I don't believe in coincidences, they don't exist alongside a sovereign God so it's my total belief that these passages in the One Year Bible did not appear next to each other by accident.
Today, we're looking at two incidences of the dead being returned to life.
First things first, let's look at the chapter from 1 Samuel. Here Saul, failing to hear any comforting words from God about the huge Philistine army he was about to face in battle, goes to consult a medium.
It's interesting to note that the word translated medium in Hebrew actually has a pretty derogatory indication to it, deriving from a word meaning to mumble or prattle. It's clear that this woman shouldn't be taken too seriously. She certainly shouldn't be seen as someone who can override the will of God and bring back the dead.
She was quite likely very similar to the mediums of today who pretend to bring back the dead or converse with them, often for financial gain. It certainly seems that she's used to pretending because of her shocked reaction when the spirit of Samuel (whom Saul asks her to conjure up) actually appears to her! Make note, it mentions nothing of her preparing any kind of spell to do it, he just appears.
Saul apparently can't see the spirit of Samuel because he asks the woman what he looks like but he can obviously hear him. The spirit of Samuel tells him something very plain: God has taken his favour from you and given it to David, your time as ruler of Israel is coming to an end - something he already knew.
The message I find in this passage is this. God is the same, no matter who you consult. Necromancy, the art of conjuring the spirits of the dead, was a grevious crime in Israel and Saul committed it in desperation when he didn't hear from God.
How long will we wait on God for an answer before we take matters into our own hands and it leads us to sin? Can you take the pressure of faith, looking potential disaster and ruin in the face, and wait on the Lord or will you turn to something else, will you take a shortcut? Does Saul's shortcut, his quick fix, tell him anything different about God? No, it quite obviously doesn't. God even displays a little bit of his sense of humour by actually sending the spirit of Samuel to pass on the same message as before! This isn't something I imagine God does regularly but, in this circumstance, it makes a valuable point. God doesn't change.
If you're facing ruin, if you're facing the impossible, wait on God, wait for his deliverance. Also be prepared to take the hard road he sends you down because you'll come out stronger; refined.
Isn't this the same message from Jesus' raising of Lazarus? There are many things to point out from this passage but, in the light of the passage from Samuel, God shows me one thing very clearly. He can accomplish what the world, what our judgement says is impossible. Few people in the crowd believe in Jesus' ability to raise Lazarus from the dead but he does it. He blows our expectations out of the water.
Today, we see two sides of the wait on God with a caution. When you're in a tight spot, don't let it tempt you into ungodly tactics to save your skin but remain faithful to him. Even when things look impossible, even when it looks like there's no way out, he can accomplish anything and he doesn't change... and he will raise the dead to show you those truths.
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