In 1978 or 1979, I was told about family members driving to Nashville – I’m from Tennessee – to see a lady because there were things going on in their lives that they didn’t understand. They had been praying but it seemed to them that God was silent. So they went to see this lady, who shared some things with them. Then this lady asked one of my family members, “Who is this person who thinks that he or she cannot be touched by Satan?”
As my mom was recounting that to me, I began to think who the person could be, thinking that it could possibly be me. And I’ll tell you why. When I was in college, at every break between quarters, I’d come home and spend time with my grandfather, a Baptist minister, and talk Bible – for hours. I’d talk about what I was learning, and he’d ask me questions to gauge the depth of my learning.
So, I was kind of feeling full of myself, thinking that maybe I had gotten the enemy’s attention. I was a novice. And you know that scripture says you don’t give any responsibility to a novice. In my mind I think I’m one thing, but in the realm of the spirit, I’m a novice.
Then my mom got the strangest look and she said that she found out that the question was being asked about her. And she said the person had described some things about her that no one else knew about. So, sometime later, I understood that what my mom was describing was a family member who had been involved with a familiar spirit.
You don’t hear much about familiar spirits these days. But don’t let that cause you to believe that they are not active today.
This is my lead into the message today about the woman of Endor from First Samuel 28. First Samuel 28 is the most detailed record of the operation of a familiar spirit in Scripture.
One of the things I think about as I look back on that conversation with my mom is that this record has led us to believe that it’s okay to interact with people like this – who can speak to us in a way other than through God.
Christians will veer outside of Christianity when they are not getting answers to the issues and situations that they face. So they go to other places searching for answers.
Let’s lay some foundation first.
What is a familiar spirit? Simply, a familiar spirit is a devil, some prefer the word demon, impersonating someone who is dead. They know things about the person like where they lived, where they grew up, who the person married, etc.
Why do they know things like this? They watch us with the hope of using the information to deceive another person away from the counsel of God.
Do you remember the movie The Wizard of Oz? Do you remember the scene where Dorothy is with Mr. Marvel? They are sitting at a table, and he is about to tell her what he sees in his crystal ball. But before he does, he has Dorothy close her eyes and he finds a photograph of her aunt in her purse.
As he was telling Dorothy what he was seeing in his crystal, He began to tell her some things that would be familiar to her. For example, seeing a woman and describes her and Dorothy says it was her aunt. He did this to make her think along a certain line of thinking. And, ladies and gentlemen, that is important, and I want you to remember that. Think along or a certain way.
So, he convinced Dorothy, because of what he could see in his crystal, that she needed to get back home because of things going on with her aunt. Do you remember the story? Do you remember the scene? Both are important.
So, a familiar spirit is a devil who knows about you. And I’m telling you guys, they know about all of us. They know about All of us. I’m not trying to scare you. I’m not trying to get you to go home and keep the lights on at night or put garlic on the doors. But what I want you to understand is the evil spirits know you enough that they can use you against you.
Most of the information that a familiar spirit will give, partially all of it is going to be past information. They can only give you what they have observed about you.
What is the purpose of a familiar spirit? The spirit wants you to seek answers from a source other than God. Whenever a person acts on a word from a familiar spirit, masquerading as a word from God, that person will be implementing the plans of the enemy into his life.
What does scripture say about familiar spirits?
Leviticus 10:31 – “Regard not them that have familiar spirits, neither seek after wizards, to be defiled by them: I am the LORD your God.”
The word regard means “to not turn toward.” We could read it this way: “Turn not to those who have familiar spirits.” The word seek means “to really go after them and do your best to find them.”
This is the first scriptural reference to familiar spirits. And the Bible tells us not to turn after them.
If God details to not do something in one place in scripture, is He going to allow us to do it in another place in scripture? God is not going to say no in Leviticus but says okay in First Samuel 28.
Leviticus 20:6 – “And the soul that turneth after such as have familiar spirits, and after wizards, to go a whoring after them, I will even set my face against that soul, and will cut him off from among his people.”
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When my family members went to see that Lady, do you think God was happy? Oh no! If God turned his face away from those who start familiar spirits in the Old Testament, do you think He does not turn His face away from those who seek familiar spirits today?
And when God says “cut off” it means cut off from eternal life with Him. Period. This is serious to God because He knows what a familiar spirit can do to your life.
Leviticus 20:27 – “A man also or woman that hath a familiar spirit
[Do you realize that you cannot have a familiar spirit unless you give it permission to operate in your life?],
or that is a wizard, shall surely be put to death: they shall stone them with stones: their blood shall be upon them.”
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Look at Deuteronomy 18:9-12.
(9) When thou art come into the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those nations.
(10) There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch,
(11) Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer.
(12) For all that do these things are an abomination unto the LORD: and because of these abominations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee.”
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How many of you have watched a movie where someone is speaking to someone who has died? And how many of you liked the movie? I have been there.
God has called us to a standard of holiness in everything we do and when we don’t, we allow unholy things to come into our lives. But too many Christians are so wrapped in the world that they don’t see what the world is doing as wrong.
Although we may not choose to acknowledge that a lot of what we see happening today is wrong, is wicked, is ungodly, the born again spirit on the inside of us knows and it tells us – unless we have ignored it so much that we can no longer hear it.
We are going to see that King Saul had gotten to the point that he no responded to the Word of the Lord.
Before we get to First Samuel 28, we must do a little background.
Turn to First Samuel 15 – one of my favorite records. God has given Saul the instruction to wipe out the Amalekite people. He was told to kill the king, all the men, all the women, all the children and all the animals. In other words, the Lord’s instructions to Saul were, if it breathes, you kill it.
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Now you may be thinking, Bro. Barry, isn’t that kind of harsh? Why kill the children too? Let me ask you something: who was it that God used to bring down Egypt? Moses, a Hebrew that Pharoah, years earlier had commanded to be killed with all the other male children two years old and under. Moses lived and we see what he did to Egypt. God did not want any Amalekite to seek revenge on His people.
And you know the story. Saul didn’t kill the king and he saved the best of the animals but blames the people for making him do so. Then we get down to verse 22. Listen to what Samuel says.
(22) And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.
What was God’s issue? Saul didn’t do what God had told him to do. What is God’s issue for us today in the Body of Christ? You have to do what I tell you to do.
(23) For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD [because you did not obey, because you did not listen to Him], he hath also rejected thee from being king.
Between verses 23 and 34, Samuel does what Saul should have done. Now verse 35. This is an important verse to remember.
“And Samuel came no more to see Saul until the day of his death: [After that day, Samuel never spoke to Saul again.] nevertheless Samuel mourned for Saul: and the LORD repented that he had made Saul king over Israel.”
Turn to chapter 16, beginning with verse one. This is the background that we’re going to need when we get to chapter 28.
(1) And the LORD said unto Samuel, How long wilt thou mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? fill thine horn with oil, and go, I will send thee to Jesse the Bethlehemite: for I have provided me a king among his sons.
We know the story. Samuel has Jesse parade all his sons before him. And Samuel, thinking about how God selected Saul – he was head and shoulders taller than any man in Israel – was looking for God to do something similar.
As each of Jesse’s sons presented themselves, God said no, no, no, no, no, no until he was introduced to each one. Samuel thinks to himself, the Lord sent me here to anoint a king, but He has said no so far. So, he says, Jesse, do you have another son? Jesse says yes. He’s a shepherd out tending to the sheep.
Jump down to verse 12.
(12) And he sent, and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, and withal of a beautiful countenance, and goodly to look to. And the LORD said, Arise, anoint him: for this is he.
(13) Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah.
(14) But the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD troubled him.
First John chapter one says God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. And James chapter one says that in God there is no shadow of turning. When God took away His Holy Spirit, it allowed an evil spirit to move into Saul’s life. God would not take His spirit away and then say evil spirit you take its place.
The Spirit of the Lord has left Saul and he now had no way to communicate with God.
First Samuel 28.
(1) And it came to pass in those days, that the Philistines gathered their armies together for warfare, to fight with Israel. And Achish said unto David, Know thou assuredly, that thou shalt go out with me to battle, thou and thy men.
David was living with Achish in his territory because Saul was trying to kill him.
(2) And David said to Achish, Surely thou shalt know what thy servant can do. And Achish said to David, Therefore will I make thee keeper of mine head for ever.
Now verse 3. What does it say? “Now Samuel was dead.” DEAD. First Samuel 25 talks about Samuel dying and all of Israel mourning for him.
Hold your finger here and look at Ecclesiastes nine beginning with verse four.
(4) For to him that is joined to all the living there is hope: for a living dog is better than a dead lion.
(5) For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten.
(6) Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished; neither have they any more a portion for ever in any thing that is done under the sun.
Do you see this? Once you are dead, there is no coming back. This is important. Turn to Job 7 and we’re going to read verses nine and ten
(9) As the cloud is consumed and vanisheth away: so he that goeth down to the grave shall come up no more.
(10) He shall return no more to his house, neither shall his place know him any more.
Do you see this? We have established that Samuel is dead and, based on Scripture, he’s not coming back. Now let’s pick up First Samuel 28 again with verse three.
(3) Now Samuel was dead, and all Israel had lamented him, and buried him in Ramah, even in his own city. And Saul had put away those that had familiar spirits, and the wizards, out of the land.
(4) And the Philistines gathered themselves together, and came and pitched in Shunem: and Saul gathered all Israel together, and they pitched in Gilboa.
(5) And when Saul saw the host of the Philistines, he was afraid, and his heart greatly trembled.
In Deuteronomy 20:1-4, the Lord tells Israel that when they go into a war that they should go in with a victory mindset because He will be with them. But we know from First Samuel 16 that the Spirit of the Lord had left Saul. This is why Saul is trembling. This is why he is afraid.
(6) And when Saul enquired of the LORD
Saul simply asked the Lord a question. Now this is important when we get to the next verse and look at the word “seek.”
….the LORD answered him not, neither by dreams, nor by Urim, nor by prophets.
These were the three ways that the people in the Old Testament who served God were able to get answers and instructions from Him. This is another indicator that the Lord was not going to have any communication with Saul.
(7) Then said Saul unto his servants, Seek me a woman that hath a familiar spirit,
The word “seek” means to actively search for, to strive after until what you are seeking is found.”
Even though he had put those who operated with familiar spirits out of the land, Saul believed that since the Lord didn’t answer him the woman with the familiar spirit would be able to get the answer for him.
Christians who seek out people like this woman who has a familiar spirit do so because they believe that they will be able to give them the answers to their questions.
Back to verse 7.
Seek me a woman that hath a familiar spirit, that I may go to her, and enquire of her. And his servants said to him, Behold, there is a woman that hath a familiar spirit at Endor.
How did Saul’s servants know this if the king had put them out of Israel? Could it be that they kept tabs on some of them just for such a situation as this? I’m not saying that’s what happened, but it is one legitimate reason, is it not?
(8) And Saul disguised himself, and put on other raiment, and he went, and two men with him, and they came to the woman by night: and he said, I pray thee, divine unto me by the familiar spirit, and bring me him up, whom I shall name unto thee.
(9) And the woman said unto him, Behold, thou knowest what Saul hath done, how he hath cut off those that have familiar spirits, and the wizards, out of the land: wherefore then layest thou a snare for my life, to cause me to die?
(10) And Saul sware to her by the LORD, saying, As the LORD liveth, there shall no punishment happen to thee for this thing.
Listen to what Saul is saying. “I don’t care what the Lord said. I don’t care that the Lord had me put you out of the land. I don’t care that I am not supposed to have any contact with you. I am not going to do what the Lord told to do.”
(11) Then said the woman, Whom shall I bring up unto thee? And he said, Bring me up Samuel.
(12) And when the woman saw Samuel, she cried with a loud voice: and the woman spake to Saul, saying, Why hast thou deceived me? for thou art Saul.
Who told her that the man in disguise was Saul? The familiar spirit masquerading as Samuel.
(13) And the king said unto her, Be not afraid: for what sawest thou? And the woman said unto Saul, I saw gods ascending out of the earth.
(14) And he said unto her, What form is he of? And she said, An old man cometh up; and he is covered with a mantle. And Saul perceived that it was Samuel, and he stooped with his face to the ground, and bowed himself.
The woman saw Samuel after Saul gave her his name. Are you following me?
Now notice I want to draw your attention to some things.
First, why did a man come up and not a spirit? Remember Ecclesiastes tells us that man has no more portion on the earth.
Second, why was Samuel dressed in his apostolic mantle and not grave clothes? Remember when Jesus called Lazarus out of the tomb and he came out wearing grave clothes? The familiar spirit needed to make sure that Saul believed that he was talking with Samuel.
Third, the verse says Saul perceived it to be Samuel. In other words, Saul didn’t see Samuel. He perceived it to be Samuel based on the information he was given.
(15) And Samuel said to Saul, [The familiar spirit said to Saul.] Why hast thou disquieted me, to bring me up? And Saul answered, I am sore distressed; for the Philistines make war against me, and God is departed from me,
I have a question. If God says you are to have nothing to do with familiar spirits, wizards or anything that is an abomination to Me, why would God allow Samuel to talk to Saul through an abomination? And so many in the Church don’t understand this. They see the word “Samuel” and believe it must be him. And you must be convinced of this.
Let’s pick up the verse with “and God is departed from me, and answereth me no more, neither by prophets, nor by dreams: therefore
“I have nowhere else to go, so I am coming to you.” What is the purpose of a familiar spirit? To get you to seek answers from a source other than God.
…. therefore, I have called thee, that thou mayest make known unto me what I shall do.
So many in the Church do this innocently, but this is not an innocent act ladies and gentlemen.
(16) Then said Samuel, Wherefore then dost thou ask of me, seeing the LORD is departed from thee, and is become thine enemy?
(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:
How did the familiar spirit know this? This is what God did to Saul in First Samuel 15. It was information readily available to him. This is not new information.
(18) Because thou obeyedst not the voice of the LORD,
How did the familiar spirit know this? Samuel said this two or three times in First Samuel 15. This is not new information.
…. nor executedst his fierce wrath upon Amalek, therefore hath the LORD done this thing unto thee this day.
God didn’t do it. Saul did it by rejecting God’s Word. The familiar spirit is setting Saul up. “You’re in this predicament because of the Lord.” This is the same thing we say about God today. Whatever happens to us in life is God’s will.
(19) Moreover the LORD will also deliver Israel with thee into the hand of the Philistines:
How did the familiar spirit know this? The answer is easy. He already knew that God was not with Saul, which means that Saul did not have God’s protection. He knew that Saul had violated God’s command by seeking a familiar spirit. Saul had made himself available to what the enemy wanted to do by the decisions he made concerning the things that the Lord had called abominations.
…. and to morrow shalt thou and thy sons be with me:
Hold up. Did you catch that? The familiar spirit masquerading as Samuel told Saul that he would join him tomorrow, that he would die tomorrow and go to hell.
…. the LORD also shall deliver the host of Israel into the hand of the Philistines.
(20) Then Saul fell straightway all along on the earth, and was sore afraid, because of the words of Samuel [the words of the familiar spirit]: and there was no strength in him; for he had eaten no bread all the day, nor all the night.
Everything the familiar spirit told Saul was already known. He didn’t share any new information. The information he shared had to be known to make Saul believe what he was seeing and hearing.
Let’s close in First Chronicles 10. We’re going to see this record from God’s perspective.
(13) So Saul died for his transgression which he committed against the LORD, even against the word of the LORD, which he kept not, [What was the word of the Lord that Saul didn’t keep? He did not wipe out the Amalekites – man, woman, child, cattle.] and also for asking counsel of one that had a familiar spirit, to enquire of it;
(14) And enquired not of the LORD: therefore he slew him, and turned the kingdom unto David the son of Jesse.
Let’s wrap this up. If you don’t believe that God is speaking into your life, you’ve been praying about something, don’t go searching for someone else if you’re not hearing from God. Find out why you are not hearing from God.
First of all, the Lord demands holiness. Anything that operates outside of holiness is an abomination. If you seek counsel from anyone other than the Holy Spirit, or a man or woman of God who is walking by the Holy Spirit, who help you, you’re walking on dangerous ground.
Your relationship with God is important. Keep it sweet. When you feel like you’re in a dry place, hang in there and don’t give up. It will pass. It will pass. But always keep your eyes on Jesus and no one else. Amen.
