A women shrouded in mystery, a practitioner of the dark arts, powerful and well-known …
and the last hope for a king weighed down by doom.
This series of Bible studies seeks to retell the stories of women who were divinely called and empowered to do great things. Many of them rose to the occasion, and a few very famously did not. Often, the tragedies and triumphs in their lives are missed, and their stories are told from perspectives other than with the honor and dignity they deserve.
After excavating their narratives from millennia of obfuscation, now meet the freshly restored, valiant, vivid (and sometimes villainous) women of the Bible.
Witch or Wise Woman?
The Witch of Endor story occupies a full chapter in Scripture, and in Saul’s biography, yet she seems shrouded in mystery. Who was she—an Israelite or a Canaanite? Had she given up her former ways, or had she continued to practice necromancy in secrecy? Was she well-known because she was well-liked or because of some sense of notoriety? Did she actually have the spiritual potency of a necromancer, or was some other force or action at work in what she did? Was she a God-fearer?
This thirty-page book includes the retelling of Witch of Endor’s story, a fifteen-question Bible study, and link to a twenty-minute multi-media presentation of the Witch of Endor’s account. What Scripture does reveal about her has to do with her character, her power, and her response to Israel’s king.
Oo hoo, a Witching Woman
The Witch of Endor has been much vilified over the course of these thousands of years. She was, after all, a necromancer, one who communicated with the dead. God had expressly forbidden such interactions, not because the dark arts were counterfeit, but rather because God forbade intercourse with any other spiritual powers than God alone. Israel’s covenant was one of express fidelity to Almighty God and no other.
It would seem straightforward enough, then, to dismiss the Witch of Endor’s story as yet another depiction of how debased King Saul had become. In fact, the main point of the story was probably for this very reason, and is why it was included in King Saul’s narrative. At one point, King Saul is depicted in a dead faint of hunger, weakness, and terror, with the Witch of Endor (representing foreign spiritual powers) stooping over him urging him to get up and eat. That would be the utter nadir of a king who had been chosen for his strength and faith in God.
The juxtaposition is striking:
- The king of all Israel cowered in terror while a lowly subject tried to help him up.
- Someone who was once anointed by God, who had once prophesied while swept up in the Spirit, now consulting a spiritist in direct transgression against God’s express command.
- A tall and well-built man, of the fierce tribe of Benjamin, now being led by a woman who was most likely not even an Israelite.
Still, on second and third read, intriguing possibilities and perplexing questions arise.
Nearly forty free Bible studies on a woman in the scriptures are available through signing up to the newsletter below. What’s included:
- Access to all the Bible studies that have been made available so far.
- One new study each month.
- Early announcement of new books, published by the author.
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