1 Samuel 28:18 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Because you did not obey the voice of the Lord and did not carry out his fierce wrath against Amalek, therefore the Lord has done this thing to you this day.

NIV: Because you did not obey the Lord or carry out his fierce wrath against the Amalekites, the Lord has done this to you today.

NASB: Just as you did not obey the Lord and did not execute His fierce wrath on Amalek, so the Lord has done this thing to you this day.

CSB: You did not obey the Lord and did not carry out his burning anger against Amalek; therefore the Lord has done this to you today.

NLT: The Lord has done this to you today because you refused to carry out his fierce anger against the Amalekites.

KJV: Because thou obeyedst not the voice of the Lord, nor executedst his fierce wrath upon Amalek, therefore hath the Lord done this thing unto thee this day.

NKJV: Because you did not obey the voice of the Lord nor execute His fierce wrath upon Amalek, therefore the Lord has done this thing to you this day.

Saul is afraid of the upcoming battle with the Philistines. He's found a necromancer so he can talk to the spirit of Samuel. To the medium's surprise, Samuel appears. Saul wants to know why God won't answer him and what he should do. Samuel explains that God won't answer because Saul refused to obey God in previous battles. God has abandoned him (1 Samuel 28:3–18).

In an earlier battle against the Philistines, Saul didn't wait for Samuel and presumptuously presented a sacrifice he wasn't meant to. Because of that, God told Saul his kingdom would not endure (1 Samuel 13:8–14). Often in the Old Testament, that meant the kingdom would transfer to another line during the time of the king's son. Jonathan would welcome that arrangement (1 Samuel 28:17).

Saul's greater sin came later during a battle with the Amalekites. God told Saul to destroy them all: people and livestock. Saul's soldiers wanted to keep the livestock, and Saul was too afraid of them to disagree. In addition, he kept Agag, the king, alive. God's judgment was that none of Saul's descendants would be king (1 Samuel 15). It seems that the Holy Spirit came on David at that very moment. At the same time, the Holy Spirit left Saul (Chapter 16:13–14).

Each time Samuel had to judge Saul, the judgment became more acute. Now, it escalates again. The next day, Saul and his sons will die in battle and Israel's army will fall (1 Samuel 28:19).

God really meant what He said all those years ago. Strangely, human beings tend to forget that God means what He says (Isaiah 46:10). Why is it we so easily dismiss the revealed words of God as empty lessons with no relevance to our situation?

First Samuel 28:15–19 brings bad news to King Saul. A large Philistine army has faced off against the Israelites. Saul needs guidance, but God is silent. He visits a medium, and she's shocked when Samuel's spirit appears (1 Samuel 28:1–14). Samuel repeats his former message: because of Saul's disobedience, God will give the crown to another. But then he adds a warning: Saul will die the next day, along with his sons. Saul, who has been fasting, will collapse. The woman and his servants will get him to eat, and he will leave to face his fate (1 Samuel 28:20–25).

Israelites and the Philistines prepare for war. The Philistine king Achish demands that David fight with him against Israel. Terrified at the amassed Philistine army and unable to reach the Lord for help, Saul finds a medium to contact Samuel's spirit. Samuel repeats that the Lord has taken the kingdom from Saul and adds that Saul and his sons will fall, along with Israel, the next day. The medium serves Saul and his men a large meal, and the men leave under the cover of darkness. David is saved from having to fight his own people, but Saul and his sons do die. David will soon be king (1 Samuel 29; 31).

David and his men have escaped Saul (1 Samuel 27) and begun been fighting Israel's enemies under the protection of the Philistine king Achish (1 Samuel 28). Now, Achish wants David to fight Israel with him. Saul sees the Philistine army and is terrified. He finds a medium to call up Samuel's spirit. Samuel tells Saul that he, his sons, and Israel will fall. Fortunately, the other Philistine kings refuse to fight with David, and Achish sends him home. But Saul's sons are killed. Mortally wounded, Saul will take his own life (1 Samuel 29; 31).

First Samuel introduces the key figures who led Israel after the era of the judges. The books of 1 and 2 Samuel were originally part of a single text, split in certain translations shortly before the birth of Christ. Some of the Bible’s most famous characters are depicted in this book. These including the prophet Samuel, Israel’s first king, Saul, her greatest king, David, and other famous names such as Goliath and Jonathan. By the end of this book, Saul has fallen; the book of 2 Samuel begins with David’s ascension to the throne.