1 Samuel 16:14–16

God had graciously given Saul His Spirit so that he could work as a king should. But Saul had rebelled against God's word. He thought he had every right to act on his own, apart from God. Therefore God removed His Spirit from him, to allow him to go ahead and act in his independent way.

Evil as well as good has its commission from God — not its existence, but its liberty to act, and the limits of its action. So we see with Job in early times, and in Ahab's case later; and it is a real comfort to know this. This is how the wrath of man is made to praise Him, and the rest of it He restrains. Nothing can escape from the divine government by the fact of being evil, or by admitting that it is. How could it? Only on this basis can we be at peace, sure that no waves can rise higher than the footstool of His throne.

God did more than let Saul take his own headstrong way. Saul had refused the Spirit of God, so he lay open to the opposite of this — an evil spirit. God allowed the evil spirit to trouble Saul to wake him to the folly of his own self-will. Disobedience to God does not leave us in a merely negative state, but in a state of positive evil. This sobering fact should have driven Saul to seek the grace of God. He should have handed his kingdom over willingly to the man God had chosen. Instead he kept stubbornly on in his evil course until his tragic death.

This seems to be a clearly marked case of demon possession. One who has rejected the word of God is given over to the power of Satan… Of the nature of that affliction, we cannot speak in detail. Without question, there was a sense of being forsaken by God, no longer having His approval. No one could fully describe the utter hopelessness and despair of this. Along with it there was likely some clouding of the mind, or at least an oppression that left him unfit for any duty. Some have said that King Saul was suffering from insanity. That is not the truth. It was not insanity, but the demon of evil to which he had yielded himself, and which now asserts itself as his master.

As soon as David is called to the throne, Saul's moral condition changes completely. Until that day the Spirit of God had been with the king according to the flesh. That is what explains each of Saul's successes against the enemies of Israel. Now the Spirit of the Lord comes upon David (v. 13) and departs from Saul, who is left in the power of "a harmful spirit from the LORD" (v. 14). This is a judgment from God, a chastisement on the king… At the same time God shows that His Spirit alone can lift up and drive away the evil spirit. We see it when David takes a harp and plays it before Saul.

Needless to say, the Holy Spirit comes to a believer once and once only. He comes, as our Lord said near the end of His life on earth, "to be with you forever" (John 14:16). Old Testament times were different. Then the Spirit might come and go — for instance, when "the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul" (1 Sam. 16:14). Ephesians 4:30 agrees. It tells believers, "you were sealed for the day of redemption."

Hardly is David called to the throne when Saul's moral condition changes completely. Until that day the Spirit of God had been with the king according to the flesh, and this explains each of Saul's successes against the enemies of Israel. Now the Spirit of the Lord comes upon David (v. 13) and departs from Saul, who is left in the power of "an harmful spirit from the LORD" (v. 14). This is a judgment from God, a chastisement upon the king.

Evil as well as good has its commission from God — not its existence, but its liberty to act, and the limits of its action. So we see with Job in early times, and in Ahab's case later; and it is a real comfort to know this. This is how the wrath of man is made to praise Him, and the remainder of it He restrains. Nothing can escape from the divine government by the fact or the claim of being evil. How could it? Only in this way can we be at peace, sure that no waves can rise higher than the footstool of His throne.

A "messenger of Satan" may be sent out from the presence of God upon either the flesh or the heart of man. An evil spirit from the Lord came upon Saul, and a lying spirit came upon the prophets of Ahab. The Lord was beginning solemn acts of judgment, and so these messengers of Satan were sent out upon the heart of those who were rightly under judgment. But other messengers of Satan reach only the body or the circumstances, as with Paul and our patriarch. And this is discipline only, and not judgment.

God allowed Saul to take his own headstrong way. More than that: since Saul had refused the Spirit of God, he lay open to the opposite, an evil spirit. God let that evil spirit trouble Saul, to wake him up to the folly of his own self-will. Disobedience to God does not leave us in a merely negative state, but in a state of positive evil.

It has sometimes been said that king Saul was afflicted with insanity. This is not the truth. Sadly, it was not insanity, but the demon of evil to which he had yielded himself and which now asserts itself as his master.

The desire of Saul, the rejected king, was not a godly one; he should have looked in his own conduct for the cause of his trouble.

David's harp does not act directly on Satan, but on Saul. It has a strange power to soften and subdue the savage temper of the rejected king, though only for a time. By that means it drives back the power attacking him and shuts it out. For the time, he is set free.

There is a solemn thought here. Some ministry of Christ is so soothing that it can partly relieve a soul's fears and distress without working any real cure. David is clearly a type of Christ here. By His Spirit, Christ ministers His word in the ordinary way — its sweet story of God's love and care, of His power over evil, of the comfort He brings to His own. That word gives relief even to those whose hearts are estranged from God.

His servants discerned that it was God who had allowed this evil spirit to trouble Saul. Their solution is not to go to the root of the matter, but to treat its symptoms. This is characteristic of men's governments everywhere. A skilled musician could play the harp in a way that calmed the troubled king's spirit.

Evil as well as good has its commission from God — not its existence, but its liberty to act, and the limits of its action... The evil spirit's work with Saul carried out a penalty. Had it led him to judge himself, it would have proved mercy too. They knew where the relief came from, and it was that goodness of God which leads to repentance. The way it worked shows that Saul's own stormy spirit gave the evil one his opening — and brought Saul inside the limit God had set for him. David's harp does not act directly on Satan, but on Saul. Its strange power softens and calms the savage temper of the rejected king, though only for a time. So it drives back and shuts out the power that attacks him, and for a while he is free.

God let Saul take his own headstrong way. And since Saul had refused the Spirit of God, he lay open to the opposite of this, an evil spirit. God allowed the evil spirit to trouble Saul to wake him up to the folly of his own self-will. Disobedience to God does not leave us in a merely negative state, but in a state of positive evil.

Now the Spirit of the Lord comes upon David (v. 13) and leaves Saul, who falls into the power of "an evil spirit from Jehovah" (v. 14). This is a judgment from God, a discipline for the king... At the same time, when David takes a harp and plays with his hand before Saul, God shows that His Spirit alone can stir up the evil spirit and drive it away.

The servants' idea of relief is that a sweet singer should soothe the poor king in his hours of despair. With his approval, they suggest a man just right for the job. It is none other than David. See how the providence of God brings him to the king! There is a solemn thought here. A ministry of Christ can be so soothing that it eases the fears and distress of a soul to some degree, while no real cure takes place.

David had not yet shown men a single sign of what God had chosen him for when He set him apart from his brothers. Still, he is put forward for a remarkable service... This is the first circumstance which brings the anointed of Jehovah into the company of Saul. It appears to have been only the most passing acquaintance that was formed with the king.

The true David, even Christ, has played on His harp to the refreshing of many a troubled soul. He has played to many a sinner on the harp of His great salvation, and refreshed him with His grace. Wonderfully sweet to Legion, to Mary of Magdala, when the evil spirits departed from them... But here David drives the evil spirit away from Saul — only for a season — and that is a picture of Christ, before Whom demons flee.