I was planning to discuss what all that prophesying was about at the end of 1 Samuel 19. But I cannot avoid this amazing statement of "the evil spirit from the Lord" that plagued Saul and is repeated several times in 1 Sam. 16:14, 18:10, and 19:9. How can an evil spirit come from the Lord?
Clearly the bible teaches us that God is Holy and that He is Light and in Him is no darkness at all. 1 John 1:5. So can an evil spirit come from the Lord? Many commentaries I have read demonstrate that "evil" here is not a spiritual wickedness, but rather some form of mental or physical torment. With that understanding, we can read this seemingly controversial statement knowing it does not contradict God's very Holy essence.
Along with the above commentary, I came to an eye-opening realization in 1 Samuel 16:14 about this perplexing phrase. The first time we hear about Saul receiving an evil spirit from the Lord is in verse 14. I'm confused by the "evil spirt from the Lord" phrase, but what does the phrase before that say? "But the spirit of the Lord departed from Saul." By the time I got to the "evil spirit from the Lord" phrase, I had already forgotten about the first phrase because I was so shocked to read that an "evil" spirit could come from God! But here's where the beauty of meditation and prayer comes in! A couple of days after first reading those words, I was still thinking about Saul's evil spirit and this verse came back to my memory. "But the spirit of the Lord departed from Saul." WOW! I cannot imagine what Saul felt the moment the Spirit of the living God departed from him.
Saul, in his original human state, was depraved. But after being annointed by Samuel, the Spirit of God came to dwell in him. Wow! How amazing Saul must have felt! To have the Spirit of the living God dwelling in him had to have been an amazing high! He was now king of Israel and GOD WAS WITH HIM. The void and chasm between God and man was graciously filled by the very presence of the Almighty! (We who are Christians take this amazing truth for granted sometimes. But God lives in US! What a reason to celebrate, right?!)
But now imagine what it would be like if God took His precious Holy Spirit away from you or me (Of course, God clearly promises He will not do that to those whom Jesus saves). It's unthinkable to those who have experienced the amazing power of God in our lives! Unimagineable! It's our worst nightmare!! David shares this feeling when he proclaims in Psalms 51:11: "Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy Holy Spirit away from me!!" Can you imagine the void that's left without the Holy Spirit?? In God's absence, all that is left is evil. All that is left is despair, depression, and death.
So, when I read 1 Samuel 16:14 again, I see God not directly sending an evil spirit from Himself to Saul, but rather leaving Saul with an evil spirit of insanity, depression, and despair by the very fact that God removed His Spirit from Saul. Do you see the distinction? It was God's action of removing His Spirit that brought about Saul's evil spirit that exists by default apart from God. The absence of God is the presence of evil. And I believe that is what the author of 1 Samuel is trying to convey in 1 Samuel 16:14.
Saul, having personally eaten of the sweet honeycomb of God's presence, now knows what it is like to have tasted the Goodness of the Lord only to have it ripped from his soul! It then is easier to understand why Saul went mad. I can only imagine that I would also go mad and insane at the very moment I realized God left me. It is even hard to write such a statement. Why do real human characters exist like Jack Torrence in The Shining? Why would a woman kill her baby and eat the child's brain? Why would a couple who adopts and raises children with special needs be gunned down in cold blood? Answer: When the Spirit of God does not reside in man's heart, evil is all that remains. It is a little easier to understand why such unthinkable acts occur. It now is also easier to see why Saul acts as he does through the remainder of his life. His mind will never find peace. What a tragedy. What a nightmare.
Prayer: Thank you Father for Your precious Holy Spirit that lives within me! May I never take Him for granted. May I see Saul as an example of the preciousness of Your sweet Spirit. I have nothing but despair, depression, and death without You! Forgive me for my apathy and ignorance of the power of the Holy Spirit. And let Your Holy Spirit guide and rule my heart today in Jesus name.
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