1Sa 16:14 | KingComments | STEP | While the Spirit rests upon David from the anointing, He departs from Saul. When the Spirit of the LORD departs from Saul and an evil spirit of the LORD terrorizes him, it does not mean that Saul is a believer first and then no longer. Saul has not been a believer. Nor is it about the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Saul is the anointed king, and as such God has been with him. Because Saul rejected God, God withdraws from him. In the empty place comes an evil spirit, for what God does not fill, the devil fills. In contrast to His spirit, God sends an evil spirit which, like all evil spirits, is also subject only to God and is used by Him to achieve His purpose. Satan is always limited in his actions and can only act within the limits set by God ( ). It goes with Saul just like once with Pharaoh. Saul has so often rejected God that now the time comes when God cannot help him any further. No doubt the evil spirit will have given him the feeling that he has been abandoned by God and no longer has His approval. An evil spirit processes spiritual suffering and brings extreme despair and finally suicide. He makes a person incapable to perform his normal activities because he only makes him busy with himself. Saul’s servants see that it is an evil spirit coming from God. They have compassion with him and suggest a solution. The means his servants recommend to him for enlightenment is music. It would have been much better if they had advised him to go to God with sincere repentance. They could also have suggested asking Samuel to come and pray for him and plead with God for him. Then he would not only have had enlightenment for the moment, but the good spirit of God would have returned to him. But their goal is to make him happy and thus heal him. Through such gods many, whose conscience is convinced and startled of sin, are led to destruction. Their suggestion is a method whereby all the worries of the soul are smothered in the pleasures of the feelings. The servants of Saul would not have been wrong to present music as an aid to cheer up his spirit, if they had also sent for the prophet to give Saul good advice. What is positive is that they have not suggested to ask a sorceress or soothsayer to cast out the evil spirit by incantations. Such an ungodly practice we find with those who adorn themselves with the name Christian, but in their distress have consulted the devil, with whom they have resorted to hell. It will be nothing less than a miracle of Divine grace if those who surrender in this way to satan are ever delivered from his power.

‏ 1 Samuel 16:14

An Evil Spirit Terrorizes Saul

While the Spirit rests upon David from the anointing, He departs from Saul. When the Spirit of the LORD departs from Saul and an evil spirit of the LORD terrorizes him, it does not mean that Saul is a believer first and then no longer. Saul has not been a believer. Nor is it about the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Saul is the anointed king, and as such God has been with him. Because Saul rejected God, God withdraws from him.

In the empty place comes an evil spirit, for what God does not fill, the devil fills. In contrast to His spirit, God sends an evil spirit which, like all evil spirits, is also subject only to God and is used by Him to achieve His purpose. Satan is always limited in his actions and can only act within the limits set by God (Job 1:12 ; Job 2:6).

It goes with Saul just like once with Pharaoh. Saul has so often rejected God that now the time comes when God cannot help him any further. No doubt the evil spirit will have given him the feeling that he has been abandoned by God and no longer has His approval. An evil spirit processes spiritual suffering and brings extreme despair and finally suicide. He makes a person incapable to perform his normal activities because he only makes him busy with himself.

Saul’s servants see that it is an evil spirit coming from God. They have compassion with him and suggest a solution. The means his servants recommend to him for enlightenment is music. It would have been much better if they had advised him to go to God with sincere repentance. They could also have suggested asking Samuel to come and pray for him and plead with God for him. Then he would not only have had enlightenment for the moment, but the good spirit of God would have returned to him.

But their goal is to make him happy and thus heal him. Through such gods many, whose conscience is convinced and startled of sin, are led to destruction. Their suggestion is a method whereby all the worries of the soul are smothered in the pleasures of the feelings. The servants of Saul would not have been wrong to present music as an aid to cheer up his spirit, if they had also sent for the prophet to give Saul good advice.

What is positive is that they have not suggested to ask a sorceress or soothsayer to cast out the evil spirit by incantations. Such an ungodly practice we find with those who adorn themselves with the name Christian, but in their distress have consulted the devil, with whom they have resorted to hell. It will be nothing less than a miracle of Divine grace if those who surrender in this way to satan are ever delivered from his power.