When Saul demands the witch of En-dor conjure up the spirit of Samuel, what is it that happens next? Does she actually have the power to call up the spirits of the dead to communicate with the living or does she only have the power to play with demons of deception? That is, does Saul actually speak with Samuel or does he speak with a demon pretending to be Samuel? While theologians have debated this question for quite some time, in the end, I don’t think it particularly matters because either answer gets us to the same place, that place being the arms of the God who will not allow the devil to rip us out of His embrace. Let me explain.
As we saw in the Exodus, the sorcerers and necromancers who play with demons are very limited in their power. They can emulate some of the miracles that Moses and Aaron perform, but they can’t keep up with Yahweh or overpower Him. As we see with Job, the devil cannot attack him, but Satan can only reach out his hand as far as God permits. And so, when it comes to the witch of En-dor, she has no power beyond what God gives her, nor do the demons have any more power than what God gives them. If she truly has conjured up the spirit of Samuel, it’s only because God has done this through her so that Samuel will speak a word of condemnation to Saul. Conversely, if she can only conjure up a demon purporting to be Saul, then God is showing His authority over the demon by using its mouth to speak that same condemning word. Either way, Saul refused to hear the word of condemnation the Lord had already spoken to him. And when he tried to get an answer to his questions by going around the Lord, the Lord showed Him that there is no way to escape the wrath to come.
So the story of the Witch of En-dor is a word of wrath for Saul. But it’s a word of comfort for us. God has spoken a word of pardon to you through the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ, through the words of the apostles and prophets. And when God has spoken, there is no way around it. No alternate route for those who wish to destroy us, no end-around for Satanic forces. The demons that seek your destruction, they cannot reach their claws one millimeter beyond what God permits. They cannot speak a single word beyond what God permits. Their mouths, their wickedness, their power to devour you, is all under the authority of the God who destroyed your sins at Calvary, crushed the head of their father the serpent, and called you His own child forever. Don’t leap into the jaws of the chained and enslaved and conquered demons. But don’t fear their power when they are already under the power of the One who loves you, cherishes you, and invites you to call Him “Father.”.
Comentarii