1 Samuel 18:10-11
Verse 10 The next day an evil spirit from God came forcefully on Saul. He was prophesying in his house, while David was playing the lyre, as he usually did. Saul had a spear in his hand…
Yesterday we talked about what happens when we allow bitterness to overtake and we see in today’s passage that isn’t the only thing that can overtake a person that is living in opposition to the Lord.
As we said a few days ago, though this troubling spirit is said to be given by God, the truth is that God allowed it rather than gave it. We need to pay attention to the timing of this evil spirit coming upon the king, it was the day after the bitterness took such deep root in Saul’s heart. He had chosen to walk in his own way causing God to reject him as king and now he is becoming a stellar example of what a king in opposition to the Lord looks like.
We mentioned during our study of the battle with the giant, Goliath, that David understood whose battle this was and that he wasn’t taking on the enemy for his own glory but in defense of the name of the Lord and to bring God the glory. King Saul was there but was not seeing God’s place in the battle. In fact, Saul’s focus was off of the Lord and it is beginning to show in more areas of his life. The root of bitterness has grown into a full blown tree in 24 hours. He has stewed on the matter of David and that has allowed the evil spirit a wide open door to come in and take hold.
Next we must notice this matter of Saul’s prophesying. One of the signs that Samuel had given Saul when first telling him that he was being chosen as king for God’s people, was that he would prophesy with a group of prophets (1 Samuel 10:6). That sign of prophesying was much different than what he was doing this day as David played his lyre to relax the king.
In his first prophesying experience the king was praising God so that others could see the wonder of the Lord but in this time of his life, the evil spirit was driving his words and so this was like the ranting of a wild, mentally disturbed person. His spiritual state was the driving force behind this madness. His rejection of God had proven to be a way of rejecting wisdom and logic. This mental disturbance was driving him to desire David dead. The enemy was convincing him that the only way he could find peace was to do away with his perceived enemy. David’s life was again in danger but this time it was someone he had come to care about.
Making It Personal
How important is it to be certain that it is the Holy Spirit that you are allowing to guide you? What are some ways you can know that it is the Holy Spirit you are listening to? Do you allow God’s Spirit to convict you?
Making It Personal Kids
How can you know who the Holy Spirit is? Do you ever feel the Holy Spirit guiding you? What kinds of things might the Holy Spirit guide you to do?
Closing Prayer
Father, thank You for giving us Your Holy Spirit to guide our thinking. Help us to discern between Your guidance and the enemy’s temptations. In Jesus’ name, amen.
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