1 Samuel Chapter 28: 9-11 (NIV-UK)
But the woman said to him, ‘Surely you know what Saul has done. He has cut off the mediums and spiritists from the land. Why have you set a trap for my life to bring about my death?’
Saul swore to her by the Lord, ‘As surely as the Lord lives, you will not be punished for this.’
Then the woman asked, ‘Whom shall I bring up for you?’
‘Bring up Samuel,’ he said.
1 Samuel 28: 16-18 (NIV-UK)
Samuel said, ‘Why do you consult me, now that the Lord has departed from you and become your enemy? The Lord has done what he predicted through me. The Lord has torn the kingdom out of your hands and given it to one of your neighbours – to David. Because you did not obey the Lord or carry out his fierce wrath against the Amalekites, the Lord has done this to you today.
When God says no, He means no. This is a really sad account of how far Saul had fallen away from God. When he was first anointed, he had banished all of the mediums and spiritualists from the land, because practicing as, or consulting a medium was forbidden by God. Now, he is so desperate to find success that he consults one himself. But he doesn’t hear anything new or different.
We might not do anything quite as drastic as Saul, but we may at times be tempted to reject Godly advice from someone if what they tell us is not what we want to hear. We should never be tempted to go to someone else in the hope that they tell us something different. That won’t change God’s mind on the matter. Sometimes we just need to swallow our pride and accept what we have been told, even if we don’t like it. In the long run we realise how important it is to be obedient to God’s will in the first place.
Dear Lord,
Help me to realise that Your will for me is only ever for my good. Help me to trust that Your ways are always better than mine. I ask in Jesus’ Name. Amen.