שמואל א, פרק כ״ח, פסוק ו׳

In a moment of profound distress, a desperate king seeks divine guidance about the looming future, attempting every available channel of communication only to be met with absolute silence. Although the Book of Chronicles records that Saul did not seek God at all, his actions reveal a different reality. This apparent contradiction is resolved by his subsequent choices. Because Saul eventually turned to a medium, his initial attempt to contact God lost all meaning. By placing an inquiry to a medium on the same level as an inquiry to God, it is considered as if he never sought God in the first place [רד״ק].

The narrative emphasizes the severity of his rejection by detailing the various methods he tried, highlighting how he was denied an answer through each avenue, one after another [רלב״ג, רד״ק]. Saul first tried to find answers through dreams. The primary approach among commentators is that he did not wait for a spontaneous dream of his own. Instead, he sought out experts in dream inquiries or righteous individuals who would focus their waking thoughts on his dilemma, hoping to receive a prophetic vision in their sleep.

When this yielded no results, Saul attempted to consult the Urim, the sacred oracle held by the priests. This presents a practical difficulty, as the Urim were not actually in Saul's possession at the time. They were with Abiathar the priest, who had fled to join David's camp. Consequently, Saul had to send special messengers to David's location to inquire about the outcome of the impending war [מצודת דוד, רד״ק]. Yet, this path also failed him. The Urim were known to provide answers unless a specific sin obstructed the process. Their silence served as a direct punishment for Saul's earlier massacre of the priests at the city of Nob. Because of that brutal act, there was no worthy priest left in his inner circle upon whom the Holy Spirit could rest, and it is likely that Saul's general sins further prevented any response [רש״י, רלב״ג].

Left with no other options, Saul finally turned to the prophets, the disciples of the prophet Samuel. The lack of a response here is particularly surprising given the abundance of prophets living during that period. Despite their large numbers, Saul received no vision or answer through them either [רלב״ג, רד״ק].