The Bible In Paintings: FEARFUL SAUL CONSULTS A WITCH

[Hebrews 11:6]

The Bible In Paintings 2
ENCOURAGEMENT FOR APPRECIATING AND APPLYING GOD'S MESSAGE

1st SAMUEL
CHAPTER 28

The Philistines assembled, while Saul gathered all the Israelites. When Saul saw the Philistine army, he was afraid; terror filled his heart. He inquired of the LORD, but the LORD did not answer him by dreams or Urim or prophets. Saul then said to his attendants, “Find me a woman who is a medium, so I may go and inquire of her.”

“There is one in Endor,” they said.

So Saul disguised himself, and at night he and two men went to the woman. “Consult a spirit for me,” he said, “and bring up for me the one I name.”

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.

When the woman saw Samuel, she cried out at the top of her voice and said to Saul, “Why have you deceived me? You are Saul!”

The king said to her, “Don’t be afraid. What do you see?”

The woman said, “I see a spirit coming up out of the ground.”

“What does he look like?” he asked.

“An old man wearing a robe is coming up,” she said. Then Saul knew it was Samuel, and he bowed down and prostrated himself with his face to the ground.

Samuel said to Saul, “Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?”

“I am in great distress,” Saul said. “The Philistines are fighting against me, and God has turned away from me. He no longer answers me, either by prophets or by dreams. So I have called on you to tell me what to do.”

Samuel said, “Why do you consult me, now that the LORD has turned away 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 neighbors—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. The LORD will hand over both Israel and you to the Philistines, and tomorrow you and your sons will be with me. The LORD will also hand over the army of Israel to the Philistines.”

Immediately Saul fell full length on the ground, filled with fear because of Samuel’s words.

New International Version ©1984, Abrdgd, EMPHASES Added
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1
GUSTAVE DORÉ
"Saul and the Witch of Endor"

2
BENJAMIN WEST
"Saul and the Witch of Endor"

3

4
EDWARD HENRY CORBOULD
"Saul and the Witch of Endor"

5
SALVATOR ROSA
"Saul and the Witch of Endor"

6

7
BERNARDO CAVALLINO
"The Shade of Samuel Invoked by Saul"

8
WILLIAM SIDNEY MOUNT
"Saul and the Witch of Endor"

9
ANDREY YEFIMOVICH MARTYNOV
"The Shade of Samuel Invoked"

10
NICOLAI GEY
"The Witch of Endor"

11
MATTHIAS STOM
"Saul and the Witch of Endor"

12
GERARD HOET
"Saul with the Witch of Endor"

13
KUNZ MEYER WALDECK
"The Witch of Endor"

14
WILLIAM BLAKE
"Saul, the Shade of Samuel and the Witch"

15
GABRIEL EHINGER
"Saul Speaking to Samuel's Spirit
at the Witch of Endor"

16
JANUARIUS ZICK
"Saul and the Witch of Endor"

17

18
JOHN HENRI FUSELI
"Samuel Appearing to Saul
in the Presence of the Witch of Endor"

19
JAMES TISSOT
"Saul and the Witch of Endor"

20
WASHINGTON ALLSTON
"Saul and the Witch of Endor"

21
J. MYNDE
"Saul Consults the Witch of Endor"

22
"Saul Consults the Witch of Endor"

→ a n d... f i n a l l y ←

23
ALESSANDRO MAGNASCO
"Witch of Endor"

[Hebrews 11:6]

R E S O U R C E S
Read 1st SAMUEL 28 in full
Hear MAX McLEAN reading it
Hear a DRAMATIZATION of it
Read J-F-B's COMMENTARY
BIBLE TIMELINE

Click for 109 prior episodes in THIS series:
The Bible In Paintings 2
Click for 434 links in the FIRST series:
The Bible In Paintings 1


HOW GOD PROMPTED
THIS BIBLE-ART SERIES

"The Bible comes alive so much more with all the
illustrations, paintings, sculptures and stained glass windows.
Through them the stories are crystallized in our minds."

CLICK HERE
FOR AN EXCELLENT
7-MINUTE OVERVIEW OF
1st SAMUEL

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[Hebrews 11:6]

SAUL, OR DAVID?
SAUL ATTACKS DAVID
DAVID RUNS FOR HIS LIFE
DAVID SPARES SAUL’S LIFE – TWICE!
DAVID, ABIGAIL, AND NABAL THE FOOL
FEARFUL SAUL CONSULTS A WITCH
SAUL DIES, JUST AS FORETOLD
D A V I D
DAVID, THE NEW KING
DAVID JOYOUSLY RETRIEVES THE ARK
DAVID AND BATHSHEBA
DAVID MURDERS TO COVER ADULTERY

[left that other site]

Good Morning, Dan! :-)

[Hebrews 11:6]

Good Lord’s Day morning to you, Mary-Lou!

[jonsie]

Thank you.

[InkStone]

Good Morning Dan, and wishing each of you a joyful new week.
Wonderful and Instructive paintings Dan; thank you for your inexhaustible energy!
God does not change; even in our broken culture we see God use wickedness to re-enforce the eternal truth of His Word!

[Hebrews 11:6]

You are very welcome.

[Hebrews 11:6]

God does not change; even in our broken culture we see God use wickedness to re-enforce the eternal truth of His Word!

Well stated, Leon. Obvious applications of your thesis come immediately to mind.

[etabeta]

Spookier and spookier....Love the imagination of these artists. I like #9 by Martynow and #13 by Waldeck. Thank you, Dan!

[Hebrews 11:6]

Spookier and spookier

Wait until you see tomorrow's, Alba: we have an appointment with the witch of Endor.

[Hebrews 11:6]

That is, it all comes true!

[Bob434]

16 got a batman symbol in it, and I notice 22 has owl in it, wonder if the owl was linked to occultism? I like 9- the artist did a good job depicting the feel of a spirit rising up before the people there. There seems to be some kind of black entity right in the middle there, almozt like a shadow person- kinda spooky actually.

I used to watch shows like the ghost busters (not the movie, but the “paranormal,investigation team show”) and those folks are Messing with stuff they shouldn’t. Another show on a “cryptid” monster in some abandoned mine or something a couple went there to Investigste and they claimed the evil entities followed them home and tormented them. They got some “charms” and had some kind of modern day witch doctor “pray over them” and supposedly the entities left, but me thinks that their seeking out evil to combat evil with didn’t do squat, and likely has served to just keep them blind to the truth, makingmthem think the evil as subsided when .ikely it is just harder for them now to recognize.

While most of the “paranormal investigstion” shows are bunk and faked, they are still messing around with things they had best leave alone. Even if they personally,dont beleive in spirits and are just doing it for a show and the $$, they are opening themselves up to demonic possession, or attacks, expecially when they bring in seance folks to try to connect to the other side.

Anyways, spooky subject, but newt depictions of the scene. I’ve read that God allowed it to happen, but that the spirit was not actuslly Simon but a demon, others think it was him. If so it’s a bit puzzling why God allowed his spirit to be disturbedi havent studied the issue enough to know whether it was demon or his actusl spirit. Either way, Saul made a huge mistake turning to the spirit world

[Hebrews 11:6]

Bob, your essay is profoundly wise. Dabbling in the occult does indeed risk demonic possession, and he is surely a fool who underestimates the true terror of that.

[null and void]

Who or what are the Urim?

Also side note, remember the TV show Bewitched? The mother-in-law was named Endora for a reason...

[evets]

"When the woman saw Samuel, she cried out loudly." 1 Samuel 28:12
It sounds like she's never seen a real ghost. Haha

I like what Lord Jesus said:
"Ghosts don't have flesh and bones as you see I have." Luke 24:39

The only ghost which I seek is the HOLY GHOST!
Thanks again for the great artworks!

[Hebrews 11:6]

Who or what are the Urim?

The Urim and Thummin were small objects the High Priest used for divination. They've never been physically described, so I've always imagined them as being the functional equivalent of a tossed coin or dice.

In this case, either they were nondeterminative or their answer was unwelcome.

[Hebrews 11:6]

The only ghost which I seek is the HOLY GHOST!

AMEN! to that.

[null and void]

Ah. Like so:

[Hebrews 11:6]

Yeah, in a Second Millennium BC sort of way.

[BenLurkin]

Such a shameful act on his part. And a disturbing passage in scripture.