When God Stops Speaking Series

WHEN GOD STOPS SPEAKING

By Rev. Samuel Arimoro

Main Text: 1 Samuel 28:1-25

Supporting Texts: 1 Samuel 15:22-23, Proverbs 1:24-28, Isaiah 59:1-2, Amos 8:11-12, Hebrews 3:7-8

INTRODUCTION:

One of the most terrifying experiences in a believer’s life is divine silence. There is nothing more tragic than when God stops speaking. In 1 Samuel 28, Saul finds himself in a desperate situation. The Philistines are advancing, fear overwhelms him, and when he seeks the Lord, there is no answer—no dream, no Urim, no prophet. Heaven is silent.

This chapter marks one of the darkest moments in Saul’s spiritual life. Years of disobedience, rebellion, and disregard for divine instruction had led him to a place where God’s voice was withdrawn. Saul, in panic, turns to the very thing he had once outlawed: a medium. This act of spiritual compromise would seal his fate.

The story of Saul at Endor is not just historical; it is deeply prophetic. It warns us that divine silence is not God’s absence but God’s judgment. When a person resists the voice of God long enough, they risk a point of no return. This passage challenges us to value God's voice, to obey while He speaks, and to never seek forbidden alternatives when He is silent.

1. DISOBEDIENCE OPENS THE DOOR TO SPIRITUAL DARKNESS

Saul had silenced the prophets, ignored Samuel, and disobeyed God consistently. Now he faced the consequence of those choices.

a) Saul Inquired of the Lord, but God Did Not Answer (1 Samuel 28:6)

He ignored God's voice when it was available. Now, in crisis, he discovers that rebellion has consequences.

b) He Had Killed the Priests of the Lord in Nob (1 Samuel 22:18-19)

Saul destroyed the very spiritual structures through which God spoke. Divine silence was not accidental—it was provoked.

c) He Failed to Obey God Concerning Amalek (1 Samuel 15:23)

Partial obedience had brought him into total separation from divine guidance.

d) When a man consistently resists correction, he eventually loses access to direction

Spiritual deafness is often self-inflicted by repeated disobedience.

Biblical Example: King Zedekiah ignored Jeremiah's warning and later found himself blind and in chains (Jeremiah 38:20-23; 39:6-7).

2. FEAR DRIVES DESPERATE PEOPLE INTO DANGEROUS DECISIONS

Instead of repenting, Saul resorts to the occult. Fear will always lead you to compromise when faith is absent.

a) Saul Was Terrified of the Philistines’ Army (1 Samuel 28:5)

Fear overwhelmed him because he had no spiritual foundation to stand on.

b) He Asked His Servants to Find a Medium (1 Samuel 28:7)

What he once banned, he now pursued. Fear exposed his spiritual inconsistency.

c) He Disguised Himself to Visit the Witch of Endor (1 Samuel 28:8)

He was ashamed, but not repentant. He tried to bypass divine order through deceit.

d) Saul's decision to consult a medium was a final rebellion against God's law (Leviticus 20:6)

Turning to darkness for light only deepens confusion.

Biblical Example: Ahab rejected God’s prophets and sought lying spirits—his end was destruction (1 Kings 22:6-23).

3. DIVINE SILENCE IS A RESULT, NOT A REACTION

God's silence toward Saul was not sudden—it was the result of years of ignoring truth.

a) God Did Not Answer by Dreams, Urim, or Prophets (1 Samuel 28:6)

Heaven closed all channels. God sometimes stops speaking when we stop listening.

b) Saul Had Rejected Samuel’s Counsel When He Was Alive (1 Samuel 15:26)

You cannot despise the voice of God and expect to hear it in moments of crisis.

c) When the medium conjured Samuel, he rebuked Saul for disturbing him (1 Samuel 28:15-18)

Even in the spirit, the message was unchanged—judgment was coming.

d) Saul Heard Again What He Already Knew but Refused to Obey

God doesn’t owe fresh instruction to those who reject the last one.

Biblical Example: Esau sought repentance with tears but found no place for it (Hebrews 12:17).

4. THE CONSEQUENCES OF SPIRITUAL COMPROMISE ARE SEVERE AND SWIFT

Saul’s journey into the occult brought no comfort—only confirmation of his coming destruction.

a) Samuel Told Saul He and His Sons Would Die the Next Day (1 Samuel 28:19)

His time was up. The final prophecy confirmed his destiny.

b) Saul Fell to the Ground in Fear and Weakness (1 Samuel 28:20)

Sin had drained his strength—physically and spiritually.

c) The Medium Had More Compassion Than the King’s Own People (1 Samuel 28:21-25)

She gave him food and comfort, though her trade was ungodly. The irony reveals how far Saul had fallen.

d) Saul Ate and Left—No Repentance, No Worship, No Change

Even with one last warning, Saul remained the same. His heart was hardened beyond help.

Biblical Example: Pharaoh experienced ten plagues, but his heart remained hardened until he was destroyed in the Red Sea (Exodus 14:17-28).

CONCLUSION:

1 Samuel 28 is one of the most haunting chapters in Scripture. It reveals what happens when a man who was once anointed, chosen, and empowered by God refuses to walk in obedience. Saul lost the voice of God—not because God failed, but because Saul forsook His word. And when heaven grew silent, Saul turned to hell for guidance.