During the reign of Saul, there was a war that was about to take place. The Philistines were gathering an army to fight against Israel. Saul gathered all of his people together to face the army that approached their land but when he saw their numbers, a fear began to grow within him. Saul called out to the Lord to intervene, to give him a sign through his dreams but nothing came. So Saul resorted to the Urim and Thummim, those white and black stones we talked about in a previous episode. But God still did not provide the answer he sought. He then he called on the prophets to assemble in his courts to decree the outcome of the war at hand but every prophet drew a blank.

Saul only had one option left. There was a woman who had contact with the great prophet, Samuel. Saul knew Samuel had favor with God and that he would be able to provide the answers he so desperately needed. So he adorned a disguise and made the journey to a small Canaanite village in the valley of Jezreel.

He sought out the woman and when he found her, he begged her to get in touch with Samuel on his behalf to provide him some answers. So the woman went and woke Samuel and brought him before Saul. Samuel asked Saul, “Why have you disturbed me?”. Saul fell on his face and proclaimed the troubling news about the Philistine army sitting at their doorstep and the war to come. Then Samuel delivered some not so great news. “Has the Lord not turned away from you and became your enemy?” Samuel asked. “Today the Lord has torn the kingdom out of your hand and given it to your neighbor, David.” Samuel continued, “The Lord will give Israel into the hands of the Philistines and tomorrow you and your sons shall join me.”

Saul fell face first into the ground paralyzed with fear. Not only was his nation about to be torn from his grasp, but he was told he was about to join Samuel in his resting place. Which may not sound too frightening until you realize who this woman Saul came to see was. She was known as the Witch of Endor, a conjurer of spirits. A medium if you will. Which is why she was the only one who could access Samuel, because he was dead.

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Thank you for listening to this episode of Itinerant. If you enjoy the show, take a moment to subscribe, rate, and share it on with a friend. Word of mouth is a powerful thing and your recommendation is much appreciated. You can find out more about me and the show at itinerantpodcast.com.

I co-host another podcast called The Reckless Pursuit. The Reckless Pursuit is a show dedicated to providing a safe place for Christians to ask unsafe questions. If you need a community of people where you can talk about your questions safely, we might just be your tribe. No matter your current church status or even religious views, all questions are welcome to help us grow and lay down our spiritual baggage. So if you feel like a spiritual Nomad we invite you to stop and rest. The journey is long but the beauty lies within it. Visit us there at https://therecklesspursuit.com.

And until next time, keep searching, you never know what mysteries lie ahead.