Was The Witch of Endor Omniscient?

Was Samuel Omniscient?

In 1 Samuel, Saul calls the witch of Endor to bring forth the spirit of Samuel for advice on what to do with the Philistines who he feared would take his life (1 Samuel 28:1-15). The witch brings forth his spirit of Samuel, "Moreover the Lord will also deliver Israel with you into the hand of the Philistines. And tomorrow you and your sons will be with me. The Lord will also deliver the army of Israel into the hand of the Philistines," (1 Samuel 28:19 NKJV). This prophecy comes true in 1 Samuel 31, but how did Samuel know it would happen? 

One possible explanation is that Samuel knew the laws of the Torah well, for it says: "And the person who turns to mediums and familiar spirits, to prostitute himself with them, I will set My face against that person and cut him off from his people," (Leviticus 20:6 NKJV). Such an act was known to be sinful, yet Saul still did this. It is also possible that Samuel was told by God what was to come as he was a prophet and heard from God frequently. It does not seem that Samuel was omniscient; merely Samuel doing what he had done when he was alive: prophecise and teach.

Work Cited:

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.