Our scripture reading for this evening is 1 Samuel 28, verse 3 to the end of the chapter. Recall that we left David in his dilemma and then we immediately transition to Saul's great dilemma. Please rise if you're able to hear God speaking to you and honor him in so doing. Now Samuel had died, and all Israel had lamented for him and buried him in Ramah, in his own city. And Saul had put the mediums and the spiritists out of the land. Then the Philistines gathered together and came and encamped at Shunem. So Saul gathered all Israel together and they encamped at Gilboa. When Saul saw the army of the Philistines, he was afraid. And his heart trembled greatly. And when Saul inquired of the Lord, the Lord did not answer him, either by dreams or by Urim or by the prophets. Then Saul said to his servants, Find me a woman who is a medium, that I may go to her and inquire of her. And his servants said to him, In fact, there is a woman who is a medium at Endor. So Saul disguised himself and put on other clothes and he went and two men with him and they came to the woman by night and he said, please conduct a seance for me to bring up for me the one I shall name to you. And the woman said to him, look, you know what Saul has done, how he has cut off the mediums and the spiritists from the land. Why then do you lay a snare for my life to cause me to die? And Saul swore to her by the Lord, saying, As the Lord lives, no punishment shall come upon you for this thing. Then the woman said, Whom shall I bring up for you? And he said, Bring up Samuel for me. When the woman saw Samuel, she cried out with a loud voice. And the woman spoke to Saul, saying, Why have you deceived me, for you are Saul? And the king said to her, do not be afraid, what do you see? And the woman said to Saul, I see a spirit ascending out of the earth. So he said to her, what is his form? And she said, an old man is coming 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 down. Now Samuel said to Saul, why have you disturbed me by bringing me up? And Saul answered, I am deeply distressed, for the Philistines make war against me, and God has departed from me and does not answer me anymore, neither by prophets nor by dreams. Therefore I have called you that you may reveal to me what I should do Then Samuel said So why do you ask me? Seeing the Lord has departed from you and become your enemy And the Lord has done for himself as he spoke by me For the Lord has torn the kingdom out of your hand and given it to your neighbor David. I Because you did not obey the voice of the Lord nor execute his fierce wrath upon Amalek, therefore the Lord has done this thing to you this day. Moreover, the Lord will also deliver Israel with you into the hand of the Philistines, and tomorrow you and your sons will be with me. The Lord will also deliver the army of Israel into the hand of the Philistines. Immediately Saul fell full length on the ground and was dreadfully afraid because of the words of Samuel. And there is no strength in him for he'd eaten no food all day or all night. And the woman came to Saul and saw that he was severely troubled and said to him, look, your maidservant has obeyed your voice and I've put my life in my hands and he did the words which you spoke to me. Now, therefore, please heed also the voice of your maidservant and let me set a piece of bread before you and eat that you may have strength when you go on your way. But he refused and said, I will not eat. So his servants together with the woman urged him and he heeded their voice. Then he arose from the ground and sat on the bed. Now the woman had a fatted calf in the house and she hastened to kill it. And she took flour and kneaded it and baked unleavened bread from it. So she brought it before Saul and his servants and they ate. Then they rose and went away that night. Let's borrow the reading of God's Holy Word. Previously we saw David, because of his compromised faith, brought into a truly dire moral dilemma. The Philistines expected David to fight with them against Israel, against God's people. And no doubt, if he refused, there would at least be some very serious questions, if not his very life threatened by the Philistines at that moment. What will he do? It is a very serious dilemma. And yet we simply left him there last week because the scriptures simply leave him there and move on to Saul and his dilemma next. Why does the scripture do this? The scripture places a dilemma of David right next to the dilemma of Saul, inviting us, even compelling us, to compare and contrast these two dilemmas. David's dilemma seems quite dire, yes, but God is still with him, as we said last week. And yet when we come to Saul's dilemma, how much more terrible it is because God is not with Saul. God is the enemy of Saul. And so when we look at the dilemmas and problems of our own life even compared, even brought upon us by our own sinfulness, our own compromises, we are led to understand they are nothing compared to that dreadful condition of the unbeliever who is without God and without hope in this world. Well, with that in mind, then, that implicit comparison, let us look at our passage under three points. First is the sign of rejection, verses 3 through 6, that is the silence of God. And then we have sources of condemnation, verses 7 through 20, where we see the condemnation of Saul made explicitly clear in various ways. And then the shadow of life, verses 21 through 25, as Saul eats his last meal, it would seem, and yet there's no joy in it, there's no true substance to it. It is but the shadow of life at that point, true life as really his entire life has been. So we'll look at first at the sign of reduction here in verse 3. We begin with certain historical facts that are brought back to our memory here. For example, there in verse 3, Samuel had died and all Israel had mourned for him and buried him in Ramah, his own city. Why insert this here? We saw this already from chapter 25, verse 1, that Samuel had died and was buried. So why insert this here? It's clearly already happened in the past. So why insert this here, not in chronological order, as if to simply and blatantly stick it in? Why? Well, because it has significance for the forsakenness of Saul. Who was the prophet who spoke to Saul? It was Samuel. Samuel was the one who came to Saul and revealed God's word to him, and now Samuel is dead. The voice of God through the prophet has been cut off from Saul. Why? Because he rejected the word of the prophet time and time again, so that the Lord said, there's no use, there's no longer cause or reason, to speak through Samuel. He has finished his mission. He has finished his work. There is no more need to speak anything to Saul. And therefore, Samuel is allowed to die and go to be with the Lord. The voice of God, the prophet from God, was gone because the Lord had judged Saul unworthy of it any longer. and cut off that voice from his anointed king Saul. Notice as well we find another historical fact that Saul had put the mediums and the spiritists out of the land there in the second part of verse 3. Now this might suggest something that is good, right? Saul had obeyed God, had he not? And yet with all of Saul's obedience, this one too is rather half-hearted and lukewarm. He put out the Spiritists and put out of the city the mediums. What was the command of God exactly with regard to mediums and Spiritists? It was to put them to death. But Saul had not done that. He simply pushed them out of the land. And as we shall see, not all of them even. As he said of his obedience to God with regard to the Amalekites, I have done what the Lord has said, and yet there is the bleeding of animal noises in the ears of Samuel, yet there's the king Agag who is still alive. You really haven't Your half-hearted, lukewarm obedience is exposed. Yet he had in one sense recognized the evil of this category of people to such a degree that he cast them out of the land. the very people he now goes to, the very abomination to the Lord that he now goes to for help in our passage. His obedience is clearly lukewarm at best. Notice as well that we're reminded of the Philistines gathering in verses 4 and following. This too is to be laid at the feet of Saul. This incursion of the Philistines, and this was a massive gathering, and they were planning to invade the land. This is not some sort of small raid. This is a large-scale war that they are planning. This too is Saul's fault, for he was raised up by God specifically to deal with the Philistines. And if he had been faithful to the Lord, he would have led Israel in victory against the Philistines prior to this. He would have dealt with them already. Remember in Judges, right before, right at the same location, Jezreel, the Valley of Jezreel, that enemies of Israel had gathered in mass to a shocking and terrifying degree. They gathered together. Different groups had come together as one to invade Israel. And there is one man who led 300 men, armed with jars of clay and trumpets, and they defeated that mass of enemies. Why? Because they followed the Lord by faith. Saul could have dealt with these enemies if he had been faithful to the Lord, and yet he was not. And therefore, they amass in terrible numbers, and Saul is terrified and trembles when he sees them and recognizes the meaning of this. This is a sense of doom that he has from what he sees. And so we are told that he cries out to God. Verse 5, When Saul saw the armies of the Philistines, he was afraid, and his heart trembled greatly. And when Saul inquired of the Lord, the Lord did not answer him. either by dreams or by Urim or by the prophets. God is silent. This is a chilling judgment. When God stops speaking to someone, there is nothing more to say. There is nothing that he will do. There is only this silent doom that hangs over the head of Saul. He refused consistently to hear and heed God. He spurned His Word so consistently in the past, and therefore the Lord is saying, I have now taken that which you have spurned. And yet it is the Word that is most precious. And yet repeated spurning of it means that that treasure will be taken from him, and that which he discounted, that which he denied, will no longer be given to him. God refuses to answer him the greatest curse imaginable. But has he not promised that those who seek him, he will answer? That those who look to him and truly desire and seek him, he will be found by them? Yes, but he also says things like this, that if a man regards iniquity in his heart, the Lord will not hear. It will hinder his prayers. Saul was certainly one who regarded iniquity in his heart. Consider Proverbs 1, 24-29. Because I have called you and you refused, I have stretched out my hand and no one regarded, because you disdain all my counsel and would have none of my rebuke. Is that not descriptive of what God has done in Saul's life up to this point? He has reached out to him. He has called to him. He has appealed to him. Because he has disdained all his counsel, the Lord says, I will also laugh at your calamity. I will mock when your terror comes, when your terror comes like a storm and your destruction comes like a whirlwind, when distress and anguish come upon you. Then they will call on me, but I will not answer. They will seek me diligently, but they will not find me, because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the Lord. There is a terrible judgment and curse from God upon those who consistently spurn his word, that he will take it from them and not answer them in times of need. But in fact, whenever someone truly, sincerely seeks the Lord, he will be found. Whenever someone zealously and wholeheartedly and humbly seeks the Lord, he will be found. But Saul is not doing that. How do we know? Well, consider the parallel passage in 1 Chronicles 10, verses 13 through 14, where we are told this explicitly. Here is the inspired commentary on his death. So Saul died for his unfaithfulness which he had committed against the Lord, because he did not keep the word of the Lord, and also because he consulted a medium for guidance. But he did not inquire of the Lord. Therefore he killed him and turned the kingdom over to David the son of Jesse. He did not inquire of the Lord. Does not our passage say the exact opposite? He inquired of the Lord. What Chronicles is saying is he really didn't. He said he did. He inquired in one sense, but in another sense he did not inquire of the Lord. In the sense that he really wasn't seeking the Lord. As we see throughout, he was really simply seeking to save his life, to deal with a Philistine problem. He was not truly seeking the Lord. He did not desire the Lord. He was not overly concerned about his reconciliation with the Lord. He did not truly seek the Lord. And the Lord answered him in none of the means they had become familiar with. He did not answer in dreams. Samuel had a vision at night. Samuel had these revelations from God, but Saul had spurned his message time and again, and Samuel was no longer there. He did not hear from other prophets. Which other prophets? The prophet that was with David, perhaps? He did not hear from the Urim, which is part of the priestly garment used to determine the will of God. He didn't hear from that. Of course he didn't, because the Urim was with a priest who fled to David when Saul slaughtered all the priests. Therefore, the Urim was actually with David. You see, God had cut off all the means of his communication, because Saul had spurned the Word of God, and therefore they all were gone from him. They had fled from him. He had no means by which truly, genuinely to seek the Lord, except perhaps prayer, which we read he did not do. We have no sense of that, I mean. We have no revelation of that. And therefore, all of these means to know God's will were cut off from Him. And this is a stern warning to us. We ought to value the Word of God, not spurn it, but rather to value it and heed it with our whole hearts. We ought to seek God while He may be found. and count His Word to be the most precious privilege that we have, make liberal use of it, make good use of it, guide our feet by it, welcome it, treasure it, that we also would not be condemned by the silence of God as those who consistently spurn the Word of God. How do we know if we truly treasure it, if we are truly seeking the Lord? One way we'll know is that we will not cease until we have Him. We will not stop until we have understood His Word, until we recognize that He has answered us. But Saul did not cling to the Lord like Jacob did when wrestling with the Lord. He would not let go until he is blessed. Saul, rather, says, well, the Lord's not speaking to me by any of these other means. Therefore, I will ask a witch about it. when we turn from the revelation of God quickly and turn to those things that are obviously not to be trusted in our own understanding. If God's not going to answer me, I'm going to do what I want, therefore. Going to a flattering counselor, if God's not going to answer me, I'm going to this person who I know will agree with me. going to providence and interpreting it in a misconstrued manner. If God's not going to answer me, I'm going to find his answer in some sliver of providence. No, if we truly wholeheartedly, zealously seek and desire God, we will not cease until he bless us. But Saul was not of such a spirit. His obedience is always lukewarm, is always partial, is always a sort of obedience to God. And therefore he quickly turns to this witch that he might find God's will from this means, this demonic means. And so he calls his servants—this is our second point, the sources of condemnation—he calls his servants in verse 7 to find him a woman who is a medium, that I may go to her and inquire of her, and his servants, as if there is nothing that happens in between, as if this is immediately something they have at their fingertips, say, well, there is one in Endor. In other words, in Israel, in the land itself. And instead of his servants rebuking him and saying, do you not remember that you cast them out? Do you not remember that according to God's law they should be put to death, that this is an abomination in the land? Do you not remember these things? Instead of that, they seem quite willing to find one for him, for Saul has surrounded himself with those who fear him and not God. These are his servants. And so they mention this one who is there in Endor, and he goes to inquire of this medium, but he disguises himself as a literal hypocrite. I'm always surprised, though, that he turned so quickly to demonic means. We shouldn't be. Remember what Samuel told him in 1 Samuel 15, 23, that rebellion is as witchcraft, that every rebellion and spurning of the Word of God is one step closer to witchcraft, because these are the two alternatives. Either you listen to God or you listen to Satan. And so when we refuse to listen to God, when men spurn His word, they are involved in witchcraft, listening to something that is not God, listening to demonic things. Are we surprised that those who rebel against God, or those who often try to talk to the dead, or make use of a Ouija board, or consult their horoscopes, or whatever other means they try to use to determine how they should live their lives by some supernatural force? It is not surprising, because anyone who spurns the Word of God is involved in witchcraft. Rebellion is as witchcraft. And so Saul, after this long and extended rebellion and scorning of God's Word, it is no surprise that he turns to those he has outlawed, that he turns to those in abomination in God's eyes, that he blatantly and explicitly turns to witchcraft. Because of his long history of rebellion, this is no surprise. But she does not want to deal with him, because she is afraid for her life. Saul disguised himself in verse 8, put on other clothes, and he went, and two men with him. They came to the woman by night, and he said, Please conduct a seance for me, and bring up for me the one I shall name to you. And the woman said to him, Look, you know what Saul has done. How he has cut off the medians and the spiritists and the land. Why then do you lay a snare for my life to cause me to die? She recognizes this is illegal. This has been forbidden by Saul. It is the law of the land. It is in God's law. Death penalty offense. She recognizes all of the risks that she would take to do so, and she's asking for some sort of assurance that she'll be fine. And what does Saul say to assure her? There in verse 10, Saul swore to her by the Lord, saying, As the Lord lives, no punishment shall come upon you for this thing. The anointed king of the Lord against the law of the Lord appeals to the name of the Lord in order that he would not enforce the law of the Lord. It is a blasphemy. By God, I will not do what God says. By God, the things that God has commanded will not come to pass. This, by the way, is the last time that Saul takes the word of the Lord, the name of the Lord upon his lips, as recorded in Scripture. This is the last use of Yahweh that he uses. This is his final blasphemy. It is quite terrible what he has said and what he is doing. But when she is thus assured, she is willing to go ahead and bring up for him whomever he desires. But who does he desire? And he says, bring up Samuel for me. Isn't that interesting? Samuel, why Samuel? Has he not rejected the voice of Samuel time and time again? Why should he go to him now? Alfred Edersheim puts it this way, to whom should he turn in his extremity? Only one person sufficiently powerful with God and man occurred to his mind. It was Samuel. the undoubted messenger of God, the one man who had ever confronted and overawed him, to the very man who had so sternly, unrelentingly, and in the hour of his triumph told him his downfall. To this man, the only man of substance he knew, the only one he recognized would have the truth, would have wisdom far surpassing his. To this man, Samuel, he goes. We should not be surprised, brethren, when the very people who mock our faith at times, who scorn what we believe in times of crisis and desperation might show up on your doorstep asking for your counsel, asking for your prayer. Why? Because whatever they do to scorn the things we believe, they know deep down you have wisdom from God they do not have. And so they might come to you and ask for your help in time of need. That is the point here. That is what Saul desires. And what is quite fascinating is in the next verse, immediately without any suggestion of any demonic arts, without anything interposing, immediately the woman saw Samuel and she was afraid. She cried out. She recognized this was unusual. This was different. Something was happening over which she had no control. She was shocked by it. and cried out because she saw this ghost, this god as she calls it, coming up out of the ground. And at the same time she sees this figure, this vision, at the very same time she somehow knows who Saul is. His disguise is no use now to her. Her eyes have been enlightened, or she has heard from this figure coming up. She knows both of those things immediately. And so she is shocked by this appearance, this apparition, and she recognized at the exact same time who Saul is speaking to her. And she recognized it and declared it to him, Why have you deceived me, for you are Saul? But he says to her, do not be afraid. What do you see? He will be true to his word, his blasphemous appeal to the Lord, and he simply asks who she sees, what she sees, and she explains the form of this apparition, the form of this ghost, the form of this spirit, that he is like an old man wearing a mantle, and Saul perceived that this was Samuel. Is it Samuel? Of course, that is the question that is so tantalizing, isn't it? Is this Samuel or is it not? Many of the older commentators insist it cannot be Samuel because they say you cannot attribute the power to pull someone out of glorified estate to wrest someone from their state of complete peace. You cannot attribute that sort of power to demonic forces. They have no control over the glorified saints in heaven. And we would agree with that, of course. We must agree with that. Heaven is a place where glorified saints are at rest, perfectly righteous, fully in obedience to the will of God. This is why we pray, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. There is therefore no control or exertion of power or ability to attempt Those who are in heaven, there is no possibility of manipulating them or having control over those who are completely and perfectly in the kingdom of God and in His sphere. So we would agree with them. But the question does arise, is that necessary to believe to see here a real Samuel? I contend that this is Samuel. And it is not Samuel conjured by a witch, but it is Samuel sent by God. Notice again what we find here. There is no mention of demonic devices, no mention of a seance actually conducted. Saul says, bring up Samuel, and immediately the woman is shocked because there is Samuel. And she's shocked and scared because this is not in her control. She is not the one producing this apparition. She is not the one who has brought him up. She is shocked by what is happening because it is not of her doing. I contend that this is the Lord sending Samuel for one final message of condemnation against Saul. But notice, he says, you have disturbed me. Why have you disturbed me, Saul? Is it proper for Someone who is glorified to be disturbed in this way are not glorified saints perfectly at peace, and without disturbance do they not rest from their labors according to Revelation 14, 13? But there are other incidences in Scripture where something similar occurs. Abraham interacted with a rich man who is in Hades. Did that disturb his peace? Perhaps, but not overly. Moses and Elijah appeared on earth at the transfiguration. These dead saints appeared on earth because God sent them to converse with Christ. Likewise, we have the fact that we will judge men in the last day. 1 Corinthians 6, is it possible for glorified saints to appear on earth and still do works? Yes, it must be, as the rest of Scripture makes clear, but at rest and at peace, unaffected by the sin and curse of this world. When we speak of resting, we mean that we are no longer corrupted by sin or its influence, that we are perfectly resting in Christ and at the same time to be confronted with this cursed world, though unaffected by it could certainly be described as a disruption. described as it is by Samuel as a disturbance. And so I contend that everything in Scripture demonstrates that this could well be the appearance of Samuel on earth sent by God, not conjured by a witch. But notice, some say, but he ascends out of the earth. That's what she says. He doesn't descend from heaven, he ascends out of the earth. That's where demons come from, right? Well, it is true that we could say demons come out of hell and that is below and not above and so forth. And yet we can recognize as well that this would simply refer to the grave, referring to his position as one who is dead. Where do the dead ascend from? They ascend from the place of the grave, from the place of death. In fact, later in this passage, Samuel says to Saul that later, the next day, Saul and his sons will be with him. With him where? Jonathan surely is going to heaven. Saul is surely not going to heaven. How will they be with him? They'll be with him in the sense of in the grave, dead as he is dead. And so this could simply be a way of expressing the fact that he arises from the grave, from the dead, and that is what is in view here. Notice, likewise, that when he speaks, he gives a true prophecy. What he says comes to pass. He says, you and your sons will die fighting the Philistines tomorrow. They will have victory over you, and that is exactly what comes to pass. Could the father of lies be telling a true prophecy such as this? Is it not a test of a true prophet that if he prophesies something that comes true, he is sent from God? And finally, notice the inspired Word of God explicitly refers to him as Samuel. Verse 15, now Samuel said to Saul. Verse 16, then Samuel said. It could have been more vague. Now he said. But instead it chose to say, now Samuel said this, now Samuel said that. I believe then we have enough evidence to conclude that this is in fact Samuel sent by God, not conjured by a witch, sent by God to her shock and surprise to give one more message to Saul. And it is a message of condemnation. And so here is Samuel who appears, and he says, "'Why have you disturbed me,' verse 15, "'by bringing me up?' And Saul answered, "'I am deeply distressed, for the Philistines make war against me. "'And God has departed from me and does not answer me anymore, neither by prophets nor by dreams. "'Therefore I have called you that you may reveal to me what I should do.'" Here we have the request of Saul. And notice what is truly disturbing him. I am deeply distressed, for God is silent. No. I am deeply distressed, because I am not reconciled to God. No. I am deeply distressed, for the Philistines make war against me. And when I try to figure out what to do about this, God doesn't talk to me. So I came to this witch to try to get you to talk to me. What is the issue really at stake? What is he truly seeking? He is not truly seeking the Lord, which is why 2 Chronicles would say that explicitly. He is really just seeking to spare his own life, to save his own life. That which terrifies him is not the silence of God. It is the presence of the Philistines. And so he comes to Samuel and says, I need to know what to do about these Philistines. And God didn't answer me and therefore I'm coming to you to answer me because that is my driving need, my driving desire. You see that also confirmed in the way that Samuel answers him in verse 16. Then Samuel said to him, so why do you ask me this? In essence, he's saying, you disturbed me to ask me that sort of question? Why do you ask me that, seeing the Lord has departed from you and has become your enemy? You're asking me what to do about the Philistines when the Lord is your enemy? Surely that is more important than the Philistines. You dragged me here, as it were, to ask me about Philistines? You don't even know your real problem. Your real problem is the Lord is your enemy. Is that not, again, the most chilling statement ever? The Lord is your enemy. And yet he is the enemy of all those who oppose him. He is against them, and they are against him. There is enmity between them. And therefore the Lord is the enemy of Saul. And he goes on to say, And the Lord has done for himself as he spoke by me. For the Lord has torn the kingdom out of your hand and given it to your neighbor, because you did not obey the voice of the Lord, nor execute his fierce wrath upon Amalek. Therefore the Lord has done this thing to you this day. Moreover, the Lord will also deliver Israel with you into the hand of the Philistines. And tomorrow you and your sons will be with me. The Lord will also deliver the army of Israel into the hand of the Philistines." So he explains exactly what is happening. He says, I told you this many times before. I made clear that you would be replaced as king by someone who's better, and that is David. I told you this, and God is now being faithful to His promises of judgment against you. And remember that one example, that one stellar example of your rebellion when you refused to deal with the Amalekites as God commanded you to do. Remember that? And to this he adds this final prophecy of destruction upon Saul, that he and his sons and his army would be destroyed the next day. But notice, some would say, well, that proves this is Satan, because though what he speaks is technically true, he speaks that which drives Saul to despair. He speaks only judgment against him. But the Lord also sent a prophet to Nineveh, and all he proclaimed was 40 days and Nineveh will be destroyed. And the Ninevites, you remember, thought in this way. Well, if he's telling us before it happens, he's giving us an opportunity to cry out for mercy from him. Why would he forewarn us? Unless there is still hope, unless there is mercy, unless he's giving us this time for some reason. And so they cried out in repentance to the Lord and he relented. It was merciful to them. How does Saul respond to this clear judgment against him? Does he cry out in repentance? Likewise, remember David when confronted with his sin, and the Lord likewise simply proclaimed judgment upon him, because you have done this, your son will die. What did he say? Well, I will fast and pray until that happens, because the Lord has given me opportunity to beseech him, and I have hope in his mercy even now. What does Saul do? In verse 20, he immediately fell full length on the ground, which is ironic because, remember, he's the tallest man, and so his great height and his regal quality is now full length on the floor before God. But is it true humility? Is he crying out for mercy? No, he was dreadfully afraid because of the words of Samuel, and there's no strength in him for he'd eaten no food all day or night. No, this is despair that we find here. This is not hope in the mercy of God. This is more like Judas Iscariot hanging himself when he recognized what he had done. instead of crying out for the mercy of God. Brethren, there is never a cause for despair while you're yet alive. There's no cause for despair, especially if you know the judgments of God that are to come, if you know the condemnation of God against sin, because if you know those things, God has given you that knowledge for a reason that you might turn to Him and find mercy in Christ. Well, here is Samuel coming, one last declaration of judgment, one last opportunity for repentance, turning to the Lord in hope of mercy in the blood of Jesus Christ. But instead, there is only despair. He did not eat anything. Why would he? He was full of dread, and so he had no appetite. and no energy, and simply lay there in despair. Which brings us to our final point, the shadow of life, as I've called it, verses 21 through 25. Because he could not remain there indefinitely, could he? Particularly if you were the woman on whose floor he was lying, you would be motivated to see to it that he leaves at some point. And so she came to Saul and saw that he was severely troubled and said to him, look, your maidservant has obeyed your voice. And I have put my life in my hands and heeded the words which you spoke to me. Now therefore, please, heed also the voice of your maidservant and let me set a piece of bread before you and eat that you may have strength when you go on your way." But he refused and said, I will not eat. She is trying to get him strengthened and able to go on his way, but he refuses. And so, not only she, but the other servants came and urged him and pleaded with him, and finally he relented and gave in to their voice. He arose from the ground and sat on the bed, and the woman, in typical Oriental fashion, she does not give him a mere piece of bread, but she brings a fatted calf and slaughters it and gives him a feast worthy of a king. But is it at all a pleasure? Is it at all enjoyable to the man who is doomed to die as an enemy of God? You see, Saul, all his life had been a carnal man. All his life he found pleasure in the things of this world, not in God. And so here at the end, when he recognizes his doom, this meal that he has fit for a king, this fatted calf, how dim the things of this world begin to look in his eyes, surely. How insignificant. This isn't true life. This is a shadow of what is real life, of what he is cut off from because he is cut off from God. You see, the Lord is showing us, by contrast, the dilemma of Saul. David is in a dilemma by his own sinful making, but God is still with David. His dilemma is nothing compared to that of Saul, who has God as an enemy as he faces the Philistines. There is no joy, there is no pleasure in the carnal things of this world at this point as he faces the brink of death. So often those who die will tell you this, there is no pleasure in the things that I once enjoyed. Here is Saul, there is no pleasure in this meal. But you see, that's the point that we are to understand. Whatever pains and sorrows, whatever dilemmas and crises we face, as believers, God is still with us. This is our unending source of joy, our true life. This is true life, to know God and be known by Him. This is our true pleasure that can never be taken away from us, that God knows us and loves us, is with us and works for our good. Nothing can take God away from us. We're united and sealed to God by the blood of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, in this life and even at death and after death. Saul recognizes that all he had been satisfied with, all he had sought at this moment is worthless. What will a man give for his own soul? If he gains the whole world but loses his soul, is it a good trade? Here is a man who's about to lose his soul, and all the things of this life are dim. Compared to such a man, compared to the unbeliever, our dilemmas, our crises have comfort in them because we have Christ in them. Let's pray. Our Father, we are grateful that you have again spoken to us this night. We are grateful that we hear your voice, that you've opened our ears to hear. We are grateful that you have not cut us off from you or cut us off from your means of hearing you. You have blessed us, Lord. We are grateful for this and pray that more and more we would humbly bow to your word and submit ourselves to it and not in any way scorn or reject that which is so precious or privileged to us. Grant us this, O Lord, and grant us to know the comfort that we are united to Christ always, that He is Emmanuel, God with us, who will never leave us nor forsake us. We ask this in Christ's name. Amen.