I SAMUEL 16:14-23 Lesson # 17
THE EVIL SPIRIT FROM THE LORD
I. Introduction: In our previous lesson (I Samuel 16:1-13) we had our first introduction to the person of David. There we saw him selected by God’s initiative and selection process from the sheep folds of Israel. God saw the heart of this eighth son doing menial labor and elevated him to be the anointed king of Israel. Now we will see him another light: that of a musician, or harp player.
Note: Again there is irony, (before it was Saul’s preoccupation with religious sacrifice instead of with God that provided the cover for David’s anointing), for David’s entrance into the King’s Court was due to Saul’s need for comfort. It was Saul himself who first brought David into the Court. In both cases though, it was God’s engineering that brought this course of events about (16:2-3 and 16:14-16).
II. Saul’s Problem With Terror: The Evil Spirit From the Lord. I Samuel 16:14-19.
A. The Transfer of Leadership. I Samuel 16:13-16.
>>>> Have someone read I Samuel 16:13.
Q What comes upon David after the anointing of the oil?
An = The Spirit of the Lord.
Q What does the anointing of the Spirit of the Lord mean?
An = In the Old Testament the anointing of the Spirit of God was usually tied to enabling of leadership for the believing community. Now watch what is being said as we read the next three verses.
>>>> Have someone read I Samuel 16:14-16.
Note: There has been a transfer of power: from Saul to David.
Q What does it mean an “evil Spirit from Yahweh”? Does this mean evil spirits and Yahweh come from the same source?
An = What makes this even more confusing is the word behind the English word for Spirit is the Hebrew word ruach and this is the same word used to speak of God’s Holy Spirit.
In approaching this problem it would help to briefly look at the word ruach in its wider use in the entire Old Testament. The word has several major uses, “wind”, “human spirit” or “human vitality”, and the “activity of God”. All of these usages are connected to the basic meaning of “wind” or “moving air”. There are also several minor uses such as “side”, “direction on a compass” and, what is pertinent to our situation here in I Samuel, it can refer to personal spiritual beings that are not part of Yahweh, nor human, nor demonic power.
Here, in our text, the word ruach is utilized to denote beings from the spirit category that perform evil deeds but do so at the direction of God.
Q Do you think these beings are associated with Satan?
1) These beings are never associated with Satan. The word is never used in the sense of a familiar spirit, which comes from different Hebrew words. The few allusions to Satan or familiar spirits in the O.T. use completely different terms. Thus the word ruach is carefully limited to the activity of Yahweh and never the activity of evil spirits or Satan.
2) There are twelve different stories that use the word ruach in this distinctive manner (18x the phrase employed is used in these 12 stories, which means some stories employ the term more than once. In our story it is used three times.)
3) This unusual usage of ruach (evil spirit from the Lord) in our Samuel text is one of a group of texts that describe spiritual beings that have three clear characteristics.
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a) Results are evil on highly placed, untouchable evil men.
First, these beings are usually spoken of in connection with a word that defines their evil results upon men (i.e. evil= 7x, deceiving 3x, distortion 1x, destroyer 1x). It is what these spirits do that is described as evil, their goal is not to accomplish evil. Let me repeat, what they do is perceived by the humans beings to have evil consequences. The spirits in question are not evil in themselves, because they are doing the will of God, but the means used are called evil. The means used, treachery (Judg. 9:23), depression (I Sam. 16:14,15,16,23; 18:10; 19:9), deception (I Kgs 22:22-23); II Chron. 18:22), distortion (Isa. 19:14), improper prophecy (Zech. 13:2), and destruction (Jer. 51:1) are considered to be actions not proper for believers. However, because such actions bring about justice in the world against powerfully placed humans in society by God Himself, they receive positive evaluation by the writers of Scripture. They are His invisible means to bring about the deserved judgment on certain humans.
b) Wind=invisible quality points to the hidden working of God’s judgment.
Second, these particular acts of judgment seemingly employ the strange phrase “evil spirits from the Lord” because they are judgments from the Lord and they partake of a “wind-like quality”. Just as wind is invisible, but has powerful physical effects in the world, these judgments originate from an invisible source. They are done in a manner that only by the help of revelation given by a prophet or inspired writer of the Bible can the average human see the hand of God. The causal relationship between Yahweh and the physical effect is not otherwise directly observable. God’s invisible power was understood to have worked on the invisible inner human psyche. Thus, the invisibility of the wind is a type of the invisible effect over the inner psychological make up of the men who were judged. God prompted the inner thinking of these individuals or a group to bring about their own doom or set into motion the properly deserved fall of another.
c) These beings do the Lord’s biding and only judge the wicked.
Third, these beings are indeed “from the Lord” and do His biding. They are Yahweh’s chosen means to bring about judgment on evil human beings in this world. Yahweh does not use them indiscriminately, for in no instance are the actions of such spirits turned lose on the righteous. Every case has to do with a person or group who are in positions of power and are clearly guilty of sins, thus meeting their deserved doom.
4) The O.T. recognized that certain evil individuals are seemingly unassailable in their powerful positions in society. These texts speak of their being brought to justice by God working deep down in their inner being to bring about justly deserved negative consequences. These texts do not speak of the demonic activity of Yahweh, but speak of His sovereignty. He is able to bring to justice even on the mighty by causing them to go into depression, accept bad advice, or to see reality in a distorted or deceived manner and so bring about their own doom.
Q What can we draw from this to help us live better lives?
An = We should not do evil to accomplish good. God is quite capable of bringing judgment on highly placed evil men. Trust Him to bring justice.
Q Why does the Scripture use the word “wind” to describe such actions?
An = Scripture says it is like the wind, hidden, invisible. Only through the divine revelation of God would we know that such actions are taking place. Only in heaven we will later see His “hidden, wind-like, spirit actions” revealed.
So, back to I Samuel…..
>>>> Have someone re-read I Samuel 16:14-16.
Q Were Saul’s servants accurate in their assessment of Saul’s condition?
An = Yes. Notice their answer is not to resort to counter magic or the occult, but to simple, honest music.
>>>> Have someone read I Samuel 16:17-19.
Q How does the more righteous David get to court?
An = It is the “evil” spirit’s action that brings David to the court.
Q Does it help David that is he skilled in something?
An = Yes, it does. It never hurts to learn as many skills as one can. God can always use them in ways we would never imagine. Notice the description of this young man. It is quite a resume. I am particularly struck by the fact that he was prudent in speech. I take this to mean that he did not run-off at the mouth.
III. The Arrival of David: Answer to Saul’s Problem. I Samuel 16:20-23.
>>>> Have someone read I Samuel 16:20-23.
Q Why do you think someone like Saul loved David?
An = Often those who have walked away from God are still hungry for and appreciative of the beauty of God in others, especially when that beauty meets their needs. It is only God who can really meet our needs anyway. God will often meet the needs of people through His anointed ones. Jesus will clearly state this in Matthew 5:13: we are the salt of the earth. (Davis, p. 34.)
Q Have you ever experienced this? Someone who is away from God finds you or some other good Christian an excellent relief from their inward suffering?
Q You all know that Saul will eventually try to kill David. Has that happened to you? You served someone faithfully,but because of your faith and what God was directing you to be and they eventually hated you?
An = This is not unusual. Remember, they cheered Jesus on Palm Sunday and five days later they wanted His death.
Q When the Spirit of God anoints an individual, does that mean from now on things are going to go very well and all will be easy?
An = David will first play the harp: that is easy! Next, this anointing from the very Spirit of God will drive David to defend God’s honor and compel David to take on the giant Goliath. That same anointing will become so evident that it gets Saul to begin a cruel series of attempts to attack and kill the anointed one. (Davis, p. 32.) We are the salt of the earth, but for some people salt’s ability to preserve is lost sight of and all they can focus on is that salt stings.
Q Turn with me to Mark 1:10-11, after the anointing of Jesus in Mark 1:10-11 what does the Spirit do?
An = Jesus is compelled to go into the desert, into the wilderness, into the heavy temptation of the Devil. Our hardship is often not a sign of sin, but of discipline, of son-ship, of anointing. To be a great man or woman for God requires the anointing of God’s Spirit, and then it requires the discipline of the wilderness. (Davis, p. 32.)
Note: There is irony here as mentioned in the start of the lesson. David was effective in consoling Saul.
Q Who troubled Saul and worked through David to refresh him?
An = The Irony is that the one comforting Saul is the very one who is Saul’s threat to his kingdom and therefore to his ego.
Note: There is more here. God could not get Saul to act and trust Him as a King who listened to His voice. Saul opted for religion. Now, through David God, is not just going to judge Saul, but attempt to give him another way to submit to God. His judgment could be his salvation, if Saul will allow it. But that is for future lessons.