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Now Yahweh’s Spirit departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from Yahweh troubled him. Saul’s servants said to him, “See now, an evil spirit from God troubles you. Let our lord now command your servants who are in front of you to seek out a man who is a skillful player on the harp. Then when the evil spirit from God is on you, he will play with his hand, and you will be well.”
Saul said to his servants, “Provide me now a man who can play well, and bring him to me.”
1 Samuel 16:14-17 sits inside this longer paragraph.
Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the middle of his brothers. Then Yahweh’s Spirit came mightily on David from that day forward. So Samuel rose up and went to Ramah. Now Yahweh’s Spirit departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from Yahweh troubled him. Saul’s servants said to him, “See now, an evil spirit from God troubles you. Let our lord now command your servants who are in front of you to seek out a man who is a skillful player on the harp. Then when the evil spirit from God is on you, he will play with his hand, and you will be well.”
Saul said to his servants, “Provide me now a man who can play well, and bring him to me.”
Now Yahweh’s Spirit departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from Yahweh troubled him.
Saul’s servants said to him, “See now, an evil spirit from God troubles you.
Let our lord now command your servants who are in front of you to seek out a man who is a skillful player on the harp. Then when the evil spirit from God is on you, he will play with his hand, and you will be well.”
Saul said to his servants, “Provide me now a man who can play well, and bring him to me.”
But the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD troubled him.
And Saul’s servants said unto him, Behold now, an evil spirit from God troubleth thee.
Let our lord now command thy servants, which are before thee, to seek out a man, who is a cunning player on an harp: and it shall come to pass, when the evil spirit from God is upon thee, that he shall play with his hand, and thou shalt be well.
And Saul said unto his servants, Provide me now a man that can play well, and bring him to me.
Now the spirit of the LORD had departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD terrified him.
And Saul's servants said unto him: 'Behold now, an evil spirit from God terrifieth thee.
Let our lord now command thy servants, that are before thee, to seek out a man who is a skilful player on the harp; and it shall be, when the evil spirit from God cometh upon thee, that he shall play with his hand, and thou shalt be well.'
And Saul said unto his servants: 'Provide me now a man that can play well, and bring him to me.'
18 distinct cross-references across this passage (19 total citations).
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Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain On v14 The wicked spirits are at God’s commandment to execute…
The wicked spirits are at God’s commandment to execute his will against the wicked.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain On vv14–17 1Sa 16:14 But the Spirit of the LORD departed…
1Sa 16:14 But the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD troubled him.
Ver. 14. But the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul.] He lost his royal abilities and achievements; he that was before in bellis acer et victor, factus est imbellis, ignavus, iners, nec quidquam praeclare gessit. {a} And the like befell Henry IV of France after that he turned Papist once. Bonus Orbi, but afterwards Orbus Boni, as they wittily anagrammatised his name Borbonius.
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And an evil spirit from the Lord troubled him.] Or, Terrified him, scared him, vexed him. That old man-slayer - permittente Deo aut immittente - assaulted him, and perhaps possessed him, tormented his mind and body, working upon his melancholy and discontent, which is the devil’s bath, and casting him into fits of frenzy and fury. He had preferred his own reason, saith a grave interpreter, {b} before God’s directions in the business of the Amalekites, and so made an idol of his own wisdom and reason: and now God deprives him of the use of his reason, and breaks, as it were, this his idol in pieces.
{a} A. Lapide.
{b} Mr Jackson.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain On vv14, 16 God took away that prudence, and courage, and alacrity,…
God took away that prudence, and courage, and alacrity, and other gifts and assistances of God’s Spirit, wherewith he had qualified him for the management of his public employment.
An evil spirit; properly so called; for what need is there of forsaking the proper signification of the word? It is evident, both from Scripture and experience, that God hath permitted some men to be really acted and disquieted by the devil; and why not Saul as well as others?
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From the Lord, i.e. by God’s permission or judgment, delivering him up to Satan.
Troubled him; stirred up in him unruly and tormenting passions; as envy, rage, fear, despair, and the like.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Matthew Henry 1710 · Public Domain On v14 We have here Saul falling and David rising.
We have here Saul falling and David rising.
I. Here is Saul made a terror to himself (Sa1 16:14): The Spirit of the Lord departed from him. He having forsaken God and his duty, God, in a way of righteous judgment, withdrew from him those assistances of the good Spirit with which he was directed, animated, and encouraged in his government and wars. He lost all his good qualities. This was the effect of his rejecting God, and an evidence of his being rejected by him. Now God took his mercy from Saul (as it is expressed, Sa2 7:15); for, when the Spirit of the Lord departs from us, all good goes. When men grieve and quench the Spirit, by wilful sin, he departs, and will not always strive. The consequence of this was that an evil spirit from God troubled him. Those that drive the good Spirit away from the do of course become prey to the evil spirit. If God and his grace do not rule us, sin and Satan will have possession of us. The devil, by the divine permission, troubled and terrified Saul, by means of the corrupt humours of his body and passions of his mind. He grew fretful, and peevish, and discontented, timorous and suspicious, ever and anon starting and trembling; he was sometimes, says Josephus, as if he had been choked or strangled, and a perfect demoniac by fits. This made him unfit for business, precipitate in his counsels, the contempt of his enemies, and a burden to all about him.
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II. Here is David made a physician to Saul, and by this means brought to court, a physician that helped him against the worst of diseases, when none else could. David was newly appointed privately to the kingdom. It would be of use to him to go to court and see the world; and here his doing so is brought about for him without any contrivance of his own or his friends. Note, Those whom God designs for any service his providence shall concur with his grace to prepare and qualify for it. Saul is distempered; his servants have the honesty and courage to tell him what his distemper is (Sa1 16:15), an evil spirit, not by chance but from God and his providence, troubleth thee. Now, 1. The means they all advised him to for his relief was music (Sa1 16:16): "Let us have a cunning player on the harp to attend thee." How much better friends had they been to him if they had advised him, since the evil spirit was from the Lord, to give all diligence to make his peace with God by true repentance, to send for Samuel to pray with him and to intercede with God for him! then might he not only have had some present relief, but the good Spirit would have returned to him. But their project is to make him merry, and so cure him. Many whose consciences are convinced and startled are for ever ruined by such methods as these, which drown all care of the soul in the delights of sense. Yet Saul's servants did not amiss to send for music as a help to cheer up the spirits, if they had but withal sent for a prophet to give him good counsel. And (as bishop Hall observes) it was well they did not send for a witch or diviner, by his enchantments to cast out the evil spirit, which has been the abominably wicked practice of some that have worn the Christian name, who consult the devil in their distresses and make hell their refuge. It will be no less than a miracle of divine grace if those who thus agree with Satan ever break off from him again. 2. One of his servants recommended David to him, as a fit person to be employed in the use of these means, little imagining that he was the man whom Samuel meant when he told Saul of a neighbour of his, better than he, who should have the kingdom, Sa1 15:28. It is a very high character which the servant of Saul's here gives of David (Sa1 16:18), that he was not only fit for his purpose as a comely person and skilful in playing, but a man of courage and conduct, a mighty valiant man, and prudent in all matters, fit to be further preferred, and (which crowned his character) the Lord is with him. By this it appears that though David, after he was anointed, returned to his country business, and there remained on his head no marks of the oil, so careful was he to keep that secret, yet the workings of the Spirit signified by the oil could not be hid, but made him shine in obscurity, so that all his neighbours observed with wonder the great improvements of his mind on a sudden. David, even in his shepherd's garb, has become an oracle, a champion, and every thing that is great. His fame reached the court soon, for Saul was inquisitive after such young men, Sa1 14:52. When the Spirit of God comes upon a man he will make his face to shine. 3. David is hereupon sent for to court. And it seems, (1.) His father was very willing to part with him, sent him very readily, and a present with him to Saul, Sa1 16:20. The present was, according to the usage of those times, bread and wine (compare, Sa1 10:3, Sa1 10:4), therefore acceptable because expressive of the homage and allegiance of him that sent it. Probably Jesse, who knew what his son David was designed for, was aware that Providence was herein fitting him for it, and therefore he would not force Providence by sending him to court uncalled, yet he followed Providence very cheerfully when he saw it plainly putting him into the way of preferment. Some suggest that when Jesse received that message, Send me David thy son, he began to be afraid that Saul had got some intimation of his being anointed, and sent for him to do him a mischief, and therefore Jesse sent a present to pacify him; but it is probable that the person, whoever he was, that brought the message, gave him an account on what design he was sent for. (2.) Saul became very kind to him (Sa1 16:21), loved him greatly, and designed to make him his armour-bearer, and (contrary to the manner of the king, Sa1 8:11) asked his father's leave to keep him in his service (Sa1 16:22): Let David, I pray thee, stand before me. And good reason he had to respect him, for he did him a great deal of service with his music, Sa1 16:23. Only his instrumental music with his harp is mentioned, but it should seem, by the account Josephus gives, that he added vocal music to it, and sung hymns, probably divine hymns, songs of praise, to his harp. David's music was Saul's physic. [1.] Music has a natural tendency to compose and exhilarate the mind, when it is disturbed and saddened. Elisha used it for the calming of his spirits, Kg2 3:15. On some it has a greater influence and effect than on others, and, probably, Saul was one of those. Not that it charmed the evil spirit, but it made his spirit sedate, and allayed those tumults of the animal spirits by which the devil had advantage against him. The beams of the sun (it is the learned Bochart's comparison) cannot be cut with a sword, quenched with water, or blown out with wind, but, by closing the window-shutters, they may be kept out of the chamber. Music cannot work upon the devil, but it may shut up the passages by which he has access to the mind. [2.] David's music was extraordinary, and in mercy to him, that he might gain a reputation at court, as one that had the Lord with him. God made his performances in music more successful, in this case, than those of others would have been. Saul found, even after he had conceived an enmity to David, that no one else could do him the same service (Kg2 19:9, Kg2 19:10), which was a great aggravation of his outrage against him. It is a pity that music, which may be so serviceable to the good temper of the mind, should ever be abused by any to the support of vanity and luxury, and made an occasion of drawing the heart away from God and serious things: if this be to any the effect of it, it drives away the good Spirit, not the evil spirit.
Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible (1708–1710) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain On vv14–17 But the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul,....…
But the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul,.... As a spirit of prophecy as at first, as a spirit of wisdom and prudence in civil government, and as a spirit of fortitude and courage, as the Targum:
and an evil spirit from the Lord troubled him; the reverse of the former, which by the permission of God, and as a punishment to him for his sins, came upon him; he seemed to be a demoniac, as Josephus represents (i) him, as if possessed with the devil; by whom he was almost suffocated and strangled, as well as was distracted in his counsels, and became weak and foolish; lost all courage and greatness of mind, was timorous and fearful, and alarmed by everything, and was full of envy, suspicion, rage, and despair.
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(i) Antiqu. l. 6. c. 8. sect. 2.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain On vv14, 16 Departed - God took away that prudence, and courage,…
Departed - God took away that prudence, and courage, and alacrity, and other gifts wherewith be had qualified him for his public employment. From the Lord - That is, by God's permission, who delivered him up to be buffeted of Satan. Troubled - Stirred up in him unruly and tormenting passions; as envy, rage, fear, or despair. He grew fretful, and peevish, and discontented, timorous and suspicious, frequently starting and trembling.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain On v14 Verse 14. The Spirit of the Lord departed from…
Verse 14. The Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul] He was thrown into such a state of mind by the judgments of God, as to be deprived of any regal qualities which he before possessed. God seems to have taken what gifts he had, and given them to David; and then the evil spirit came upon Saul; for what God fills not, the devil will.
An evil spirit from the Lord] The evil spirit was either immediately sent from the Lord, or permitted to come. Whether this was a diabolic possession, or a mere mental malady, the learned are not agreed; it seems to have partaken of both. That Saul had fallen into a deep melancholy, there is little doubt; that the devil might work more effectually on such a state of mind, there can be but little question. There is an old proverb, Satan delights to fish in troubled waters; and Saul's situation of mind gave him many advantages.
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The theory of Dr. Scheuchzer, in his Physica Sacra, on the malady of Saul, is allowed to be very ingenious. It is in substance as follows: Health consists in a moderate tension of the fibres, which permits all the fluids to have an entire freedom of circulation, and to the spirits, that of diffusing themselves through all the limbs; on the contrary, disease consists in tensions of the fibres morbidly weak or morbidly strong. This latter seems to have been the case of Saul; and as the undulations of the air which convey sound communicate themselves to and through the most solid bodies, it is easy to suppose that by the modulations of music all the fibres of his body, which were under the influence of the morbidly increased tension, might be so relaxed as to be brought back into their natural state, and thus permit the re-establishment of a free and gentle circulation of the fluids, and consequently of the animal spirits, and thus induce calmness and tranquillity of mind. I believe this theory to be correct, and I should find no difficulty to amplify and to illustrate the subject. Even a skilful playing upon the harp was one means to bring a disordered state of the nervous and fibrous system into a capacity of affording such uninterrupted tranquillity to the mind as to render it capable of receiving the prophetic influence; see the case of Elisha, 2Kg 3:14-15. It has been said: -
"Music hath charms to sooth the savage breast."
This has been literally proved: a musician was brought to play on his instrument while they were feeding a savage lion in the tower of London; the beast immediately left his food, came towards the grating of his den, and began to move in such a way as to show himself affected by the music. The musician ceased, and the lion returned to his food; he recommenced, and the lion left off his prey, and was so affected as to seem by his motions to dance with delight. This was repeatedly tried, and the effects were still the same.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain On vv14–15 1Sa 16:14. The Spirit of the Lord departed from…
1Sa 16:14. The Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul — Which came upon him when he was first made king, and continued with him till this time, but which God now took away, depriving him of that prudence, courage, and alacrity, and other gifts wherewith he had qualified him for his public employment. An evil spirit from the Lord — That is, by God’s permission, who delivered him up to be buffeted by Satan. Troubled him — Stirred up in him unruly passions, such as envy, rage, fear, or despair. Hence he grew fretful, peevish, and discontented, timorous and suspicious, frequently starting and trembling, as the Hebrew word here used seems to import. He therefore became very unfit for business, being sometimes melancholy, or furious and distracted, and always full of anxiety and solicitude of mind.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain On vv15–16 The “evil” or “melancholy” spirit here spoken of was…
The “evil” or “melancholy” spirit here spoken of was “the Spirit of God,” or “of Jehovah,” as being God’s messenger and minister, sent by Him to execute His righteous purpose upon Saul (see 1Ki 22:19-22 note).
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain On vv14, 16 From the Lord. An evil spirit, by divine permission,…
From the Lord. An evil spirit, by divine permission, and for his punishment, either possessed or obsessed him. (Challoner) --- We no longer behold in Saul any generous sentiments. He falls a prey to melancholy, anger, suspicion, and cruelty. "He was seized with an illness, inflicted by the devil, says Josephus, ([Antiquities?] vi. 9.) so that he seemed to be choking; nor could the physicians discover any other means to alleviating his distress, except by employing some person skilled in music.... David alone could bring the king ot his right senses, by singing hymns with the sound of the harp. Wherefore Jesse consented that his son should remain with the king, since he was so much delighted with his company." (Haydock) --- The Jews, and many Christians, suppose that Saul’s illness was melancholy, or "madness," as St. Chrysostom calls it. It was inflicted by an evil, or even by a good angel, as the minister of God’s vengeance, (Exodus xi. 4.; Calmet) who punished his former pride and rebellion, by reducing him to so mean a condition. (Haydock) --- St. Augustine and Ven. Bede suppose, that the evil spirit troubled him by God’s permission. (Worthington)
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Lange's Commentary on the Holy Scriptures 1864 · Public Domain On v14 II. The Darkening of Saul’s Mind by the Evil…
II. The Darkening of Saul’s Mind by the Evil Spirit, and David’s First Appearance at the Court of Saul as Harpist
1Sa_16:14-23
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14But [And] the Spirit of the Lord [Jehovah] departed from Saul, and an evil 15spirit from the Lord [Jehovah] troubled him. And Saul’s servants said unto him, 16Behold now, an evil spirit from God18 troubleth thee. Let our lord now command—thy servants which [om. which] are before thee, to [and let them, or they will] seek out19 a man who is a cunning player20 on a [the] harp; and it shall come to pass, when the evil spirit from God is upon thee, that he shall play with his hand, and 17thou shalt be well. And Saul said unto his servants, Provide me now a man that 18can play well,21 and bring him to me. Then answered one of the servants [And one of the young men answered] and said, Behold I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, that is cunning in playing4 and a mighty valiant man and a man of war and prudent in matters22 and a comely person, and the Lord [Jehovah] is with 19him. Wherefore [And] Saul sent messengers unto Jesse, and said, Send [ins. to] 20me David thy son, which is with the sheep. And Jesse took an ass23 laden with bread, and a bottle [skin] of wine, and a kid,24 and sent them by David his son 21unto Saul. And David came to Saul, and stood before him, and he loved him 22greatly, and he became his armor-bearer. And Saul sent to Jesse, saying, Let 23David, I pray thee, stand before me, for he hath found favor in my sight. And it came to pass, when the evil25 spirit from God was upon Saul, that David took an [the] harp, and played with his hand, so [and] Saul was refreshed, and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him.
EXEGETICAL AND CRITICAL
1Sa_16:15. Observe the sharp contrast between the statement in 1Sa_16:13 : “the Spirit of the Lord came upon David,” and that which here immediately follows: The Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul.—The Spirit is meant which Saul received in consequence of his anointing, and by which he became another man, that is, a man full of great royal thoughts, courage of faith and inspiration. The cause of the departure of the divine Spirit from him, as given in the narrative, was his rejection by the Lord, and his persistent, impenitent pride and disobedience of heart towards the Lord.—Berl. Bib.: “No doubt Saul took his rejection to heart, and, instead of yielding humbly to God’s righteous judgment and bowing beneath God’s mighty hand, gave himself up to displeasure and discontent at God’s holy ways, and was therefore given over to the power of an evil spirit, which vexed him and sometimes even drove him to madness.”—And an evil spirit from the Lord troubled him; literally, fell upon him and frightened him (בִעֵת), Psa_18:5. The narrator means to describe Saul’s condition as one of anxiety and terror, which was produced in him by an evil spirit. This spirit (called in 1Sa_16:23 also the evil spirit), is, according to the narrative, not the condition itself of gloomy melancholy and torturing anguish, but an objective power, which produced it. It is a wicked spiritual power, which came upon him as the opposite of the good, holy spirit which he had once possessed, and goaded him to rage and madness (1Sa_18:10-11), finding its occasion in the conflict within his soul and in the passionateness of his nature, which, after the Spirit of the Lord left him, was unbridled. It came on Saul from the Lord; that is, the Lord gave him over to the power and might of this spirit as punishment for his disobedience and defiant self-will; for this reason this spirit is called in 1Sa_16:15-16 “an evil spirit of God,” and in 1Sa_16:23 simply “a spirit of God;” that is, one that came from God. [It seems clear that the evil spirit here cannot be resolved into simple melancholy without doing violence to the narrative (so the demons of the N. T.). Reasons for melancholy and madness may be found in Saul’s life and character (see the pathological and psychological aspects of his case treated by Kitto, Maurice, Krummacher, Ewald, and others), but over and above these the narrative speaks, as Erdmann says, of an objective spiritual wicked power, which had strange control over him. This possession by the spirit was in accordance with psychological conditions, yet distinct from them, and was controlled by the almighty God of Israel. We have here the proof of the belief in evil spirits by the Israelites many centuries before the exile, a belief very general, no doubt, though not as fully developed here as in “Job.”—Tr.]—The servants of Saul speak of this cause of his mental condition in order (1Sa_16:16) to counsel him to let them find a skilful harpist, that he may be healed by the strains of music of his suffering of soul. Saul having commanded this (1Sa_16:17), one of the young men of the court (1Sa_16:18) mentioned the son of Jesse, whom he himself knew. In order to induce Saul to call him to court, he describes him at length, as not merely a harpist, but also what would especially recommend him to Saul, a valiant man, a man of war, an eloquent man [or prudent—Tr.], a comely person, with whom the Lord is. All these characteristics appear clearly in David’s history; their combination in this description shows that the young man was well acquainted with him. His beauty of person has already been mentioned in 1Sa_16:12. He had showed his bravery and warlike spirit, if not in battle, yet in conflict with ravenous beasts for his herd (1Sa_17:34 sq.) His piety and communion with the Lord, the culminating point of the description, has already been referred to in 1Sa_16:12-13. His eloquence is a new feature and characterizes the future psalmist.
1Sa_16:19. The message to Jesse to send his son to court.
1Sa_16:20. Jesse is soon ready. He sends his son with presents appropriate to a herdsman and countryman. From this it appears that it was still customary to bring presents as a sign of obedience and subjection, see on 1Sa_10:4. The Heb. text, in spite of its difficulty, is to be retained; render: an ass laden with bread. הֲמוֹד, not, as Sept., חֹמֶד, “since bread was not reckoned by measures” (Keil). Clericus: “an ass laden with bread, with a skin of wine and with a kid, so that David might have nothing to carry.” Maur.: “an ass laden with bread,” &c. Compare the ἄρτων τρεῖς ὄνους (= τριῶν ὄνων φορτίον) [three asses of bread = a load of three asses] of the tragic poet Sosibius.
1Sa_16:21. So David came to Saul and stood before him; that is, served him. Becoming fond of him, Saul retained him and placed him among his armor-bearers, entrusted him, therefore, with a military service, informing Jesse (1Sa_16:22) that his son would remain with him.
1Sa_16:23. David’s playing had the effect of relieving, freeing Saul from his suffering, so that he became well again; when he heard the music, the evil spirit departed from him. The power of musical sounds over Saul was such that his gloomy mood vanished. Many illustrations from heathen writers of the wholesome effect of music on the mind are given by Cleric., Grot., and Bochart, in the Hieroz., p. I., 1, II., c. 44 (I., p. 511 sqq. ed. Rosenmüller). [Bochart also inquires whether David’s songs to Saul were sacred or secular (see Browning’s poem “Saul”), and how music had power over the evil spirit. See Kitto, “Saul and David,” p. 202 sq.—On the nature of the instrument which David used, the harp, kinnor, see on 1Sa_10:5, and the Bib.-Dictionaries and books on Archæology. Whether the kinnor was played with the hand or with a plectrum (either would suit the statement in 1Sa_16:23) is uncertain.—Tr.]
HISTORICAL AND THEOLOGICAL
1. To be rejected by the Lord for continued disobedience and hardness of heart against the chastening and guidance of His Spirit, is identical with the departure from the heart of the Spirit of God, which can dwell and be efficient only where heart and will are turned to the light from above. But when the Spirit of God departs from the man, he is not simply left to himself, but, as Saul’s example shows, his heart becomes the abode of the evil spirit. Theodoret: “Where the divine spirit departs, the wicked spirit comes in his place. This should teach us to pray with David: Take not thy Holy Spirit from me.” Man is governed either by the Spirit from above or by the spirit from beneath; there is no third course. For he is as little isolated in the invisible as in the visible world; he must be part of the organism of the one or the other of the invisible worlds; he belongs either to the kingdom of light or to the kingdom of darkness; he is guided either by the Spirit of the Lord or by the evil spirit, according as he decides for a permanent attitude of heart and direction of will to this side or that. But Saul’s example teaches still more, namely, the divine causality in the position of the rejected man under the power of the evil spirit: He gives the apostate, reprobate man into the power of the evil spirit, permits the latter to control him; when man by continued conscious opposition to Him renders His Spirit inefficacious He righteously punishes him by giving him over to the evil spirit, who must serve God, and can do nothing except the Lord, who is almighty over all spirits, give him a field within the moral order of the world, in which, for the execution of His punitive justice, even the power of the evil one must be subservient to Him. Therefore the wicked spirit is here called a spirit “from the Lord.”26—The consequence of the possession of the inner life by the evil spirit is not merely its sunderance and derangement (there being of necessity conflict partly between the divine nature of the soul and its indwelling ungodly inclinations and passions, and partly among these last themselves), but at the same time the filling of the heart with wicked thoughts, dark melancholy, and the spirit of hatred, the perversion and dedication of the natural noble gifts of the spirit and heart (so richly possessed by Saul) to the service of the kingdom of evil. But in all this there is presupposed as back-ground not a merely physical suffering, but a corresponding ethical determination of the inner life against God. “There is much suffering and melancholy which has its origin in purely bodily sickness; as soon as the sickness ceases, the melancholy also ceases. But there is also to-day much heaviness of mind, which has its ground in the kingdom of darkness” (Schlier.).27
2. The counter-picture to Saul, who is controlled by the evil spirit, is David, under the guidance and discipline of the Spirit of God from his anointment on. His divinely-bestowed natural gift of poetry and music is not merely sanctified and consecrated by the Spirit of the Lord, but also powerfully developed and intensified, and by the Lord’s ordination taken into the service of His merciful love; for this love is seen in that He makes David’s art alleviate Saul’s sufferings, and in the depth of Saul’s soul makes the chords of the godlike man resound in the demon-possessed nature and drown its tones. The power to set forth the Beautiful as the Harmonious in music is a natural gift of God’s grace, which, employed in the service of sin and of the kingdom of darkness, robs music of its divine nobility and misuses it for the furtherance of the kingdom of evil in the human heart and in the world; but, on the other hand, (as in David’s case), developed according to its God-implanted laws, and under the guiding discipline of God’s Spirit, checks and expels the power of evil, rouses again the nobler feelings of human nature (created by and for God), and restores at least for a time the disturbed harmony of the life of the soul. David’s harp playing before Saul is the prelude to the harpings and songs which flowed from the heart of the future royal singer.
3. With the beginning of his service at the court of Saul, David, under the wonderful guidance of God’s hand, whence he had through Samuel received the royal anointing, enters on the path of inner and outer development till he ascends the throne. It was the way of external cultivation and preparation for the representative side of the kingdom by the experiences and knowledges which he gained at the royal court concerning all that pertained to the fulfilment of the royal calling, but also, what is far more important, a way of deep suffering, which must needs have served to try and tempt, but also to purify, prove and confirm him, and establish his inner life in communion with his God; from this school of suffering, whose experiences afterwards resound throughout his Psalms, he comes forth as a man who has been educated from shepherd-boy to king.
[Helps in the study of David’s life: Chandler’s Life of David (abounds in illustrations from classic antiquity, and is polemical against Bayle); Ewald’s History of Israel; Stanley’s Jewish Church (brilliant in description); Schlier’s Saul and Krummacher’s David (devotional); Stähelin’s David (strictly scientific); F. D. Maurice, Prophets and Kings of O. T. (fresh and clear); Kitto’s Saul and David (in Daily Bib. Illust.); W. M. Taylor’s David, 1875 (excellent); Graetz, Geschichte der Juden; Apocrypha relating to David in Fabricius, Codex Pseud. Vet. Test., Tom. I.; Legends concerning him in Koran, Suras ii., xxxviii.; Weil’s Biblical Legends of the Mussulmans; Baring-Gould’s Legends of O. T. Characters. See also Josephus, Antiquities VI. 8–VII. 15; Wilberforce’s Heroes of Hebrew History; and Articles in the Dictionaries of Herzog, Smith, Fairbairn, and Ersch and Grube. Voltaire and Bayle deal with David’s life in an unworthy spirit.—Tr.]
HOMILETICAL AND PRACTICAL
1Sa_16:14. Calvin: As God grants His gifts richly to those who serve Him in the obedience of faith, so He withdraws them again from those who are slothful in employing them, that we may not believe God is under obligation to us. God does indeed distribute His gifts richly and abundantly, but He also demands from us the right use of them, that they may subserve His aims. Whoever, then, does not give back to God what He has received from Him, will certainly soon lose it.—Cramer: He who will not let himself be ruled by the Spirit of God, drives it out; and where that is driven out, there is no third state possible, but the evil spirit goes in again, Luk_11:23 sq.
1Sa_16:15-16. Schmid: We should have compassion even upon those who by their sins have drawn on themselves God’s chastisement, and should give them counsel as to how their case may be bettered.—[ 1Sa_16:18. David was a brave soldier and a famous musician. There is a very unwise notion abroad in America that to perform well on musical instruments is something effeminate. But the Hebrews thought not so, nor did the Greeks, nor do the Germans.—Tr.]
1Sa_16:19. Osiander: God gradually, more and more, draws His people forward and exalts them; yea, He leads them by degrees from one ground to another even unto eternal life.
1Sa_16:23. Cramer: Only God’s word and believing prayer can drive out Satan with his assaults, Eph_6:17-18.—Schlier: There is a wonderful power in song and the harp over the human heart; how much sorrow and anguish retreat before it—how much of the power of darkness is broken; where song and the harp dwell in the fear of God, there the power of evil spirits gives way, there the good spirits come, hell is silent, heaven comes down.—F. W. Krummacher: We ask, “Did the harmonies banish the demon?” No! But the higher mood into which the king was brought by them sufficed at least to give the affliction less room for working on his mind, while against a full, clearly conscious life of faith on Saul’s part, the power of the evil spirit would have been utterly wrecked.—Schlier: Thoroughly better would it have been for him if he had been converted—if he had earnestly repented. But of repentance Saul would know nothing; he let himself be cheered, but he would not turn about. If our sins give to the kingdom of darkness power over us, then we must repent. He who chooses to persevere in sin and cannot acknowledge his guilt, should not wonder forsooth if he finds no peace. Evil conscience, evil guest. No peace, nor any rest! But the word stands fast forever that the Lord makes the upright to prosper.—Wuert. Summary: The mourning of this world and the heaviness proceeding from an evil conscience can be relieved by no harping nor any diversion, if forgiveness of sins is not earnestly sought and gained, and the heart is not truly bettered.
1Sa_16:13-23. J. Disselhoff: The anointing of the chosen one: 1) Whom the Lord chooses for His servant, He causes before His work to be anointed with power from on high; 2) The anointing does not at once give the throne, but it first leads into lowliness; 3) The anointing does not annihilate natural gifts and powers, but sanctifies them and fits them for the service of the Lord.
1Sa_16:14-23. F. W. Krummacher: The harper: 1) How David came to Saul; 2) What he experienced at the king’s court.
1Sa_16:14. Man is under the dominion either of the holy or of the evil spirit: 1) Statement of this truth. 2) Indication of the opposite consequences in the two cases. 3) Application of the solemn warnings therein contained.
[1Sa_16:21. “And he loved him greatly.” 1) Saul, with all his faults, a loving man. Comp. 1Sa_24:16. 2) David an eminently lovable youth. Some of the qualities which made him such are indicated in 1Sa_16:18 : handsome, accomplished, brave and soldierly, prudent, pious. (Highly creditable to a youth to gain the love of old men.) 3) The Lord loved David, and caused his fellowmen to love him. 1Sa_16:13; 1Sa_16:18. Comp. Genesis 39.
1Sa_16:17-22. Example of the young harper David: 1) Improvement of youthful leisure a preparation for the work of life. 2) Something in itself unimportant often the providential occasion of great results. But note: a) It can only be the occasion; the causes must together be as great as the effect. b) There must be disciplined character, or occasions will be in vain. 3) A youth leaving home for scenes of temptation is safe if “the Lord is with him.” (Comp. W. M. Taylor, David, Sermon III.)
Robert Browning’s finest poem is on “Saul,” depicting his madness, and the effect of David’s harp and song.—Tr.]
Footnotes:
[18][1Sa_16:15. The Heb. text here uniformly designates the source of righteous influence as “the Spirit of Jehovah,” and the source of evil influence as “evil spirit,” “evil spirit of God,” or “evil spirit from Jehovah,” the significance of the last preposition being obvious; except in 1Sa_16:23, where it is “spirit of God,” and Sept., Chald., Syr., Arab, and Eng. A. V. there insert “evil;” in 1Sa_19:9 it is “evil spirit of Jehovah,” and there Sept. writes “God,” instead of Jehovah, Chald. and Eng. A. V. insert “from” before “Jehovah,” and Arab omits the divine name. Elsewhere throughout the Old Testament the Divine Spirit is called either “Spirit of God” or “Spirit of Jehovah.”—Tr.]
[19][1Sa_16:16. This clause is difficult in the Heb., and varies in the ancient VSS. Chald. follows the Heb.; Sept. takes עֲבָדֶיךָ as subject, omits אֲדנֵֹנו and renders: “let thy servants now say before thee and seek,” where “say” for “speak” is not tolerable (we should expect דבר instead of אמר); Vulg.: “let our lord command, and thy servants who are before thee will seek,” where לְפָנֶיךָ is made to qualify “servants” (so in Eng. A. V.), contrary to usage, which demands that it stand after a verbal conception; Syr. omits the speech of the servants in 1Sa_16:15, and goes on in 1Sa_16:16 : “thy servants are before thee, let them seek.” As the Heb. now stands, the words עב׳ לפ׳ must form a separate clause; but the construction is thus harsh. If we could omit לִפ׳ (which, however, is sustained by all the VSS.), an easy reading would be given: “let our lord now command, and thy servants will seek.”—The use of the second pers. suffix when the verb is in the third pers., though not the usual construction, occurs elsewhere, as 2Sa_14:11.—Tr.]
[20][1Sa_16:16. The partcp. as complement of the verb “to know.” See Ew., Gr. § 285, e, and Ges. § 142, 4.—Tr.]
[21][1Sa_16:17-18. Infin. as complement, Ges. § 142.—Tr.]
[22][1Sa_16:18. Or, “in speech,” as in margin of Eng. A. V.; but “affairs” seems to suit the connection better Chald. “counsel,” Vulg., Syr. and Erdmann “word.” In Isa_3:3 לחשׁ is “enchantment,” though the phrase is rendered by Jewish commentators “clever in discourse” (Philippson). Comp. 1Sa_18:14.—Tr.]
[23][1Sa_16:20. Sept. “omer” or “homer” (γομόρ), on which Wellh. rightly says that bread was not reckoned by measure; he proposes to read a numeral here instead of חֲמוֹר, since bread was usually counted by loaves. But we may follow the ancient VSS., which render “ass-load of bread.”—Tr.]
[24][1Sa_16:20. Fully: “a kid of the goats.”—Tr.]
[25][1Sa_16:23. See note 1 on 1Sa_16:15.—Tr.]
[26][On the relation of the spiritual influence on Saul to the regenerating power of the Holy Spirit as taught in the N. T., see Hodge’s Theol., II., 660 sq. (especially 666).—Tr.]
[27][On the possibility of demoniac possession at the present day, and on the general subject of the power of evil spirits in the ancient and modern world, see Mr. R. S. Poole’s Art. “Magic” in Smith’s Bib. Dict.—Tr.]
Lange's Commentary on the Holy Scriptures (Critical, Doctrinal, and Homiletical), ed. John Peter Lange, English translation edited by Philip Schaff (1864–1880) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain On v14 The Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and…
The Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord troubled him--His own gloomy reflections, the consciousness that he had not acted up to the character of an Israelitish king, the loss of his throne, and the extinction of his royal house, made him jealous, irritable, vindictive, and subject to fits of morbid melancholy.
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain On vv14–16 DAVID’S INTRODUCTION TO THE COURT OF SAUL, 1Sa_16:14-23.
DAVID’S INTRODUCTION TO THE COURT OF SAUL, 1Sa_16:14-23.
14. The Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul — The divine influences of which he had been made a partaker at the beginning of his career (see 1Sa_10:10; 1Sa_11:6) were withdrawn from him, and God no longer inspired him to noble enterprises.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain On vv14, 16 14–23. David’s introduction to the Court of Saul
14–23. David’s introduction to the Court of Saul
14. But the spirit of the Lord departed from Saul] Note the contrast to 1Sa_16:13. As David rose, Saul sank.
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an evil spirit from the Lord] The cause of Saul’s mental disorder is described as “an evil spirit from Jehovah,” or “of Jehovah” (1Sa_19:9); “an evil spirit of God” (1Sa_16:15-16, 1Sa_18:10); “the spirit of evil” (1Sa_16:23); even “the spirit of God” (1Sa_16:23); because it was God’s messenger of judgment. Cp. 1Ki_22:19-22. It is never called “the spirit of Jehovah,” which always designates the spirit of holiness. Saul’s apostasy was punished not merely by the withdrawal of the grace which had been given as the endowment of his office, but by positive assaults from the powers of evil, akin to the demoniacal possession of the N. T. The result was a form of melancholy madness. The cause of the disease was (as we commonly speak) “supernatural,” the cure employed “natural.” The inference is that it is impossible to draw a sharp line of distinction between the two spheres. They are in closer connexion than is commonly recognised.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain On vv15–16 (15) An evil spirit from God.—The form in which…
(15) An evil spirit from God.—The form in which the evil spirit manifested itself in Saul was apparently an incurable melancholy, which at times blazed forth in fits of uncontrollable jealous anger. When Saul’s attendants, his officers, and those about his person, perceived the mental malady under which their king was evidently suffering, they counselled that he should try whether the evil influence which troubled him could not be charmed away by music.
There is no doubt but that King Saul’s nervous, excitable temperament was peculiarly subject to such influences. We have some striking instances of this power exercised by sacred music over the king in the incidents related in 1Sa_10:10; 1Sa_19:23-24, where the songs and chaunts of the pupils of the prophetic schools had so powerful an influence over Saul. The solemn declaration of God through his prophet Samuel, that the kingdom was taken away from him and his house, weighed upon his naturally nervous and excitable mind. He became gloomy, and suspicious of his dearest friends, and, as we know, at times sought to take their lives; at times would command terrible massacres, such as that of the priests at Nob (1Sa_22:17-19). As the sad life advanced, we see the nobler traits in his character growing fainter, and the evil becoming more and more obvious. It was a species of insanity, fatal alike to the poor victim of the malady and to the prosperity of the kingdom over which he ruled. History gives us not a few similar instances of monarchs given up to the “evil spirit from God,” and who, in consequence, became a prey to insanity in one form or other.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain On vv14, 16 DAVID"S INTRODUCTION TO KING SAUL (vers. 14-23).
DAVID"S INTRODUCTION TO KING SAUL (vers. 14-23).
Vers. 14, 15. From this time forward David is the central figure of the history. Saul has been rejected, and though, as being the actual king, he must still play his part, more especially as his decline goes on side by side with David s growth in every kingly quality, yet the record of it is no longer given on Saul"s account. Interesting, then, as may be the information concerning the mental malady with which Saul was visited, yet the object of this section is to acquaint us with the manner in which David was first brought into connection with him. From the description given of David in ver. 18 it is evident that there has been a considerable interval of time between this and the previous section. David is no longer a child, but a "mighty valiant man." The connection is ethical, and lies in the contrasted moral state of the two men, as shown in the two parallel statements: "the Spirit of Jehovah came upon David;" "the Spirit of Jehovah departed from Saul." There was a gradual decline and debasement of his character; and as David grew from a child into a hero in war and a scholar in peace, so Saul, from being a hero, degenerated into a moody and resentful tyrant. An evil spirit from Jehovah troubled him. Really, as in the margin, terrified him; that is, San] became subject to fits of intense mental agony, under which his reason gave way, and temporary insanity, accompanied by outbreaks of violence, came on. It is very difficult for us with our richer language to give the exact force of the Hebrew; for the word rendered spirit is literally wind, air, breath. A student of Hebrew can trace the word ruach through all its modifications, from its physical signification as the material wind, to its metaphysical meaning as an influence from God; and then still onward up to the beings who minister before God, and of whom the Psalmist says, "He maketh his angels to be winds"; (Psa_104:4) till finally we reach up unto the third person of the blessed Trinity: and then, as with this full knowledge of the Divine nature we read backward, we find the presence of the Holy Ghost indicated, where to the Israelite probably there was mention only of a material agency. Jost, in his "History of the Jews since the time of the Maccabees," vol. 1. p. 12, says that Saul suffered under that form of madness called hypochondria, and that the Jews gave this the name of bad air, the words translated here "evil spirit;" for they held, he says, that "the devil inhabited the air." So St. Paul speaks of the "wicked spiritual beings that are in high places," i.e. in the loftier regions of the atmosphere. (Eph_6:12) A study of Saul"s character makes it probable that, as is often the case with men of brilliant genius, there was always a touch of insanity in his mental constitution. His joining in the exercises of the prophets (1Sa_10:10-12) was an outburst of eccentric enthusiasm; and the excitement of his behaviour in the occurrences narrated in ch. 14. indicate a mind that might easily be thrown off its balance. And now he seems to have brooded over his deposition by Samuel, and instead of repenting to have regarded himself as an ill-used man, and given himself up to despondency, until he became a prey to melancholy, and his mind was overclouded. His servants rightly regarded this as a Divine punishment, but their words are remarkable. Behold, an evil spirit from God terrifieth thee. And so again, in ver. 16, the evil spirit from God, as if they were unwilling to ascribe to Jehovah, their covenant Deity, the sending of this evil "influence," while rightly they saw that evil as well as good must come from the Almighty, inasmuch as all things are in his hand, and whatever is must be by his permission. The writer of the book has no such scruples; he calls it "an evil spirit from Jehovah," because it was Jehovah, their own theocratic King, who had dethroned Saul, and withdrawn from him his blessing and protection.
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Vers. 14-23.
Disquietude caused by sin.
The facts are
1. Saul, being left to himself, is troubled by an evil spirit from the Lord.
2. His servants, in their concern for his peace, suggest music as analleviation, and obtain permission to provide it.
3. David, being famed for music, is sent for, and finds favour with Saul.
4 . The music of David brings relief to Saul"s troubled spirit. The narrativerelates the effect of God"s judicial abandonment of Saul to the impenitent spirit he had deliberately cherished. (1Sa_15:23-29) The transaction between him and Samuel in reference to his sin and rejection had been private, and during the interval from the departure to Ramah (1Sa_15:34) up to the date of the reference in 1Sa_16:14, the secret knowledge of this fact had wrought its subjective effect on the mind of Saul. The secrecy of the business is a clue to much that follows. It matters not to our purpose what sense be put on "an evil spirit from the Lord;" the fact is clear that disquietude of mind follows on transgression duly brought home to conscience yet not repented of, and that this disquietude is aggravated by secrecy.
I THE CAUSES OF MENTAL DISQUIETUDE. There are instances of mental disquietude (Psa_42:5; Joh_12:27 Joh_14:1) differing in character and cause from that before us. In the case of Saul there was a strange blending of sullen remorse, despondency, instability, passion, fear, and desperation. He was sometimes beyond self-control, and his outbursts aroused the apprehensions of his attendants. The manifestations of a disquieted spirit will be partly determined by natural temperament, and partly by external conditions, and partly by bodily health. But of the class of which Saul"s is an example, the general causes are akin to those which operated in him.
1. A secret consciousness of sin. That Saul had done wrong in the matter of the sacrifice, (1Sa_13:13) the rash vow, (1Sa_14:45) and the Amalekites (1Sa_15:18, 1Sa_15:19) he knew full well; that the people knew that something was amiss with him is evident from their
2. deliverance of Jonathan and Samuel"s slaying of Agag; but that their knowledge of Saul"s conduct was coextensive with his own is not probable. The more private interviews with Samuel had brought him face to face with sin as it appeared to the Lord. His admission, "I have sinned", (1Sa_15:24) being a conviction without true repentance, remained in his memory after his final separation from Samuel. The fact that his people did not know all only served to make the sad secret of guilt more distressing. Now it is impossible for a man"s spirit to be at ease when he carries with him at home and abroad a thorough conviction of being guilty before God. His sin haunts him as a ghost. It creates a desire to flee from himself. It causes him to feel theft he is a disgraced, degraded being, the bearer of a dark secret, the subject of a remorse that will not die.
3. Knowledge of loss of a goodly heritage. Saul"s mind dwelt much in the past. He remembered the comparative innocence of rural life, when seeking his father"s asses; the unexpected honour shadowed forth by the prophet; the private anointing; the bestowment of special gifts that won the confidence of the sons of the prophets; the high and elevating intercourse concerning the manner of the kingdom, and the solemn proclamation of his kingship over the chosen race. Now all that was gone. It was of the past in a double sense. The splendid prospects had faded; the rejection by God had been privately announced by one whose word never failed. But the future had to be feared, and Saul, when daring to look into it, saw and felt that Providence was against him. The same elements of disappointment, bitter regret, and fearful foreboding enter into the life of others. How many a man in crowded cities is forced by conscious secret guilt to look back on a splendid heritage of good gone forever! How many feel that, though friends and the world may flatter, God has turned away his face, and that, being bent on their secret guilty way, the whole force of Providence is against them in the future!
1. Fear of exposure. Samuel took no steps to dethrone Saul or to alienate the people from him.. He kept the secret of rejection, and expressed the Divine will only in ceasing to hold official intercourse with Saul, and in quietly selecting David as one favoured of God. Saul knew his coming doom in rough outline. The dread of this was foreshadowed in the prayer that Samuel would not openly dishonour him before the people. (1Sa_15:30) A moody temperament, naturally subject to impulse, would easily be urged, under this dread, now to desponding and melancholy, and now to the sudden grasping at a shadow of hope; and the alternations of hope and despair could not but induce a nervous condition which, while a
2. guilty secret was covered, might express itself in painful irritability. The fear of exposure drives men in upon themselves, and induces an abnormal condition of mind and nerve. Guilty men, who will not sincerely repent and seek rest in Christy know that judgment is coming, but they take care to hide that truth from others, and often bear a terrible strain on their spirits.
3. Secret persistence in wrong. Saul had said, "I have sinned," but he never repented. No doubt he regretted the consequences that flowed from his preference of self to the will of God; but he still loved to have his own way. The spirit that prompted to set aside God"s command for his own choice was unchanged. It in itself was a state of war; but still it was restive, unsubdued; it chafed under restraint and conviction of rejection, and sometimes would break out in fury that its preferences should thus be chastised. "As a bullock unaccustomed to the yoke." It is this element of cherished sin, this persistent continuance in the original state of mind that contracted guilt, which poisons the entire life. It sets the whole man at war with God, and renders irksome what to a penitent, lowly heart would be meekly borne. Truly when men sin, and "will have it so," they are so far left to themselves as to work out in their life all manner of miseries.
II TEMPORARY ALLEVIATIONS OF MENTAL DISQUIETUDE. The servants of Saul were true philosophers in seeking diversion for their master. In cases of trouble, diversion from self and the causes of trouble always affords relief. This is recognised by guilty men, who seek diversion in business, or pleasure, or public affairs. It is a rule with some wicked men to plunge more deeply into.public or private business in proportion as conscience has to be quieted. The diversion was of a nature to soothe the nervous system. Music has in it something refined and pure and remote from the turmoil and confusion of sinful life. As a curative or alleviative element in certain sicknesses its power has not been sufficiently developed. Saul felt the charm, and for a while the irritation consequent on internal conflict was toned down. The diversion would have increased effect if associated with spiritual song. There is evidence that David cultivated psalmody in his early years; and who can tell the subduing influence on the restless Saul as David poured forth to his harp strains of love and trust and hope in God! We see constantly that even the boldest of impenitent sinners are touched by sweet, simple hymns, which seem to call back a lost purity, and open up a gleam of hope for the most depraved. The songs of Zion are as the echo to many of long lost music. Their power over men should be diligently used. But in all cases of mere diversion the benefit is transitory.
The old enmity remains. The old fears come back in force. The true remedy has not been sought.
III THE RADICAL CURE IS ONE AND CONSTANT. What would have been the course of Providence had he truly repented we know not. But looking at his sin and the rejection from the kingdom in the light of Scripture, we can see what would have been the safe and happy course. Had Saul been true to the passing impulse of tenderness, he would have ceased in his persistence in sin, and have humbled himself before God, and sought mercy in the appointed way. Retirement to private life would then have been no great burden, but rather a willing, loving homage to the holiness of God. The troubled spirit would have found rest. The cure for the internal miseries of men lies in self-renunciation and placing the soul at the mercy of the great Saviour. We must cease to seek rest and peace apart from his loving embrace.
General lessons:
1. We should faithfully search out how much of our restlessness in daily life is due to unforgiven sin.
2. In all our efforts to alleviate mental distress we should pay due regard tomoral causes.
3. The longer the delay in repenting of sin, the more difficult it becomes.
Vers. 14-16. (GIBEAH.)
Mental and moral effects of transgression.
The soul is an arena where light and darkness, good and evil, heaven and hell, strive for mastery. But it is not an unconscious scene or passive prize of the conflict. It is endowed with the power of freely choosing right or wrong, and, with every exercise of this power, comes more or less under the dominion of the one or the other. Saul was highly exalted, but by his wilful disobedience sank to the lowest point of degradation. His sin was followed by lamentable effects in his mental and moral nature, and (since soul and body are intimately connected, and mutually affect each other) doubtless also in his physical constitution. His malady has been said to be "the first example of what has been called in after times religious madness" (Stanley). His condition was, in many respects, peculiar; but it vividly illustrates the mental and moral effects which always, in greater or less degree, flow from persistent transgression, viz.:
I THE WITHDRAWAL OF THE DIVINE SPIRIT. "And the Spirit of Jehovah departed from Saul" (ver. 14; 1Sa_10:10)
1. His presence in men is the source of their highest excellence. What a change it wrought in Saul, turning him into "another man." It imparts enlightenment, strength, courage, order, harmony, and peace; restrains and protects; and, in the full measure of its influence, quickens, sanctifies, and Isa_11:2; Gal_5:22; Eph_5:9.
2. His continuance in them depends on the observance of appropriate conditions. He is often compared with the wind, water, and fire, the most powerful forces of the natural world; and as there are conditions according to which they operate, so there are conditions according to which he puts forth his might. These are, humble and earnest attention to the word of the Lord, sincere endeavour to be true, just, and good, and believing and persevering prayer.
3. His departure is rendered necessary by the neglect of those conditions. "They rebelled and vexed his Holy Spirit," etc. (Isa_63:10; Acts Eph_4:10; 1Th_5:19) And with his departure the effects of his gracious influence also depart. Hence David prayed so fervently, "Take not thy Holy Spirit from me.
II SUBJECTION TO AN EVIL INFLUENCE. "And an evil spirit from Jehovah troubled him." The expression is only used once before, (Jud_1:9:23) sent an evil spirit between the men of Abimelech and the men of Shechem" (producing discord, treachery, and strife), and denotes a breath, influence, agency, or messenger (1Ki_22:22) which
1. Prevails only after the withdrawal of the Divine Spirit. When the soul ceases to be governed by God, it lies open to the power of evil, and comes under its dominion.
2. Is sent in just retribution for sin. "No man living needs a heavier chastisement from the Almighty than the letting his own passions loose upon him" (Delany). But the expression means more than this. "It is a spiritual agency of God, which brings to bear upon Saul the dark and fiery powers of Divine wrath which he has aroused by sin" (Delitzsch). Even that which is in itself good becomes evil to those who cherish an evil disposition. As the same rays of the sun which melt the ice harden the clay, so the same gospel which is "a savour of life unto life" in some is "a savour of death unto death" in others. (2Co_2:16) And it is God who appoints and effectuates the forces of retribution. "The punitive justice of God is a great fact. It is stamped on all the darker phenomena of human life disease, insanity, and death. It is in the nature of sin to entail suffering,and work itself, as an element of punishment, into all the complicated web of human existence" (Tulloch).
3. Implies the domination of the kingdom of darkness. Josephus, speaking according to the common belief of a later age, attributes the malady of Saul to demoniacal agency. "It was probably a kind of possession, at least at times, and in its highest stage. As a punishment for having given himself willingly into the power of the kingdom of darkness, he was also abandoned physically to this power" (Henstenberg). How fearful is that realm of rebellion, evil, and disorder to which men become allied and subject by their sin!
III THE EXPERIENCE OF UNCONTROLLABLE FEAR; "troubled him terrified, choked him.
1. In connection with the working of peculiar and painful thoughts: brooding over the secret of rejection, which might not be revealed to any one; the sense of disturbed relationship with God, and of his displeasure, the removal of which there was no disposition to seek by humble penitence and prayer.
2. In the darkening aspect of present circumstances and future prospects; suspicion and "royal jealousy, before which vanish at last all consistent action, all wise and moderate rule" (Ewald).
3. In occasional melancholy, despondency, and distress, irrational imaginations and terrors, (Job_6:4) and fits of violent and ungovernable passion. (1Sa_18:10, 1Sa_18:11) "There are few more difficult questions in the case of minds utterly distempered and disordered as his was than to determine where sin or moral disease has ended, and madness or mental disease has begun" (Trench). Sin not only disturbs the moral balance of the soul, but also disorders the whole nature of man. It is itself a kind of madness, from which the sinner needs to "come to himself". (Luk_15:17) "Madness is in their hearts," etc. (Ecc_9:3; 2Pe_2:6)
IV THE TENDENCY TO RAPID DETERIORATION.
1. In the case of the malady occasioned by sin there is no self-healing power in man, as in many bodily diseases, but it tends to become worse and worse.
2. Its fatal course may often be distinctly marked. "These attacks of madness gave place to hatred, which developed itself in full consciousness to a most deliberately planned hostility" (Keil). His courage gave place to weakness and cowardice; general fear and suspicion fixed on a particular object in envy and hatred, displayed at first privately, afterwards publicly, and becoming an all-absorbing passion. "The evil spirit that came upon him from or by permission of the Lord was the evil spirit of melancholy, jealousy, suspicion, hatred, envy, malice, and cruelty, that governed him all the after part of his life; to which he gave himself up, and sacrificed every consideration of honour, duty, and interest whatsoever" (Chandler).
3. It is, nevertheless amenable to the remedial influences which God, in his infinite mercy, has provided.
All cures were tried: philosophy talked long Of lofty reason"s self-controlling power; He frowned, but spake not. Friendship"s silver tongue Poured mild persuasions on his calmer hour: He wept; alas! it was a bootless shower As ever slaked the desert. Priests would call On Heaven for aid; but then his brow would lower With treble gloom. Peace! Heaven is good to all; To all, he sighed, but one, God hears no prayer for Saul. At length one spake of Music (Hankinson).
D.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Biblical Illustrator 1887 · Public Domain On vv14, 17 But the Spirit departed from Saul.
1Sa_16:14
But the Spirit departed from Saul.
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Temptations driving to God
Saul was rejected from being king, and the Spirit of God taken from him, and at the same time an evil spirit from the Lord troubled him, terrified or seized him suddenly. How startling this is! But, observe, it is not an evil spirit of the Lord. Evil spirits are not of God. Their evil is opposed to His will. He is wholly and unchangeably opposed to evil. No man can say when he is tempted of evil--I am tempted of God, for God cannot be tempted of evil, neither tempteth He any man. But when a man chooses and cleaves to sin, clings to his own way, and persists in rebellion against God, he opens his mind to evil spirits and evil influences of all sorts. Even the natural world radiates influences which to a being like man are not ell good, are sometimes even directly evil. The cunning, deceit, treachery and cruelty of some animals has a malign influence, The influences of nature, bland and stern, present subtle and powerful temptations. Over against the influences for evil, often inextricably intertwined with them, are the influences for good. Men feel that the drift and tendency of things is toward goodness, that the constitution of things favours righteousness. And over all things and every heart the Spirit of God broods, seeking to bring order out of chaos and life out of death. To moral beings belongs the prerogative of resisting and repelling influences, or welcoming and absorbing them. But how was this evil spirit from the Lord? It was permitted by God as a punishment. But this is not all; the terror, pain and strife raised by the evil spirit were meant by God as a force to constrain Saul to turn and cry to God for help. Saul was delivered up to this evil spirit that he alight know that it was an evil and bitter thing to depart from God. Had the rebellious Saul, sick, laden and tortured by evil, cried to God, he would have been heard, and would have become a better man than he ever was, a new man. Though he might not have been a king, he would have been a true child of God, a spiritual king and priest.
I. Men must either have the Holy Spirit of God, or an evil spirit. God loves to dwell in the human heart. That is His chosen temple. The sky is vast. Its canopy is thick with worlds. But God does not choose that temple. Man rears lofty piles, and spends labour and art on them, lavishes beauty and splendour which are precious as evidences of love and reverence: but Gods chosen temple is not there. His temple is in the lowly heart, in the bosom of the meanest of the sons of men who cries out for the living God. That temple may be stained and defiled, haunted with unclean things; but if there is penitence and faith in Gods Son, God will come in and Himself cleanse the house. God abides in the soul, fills it and gladdens it. But if man will not have God, he cannot shut the door of his heart against other visitors. It is the nature of a spirit to come into contact with spirit, as it is the nature of the body to come into contact with matter, and either attract or repel it. Spirit cannot isolate itself from spirit, any more than matter can from matter. But the spirit can decide whether it will ally itself with the good or the evil. Whosoever receives the Infinite Spirit into his soul takes the one way of shutting out evil of every kind. Exclusion of God is not emptiness, it is most positive, active, and decided evil. Men that will not have God are really claiming kindred with evil spirits, and opening their heart to be inhabited by them. Man is like a house situated between two winds. On the one side comes the wind from a dreary, bleak desert, laden with fog and disease, blowing across foul and rotten things. The other side of the house fronts the sunlight and winds that blow from the wide, fresh sea and over gardens, orchards, and blooming fields. Everyone must decide on which side he is going to open. Both doors cannot be shut. You can only get the dismal, fatal door shut by opening wide the door that looks to the sea of eternity and the sunshine of God. The wind blowing in through this open door keeps that door of ruin about.
II. The stress of inward temptation and trouble is often peculiarly fitted and evidently intended to drive men to God. Of temptations and troubles which have this adaptation in a marked degree may be mentioned first--
1. Melancholy. Sauls was a very conspicuous and overmastering melancholy. Melancholy is essentially the feeling of loneliness, the sense of isolation, of having a great burden of existence to bear. It is the souls fear and shrinking and chill in the vast solitude of its house. It has driven many souls to God. Such haunted souls can scarcely escape an earnest look at life. They are continually incited to seek a medicine for their malady. They cannot rest in a formal, superficial religion, but must get into the very secret of God. So the melancholy man may become the most joyous of religious men.
2. A feeling of the vanity of existence is another great temptation and trouble. This is not melancholy; for men who have this feeling may be merry enough. To be followed, as many are, by the thought that life is a poor game at best, without substance, not worth the trouble that men take with it--this must take earnestness out of life, and make men mockers. It is a sore disease thus to live on the very surface of things, and feel as if one were only playing a part. Many are infected with the tendency. What does this feeling of emptiness and vanity point to? What is the voice that comes from it but this--Escape to the one substance and reality which alone gives substance and reality to life.
3. The mystery of life weighs on others. The sense of weakness and ignorance in the midst of a vast system of forces; the feeling of chaos that rules in the moral world and human life; the black tragedy of so many lives; the calamities, wars, inconceivable woes of millions; the disappointment, chagrin, disease, crime, and ruin everywhere--these press on some minds at times with immense weight. That is what Wordsworth calls. the weight and mystery of all this unintelligible world. There are men to whom these questions are inevitable, rushing upon them like beasts of prey, or stretching like thunderclouds between them and the sun. Where is relief from such thoughts to be found? Where but in the belief in infinite goodness and wisdom lying behind all, can any thinking soul find rest?
4. The gloom and desolation of doubt and unbelief constrain and impel men to turn to God. It sometimes happens that men who have long hovered round religion, making it an object of curiosity and speculation and debate, rather than matter of heart and life, fall gradually away from all belief. Even those who have never speculated, but only maintained a careless attitude towards religion, drift in this direction. But here a state of feeling arises which they had not dreamt of. Though they never had any earnestness in religion, yet the kind of belief they had gave them comfort and threw a certain meaning into life. Now they feel lonely without a Father in Heaven. The whole aspect of things has grown bare. They are no longer sure of right. The cord that tied things together has been taken away. Then comes the period of decay when all types lessen and lower down to the original blank. And certainly, if the fortunes of the human race are bound up with the history of the sun, nothing else can he looked for. Since all suns and worlds are like flowers that blossom and then wither, the doom of beings dependent on them cannot be different if there is no God and Father, there is no escape from this conclusion. If there is no eternal home, where He gathers souls beyond the reach of evanescent systems, this is the prospect. There is no other outlook, if we cannot turn to Him and say, Doubtless thou art our Father: Thy name is from everlasting. See you not how men are being taught by this loneliness and utter desolation what an evil and bitter thing it is to depart from God? Do you not see how the feeling of orphanhood, uncertainty, barrenness, coldness, and hopelessness are constraining the heart to cry out for the living God.
5. Fierce temptations to evil drive many souls to God. (J. Leckie, D. D.)
An evil spirit from the Lord troubled him.--
Saul troubled by an evil spirit
We see, especially in the history of Saul, the awful progress of the soul, from the gradual changes that take place in him, while in his successive trials evil prevails over the Spirit of grace and opportunities of good. There is also a sort of natural goodness about him that rivets our interest; so that from the very feeling of a common nature we are partly inclined to forget his crimes in his miseries. Scripture always speaks to us in history and life what it enjoins us in word and precept: our Lord says, Hold fast, that no man take thy crown, and here before our eyes we see the choice and the crown transferred from one to another, and we see the reasons why--and the effect. Let us not put away from us this account of Saul as belonging to another state of things, for whatever it may speak to kings and nations, it is full of a home lesson for the heart of each. For may not each of us in the home of his own heart have an evil spirit that troubleth him? It may be so with many in various degrees who think not of it. The cares which most suffer are from this source. What is envy, covetousness, impatience, the plague of the heart, but this, that a man has in some degree, perhaps in years long past, sinned in this way; and so, not having repented, given place to an evil spirit that troubles and keeps him from God? This may be the case, and yet for awhile he may have much comfort in religion, as Saul had in the harp of David; Church music may in like manner soothe him and raise him up as it were to Heaven; or it may be impressive sermons; or even the study of Gods holy Word; so much so that under the influence of these the evil spirit may depart, and he may be refreshed, nay, more, he may find rest in Christ. But this is not enough, unless he press forward earnestly, and give no place to such an inmate in his breast any more. Scripture reveals to us that there is in such eases a spiritual being, a living person, who takes possession of the mind. And I would particularly call attention to the expression of the text, an evil spirit from the Lord. Now, although this is an awful expression, yet it is also full of instruction and comfort, as everything must be which reminds us that we are in the hands of God; as we noticed in the history of Pharaoh. When we trace in our very disquietudes and sorrows the indications of an evil spirit that troubles us, this teaches us where our health is. That this evil spirit is from God is no proof that we are given up of Him. For, indeed, even David himself when he numbered the people had an evil spirit from God, allowed to bring upon him that temptation and its consequent misery. He can touch no one but as permitted of God; and that permission may be for various reasons: he was allowed to tempt Job for his greater perfection; through the false prophets he deluded Ahab to bring upon him Gods judgment; he troubled Saul with gloom and pride on his departing from God; he tempted Judas that he might go to his own place; he prompted David to sin from which he speedily recovered by repentance. In like manner he is allowed to tempt us; and it is indeed sometimes, as in the case of Saul and of David, a judgment upon us for some fault on our part, or some secret unbelief or pride of heart, but we are thus by this expression of the text taught to go to God for help. We cannot be too often urged in every way to do this. When you find in yourself any ill-will, any worldly disappointment or envious sadness, go to Him at once in earnest prayer, entreating Him to remove from you the power and guilt of that sin which has allowed the evil spirit to disquiet you. When you have thus done all in your power, then again the lesson of Saul and David will come in for your guidance, warning you not to take things into your own hands from impatience and distrust of God, but to wait patiently upon Him. He will have the remedy and deliverance to be entirely His own doing. He only wants your faith and confidence in Himself. And His word is Be still then, and know that I am God. (Isaac Williams, B. D.)
An evil spirit from the Lord
All great painters and poets whose works are of the first order have availed themselves of the force of contrast--that there should be a dark background to set forth some beautiful and radiant object. The Bible excels in its use of this striking method of laying emphasis.
I. the dawn of a fair promise. Samuel cried unto the Lord for Saul, if haply he might arrest the terrible and imminent consequences of his sin. But he was made aware that prayer would not avail. It seemed as though Saul had already made the fatal choice, and had committed the sin which is unto death, and concerning which we have no encouragement to pray. The summons of the hour was, therefore, not to prayer, but to action. The Spirit of God bade Samuel go to Bethlehem, and among the sons of Jesse discover and anoint the new king.
II. An overcast afternoon. We have morning with David; afternoon with Saul. Here youth; there manhood, which has passed into prime. Here the promise; and there the overcast meridian of a wrecked life. You will notice that, whereas it is said that the Spirit of God descended upon David, we are told that The Spirit of the Lord had departed from Saul. That does not necessarily mean that all the religious life of Saul had become extinct, but that the special faculty and power by which he had been prepared for his kingly work was withdrawn from him. It is abundantly sure that the work which a man does in this world is not wrought only by the force of his genius, the brilliance of his intellect, or by those natural gifts with which God may have endowed him, but by a something beyond and behind all these--a spiritual endowment which is communicated by the Spirit of God for special office, and which is retained so long as the character is maintained. So Saul lost the special enducement of power which had enabled him to subdue his enemies and to order his kingdom. Secondly, we have the mysterious power of opening our nature to the Holy Spirit of God, who is the medium of communicating all the virtue, the energy, and the life of God; filling spirit, soul, and body; quickening the mind, warming the heart, elevating and purifying the whole moral life. We have also the awful alternative power of yielding ourselves to the evil spirits, or demon spirits, of which the spiritual sphere is full. It is affirmed that an evil spirit from the Lord troubled Saul. To interpret this aright we must remember that, in the strong, terse Hebrew speech, the Almighty is sometimes said to do what He permits to be done. And surely such is the interpretation here. When, therefore, we read that an evil spirit from the Lord troubled Saul, we must believe that, as Saul bad refused the good and gracious influences of the Holy Spirit, and definitely chosen the path of disobedience, there was nothing for it but to leave him to the working of his own evil heart.
III. The lurid gleams of an overcast sky. In 2Sa_21:2, you have this: The king--that is, David--called the Gibeonites--(now the Gibeonites were not of the children of Israel, but of the remnant of the Ammorites; and the children of Israel had sworn unto them: and Saul sought to slay them in his zeal to the children of Israel and Judah). Saul was smarting under Samuels words, writhing under the sentence of deposition, and his soul was stirred to neutralise, if possible, the Divine verdict, so as to still keep the favour of God. It was true, and Saul knew it well, that he had failed in one distinct call to obedience; he had kept the choice of the spoil for himself--but why should he not, by excessive zeal in other directions, win back his lost inheritance? Now there were two such commandments which seem to have occurred to him. The one enacted that when the children of Israel entered the Land of Promise they should destroy all the people of the land. The Gibeonites, however, succeeded in securing that they should be excepted, because they had made a covenant with Joshua, and Joshua had sworn to them (Jos_9:1-27). The Gibeonites, therefore, had lived amongst the children of Israel for many centuries, and had become almost an integral part of the nation. But in his false zeal for God Saul seems to have laid ruthless hands upon these peaceable people. Secondly, there was on the statute book a very drastic law against necromancers and witches, and it was commanded that these should be exterminated from the land (Exo_22:18). Therefore, Saul turned his hand against them. In his heath he still believed in them. In order to show his zeal for God, and to extort the reversal of his sentence, he began to exterminate them. But as his edicts went forth, there was rottenness in his heart. While on the one hand, therefore, there was this outburst of lurid zeal for God, his own heart was becoming more and more enervated and evil. Do not we know this in our own experience? When one has fallen under the condemnation of conscience, the heart has endeavoured to whisper comfort to itself by saying, I will endeavour to redeem my cause by an extravagance of zeal. We have plunged into some compensating work to neutralise the result of failure. It is zeal, but it, is false, it is zeal, but it is strange fire; it is zeal, but it is self-originated; it is zeal, but it is only for self and not for God; it, is zeal, but it is zeal for the letter, for the tradition, for the external form--it is not the zeal of the man who is eaten up and devoured by a passionate love for the Son of God and for the souls He has made. (F. B. Meyer, B. A.)
The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv14, 17 This word is used here to mark a break…
Now
This word is used here to mark a break in the main story line. Here the narrator starts to tell a new part of the story.
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harmful spirit
This may refer to either a "spirit that causes trouble" or an "evil spirit."
Let our master now command
The servants refer to Saul in the third person as "our master." AT: "We ask that you, our master, command" (See: First, Second, or Third Person)
command your servants who are before you to look
The servants refer to themselves in the third person as "your servants." AT: "command us, your servants who attend to you, to look" (See: First, Second, or Third Person)
is on you
"troubles you"
translationWords
Holy Spirit
Yahweh
Saul (OT)
trouble
servant
lord
command
harp
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On v14 16:14–31:13 Saul’s kingship continued its downward spiral after God’s…
16:14–31:13 Saul’s kingship continued its downward spiral after God’s Spirit departed from him. His reign ended in shame and defeat (ch 31).
16:14 Spirit . . . left Saul: In contrast with David’s receiving the Spirit (see “The Spirit’s Presence” Theme Note). • The Lord sent a tormenting spirit as a consequence of Saul’s disobedience (see also 18:10; 19:9; cp. Judg 9:23; Rom 1:28-29).
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.