Based on the following sermon:

Hearing Only Silence: Three Warnings from King Saul’s Tragic End

There’s a haunting moment in ancient history when a desperate king, facing battle at dawn, receives no answer from heaven. King Saul stands on Mount Gilboa, looking down at the vast Philistine army camped in the valley below, and when he calls out to God—nothing. No dreams, no prophetic word, no divine guidance. Just silence. This scene from 1 Samuel 28 isn’t just an ancient story—it’s a warning that echoes across centuries to our own moment. Saul’s tragic trajectory from promising leader to desperate man consulting a witch reveals three sobering truths about what happens when we consistently reject God’s voice.

Warning One: Persistent Disobedience Leads to Divine Silence

Saul’s silence from God didn’t happen overnight. It was the culmination of years of doing things his own way. When God commanded him to completely destroy the Amalekites, Saul decided to edit the assignment. He kept the best livestock, spared the enemy king, and rationalized his disobedience as partial obedience. The prophet Samuel’s words cut through his excuses: “To obey is better than sacrifice.”

Here’s the uncomfortable reality: God will not be manipulated. You cannot take His commands, add your own spin, and expect His blessing. Saul wanted to do God’s will his way—but God isn’t interested in customized obedience.

Proverbs paints a vivid picture of this dynamic: “I called and you refused, I stretched out my hand and no one paid attention… Then they will call on me, but I will not answer.” It’s not that God is petty or vindictive. Rather, persistent rejection of His voice hardens our hearts until we can no longer hear Him, even when we desperately need to. The psalmist warns: “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me.” Unconfessed, unrepentant sin creates static on the line between heaven and earth.

Warning Two: When God Is Silent, Fear and Desperation Take Over

With no word from heaven, Saul’s fear overwhelmed him. His heart “trembled greatly” at the sight of the enemy. And desperate times, as they say, call for desperate measures.

Saul’s desperation led him to seek out the very thing he had once tried to eradicate from Israel—a medium, a witch who trafficked with demonic spirits. The irony is almost too painful: Samuel had told Saul that “rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft,” and now Saul literally turns to witchcraft in his rebellion.

How many of us, when we can’t hear from God, turn to the world’s substitutes? We check our horoscope, seek guidance from spiritually dubious sources, or chase after wisdom from voices that contradict Scripture. We view Scripture through the lens of culture rather than viewing culture through the lens of Scripture. The tragedy is that Saul had spent years focused on the wrong enemy. Instead of preparing for the real threat—the Philistines—he obsessively pursued David, the anointed future king. When the actual enemy arrived, Saul was unprepared, his army was unprepared, and destruction was inevitable.

Warning Three: Building on Sand Guarantees Disaster

When the witch of Endor conjured up Samuel (in what appears to be a genuine supernatural event, not a demonic deception), the deceased prophet’s message was devastating: “Tomorrow you and your sons will be with me.” Death was coming, and it came full circle in the cruelest way—an Amalekite, from the very people Saul had failed to destroy, delivered his death blow.

Jesus once told a parable about two builders. One built on rock, hearing God’s words and acting on them. The other built on sand, hearing God’s words but ignoring them. When the storms came—and they always come—only one house stood. Saul was a sand-builder. He heard God’s word repeatedly but chose his own path. And when the storm finally descended, there was no foundation to hold him up. You cannot wait until the crisis to build a foundation. Foundations must be laid when the sun is shining, not when the rain is pouring down.

The Opportunity Before Us

The story of Saul isn’t told to condemn us but to warn us. Every one of us faces a choice: Will we view life through the lens of God’s Word, or will we twist God’s Word to fit our preferred lifestyle? Will we obey when it’s convenient, or will we trust God’s wisdom even when it contradicts our desires?

Perhaps you’ve been ignoring God’s voice. Maybe you’ve been doing things your way while giving God occasional acknowledgment. The warning is clear: the day will come when you desperately need Him, and silence may be all you hear. But here’s the hope: today is not that day. Right now, God’s hand is extended. Right now, His voice is calling. Are you going to respond with genuine surrender or continue building on sand? As the Titanic received six warnings about icebergs, and the radio operator responded “Shut up, I’m busy,” so we receive repeated warnings from Scripture, from circumstances, from the Holy Spirit’s conviction. The question is: will we listen before disaster strikes?