Why did God allow a medium to call up Samuel from the dead?

Question:

In the text of 1 Samuel 28:6 we read that King Saul used the practices of a spirit medium who called up Samuel from the dead. How was it possible that a witch called up the servant of God? Can the same situation happen now too and various wizards can talk to different holy people? If it is possible, bring some arguments for this text. What shall I say if a wizard says that he speaks with the apostle Peter, etc.? What is the truth?

This is an unique case in the Bible and we can not apply it to all situations. Nowhere in the Bible it is written that any spirit medium was able to call God’s people to communicate with them.

If we talk about Saul’s case, at his insistence, God came to confirm the message given before. Now, before the battle with the Philistines at Ghilboa, Saul was filled with great distress and was seeking a solution. The Bible says:

When Saul inquired of the LORD, the LORD did not answer him, either by dreams or by Urim or by prophets. (I Samuel 28:6)(NASB)

He, Saul, received the clear message from God through Samuel when he was still alive, but has ignored this message and persecuted David every way, trying to kill him, because David had to take his place. Because he could not agree with the decision of God, Saul insisted to get a solution, a different answer from God, a favorable one. Therefore, in his despair, after he had used all legal ways to communicate with God and received no response, he decided to use a sinful one, that he himself had banned.

Therefore, God came to tell him the same message once again, through the same man, because God is the same yesterday, today and forever and with Him there is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. Therefore, God, who is omnipotent, consented that Samuel could be called and tell him the following message:

Then Samuel said to Saul, “Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?” And Saul answered, “I am greatly distressed; for the Philistines are waging war against me, and God has departed from me and no longer answers me, either through prophets or by dreams; therefore I have called you, that you may make known to me what I should do.” Samuel said, “Why then do you ask me, since the LORD has departed from you and has become your adversary? The LORD has done accordingly as He spoke through me; for the LORD has torn the kingdom out of your hand and given it to your neighbor, to David. As you did not obey the LORD and did not execute His fierce wrath on Amalek, so the LORD has done this thing to you this day. Moreover the LORD will also give over Israel along with you into the hands of the Philistines, therefore tomorrow you and your sons will be with me. Indeed the LORD will give over the army of Israel into the hands of the Philistines!” (I Samuel 28:15-19)(NASB)

I draw the reader’s attention that Samuel, when he was brought up from the dead, repeated exactly the same message that he had said to Saul when he was still alive. So, let no one be easily deceived by those who say that they communicated with Peter, or other saint and received another message different from that which is in the Bible. True saints do not disagree just because they preach only the honest truth from the Word of God.

Translated by Felicia Rotaru