. Read 1 Samuel 28:11-14, what is the word for “god/ghostly figure/divine being/spirit” in verse 13? How many times is it used in scripture?  When is the first time it is used in scripture?

10. Continued prayer is needed for the church ministries! Need help in the Children’s, Tech, and Men’s Bible Study!  Praise that the women’s ministry is taking off fast!

 

1 Peter 4:8 NASB

⁸ And above all things have fervent love for one another,

for “love will cover a multitude of sins.”

 

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