Word of Salvation – Vol. 18 No.29 – July 1972

 

The Sin That Slew Saul

 

Sermon by Rev. J. Goris on 1Chronicles 10:13-14

Scripture Readings: Ephesians 6:10-20; 1Sam.28: 4-19

Psalter Hymnal: 194; 45:2,6 (after law);
                             286:1,2 (after creed); 464; 444:2,3; 172:6

 

Beloved in the Lord,

Children like games and that is good fun.

Older people like them too, and it’s good to feel young.  But there are some games, dangerous games, in which the devil himself plays and then you are invariably the loser!

The game?

            SPIRITISM!

It is the popular thing these days, and all are in it, old and young.

The minister of a local church discovered that the youth fellowship was regularly holding séances.  A high school notice board boldly advertises that séances are being held at lunch time, room 13.

A well-known weekly magazine in its “Wanted Known” column offers “happiness”, and “good luck” in many forms to its readers.

T.V. programmes include the occult feature the “Third Eye”.  Oh yes, Satan is offering his “specials” at reduced rates, and many are the unwary victims who get caught.

That includes Christians!  That is why it is not out of place to sound a note of warning.  The Bible speaks out on these sorts of things, and we would be foolish to ignore them.

The case of King Saul is one striking example of this.  This sin brought about his downfall.

Our text speaks of… THE SIN THAT SLEW SAUL.

            “So Saul died for his unfaithfulness;
             he was unfaithful to the Lord
             in that he did not keep the command of the Lord;
             and also consulted a medium seeking guidance,
             and did not seek guidance from the Lord.”

There are two things that are mentioned that underline that unfaithfulness.

First, his disobedience.  You may recall the situation: God ordered the extinction of Amalek.  It was God’s judgment on this nation, and he judges rightly, King Saul, however, failed to be so drastic in this task.  He spared the king, and the best of everything.  In our eyes this may seem a small matter, but to God this was a serious failure in the leader of His people.

God wants complete obedience!  But no man is perfect!  That is true, no mere man is.  This is where we so much need God’s only Perfect Man, Jesus Christ!  It is God’s grace that we need, and Saul did not seek that grace.  That’s where he failed, and that’s how he finally sought his guidance in the Devil’s camp!

The climax of his unfaithfulness was just there: he consulted a medium.  But, you may say, didn’t Saul first try to seek the Lord?  Isn’t that what we read in 1Samuel 28?

He sought the Lord for guidance, but the Lord didn’t answer him.  God warns us in His Word of the terrible possibility that there comes a time when it is TOO LATE to seek the Lord.  Isaiah 55:6, says, “Seek the Lord while he may be found, call upon Him while he is near.”

It was too late for Saul.  God had turned away from him.  And so he goes to Endor, to a medium who claims she can contact the dead.  That was Saul’s fatal sin, and notice what led up to that: unfaithfulness!  There was disobedience, and no longer a seeking of God’s grace.  Then we are quite open, and easily snared by all the wiles of the devil.

We are inclined to ask: Is seeking a medium so bad?  Can an odd game of séance do any harm?  If you say this because you have taken part in this, beware, for the devil has already gone a long way to fool you, to make you blind to the danger of it.

Let us never forget that the Devil is the enemy of God, and therefore also of God’s people.  He will do everything to destroy God’s work.  And he is clever at it.  That’s why Paul in his Ephesian letter speaks of the WILES of the Devil.  That’s why he says that we must be properly armed against any of his attacks: “Put on the whole armour of God!”

The story of Saul is not an isolated case.  Desire for contact with the spirits of the dead is on the increase at a tremendous rate.  Actually, it has always been a thing that intrigues people.  Said Kipling:
            “The road to Endor is the oldest
             and the craziest of all.”

There are many forms in which this sin appears.

Some we look upon as quite ‘innocent’, but they are not…

The horoscope is found in most papers, and greedily read: many go by what the “stars” say about their future.

Card-laying is practised by others, when they seek more definitely to be guided by “lucky and unlucky” cards.

Others again have palm-reading of their hands, hoping to be guided as to the unknown ahead.

Fortune telling in these and other ways is sought after by many.

There is also another class of activity more closely related to Spiritism.  In these the Devil is purposely consulted.  We name a few…

Necromancy, or contact with the dead through séances: here Satan deceives people by making them think that they really speak to a departed loved one, whereas an evil spirit impersonates them.

Ouija boards that spell out messages received from the spirit world.

Further there is table-lifting and glass-moving, stunts that are associated with the prince of darkness, who could also in Pharaoh’s presence perform some of the things Moses did.

Do not forget, that apart from purposeful seeking of these things, there are cases where the devil comes in without having been invited.  We call that demon-possession, and you may recall that Jesus dealt with many instances of that kind.

In fact we find that especially where the light of the gospel is breaking through Satan is putting up a tremendous fight.

That’s why just at Christ’s time we meet with people possessed with demons (evil spirits).  They are the people who know who Jesus is: the Son of God!  They do not know this of themselves, it is these evil spirits who know; and note: they are afraid of Jesus.

We see the same when the gospel first comes to Europe.  Paul has been preaching in Philippi, and there is that girl that tells people’s fortunes.  She knows what Paul has to say.

We hear much the same story from the pioneers on the mission field.  Satan is putting up a fight to keep the gospel out!

Now it is very sad to hear that many Christians deny all this.  They don’t believe in the existence of evil spirits (and the devil loves that).

These people say, “Oh, It’s all psychological, it’s only in the mind.”

Others say, these are only innocent games.  We don’t really believe in all that.  It’s good fun to see how much of it is true.  There are others again, who say, But why?  We haven’t ever noticed anything much of the things about which you talk.  Indeed, many Christians have little to do with it, and thank God for that, because there are also GOOD spirits, the angels of God, who are sent for the protection of God’s people.  They ward off any attacks, unless you start inviting Satan’s clan in.

Sometimes it is CURIOSITY that make people seek it, at other times it is for COMFORT, when a loved one dies, and they want to contact him or her.  There are situations like that of Saul where people look for some GUIDANCE as to the future.

But, whatever the reason, good or bad, the Bible warns against this sort of thing: it condemns it.

The laws of Moses speak about it (Lev.19 and Deut.18).  Israel are not to follow the practices of the Canaanites: They have a God to go to, a living God: the LORD!  He will GUIDE them, COMFORT them, their FUTURE is in His hand.

The prophet Isaiah addresses himself to this problem.  He speaks of God’s judgement over Babylon, and its fortune-tellers and sorcerers, (“those who divide the heavens”, Isa.47:12,13).

Isaiah also speaks to Israel:
            “And when they say to you,
             Consult the mediums and the wizards
             who chirp and mutter,
             should not a people consult their God?
             Should they consult the dead on behalf of the living?
             To the teaching and the testimony (the Word of God)!
             Surely for this word that they speak there is no dawn.” (Isa.8:19-20)

God’s Word leaves no doubt as to God’s view on the matter.  The evil spirits are thrown out, the rich man in the parable (Luke 16) is told that his brothers have the Scriptures, and that no spirit returns from the dead.

But what of the case of Samuel and Saul?

Doesn’t that prove that the spirit does come back?

If you study the narrative well, you will see that Samuel appeared before the woman had a chance to call him up; you will also see that she was taken by SURPRISE; moreover, the message was one of judgment; in other words, God intervened by having Samuel bring that message!

God condemns this practice for several reasons: It is a work of the Devil, who wants to draw us from God.

It is a sin against the sovereign authority of God.  It ignores the revelation God has given.  It denies the person and the work of Jesus Christ, His uniqueness, His resurrection.

These spirits never honour Christ.  In fact, a person who has the Spirit of God, is a great hindrance to them (a séance does not work if a true Christian is present).

People of God, young people, have nothing to do with these works of Satan!  You are playing with dynamite, if you do.

Look at Saul’s life.  How he drifted from God, how he became unfaithful, how he got caught in this evil game!

Christians who will nevertheless attempt going into this, will discover that they are becoming less and less interested in Christ, and His church, in reading the Scriptures, in praying.

The whole message of the Bible is to direct us to God.  It centres our attention on Jesus Christ.

HE IS THE ANSWER!  He has come to take care of your sorrow, He has made your future secure, He has gained victory over the powers of darkness.

Isaiah reminds us: To the Law and to the Testimony!  To the Scriptures!

Christ came to undo the works of Satan, and His word is still the sword of the Spirit, to ward off the enemy of our souls.  And if you are already caught in this racket, flee to Christ, quit these things, ask Christ to cleanse you, ask for His Holy Spirit to indwell you.

Remember Christ is stronger than Satan!

Remember, too: Seek the Lord while He may be found, Call upon Him while He is near.  When you have found Him, put on the whole armour of God (Eph.6:10-20).

Parents, are you sure your children are NOT involved?  Some parents have discovered these things in a simple form at birthday parties of children.

You will never look for these things, when you have found your ALL in Christ.  He is the all-sufficient One, in times of trouble and loneliness, in perplexity and despair, He came especially to save you from helplessness and hopelessness, from sin and Satan.  Come to Him; don’t dabble in this occult business!  Come to Him and say:

            Thou hidden source of calm repose;
            Thou all-sufficient love divine;
            My help and refuge from my foes,
            Secure I am if Thou are mine:
            And, lo, from sin and grief and shame
            I hide me, Jesus, in Thy Name.

            Jesus, my all in all Thou art,
            My rest in toil, mine ease in pain;
            The medicine of my broken heart;
            In war my peace, in loss my gain;
            My smile beneath the tyrant’s frown,
            In shame, my glory and my crown.

            In want, my plentiful supply;
            In weakness, mine almighty power;
            In bonds, my perfect liberty;
            My light in Satan’s darkest hour;
            My help and stay whene’er I call;
            My life in death, my heaven, my all!

Amen.