The Witch of Endor Raising Samuel.
CAN any one reasonably suppose, in reading the scriptural account of the interview of Saul with the witch of Endor, that she really did raise Samuel. I cannot. I give my reasons why I cannot. 1. It is not positively stated in the narration that she did raise him. It does not appear that Saul, or his accompanying friends, saw any appearance of Samuel, but only the woman saw a peculiar apparition, which she, at Saul's request, gave him a description of. See 1 Sam. xxviii. I know it may be said,--"but Samuel talked with Saul." I will notice that point hereafter. It will then, I trust, appear plainly to the contrary. 2. It is represented, that this apparition, which was by Saul called Samuel, came up "out of the earth," in the sight of the woman. Samuel was buried in Ramah, which was about a degree--quite a good many miles--from Endor; how then could he come up out of the earth at Endor? 3. It could not have been the "disembodied immortal soul" of Samuel that the woman saw; for she said it was an "old man covered with a mantle!" Do disembodied souls become old and wear mantles? She said he came "up out of the earth." Do disembodied immortal souls stay down in the earth? If so, would not Samuel's soul have been somewhere near his body at Ramah, rather than away there at Endor? 4. God had strictly forbidden the art which this woman practiced--witchcraft, on pain of death; and can we allow the unholy inconsistency, that this wicked woman, in open violation of the law of God, and at the desire of one whom God had abandoned, was permitted to disturb the repose of one of the most holy of the prophets, in the unseen world? The very thought seems to me almost sinful. Let us now look at the whole connection of circumstances in the case, candidly. Saul was a very wicked man. God had left him to himself. In case of great martial emergency, he sought help from the Devil through one of his "mediums." God would therefore let him reap the full reward of deception due to a criminal course. Saul inquired for a woman with a familiar spirit. He was told of one at Endor. With two of his friends he went to her house in the night, and pressed her "to bring up," by evil power which she possessed, one whom he would name. She finally consented to his wish. He named Samuel. She began to operate. Immediately she pretended to be, or really was frightened, and at once became aware, by some kind of superhuman intelligence, that it was Saul for whom she was operating; for until that moment she had not been aware of that fact, he having come to her disguised. Saul inquired of her what she saw. She replied, "I saw gods ascending out of the earth." (I saw Elohim God--a god, gods, a judge,--it is rendered differently.--Patrick.) Saul inquired "what form is he of?" (What form is the Elohim, the judge,--the god of?) She replied, "an old man cometh up; and he is covered with a mantle." Then Saul "perceived" by the description which the woman gave of him, that it was Samuel, and addressed him accordingly. The apparition is therefore called Samuel, in accordance with Saul's perception. But we are not to conclude that Inspiration regarded it as being Samuel! It was perfectly proper to represent the matter as it appeared to Saul. There can be no room to doubt that this was a demon, counterfeiting Samuel, by the woman "medium." This demon was forced to speak that which would be most for the glory of God, in the case; and he certainly talked very religiously, as demons sometimes do. It is however, rather doubtful if all his words were true. Learned men question if Saul died on the morrow! However, he said enough to show Saul his wretched condition, and make him feel, that indeed, Heaven and earth were against him; and thus he was punished on the spot. Once more. This woman of Endor was a "necromancer." A necromancer is not one who really converses with the dead, but one who "pretends to converse with the dead!" A person may pretend to converse with the dead, and yet be deceived by diabolical appearances.--Ad. Herald.