AN EGYPTIAN LETTER WROTE TO A DEAD PERSON.

One of the Egyptian Letters to the Dead, dated from 2,100 BC, was written on a pottery dish. The dead man was named Nefersekhi and the letter was from his widow asking for his intervention in a property dispute.
The widow deep and sincere desire was that she wanted to ensure that their daughter get a fair share of the inheritance and therefore she called for the dead man's intervention.
The Egyptians believed that the world of the dead had a sort of influence over the world of the living, therefore all sorts of help could be gained from the souls of the dead in journey to their final destination.
For these ancient people there was a link with the dead, as the dead were supposedly in the netherworld and it was not difficult for them to assess the petition and and use the powers in the unseen world granted to them to assist the living.
An often request was for a cure for infertility. A woman's status often depended on her ability to have children. Cures were also requested.
The religious goal for these ancient people was to ensure the continuity of the soul well-being and the development of a positive disposition towards the living, and the social goal was to cultivate kinship values like family loyalty, and the continuity of the family lineage.
The story in 1 Samuel 28 is one of the most strange stories of the Old Testament, and a very sad story of Israel's first anointed king falling into sin and the grip of darkness. He afterwards killed himself. It is a display of the strange reality of the forces of darkness and evil.
If you read the story, the prophet Samuel responded to the call of a medium. She was, however, shocked and cried out in fear when she saw Samuel and immediately recognized Saul, the king.
Samuel was upset that Saul disturbed him by "bringing him up," but nonetheless he spoke God's judgment on Saul saying:"tomorrow you and your sons will be with me."
We understand with this narrative that there is a strange world of evil and spirit forces. God is in control of all of this and it serves His Purpose. The two forces displayed in it means no threat to God.
The Biblical Truth is that everything, even the evil forces, exist only because God allows it to exist.
The narrative is placed in the Scripture as a warning to us. The apostle Paul wrote: "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against rulers, against authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. (Eph. 6:12).
In 1 Chronicles 13-14 "Saul died in disobedience, disobedience to God. He did not obey God's Words. Instead of praying he went to a witch to seek guidance. Because he did not go to God for help, God took his life and turned the kingdom over to David son of Jesse."
Jesus said: "God is spirit, and his worshippers must worship in spirit and in truth." (John 4:24).