The Fatal Attraction of Forbidden Knowledge
Verse: 1 Chronicles 10:13-14
"So Saul died for his transgression which he committed against the LORD, even against the word of the LORD, which he kept not, and also for asking counsel of one that had a familiar spirit, to enquire of it; And enquired not of the LORD: therefore he slew him, and turned the kingdom unto David the son of Jesse."
The tragic end of King Saul, as recorded in Scripture, serves as a sobering monument to the grave sin of seeking knowledge outside of God. His story is not merely about the failure of a king but about the fundamental posture of a heart that chooses to bypass God. In his desperation, Saul sought out a medium at Endor to summon the prophet Samuel. Whether the spirit that appeared was a demonic duplicate or God, in His sovereignty, allowing the real Samuel to pronounce final judgment, the mechanism is not the primary point. The core of the sin was the medium itself—the wrong, forbidden conduit Saul used to access the unknown. God hates such practices because they are a direct rejection of His authority as the sole revealer of mysteries. He alone holds the future, and He alone dictates how we are to approach Him.
We may not fully understand how other spiritual mediums connect to the spirit world, but we know that God, in His permissive will, has allowed certain occult realities to exist due to humanity’s fallen disposition. There are dark, alternative ways to pry open the spiritual realm without His blessing, but they lead only to deception and death. We must never be overwhelmed or fascinated by these duplicates, for the path of discernment is simple and stark: whatever is approached without God, outside of His prescribed way of holiness and faith, is a counterfeit. The true way of knowing God’s heart requires a life of holiness, commitment, and patient trust. He reveals His will and His details not on demand, but as our relationship with Him deepens through obedience. The other way has no such stipulation; it offers quick answers at the cost of your soul, requiring no repentance and no surrender.
This was one of the two great sins that sealed Saul’s fate. Unlike David, who fell into grievous sins of passion like murder and adultery but whose heart remained oriented toward repentance and God, Saul’s sin was of a different order. It was the grievous rejection of God Himself—a conscious turning away from God’s presence and instruction. This is what made it so grave. What drives a person to seek a medium is ultimately this same desire: to bypass God’s stipulations, His timing, and His holy requirements. It is the desire for a spiritual shortcut that avoids the need for repentance, waiting, and submission. In such a condition of rebellious seeking, God cannot reveal His will wholeheartedly to that individual, for their sinful state has erected a barrier.
Consulting the occult does no good for the seeker; it only ruins destiny. Even when Saul received what he thought he wanted—a word from Samuel—he gained nothing but a confirmation of his own tragedy and impending doom. It brought no comfort, no solution, and no way of escape. This path is fatal because it leads to a life—and an eternity—without God’s presence. We must therefore vigilantly guard our hearts against anything that merely looks spiritual but is not rooted in God. Anyone tempted to seek knowledge through such means must realize the profound offense it is to God. This act is not a minor indiscretion; it is a direct assault on the core of His authority and fatherhood, and it invites severe consequence.
Instead, we are called to a life of trusting God and remaining faithfully on His side. We must reject the allure of forbidden knowledge and choose the path of patient dependence. He will lead us into His ways, in His own time and in His own way. Our role is not to demand answers but to cultivate a heart that says, “Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening.” Let us commit to seeking Him only, through His Word, His Spirit, and His righteous paths, trusting that His revelation is always sufficient for today and His presence is the greatest reward.
Prayer:
Lord God, forgive my restless heart that often seeks answers more than it seeks You. Guard me from the temptation to pursue spiritual shortcuts or seek knowledge through any means outside of Your prescribed will. I reject every form of divination, occult practice, and independent seeking that bypasses Your Lordship. Create in me a clean heart, fully committed to You. Teach me to wait on You, to trust in Your timing, and to find my complete satisfaction in Your presence alone. Reveal Yourself to me as I walk in holiness and obedience. Amen.