Did God Send an Evil Spirit to Torment King Saul?

Alert reader Rachel S. asked some thought provoking questions...

'I noticed that at least twice in the scriptures we read Sunday that it said that Saul was overcome with an evil spirit from the Lord after which time he did something to try and harm David. Can you explain what that means? How could an evil spirit be from the Lord? If from the Lord, is Saul responsible for his actions?'

On a couple of occasions in First Samuel we read that God sent an evil spirit to King Saul.  We see this in 16.14-16, 18.10, and last Sunday in Chapter 19 and verse 9.

Remember that Saul was allowed by God to be King, even though the people knew that this was in direct disobedience to God's plan.  God didn't acquiesce; rather He gave the people what they asked for as a way to demonstrate the negative results of their failure to follow His plans.

Saul reigned as King for 27 years before David was chosen to be the next King...and then for another 13 years till his death.  We do not have have many stories from Saul's first 27 years, but the Bible indicates that Saul quickly turned to his own devices, placed God second, and often used God to get what he wanted in life.  This greatly displeased God, and so in First Samuel 16 we find see the intersection of Saul and David. Saul begins his great descent and David his divine ascent.  

In First Samuel 16.14 we read, 'Now the spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord tormented him.'

There are a few options as to what this means...
1. God directly sent an evil/tormenting spirit to Saul.
2. God removed his protection from Saul, which allowed an evil spirit to get to Saul.
3. Saul's actions demonstrated that he wanted to turn away from God; so God now allowed Saul to experience the consequences of his actions.

A few thoughts...
God is not the author of evil.  He is all-powerful, which means that when evil happens it does not catch Him off guard.  Evil occurs within the bounds of of God's sovereignty.  Can God use evil spirits/demons to do His will, to punish, and as judgement?  Certainly.  What we know is that God gave Saul 27 years of ruling and a direct line to heaven -via Samuel the Prophet. God provided Saul with the tools that he needed to succeed, yet Saul consistently rejected God's plan.  

The Hebrew word 'spirit' is 'ruach' and can also mean a 'human spirit.'  Also the word 'evil' can also be translated as 'bad' or 'harmful.'

With this in mind, I believe that a combination of 2 and 3 above may be the best answer to this difficult question.

If you are wondering, 'What type of God would do this to any person?', keep this thought in mind.... God did not just abandon Saul to his actions, but He continued to show Saul grace by allowing Saul to experience relief through David's harp playing...  A consistent picture of God in the Bible is one who holds both Justice and Grace in perfect harmony....and that is what He is doing with Saul in Chapters 16-19 of First Samuel!

Sunday Morning Leftovers - September 29th, 2013

"The Hot Beast of the Middle East," Losing in Life and a Bag of Philistine Foreskins....

Ah just another happy story in the life of David the soon-to-be-King of Israel.

David just defeated Goliath and led Israel's troops over the Philistine armies and everyone is singing his praises!  Girls are tweeting about David, the Paparazzi follows his every move.  Israel's GQ put David on its cover with the headline, 'David: The Hot Beast of the Middle East!'

King Saul put David in charge of Israel's armies and David's winning streak continued.  Battle after battle brought only victory and success.

David had everything going for him in life... a successful job, a wife, and a best friend in Jonathan.  He was a man of character, whom the Prophet Samuel had anointed to be the next King.

Then, over a period of 12 years, David enters one of the most desolate stretches of his life... One by one, everything and everyone that David relied on in life was removed.  He lost his position -and was forced to run like a common outlaw.  He lost his wife after her father (King Saul) hatches a plan to trap David.  David could marry the King's daughter after he delivers a wedding present of 100 Philistine Foreskins!  Let's just say, I've given many mediocre gifts in my life, but this one takes the cake!  (oh by the way, David brings 200 to the King!).

David loses his best friend Jonathan, only meeting up with him once during this time. Same with the Prophet Samuel... David truly is alone... And finally when he seemingly had nothing else to lose, he defaced his own dignity and self-respect, by going to the enemy king and acting insane....


God has a way of allowing us to go through difficult times so that we end up relying on Him.  He often will remove those things in our life that we put before Him.

We may long for those times when all of life seems to be perfectly aligned... We call these 'Mountain Top Experiences.'  The reality is that our life is lived not in the mountains, but through the abrasive reality of our messed up lives... Billy Graham said it best, 'Mountain tops are great for views, but fruit grows in the Valleys.'

David reminds us that we will often lose in life.  Knowing this ahead of time helps to not only prepare us, but to cause our dependence to grow on God and his love for us...

Mountain Tops...

We long for those Mountain Top experiences, right... those times when we feel that we are truly connecting with God.  Maybe it comes after a Church Service, or hearing a particularly inspiring speaker, or after visiting a scenic location...

Occasionally we have these moments where everything in life just seems to align perfectly. They are rare, and when they do occur our position should be one of thankfulness to the Lord for allowing us this experience.

The reality is that our lives are lived in the Valley...  Our lives are lived in the mundane of laundry, homework, occupying your cubicle and running to doctor appointments...

David had a few moments when he was on the Mountain Top.  He had defeated the Philistine Army and their champion Goliath.  Everyone was singing his praises... Men wanted to be him and Women wanted to be with him!  As his nation's top military leader, he only tasted victory!

Then all of a sudden David is forced into the Valley of Despair.  During a 12 year period of his life, God sees fit to remove every single thing that David relied on in life.  He lost his job, his wife, his spiritual support, his best friend and finally he lost his own dignity.

God often removes those things that we rely on in life, so that we end up with no where else to turn but towards Him.  The lesson of David's life can be summed up in this quote, attributed to Billy Graham, 'Mountain Tops are great for views, but fruit grows in the Valley.'

If we are in a Mountain Top time in our life, our response needs to be one of thankfulness and humility to God.  It is also wise to be prepared for what is to come, as the Valley beckons all of us...