Medium’s Dinner for Saul
From 1 Samuel 28
Beef Hand Pies
This is a story that happens at a crucial turning point in the history of Israel, not a popular one, but one that explains the fall of Saul's reign and the beginning of David’s.
Let us look at the story that changed the whole course of Israel's history!
Once upon a time, long ago, there was a very wealthy man in a village. He was so successful in everything he did and all the villagers were amazed by his success and many were even jealous. People tried finding out the secret of his success but couldn't.
But there was a young man in that village who didn't want to give up, he really wanted to find the secret. One day he decided to spy on the wealthy man to find out the real truth. He followed him everywhere, determined to find the way. Soon the wealthy man figured this out and decided to trick this young man. He called him out and said, 'Child, because you work so hard to find the truth, here it is. Find ten shiny, smooth, perfectly round pebbles from the riverside, place one on top of the other, make sure the rocks hold up this pillar formation and when it does, call upon God and he will appear and grant all your wishes.'
The young man got excited, he rushed to the riverside and soon found ten shiny, smooth, round pebbles and started stacking them one on top of the other. But he never could, it kept falling apart. Frustrated, but not wanting to give up, he kept trying and trying for many hours. Soon hours turned into days, and still he didn't want to give up.
Seeing his suffering, God decided to show up in front of him and bring an end to this craziness. He appeared right next to him and said, 'Young man, here I am, your God. Tell me, what do you want?' But the young man replied, 'Shhh...quiet, can't you see? I am busy.' And he kept on trying and trying… I will leave the ending to your imagination.
The story we are going to see today in 1 Samuel 28 is very similar to this young man's story.
A Prophecy, Saul and a Medium
Before getting into the story, let's look at some key events that prelude this story.
In those days, King Saul wanted to kill David and David was on the run. He fled from Saul to the land of Philistines (their enemies of that time) thinking Saul would eventually give up looking for him. So David took his wives Ahinoam and Abigail, along with his 600 men and dwelt with Achish the son of Maoch, king of Gath. Learning this, Saul stopped looking for David. David lived in the town of Ziklag for 16 months, given to him by the king of Gath.
What was David doing in those 16 months?
David defeated the Geshurites, the Girzites and the Amalekites. (1 Samuel 27) This is a very important point made here by the narrator. Why? Let's look into 1 Samuel 15.
Lord God gave instructions to Saul through Samuel to destroy the Amalekites completely as a punishment for what they did to the Israelites during their Exodus.
1 Samuel 15: 3,
'Now go, attack the Amalekites and totally destroy all that belongs to them. Do not spare them; put to death men and women, children and infants, cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys'
But Saul did not heed this instruction completely, instead spared King Agag and the choice of sheep and cattle.
Because he blatantly disregarded the instructions of the Lord, he brought judgement on himself.
1 Samuel 15: 28,
‘Samuel said to him, "The Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today and has given it to one of your neighbors - to one better than you.‘
Until the day Samuel died, he did not go to see Saul ever again. Not just that, God even removed his spirit from Saul and he was tormented by an evil spirit. (1 Samuel 16:14)
All to say, the job left undone by King Saul was done by David who was yet to be a king. Not only Amalekites, he also destroyed the Geshurites and Girzites whom the Israelites did not drive out as the Lord God commanded them to do while taking possession of that land. (Refer to Joshua 13:13)
While David was defeating the enemies of Judah even if he was not the king, Saul was facing a battle with the Philistines.
Now, let me set this story for you:
1. The Philistines gathered their forces against Israel at Shunem and Saul gathered Israel at Gilboa.
2. Samuel died and was buried in his hometown at Ramah and the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, so he was terrified to face battle.
3. Saul previously expelled all the mediums (people who communicate with the dead) and spiritists (people who communicate with the demonic spirits) from the land.
1 Samuel 28:5-7,
‘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 of 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.’
What just happened here? How did we go from 'he drove out the mediums' to 'go find me a medium?’ The bigger question for me would be, how did they know the information about a medium off the top of their head? Wasn't she supposed to be driven out too? How is she still there? Endor was a Canaanite city, so she was obviously in the area. The fact that the King's attendants knew a medium tells me that she was well known and also if she was well known and had not been driven out, then it could only mean that the subjects of King Saul don't value his leadership very much.
Back to our story! King Saul was panicking, so in desperation and anxiety he enquired of the Lord and obviously he nor any of his other prophets got any answers from the Lord.
Our Lord God is not a genie; we can't use him for our convenience. He is holy and to be revered.
Ok, so he disguises himself and in the night. He takes two of his men and goes to consult this medium. Oh how the mighty have fallen!!! This, right here, was the lowest point in Saul's life.
At first the medium was skeptical about this encounter. She thought of this as a potential trap but then Saul swore to her by the Lord for her safety, so she believed him. Now comes the interesting part,
1 Samuel 28: 11-15
‘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 ghostly figure coming up out of earth."
"What does it 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 departed from me. He no longer answers me, either by prophets or by dreams. So I called on you to tell me what to do." ‘
Let's just pause there for a minute. Everything about this story is wrong on so many levels. What is worse, an anointed king who can't hear the word of the Lord during a crisis, or the fact that he was desperate enough to consult a medium, or that the medium is actually talking to a real spirit, or the medium calling out on Saul's deception? I can't honestly figure out which is worse. The whole situation is just so unfortunate. There has to be a better way.
What do we know from the Bible about practices like this?
Deuteronomy 18:9-12,
'When you enter the land the Lord your god is giving you, do not learn to imitate the detestable ways of the nations there. Let no one be found among you who sacrifices their son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft or cast spells or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead.
Anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord.'
Leviticus 20:6,
'I will set my face against anyone who turns to mediums and spiritists...'
Leviticus 19: 31,
'Do not turn to mediums or seek out spiritists, for you will be defiled by them.I am the Lord your God.'
The Bible is very much against the practice of the occult and is very clear about it. This includes horoscopes, the zodiac, psychics, mediums, spiritual healing, tarot cards, ouija boards, etc... Practices like this will pave the way to deception and are very dangerous. Our Lord God said he will set his face AGAINST anyone who turns to mediums.
References:
Deuteronomy 4:19, Isaiah 8:19, 2Kings 21:6, Galatians 4:9-11, Revelation 21:8, and many more
Saul must have read these very words from Leviticus and Deuteronomy many times. But he still wanted to pursue this craziness. Why? Lack of reverence and faith towards God.
The spirit of Samuel will confirm Saul's worst fears in this encounter.
1 Samuel 28:16-19
'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 neighbors - to David. Because you did not obey the Lord or carry out his fierce wrath against Amalekites, the Lord has done this to you today.
The Lord will deliver both Israel and you into the hands of the Philistines and tomorrow you and your sons will be with me. The Lord will also give the army of Israel into the hands of Philistines." '
Our Lord delivers, none of his words will go void. Heaven and earth will pass away but the words of the Lord will not. Just as Samuel prophesied, the kingdom will be torn from Saul and will be given it to David.
Saul realized the complete extent of the Lord's wrath at this point. Personally I think thus far he must have been in denial and now he faced reality.
In verses 20, immediately after hearing this news, Saul fell full length on the ground with fear, losing all of his strength, for he had not eaten all day and night.
1 Samuel 28: 21,24-25
'When the woman came to Saul and saw that he was greatly shaken,... Please listen to your servant and let me give you some food so you may eat and have strength to go your way,"
The woman had a fattened calf at the house, which she butchered at once. She took some flour, kneaded it and baked bread without yeast.
Then she set it before Saul and his men and they ate. That same night they got up and left.'
Hint: This is the section of the story our menu comes from. The woman butchered the calf and made some unleavened bread and served it for Saul.
The meal the medium gave Saul must have been one of the very last meals he ate because the very next day, just as it was prophesied, Saul, his three sons, his armor-bearer and ALL his men died together that same day in battle (1 Samuel 31:6). Saul ended up taking his own life and the Israelites lost the battle to the Philistines that day. After returning from striking down the Amalekites, David heard this news and he, along with his men, mourned for the death of Saul and Jonathan. He even wrote a lament for Saul and Jonathan, and ordered that the people of Judah be taught this lament of the bow. It is written in the Book of Jasher (Refer 2 Samuel 1:18)
After some time, David enquired of the Lord about coming back to Judah, but the Lord told him to go to Hebron. So David, his men and all their families would go to Hebron and settle there. But the people of Judah came to Hebron and there they anointed David king over the tribe of Judah. (Refer 2 Samuel 2:4)
This didn’t stop here… there would be a long war between the house of Saul and the house of David. But after seven years, David would be crowned king for all the tribes of Israel.
2 Samuel 5:4,5
'David was thirty years old when he became King and he reigned forty years. In Hebron he reigned over Judah for seven years and six months and in Jerusalem he reigned over all of Israel and Judah for thirty-three years.'
So what do we learn from this story?
Yes, Saul made some terrible choices and received the wrath of God. But from what I see, he could have repented of his sins and received forgiveness from the Lord. But instead, he decided to take the short cut. Consulting a medium sounded like a quick fix for him as he depended on the solutions/answers from God more than the relationship with God.
Like the young man from our first story, Saul depended on the shadow rather than the real deal.
How should we act when we feel like we are far away from God?
We all have moments where we feel like God is not answering us, like we have wandered afar or we think God has stopped listening to our prayers. In panic and desperation we go even further. I want to encourage you today that you are never too far from God and there is nothing in this world that can separate you from the love of God. (Romans 8:31)
If you want to know how David acted when the Lord delayed to answer him, read Psalms, chapter 22.
Psalms 22:1-2
'My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from the words of My groaning? I cry out by day, O my God, But you do not answer, and by night, But I have no rest.'
In this particular chapter David will be crying out to God ,who seemed not to have answered him. Till verse 21 it was nothing but crying out, but from verses 22 to 31, he starts to praise God and proclaim His righteousness. What changed? Nothing. David had FAITH, HOPE and REVERENCE for the Lord. He made mistakes but he repented and cried out to the Lord in faith. He knew that our Lord is a compassionate father and he will have mercy on his children and will not leave them or forsake them. Instead of panicking and making things worse, he did the right thing. So should we do.
When you make this recipe, meditate/discuss on God’s mercies in our lives. How He has brought us out of the pits and set us up on high grounds. If you have personally experienced God’s unwavering mercy in your life, share it with the group or your family as you savor this delicious meal today.
Let us look at our recipe:
The medium butchered a calf and made some unleavened bread and served it for Saul. We will take the menu idea from here. My recipe for this would be Beef hand pies/ Empanadas/ Meat pastry. I made this with ground beef and oven baked it. It pairs perfectly well with a cup of tea.
Beef Hand Pie
There are two parts to this dish. The stuffing and the crust.
Recipe for the Stuffing:
Beef Stuffing
Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef
1 medium sized onions
1 lb potatoes
1 jalapeño
5 cloves of garlic
1 inch fresh ginger
1 Tbsp. yogurt
1/2 Tsp. crushed fennel seeds
1/2 Tsp. crushed cumin seeds
4 Tbsp. tomato paste
1 Tsp. paprika or red chilli powder
2 Tbsp. butter
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 Tsp. salt or as needed
1 cup chopped cilantro
1/2 cup of water
Method:
In a chopper, addin the onions, jalapeños, giner, garlic, fennel and cumin and finely chop it.
In a pan, heat the oil and the butter and once the butter is melted, add the chopped onion mixture and sauté it till it turns golden brown.
Finely cube the potatoes and an add to the pan. And let it saute for 5 minutes.
Add the ground beef, salt , paprika/red chilli powder and let the meat turn slightly brown.
Add the tomato paste, yogurt and let it cook for another 5 minutes.
Add in the water and cover the pot with a lid and let it simmer for 20 minutes. Give a good mix every 5 minutes.
Sprinkle with chopped cilantro and switch off the stove. Let the filling rest
Recipe for the Crust:
Ingredients:
2.5 cups of all purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 Tsp. salt
8 Tbsp. cold butter
2 eggs + 1 egg for the egg wash
1/2 cup cold milk
1 Tsp. everything bagel seasoning (optional). Use toasted black and white sesame seeds instead
Method:
Preheat the oven for 400 degrees F.
In a bowl, mix in the flours, salt and grated cold butter. The flour should resemble wet sand.
In a separate bowl, beat the eggs and add the eggs to the flour along with the cold milk.
Form a dough, you don’t have to knead it very much but just enough to make it into a smooth ball.
Cover and place it in the fridge for 20 minutes for the dough to cool
Roll out the dough in to one big sheet and use a 4 inch round sugar cookie cutter to cut into round shapes. You can make small 2 inch balls out of the dough and roll it out to get the shape.
After cutting it out, work with one at a time. Place 1 Tsp. of filling right in the middle the dough and wet the ends of the dough with water.
Fold the round dough into half over the filling. Using a fork, firmly press the edges together
Repeat this step with the rest of the dough and the filling and place everything on parchment lined baking sheet.
Beat one egg and using a pastry brush, brush the tops of every meat pie with the until coated. Sprinkle with the everything bagel seasoning and using a fork poke the top of the pie three times.
Place it in the oven and bake it for 20 minutes or until it turns golden brown. Serve hot.
Variations:
The filling can be made using any ground meat. You can skip the meat completely and make these as vegetarian pies.
You can use this filling for various dishes. For example, use this over loaded nachos/fries.
You can also use puff pastry sheets instead of making your own.
