1 Samuel 28:16, commentary and pictures

The question belongs to Saul's visit to Endor when he faced the Philistine army in fear, feeling alone and defenseless because the Lord had forsaken him and gave his inquiry no answer. The Lord had left Saul and stood against him in judgment because of his rebellion and persistent wickedness. Consulting the witch of Endor after that refusal sealed as final the separation he had willfully made from God.

The speaker is not Samuel himself but an evil spirit, Satan impersonating Samuel through the woman of Endor. Samuel remains at rest in the grave, for the Lord did not cause him to appear, and Satan was not given power to resurrect the dead or bring Samuel up in reality. The deception was possible because Satan's angels assume the form of dead friends and speak and act like them to mislead the living. Satan knew Samuel well, so he could represent him convincingly.

The words mean that Saul was abandoned by the Lord and at enmity with Him, with the kingdom taken from him and given to David and Israel to be delivered to the Philistines. That announcement of Saul's rejection and of the coming doom of Saul and his sons was a correct description of his fate, though spoken by the counterfeit Samuel. The message is to be attributed to Satan, not to God, and it urges Saul toward ruin rather than repentance by presenting the Lord's departure as grounds for despair. Satan used Saul's guilt and distress to emphasize his sin and the supposed hopelessness of pardon, aiming to destroy his courage, confuse his judgment, and drive him to despair and self-destruction.

Satan works in a very plausible manner, insinuating himself into favor and leading almost imperceptibly until perceptions are blunted, then making bolder suggestions until he can lead to almost any degree of crime. When the snare is complete he is willing that his victims see where they are and exults in their confusion, as with Saul. The prediction of his doom was used as a snare to turn Israel from God as counselor to trust the sorceress and place themselves under Satan's guidance. So that in rebellion they would be instructed by satanic cunning and sever the last link holding them to God.