How could God allow the Witch of Endor to raise Samuel from the dead when God condemned witchcraft?
All contact with the spirit world is expressly forbidden irrespective of the nature of the spirits concerned (Lv 19:26-31; Dt 18:10-11; Job 7:7-10; Is 8:18-20; Lk 16:19-31). That's a problem if Saul thinks that he is doing the right thing!
1 Samuel 28:7
ESV - 7 Then Saul said to his servants, "Seek out for me a woman who is a medium, that I may go to her and inquire of her." And his servants said to him, "Behold, there is a medium at En-dor.
Anonymous
Community answers are sorted based on votes. The higher the vote, the further up an answer is.
Mark Vestal
Samuel wasn't resurrected. He was channeled. Notice in verse 19 (KJV) that Samuel tells Saul that Saul and his sons will "be with me" (DEAD Samuel) tomorrow. Yes, Saul was doing the wrong thing to even have Samuel channeled, but Saul was on his own at this point since God had cut him off...as channelled Samual also states below. 1 Samuel 28:18-19 "18 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. 19 Moreover the Lord will also deliver Israel with thee into the hand of the Philistines: and to morrow shalt thou and thy sons be with me: the Lord also shall deliver the host of Israel into the hand of the Philistines."
Leslie Coutinho
1 Samuel 28:17: And the Lord hath done to him, “as he spake by me:” for the Lord hath rent the kingdom out of thine hand, and given it to thy neighbour, even to David. All spirits return unto God who gave them (Ecl 12:7) and are carried away by angels, by the commands of the Lord. Those who are righteous, like Lazarus, go into Abrahams’s bosom and those who are not righteous, like the rich man, are sent to Hades, for there is a chasm where no one can come or cross to the other side. (Lk 16:22-26) Satan, being brought down to the ground to the sides of the pit of Hades, the dead are being steered to meet him and they speak to him out of the midst of Hades. (Isa 14:9,15/Eze 32:21) The mediums speak unto the devil and his angels (Mat 25:41), the fallen angels of God who transform themselves into angels of light, (2 Cor 11:14) who speak to the ones in Hades and then imitate and pose as those who are dead. The witch, having a familiar spirit, saw a spirit being of an old man covered with a mantle ascending out of the earth whom she recognized. (1 Sam 28:12-14) For then she knew the man who came to her was King Saul and she was disturbed, for Saul was then told of his appearance, and he perceived that it was Samuel. The witch of Endor didn’t raise Samuel from the dead though he was disquieted; the Lord brought up Samuel to execute judgment (Jud 1:14-15) where the Spirit of life from God entered him (Rev 11:11) to speak to Saul to execute judgment on Saul and his sons “as the Lord spoke by him.” (1 Sam 28:17,19/Jude 1:14-15) Isaiah 14:9: Hell from beneath is moved for thee to meet thee at thy coming: it stirreth up the dead for thee, even all the chief ones of the earth; it hath raised up from their thrones all the kings of the nations.
Add your Answer
All answers are REVIEWED and MODERATED.
Please ensure your answer MEETS all our guidelines.
A good answer provides new insight and perspective. Here are guidelines to help facilitate a meaningful learning experience for everyone.
- Adhere to the eBible Statement of Faith.
- Your answer should be complete and stand-alone.
- Include supporting arguments, and scripture references if possible. Seek to answer the "why".
- Adhere to a proper tone and spirit of love and understanding.
- For more info see The Complete Guide to eBible