Shmuel I Chapter 28 | Vayish'al Sha’ul

As Sha’ul approaches the end of his life, he seeks guidance from God but receives no answer. Professor Moshe Garsiel points to a midrashic name derivation on Sha’ul's name: Sha’ul (שאול) attempts to inquire (לשאול) of God. Even when he succeeds in summoning Shmuel through necromancy, Shmuel rebukes him, saying: "Why should you ask (תשאלני) me, when the Lord has turned away from you?"

Throughout the book, Sha’ul grapples with obedience to God. At several key moments, he fails to stop and seek God’s guidance. For example, he does not consult God before the Battle of Mikhmas (Chapter 14), nor when deciding to pursue the retreating Philistines. When others suggest seeking God’s will, he refuses due to his oath against eating and its violation by Yonatan. The climax of his failure occurs in the destruction of Nov, the city of priests, whose role included helping Sha’ul consult God through the Urim and Thummim.

The consequences of these choices culminate in this chapter: at the end of his life, feeling distanced from God, 
Sha’ul seeks Him but receives no answer.

In contrast, Yonatan and David are described as seeking God’s guidance at crucial moments (e.g., 14:8; 23:2; 30:8), reflecting a healthier and more consistent relationship with Him.

Sha’ul’s chosen solution, necromancy, compounds his failures, proving that even when he went out to eliminate necromancers from the land, he misunderstood the purpose of the commandment. The Torah forbids consulting necromancers and spiritists but immediately instructs listening to the prophet instead: "Let no one be found among you... who practices sorcery, or consults ghosts or spirits or seeks oracles from the dead... The Lord your God will raise up another prophet... Anyone who does not listen to My words that he speaks in My name, I Myself will call him to account" (Devarim 18:10-19).

Sha’ul only fulfilled the first part—eliminating necromancers—while neglecting the second—heeding the prophet. By the end of his life, he undermines even the first. He failed to grasp that a relationship with God entails obligations. God’s word is meant to guide our path, not merely validate our preconceptions or be available at our convenience. Sha’ul did not seek God in time, and therefore, God did not answer him.