1 Samuel 28:6 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And when Saul inquired of the Lord, the Lord did not answer him, either by dreams, or by Urim, or by prophets.

NIV: He inquired of the Lord, but the Lord did not answer him by dreams or Urim or prophets.

NASB: So Saul inquired of the Lord, but the Lord did not answer him, either in dreams, or by the Urim, or by the prophets.

CSB: He inquired of the Lord, but the Lord did not answer him in dreams or by the Urim or by the prophets.

NLT: He asked the Lord what he should do, but the Lord refused to answer him, either by dreams or by sacred lots or by the prophets.

KJV: And when Saul enquired of the Lord, the Lord answered him not, neither by dreams, nor by Urim, nor by prophets.

NKJV: And when Saul inquired of the Lord, the Lord did not answer him, either by dreams or by Urim or by the prophets.

The five city-states of the Philistines have amassed their forces to go to war against Israel. Camped nearby on Mount Gilboa with his own army, King Saul sees the Philistine forces, and he is terrified. He cannot imagine that Israel can survive a battle with such an enemy.

Saul demonstrates the right initial response to his fear: He asks for help from the Lord. Unfortunately, Saul's impulse has come far too late. The Lord has permanently turned away from Saul for his disobedience. The Lord is now a far greater enemy to Saul than even the Philistines (1 Samuel 28:16).

It was common during this era for kings to seek revelation and help from their gods before a battle. Since only the Lord is truly God, the Israelites were the only nation to benefit from turning to Him for deliverance from their enemies. God had provided this deliverance time after time, including an earlier battle during Saul's reign as king when the Israelites were outnumbered by a far superior Philistine army (1 Samuel 13–14).

This time, though, Saul's attempts to contact the Lord provide no answers. Throughout Scripture, God reveals His will to people in dreams at times of His choosing. Some people attempt to hear from God in their dreams by sleeping in a sacred place. Perhaps Saul slept near a sacred object from the tabernacle.

Saul also attempts to hear from God by using the Urim. God provided the Urim and Thummim so the Israelites could make specific inquiries about His will for them. They were objects kept in a pouch on the ephod of the high priest (Exodus 28:30). The priest discovered God's will by asking a specific question and then casting these objects from some container. In the case of a yes-or-no question, the same object apparently needed to fall first several times in a row to indicate a favorable answer.

Unfortunately for Saul, the official ephod is with the high priest Abiathar. Abiathar fled with David and his men after Saul killed all the priests of the town of Nob. This was under the false assumption that they had helped David to escape (1 Samuel 22:6–23). Whatever priest or Urim Saul uses, God refuses to answer.

Finally, Saul calls for prophets to give him revelation from the Lord about the battle with the Philistines. Samuel was not the only prophet in Israel, and Saul had spent time with others in the past (1 Samuel 10:11–12; 19:20–24). Once again, God remains silent.

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.