1 Samuel 28:17 - Printer Friendly

ESV: The Lord has done to you as he spoke by me, for the Lord has torn the kingdom out of your hand and given it to your neighbor, David.

NIV: 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.

NASB: And the Lord has done just as He spoke through me; for the Lord has torn the kingdom from your hand and given it to your neighbor, to David.

CSB: The Lord has done exactly what he said through me: The Lord has torn the kingship out of your hand and given it to your neighbor David.

NLT: The Lord has done just as he said he would. He has torn the kingdom from you and given it to your rival, David.

KJV: And the Lord hath done to him, as he spake by me: for the Lord hath rent the kingdom out of thine hand, and given it to thy neighbour, even to David:

NKJV: 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.

The Israelites are about to meet a far superior Philistine force. Saul has gone to extraordinary lengths to contact the prophet Samuel, his mentor and connection to the Lord. The king has broken both the law of Moses (Deuteronomy 18:9–12) and his own royal decrees (1 Samuel 28:3) to hire a medium who specializes in contacting spirits of the dead (1 Samuel 28:11–14).

When God allows Samuel—or an imitating spirit—to communicate with Saul from beyond the grave, the king's question amounts to this: God won't reveal Himself to me anymore, so tell me what to do about the Philistines (1 Samuel 28:15).

Samuel's response is that the Lord has done exactly what Saul was told many years ago. God is not responding to Saul because God has already taken the kingdom from Saul. It's been given to Saul's neighbor to rule as king. When Samuel first told Saul this would happen in 1 Samuel 15:28, he didn't mention the name of that neighbor. Now he does: David. But Saul already knew that (1 Samuel 28:20).

The spirit specifically tells Saul that God is doing this, not the Philistines and not David. Twice, David has had a chance to kill Saul and refused (1 Samuel 24:3–7; 26:7–12). Several times, God protected David and his men from battling Saul and his army. He's doing it again at this moment. David is under the protection of a Philistine king who has brought him to this battle (1 Samuel 28:1–2).

Perhaps at this very moment, the other Philistine commanders are insisting David can't be trusted. In the morning, he will take his men and return home (1 Samuel 29). David won't fight in the battle that kills Saul and his sons and makes him king. Everything is in God's control.

First Samuel 28:15–19 brings bad news to King Saul. A large Philistine army has faced off against the Israelites. Saul needs guidance, but God is silent. He visits a medium, and she's shocked when Samuel's spirit appears (1 Samuel 28:1–14). Samuel repeats his former message: because of Saul's disobedience, God will give the crown to another. But then he adds a warning: Saul will die the next day, along with his sons. Saul, who has been fasting, will collapse. The woman and his servants will get him to eat, and he will leave to face his fate (1 Samuel 28:20–25).

Israelites and the Philistines prepare for war. The Philistine king Achish demands that David fight with him against Israel. Terrified at the amassed Philistine army and unable to reach the Lord for help, Saul finds a medium to contact Samuel's spirit. Samuel repeats that the Lord has taken the kingdom from Saul and adds that Saul and his sons will fall, along with Israel, the next day. The medium serves Saul and his men a large meal, and the men leave under the cover of darkness. David is saved from having to fight his own people, but Saul and his sons do die. David will soon be king (1 Samuel 29; 31).

David and his men have escaped Saul (1 Samuel 27) and begun been fighting Israel's enemies under the protection of the Philistine king Achish (1 Samuel 28). Now, Achish wants David to fight Israel with him. Saul sees the Philistine army and is terrified. He finds a medium to call up Samuel's spirit. Samuel tells Saul that he, his sons, and Israel will fall. Fortunately, the other Philistine kings refuse to fight with David, and Achish sends him home. But Saul's sons are killed. Mortally wounded, Saul will take his own life (1 Samuel 29; 31).

First Samuel introduces the key figures who led Israel after the era of the judges. The books of 1 and 2 Samuel were originally part of a single text, split in certain translations shortly before the birth of Christ. Some of the Bible’s most famous characters are depicted in this book. These including the prophet Samuel, Israel’s first king, Saul, her greatest king, David, and other famous names such as Goliath and Jonathan. By the end of this book, Saul has fallen; the book of 2 Samuel begins with David’s ascension to the throne.