“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. Then answered one of the servants, and said, Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, that is cunning in playing, and a mighty valiant man, and a man of war, and prudent in matters, and a comely person, and the LORD is with him. Wherefore Saul sent messengers unto Jesse, and said, Send me David thy son, which is with the sheep. And Jesse took an ass laden with bread, and a bottle of wine, and a kid, and sent them by David his son unto Saul. And David came to Saul, and stood before him: and he loved him greatly; and he became his armourbearer. And Saul sent to Jesse, saying, Let David, I pray thee, stand before me; for he hath found favour in my sight. And it came to pass, when the evil spirit from God was upon Saul, that David took an harp, and played with his hand: so Saul was refreshed, and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him” (1 Samuel 16:14-23).
Introduction
God had a plan to get David to the throne, the workings of which began long before he stepped into Saul’s palace to minister as his personal musician. In the natural order of things there was no way that a shepherd boy could possibly get into the palace of the king, “But with God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26).
The evil spirit
Our previous study closed with the fact that the Holy Spirit came upon David (1 Samuel 16:13), but the chapter concludes by stating that He departed forever from Saul. God’s Spirit dwells where the heart is pure, and departs from that which is evil. “Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity” (Habakkuk 1:13). Saul had grieved the Spirit of God through his constant disobedience, sin and lack of faith.
There are three possibilities regarding the “evil spirit” that took up residence in Saul’s life:
1. It was an actual demon spirit that filled the void left once the Holy Spirit had departed. We know that this can happen, “Then entered Satan into Judas surnamed Iscariot” (Luke 22:3). If it were a demon that possessed Saul, are we to believe that it often took time out for other business?
2. Saul became depressed in his spirit, that is, he had lost what little assurance he had and felt totally forsaken by God, and so was mentally, spiritually, and physically unstable.
3. A combination of both, meaning that, while he was not possessed, Saul was oppressed by a devil. “That is, by God's permission, who delivered him up to be buffeted of Satan” who “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). This seems to be the most likely scenario because of the details which follow.
A gifted harpist
Saul’s advisers encourage him to hire a good musician to calm his mind whenever the “evil spirit” came upon him. “The ancients believed that music had a mysterious influence in healing mental disorders” (Jamieson, Fausset, Brown Bible Commentary). How could a demon be influenced by music therapy? If it was an actual case of demon possession, then does this mean that God’s intentions were thwarted by David’s cunning harp playing? If the “evil spirit” is deep depression then the passage makes much more sense. “Music has charms to sooth a savage breast, to soften rocks, or bend a knotted oak“ (William Congreve - 1670-1729).
By this time David had become renowned for his songs and music. The people of Bethlehem knew that he was a gifted harpist, was growing in maturity and grace, and was a strong warrior, the latter may be an indication that some time had passed since he was anointed by Samuel. Saul instantly took a liking to him when he began to play for him. Whenever David took up his harp, during Saul’s bouts of depression, he soon became “well” again and felt “refreshed”. “For although music cannot directly have an influence upon an evil spirit to drive him away; yet, because the devil, as it seems, had not possession of him, but only made use of the passions of his mind, and humours of his body to molest him: and because it is manifest, that music hath a mighty power to qualify and sweeten these, and to make a man sedate and cheerful; it is not strange, if the devil had not that power over him when his mind was more composed, which he had when it was disordered” (John Wesley). Whatever benefit he received from the music was short-lived, until eventually it would have no effect on his wicked temperament.
David probably did not live in the palace as some suppose, but was more often to be found at home with his family and tending his sheep. It is likely that he was called upon whenever Saul had attacks of depression or was in a foul mood. Nevertheless, David’s ministry helped the king, who in return promoted him to be his armour-bearer. “A man's gift maketh room for him, and bringeth him before great men” (Proverbs 18:16).
Conclusion
David’s harp playing relieved Saul’s “evil spirit”. He was of a better frame of mind for a season. His influence was already being felt both in the town and in the palace. The wheels of God’s plans might appear to be running slowly, but they are on course, on time, and will reach the intended destination. David did not need to scheme to get to the throne of Israel, instead all he needed to do was to continue serving God, and the Lord would smooth out the path for his advancement. God was with David, a fact recognised by Saul and his servants. What do others see in us?
© 29/12/2008