1 Samuel 28:20-25

1 Samuel 28:20-25

[20] Then Saul  fell  straightway  all  along  on the earth,  and was sore  afraid,  because of the words  of Samuel:  and there was no strength  in him; for he had eaten  no bread  all the day,  nor all the night.  [21] And the woman  came  unto Saul,  and saw  that he was sore  troubled,  and said  unto him, Behold, thine handmaid  hath obeyed  thy voice,  and I have put  my life  in my hand,  and have hearkened  unto thy words  which thou spakest  [22] Now therefore, I pray thee, hearken  thou also unto the voice  of thine handmaid,  and let me set  a morsel  of bread  before  thee; and eat,  that thou mayest have strength,  on thy way.  [23] But he refused,  and said,  I will not eat.  But his servants,  together with the woman,  compelled  him; and he hearkened  unto their voice.  So he arose  from the earth,  and sat  upon the bed.  [24] And the woman  had a fat  calf  in the house;  and she hasted,  and killed  it, and took  flour,  and kneaded  it, and did bake  unleavened bread  [25] And she brought  it before  Saul,  and before  his servants;  and they did eat.  Then they rose up,  that night. 

What does 1 Samuel 28:20-25 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

Why did the writer give us so much information about this woman"s concern for Saul? For one thing, it is another instance of the reversal-of-fortune motif that is so common in1,2Samuel. Saul should have executed the woman for witchcraft, as the Law commanded, but instead she ministered to Saul. A disobedient medium became a source of blessing for the disobedient king. Saul had departed so far from God that even this woman, through whom he had just learned about his own death the next day, could nourish and refresh him.
Beyond this, the similarity between the woman"s words and Samuel"s is striking. Samuel had said that because Saul had not obeyed God, God had done something to Saul ( 1 Samuel 28:18). The woman said that because she had obeyed Saul, Saul should do something for her ( 1 Samuel 28:21-22).
"Saul realizes he has landed in a situation which resembles a covenant with the medium instead of with YHWH." [1]
Samuel"s words terrified Saul, but they did not move him to listen and obey. Saul had not eaten and was physically weak. Perhaps he had been fasting to get a word from God. The woman reminded Saul that she had listened to the king"s promise that no harm would come to her, and her conduct reflected her faith in him. She then begged him to listen to her and to eat something since he was so weak, but Saul would not listen to her as he had not listened to God. Only after prolonged entreaty by the medium and Saul"s servants did the king concede to eat. This proved to be Saul"s "last supper." [2] What a contrast it is with the Last Supper of Jesus Christ, the vice-regent who always listened to and obeyed God faithfully. Saul ate this meal in dread as he anticipated death the next day, whereas Jesus ate His Last Supper at peace with His Father anticipating death the next day.
We would expect that with such a striking warning, Saul would have withdrawn Israel"s army and fled south toward Gibeah and safety, but he did not. He evidently still felt that he could oppose God"s word and succeed. He went into battle the next day and perished. God removed His unfaithful anointed because he proved to be an insubordinate and inattentive vice-regent. He also disciplined the nation Saul represented by allowing the Philistines to defeat Israel.
This pericope helps the reader appreciate the serious consequences of not listening to God"s word and not obeying His will. Saul could not get guidance from God because God had ceased giving His rebellious servant directions. People sometimes cannot get guidance from God because they have been unwilling to listen to God and obey Him. He stops speaking to them. Saul then tried to get guidance from elsewhere. God graciously provided it to him in the form of a final warning, but Saul disregarded that too. He plunged forward to his death. Similarly, Judas received a final warning from Jesus in the Upper Room, but he disregarded it and died within24hours. How important it is not to harden our hearts when God speaks to us (cf. Psalm 95:6-11; Hebrews 3:7-8; Hebrews 3:15; Hebrews 4:7)!