Saul’s failure to hear from God reveals the depth of his separation from divine guidance in the critical moment of his leadership.
Saul, Israel’s first king who reigned approximately from 1050 BC to 1010 BC, finds himself in a dire predicament in 1 Samuel 28. “When Saul inquired of the LORD, the LORD did not answer him, either by dreams or by Urim or by prophets.” (v.6) In this verse, we witness the culmination of Saul’s troubled spiritual journey. By now, he has repeatedly disobeyed divine directives, distanced himself from the prophet Samuel’s counsel, and lost the guidance of the Spirit (1 Samuel 16). His attempts to inquire of God through legitimate means—dreams, direct revelation, or prophetic mediation—are unsuccessful. The Urim was a tool used by the high priest to discern the will of God, and prophets served as worthy messengers of God’s truth, but both avenues are silent for Saul.
This silence underscores that God does not respond to half-hearted or disobedient motives (James 4:3). Saul’s unyielding heart has led to consistent rebellion against God’s commands, and this verse shows the consequences of that rebellion: a leader who yearns for an answer from heaven but meets only divine silence. In the broader narrative, Saul’s desperation ultimately leads him to consult a medium in the city of Endor, located north of the hill of Moreh in the land of Israel. That choice further reveals how far he has strayed from the covenant guidelines, ignoring warnings set forth in the Law against seeking omens and the counsel of mediums (Deuteronomy 18:10-11).
In contrast, this situation points forward to the New Testament teaching that believers have access to God through the ultimate High Priest, Jesus Christ, whose intercession is never obstructed by disobedience when we come to Him with repentant hearts (Hebrews 4:14-16). Saul’s experience here, however, stands as a sober example of the tragic consequences of persistently turning away from God’s commands. Instead of trusting wholeheartedly in God, Saul finds himself in spiritual isolation, cut off from the one source of wisdom he needs most.
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1 Samuel 28:6 meaning
Saul, Israel’s first king who reigned approximately from 1050 BC to 1010 BC, finds himself in a dire predicament in 1 Samuel 28. “When Saul inquired of the LORD, the LORD did not answer him, either by dreams or by Urim or by prophets.” (v.6) In this verse, we witness the culmination of Saul’s troubled spiritual journey. By now, he has repeatedly disobeyed divine directives, distanced himself from the prophet Samuel’s counsel, and lost the guidance of the Spirit (1 Samuel 16). His attempts to inquire of God through legitimate means—dreams, direct revelation, or prophetic mediation—are unsuccessful. The Urim was a tool used by the high priest to discern the will of God, and prophets served as worthy messengers of God’s truth, but both avenues are silent for Saul.
This silence underscores that God does not respond to half-hearted or disobedient motives (James 4:3). Saul’s unyielding heart has led to consistent rebellion against God’s commands, and this verse shows the consequences of that rebellion: a leader who yearns for an answer from heaven but meets only divine silence. In the broader narrative, Saul’s desperation ultimately leads him to consult a medium in the city of Endor, located north of the hill of Moreh in the land of Israel. That choice further reveals how far he has strayed from the covenant guidelines, ignoring warnings set forth in the Law against seeking omens and the counsel of mediums (Deuteronomy 18:10-11).
In contrast, this situation points forward to the New Testament teaching that believers have access to God through the ultimate High Priest, Jesus Christ, whose intercession is never obstructed by disobedience when we come to Him with repentant hearts (Hebrews 4:14-16). Saul’s experience here, however, stands as a sober example of the tragic consequences of persistently turning away from God’s commands. Instead of trusting wholeheartedly in God, Saul finds himself in spiritual isolation, cut off from the one source of wisdom he needs most.