Vainglorious Counsel or Godly Obedience?

1 Samuel 28:1-25 

    1 Now it happened in those days that the Philistines gathered their armies together for war, to fight with Israel. And Achish said to David, “You assuredly know that you will go out with me to battle, you and your men.” 2 So David said to Achish, “Surely you know what your servant can do.” And Achish said to David, “Therefore I will make you one of my chief guardians forever.”
    3 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.  4 Then the Philistines gathered together, and came and encamped at Shunem. So Saul gathered all Israel together, and they encamped at Gilboa. 5 When Saul saw the army of the Philistines, he was afraid, and his heart trembled greatly. 6 And when Saul inquired of the LORD, the LORD did not answer him, either by dreams or by Urim or by the prophets.  7 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 En Dor.”
    8 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, and bring up for me the one I shall name to you.”  9 Then 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?”  10 And Saul swore to her by the LORD, saying, “As the LORD lives, no punishment shall come upon you for this thing.”
    11 Then the woman said, “Whom shall I bring up for you?”  And he said, “Bring up Samuel for me.”  12 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!”  13 And the king said to her, “Do not be afraid. What did you see?”  And the woman said to Saul, “I saw a spirit ascending out of the earth.”  14 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.
    15 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.”  16 Then Samuel said: “So why do you ask me, seeing the LORD has departed from you and has become your enemy? 17 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. 18 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. 19 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.”
    20 Immediately Saul fell full length on the ground, and was dreadfully afraid because of the words of Samuel. And there was no strength in him, for he had eaten no food all day or all night.  21 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 have put my life in my hands and heeded the words which you spoke to me. 22 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.”  23 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. 24 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. 25 So she brought it before Saul and his servants, and they ate. Then they rose and went away that night.

The stage is set with the Philistine enemy ready to attack Israel, with David and his six hundred pretending to join their enemy in the fight against his own people led by the king who rejected and was rejected by the LORD.  Samuel the prophet who Saul went to for guidance from God in the past was buried, and the LORD did not answer Saul when he desperately sought divine guidance to fight the Philistines.  After Samuel died, Saul had banned all the mediums from the land, the necromancers and conjuring soothsayers, but again disregarded God’s commands (Leviticus 19:31, Deuteronomy 18:10-14) by seeking answers from the dead instead of the living LORD of all.  Of course, when Samuel was spiritually brought out of the dead to speak, it did not go well; he let Saul know that God rejected him and would not answer, so would certainly not answer from a prophet, not even a dead one.  This proved there was an afterlife, but more importantly demonstrated that answers and direction are found only in and from the LORD, and only to those who know and follow Him.  Saul did reveal that God would allow Israel to be defeated the next day, and that Saul and his sons would be as Samuel, joining him in death.  Saul was as a dead man after that, and had to be talked into eating for strength to lead a certain defeat the next day.  His hope was gone.  We learn from here that God is not mocked in our refusal to trust and obey; what is reaped is sown, and counsel must be sought from the Lord, not spiritists and conjuring abominations of the nations.  This means no horoscopes, seances, or any philosophical system which is not in complete alignment with the scriptures; His word does not come from dead people or other gods, but from those He sent and whose mouths and hands were moved to record His ways and will for us to follow.  We do not follow the vainglorious counsel found in empty philosophies or any vain deceit of man (Colossians 2:8-9), but godly obedience found in the solid truths of our Lord and Master who is the head and ruling authority over all.