Epistle for April 8, 2016
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e-pistle
FreeWay Foundation April 8, 2016
King saul consults a medium
(I Samuel 28:1-25)
Dr. Curt Scarborough
I. Concentration: on the contents of this chapter
1. The army of the Philistines gathered to attack Israel; with
Samuel dead, Saul was afraid and confused; he called
upon the Lord but received no answer "either by dreams
or by Urim or by the prophets," vv. 3-7.
2. Saul asked his servants to find him a medium and they told
him of such a woman at En Dor; Saul disguised himself and
visited the woman, who reminded him of the king's orders to
execute mediums and spiritists; Saul swore before the Lord
that no harm would come to her, vv. 8-10.
3. She asked Saul whom he wanted her to bring up; he asked for
Samuel, who immediately appeared and terrified the woman;
Saul told Samuel that God refused to answer his prayers and
that the Philistines were poised to attack; Samuel replied that
God was doing what had been prophesied . . . that because
of Saul's disobedience, the kingdom would be taken from him
and given to David; Samuel also told Saul that he and his sons
would be killed the next day, vv. 11-19.
4. Saul fell to the earth in great dread; the woman finally persuaded
him to eat; then Saul returned to his camp, vv. 20-25.
II. Meditation: on why God refused to answer Saul's prayers
1. Saul had impatiently disobeyed God and offered an unlawful
sacrifice, I Samuel 13:8-9.
2. Saul had rebelliously disobeyed God and spared the life of King
Agag, the Amalekite, I Samuel 15:8, 20.
3. Saul had killed all the priests at Nob, which eliminated any means
by which he could receive "Urim" guidance from God,
I Samuel 22:17-19.
4. Saul repeatedly hardened his heart, refusing to repent, and
continually trying to find and kill David . . .even though it was
evident that David would do him no harm.
III. Revelation: on spiritualist attempts to contact the dead
1. Mediums cannot and do not actually communicate with the dead.
(This witch of En Dor was shocked and terrified when Samuel
appeared!)
2. The Scriptures clearly prohibit any and all attempts to contact the
dead under penalty of death,
Exodus 22:18; Leviticus 19:31; 20:6; Deuteronomy 18:10-11.
3. Most séances merely are trickery and deceit, staged by mediums
for profit.
4. In some cases, however, such psychic practitioners are in contact
with or under the control of demonic spirits.
IV. Applications: as a Christian, I need to . . .
1. Avoid Ouija boards, horoscopes, and all other new age or occult
practices.
2. Seek direction from the Lord through His Word.
3. Listen for God's voice through His prophets and/or Christian
friends.
4. Yield to the divine guidance of the Holy Spirit.
Great is your faithfulness!
(Lamentations 3:1-66)
Dr. Curt Scarborough
I. Concentration: on the contents of this chapter
1. Using the first person singular; Jeremiah identifies with Israel,
describing himself as sick and injured; as dead and buried;
as a prisoner being tortured; as a traveler making slow
progress, being attacked by wild animals and shot at with
arrows; as an object of ridicule eating and drinking bitter,
contaminated food, vv. 1-24.
2. Jeremiah changes his writing style from poetry to prose
and exhorts the people on what they should do under the
harsh discipline of the Lord, vv. 25-39.
3. Jeremiah then identifies so closely with Israel that he speaks
in the first person plural: "WE" and "US" rather than "I" or
"YOU," vv. 40-47.
4. Jeremiah closes this third poem by returning to the use of the
first person singular, again "becoming" the suffering nation
of Israel, vv. 48-66.
II. Meditation: on some key verses in this chapter
1. "Through the Lord's mercies we are not consumed, because
His compassions fail not. They are new every morning:
Great is Your faithfulness. 'The Lord is my portion,' says my
soul, 'Therefore I hope in Him!'" vv. 22-24.
2. The Lord is good to those whom wait for Him, to the soul who
seeks Him. It is good that one should hope and wait quietly
for the salvation of the Lord," vv. 25-26.
3. "Let us search out and examine our ways, and turn back to
the Lord; let us lift our hearts and hands to God in heaven,"
vv. 40-41.
4. "You drew near on the day I called on You, and said, "Do
not fear!' O Lord, You have pleaded the case for my soul;
You have redeemed my life," vv. 57-58.
III. Revelation and Applications: as a Christian, I need to
1. Hope in the Lord's mercies, His compassions, His faithfulness,
and His promise to be my "portion" (my inheritance and
providential supply), Psalm 16:5-6; Philippians 4:19.
2. Wait patiently for the salvation (deliverance0 of the Lord,
Psalm 27:14.
3. Examine my ways; repent of my sins; lift my heart and hands
to the Lord; ask for His mercy and grace, Acts 20:21; I John 1:9.
4. Draw near to the Lord; hear His words of encouragement; receive
His redemption, James 4:8; Galatians 3:13; Revelation 5:9.
"Be kind. Every person you meet is fighting a hard battle!"
--Unknown
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