I'm surprised at your answer here, AMR, especially after your rather firm denial of the possibility of phenomenological language in the
Joshua's long day account. As pointed out by @
way 2 go, the narrative (not Saul, not the witch, and not the demon, but the narrative) would have to be considered untrustworthy for it not to be Samuel. 1 Sam 28:20
I used the link and read the post about Joshua's Long Day. I agree with AMR that the sun stood still in Joshua's day. And now that you bring it up, this instance of Joshua actually provides another evidence that the spirit was not the real Samuel. It's right there in the text with Joshua.
Joshua 10:12-14 KJV
(12)
Then spake Joshua to the LORD in the day when the LORD delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon; and thou, Moon, in the valley of Ajalon.
(13)
And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. Is not this written in the book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down about a whole day.
(14)
And there was no day like that before it or after it, that the LORD hearkened unto the voice of a man: for the LORD fought for Israel.
First, it states that this was a miracle of the LORD, and second, it said that this was the most unusual thing ever that the LORD hearkened unto the voice of a man. Not happened before, shall not happen afterwards.
Now consider the instance of the witch. It does not say that this was a miracle of the LORD, and some people here have suggested that
the LORD hearkened unto the voice of a witch! Ah, but you say, perhaps the LORD decided of his own will coincidentally? That's not acceptable either, for look how Jesus answered the temptation of the devil? When he was hungry, and Satan told him to make bread,
he refused to avoid any appearance of obeying the suggestion.
Is God going to even make it look like he is obeying the witch? The text of Samuel doesn't say that this is a miracle of the LORD.
The spirit says that he was brought up by the seance, not by an act of the LORD.
1 Samuel 28:15 KJV
(15) And Samuel said to Saul,
Why hast thou disquieted me, to bring me up? And Saul answered, I am sore distressed; for the Philistines make war against me, and God is departed from me, and answereth me no more, neither by prophets, nor by dreams: therefore I have called thee, that thou mayest make known unto me what I shall do.
As for the integrity of the narrative, it tells us that the rebellion of Saul is as the sin of witchcraft, which was the reason Saul had the kingdom stripped from him, and also why God stopped talking to Saul. So when Saul engages in actual witchcraft, the narrative itself has already provided all the evidence we need to know that this isn't a prophet of God speaking to Saul. The integrity of the narrative itself demands that attempting to bypass God again is not going to bring him the real Samuel.
One thing that seems to be missing in this discussion is a recognition that the witch may not have done anything at all to bring up the thing represented as Samuel. The text doesn't say she did. Maybe that was why she was surprised--not necessarily because it wasn't a demon, but because she hadn't done her normal incantations.
It doesn't tell us what rituals the witch may have done, because the scripture has never been of the intent of telling us what these rituals are. Therefore what she did or didn't have to do remains speculation, and rightly so.
However, the text does not say she was surprised by anything other than the identity of her client, that is, the king of Israel, the executioner of witches, Saul himself.
1 Samuel 28:12 KJV
(12) And when the woman saw Samuel, she cried with a loud voice: and the woman spake to Saul, saying,
Why hast thou deceived me? for thou art Saul.
Saying that she was surprised by anything else would be speculation beyond what is given by the text.