Saul & David - Two Men Two Spirits
David: A Man After God’s Own Heart • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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So on Wednessday evening this summer we have looked at the life of David. I am going to do some of these on Sunday evening as I have run out of Wednessdays.
But last we saw - King Saul and David’s lives were just beginning to intertwine.
Depending on his age - we can assume that early in Saul’s reign a little baby was born in the house of Jesse that was named David.
We know from scripture that...
Not long after Saul began to reign we begin to see Saul’s Flaws - he commits a series of disobedient acts which demonstrates his lack of trust in God
He makes a terrible decision - 1 Sam 13 - Saul’s Unlawful Sacrifice
He makes a rash vow against his own son 1 Sam. 14 - wanted to kill Jonathan
He openly disobeyed God. 1 Samuel 15 - Saul Spares Agag
When Samuel pointed his finger at the king, Saul at first tried to rationalize what he had done, then finally admitted, “I am guilty.” But even then, he qualified his confession.
Then Saul said to Samuel, “I have sinned; I have indeed transgressed the command of the Lord and your words, because I feared the people and listened to their voice. Now therefore, please pardon my sin and return with me, that I may worship the L ORD .” 1 Samuel 15:24–25 (emphasis added)
You can see here that Saul was greatly concerned about his image. He didn’t want the people to know that he had sinned.
So he said, “Samuel, why don’t you come with me, and nobody will know that I’ve disobeyed. You just return and let’s worship together like we’ve always done.” His greatest concern was his image.
Samuel didn’t buy it . . . not for a minute. His reply was a straight-from-the-shoulder jab that Saul would never forget: But Samuel said to Saul, “I will not return with you; for you have rejected the word of the L ORD , and the L ORD has rejected you from being king over Israel.”
And as Samuel turned to go, Saul seized the edge of his robe, and it tore. So Samuel said to him, ” 1 Samuel 15:26–30 “27 And as Samuel turned about to go away, he laid hold upon the skirt of his mantle, and it rent. 28 And Samuel said unto him, The Lord hath rent the kingdom of Israel from thee this day, and hath given it to a neighbour of thine, that is better than thou. 29 And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent: for he is not a man, that he should repent.
Saul, the great rationalizer, again pleaded, “Look, Samuel, you’ve caught me in the act, and I’ve confessed it privately. Now why don’t you come on back with me and we’ll go right on as if nothing happened.”
1 Sam 15:30 Then he said, I have sinned: yet honour me now, I pray thee, before the elders of my people, and before Israel, and turn again with me, that I may worship the Lord thy God.”
But Samuel, being a man of integrity, saw through the whole thing. Clearly, Saul had failed God. So Samuel said to the king, “I won’t humiliate you before the people. I’ll go back and go through the ritual of this sacrificial act of worship, but, Saul, that’s the last day I want to see you.”
And Samuel did not see Saul again until the day of his death; for Samuel grieved over Saul. . . . 1 Samuel 15:35
If you check your geography, you’ll see that Samuel went home in one direction and Saul went home in another . . . and they never met again until the day of Saul’s death.
This was the setting and situation of Samuel hunting down Jesse to anoint one of his sons for the kingship - that son we know to be David.
1 Samuel 16:13–14
(KJV 1900)13 Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah.
14 But the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord troubled him.
This evil spirit from the Lord brought a madness or agitation, or terror or jealous fear.
The evil spirit from the LORD that now ‘torments’ (or ‘terrifies’) Saul has been the subject of much discussion. The range of meaning of the Hebrew adjective ra‘ includes not only that which is evil or wicked but also that which is harmful, injurious or calamitous. Thus, many translations opt for the more mundane sense, that Saul became troubled in his spirit, and this troubled spirit is traced back to divine action (as was typically the perspective of the biblical writers
1, 2 Samuel (1) The Lord Oppresses Saul and Uses David to Bring Deliverance (16:14–23)
This is the only time in the Old Testament that an individual is noted as being tormented by a troubling/evil spirit. Evidence that the writer considered Saul’s condition to be unusual is provided by the fact that the verb that describes Saul’s condition (Hb. bāʿat) is used nowhere else in a narrative framework clause in the Torah or Former Prophets; furthermore, the combination of grammatical and lexical features in this clause is rated as the most abnormal in the narrative framework of 1, 2 Samuel.39
Israel: From Conquest to Exile: A Commentary on Joshua–2 Kings 2. The Effects of This Event
The ancient historian Josephus describes the situation as follows:
But as for Saul, some strange and demonical disorders came upon him, and brought upon him such suffocations as were ready to choke him.…48
Whatever this malady was, it was a serious one which brought great concern to Saul’s servants. They recognized that a solution to the problem was the playing of music (v. 16). When this evil spirit was upon him, he evidently went into a frenzied condition in which he lost control of his emotions and his actions (cf. 18:1–11)
It was the servants who recognized the antidote for this problem. Saul seems to be unable to deal with it, or know how to handle it. This unnamed servant or servants was able to correctly diagnose the condition.
1 Samuel 16:15 “15 And Saul’s servants said unto him, Behold now, an evil spirit from God troubleth thee.”
Their diagnosis lead to their prescription - 1 Samuel 16:16 “16 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.”
The playing of the harp in this era was thought to have power in the spiritual world
2 Kings 3:15 “15 But now bring me a minstrel. And it came to pass, when the minstrel played, that the hand of the Lord came upon him.”
This seemed reasonable to Saul - and as he was about to commission a search party for such a player an unnamed royal servant suggested:
1 Samuel 16:18 “18 Then answered one of the servants, and said, Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Beth-lehemite, 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.”
1, 2 Samuel (1) The Lord Oppresses Saul and Uses David to Bring Deliverance (16:14–23)
This individual—David—had numerous other qualifications that befit a person who would serve as a royal aide. Militarily, “he is a brave man and a warrior”; socially, “he speaks well”; physically, he “is a fine-looking man”; and spiritually, “the LORD is with him.” The mention of this last trait puts David in company with Isaac, Joseph, Joshua, and Samuel (cf.
The departure of Yahweh’s spirit from Saul (v. 14) becomes the catalyst for the introduction of David to Saul’s court.
23 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 Sam 17 we read the narrative of David and Goliath - and this evil spirit must have been stirred after the defeat of Goliath we find that Saul’s heart is stirred by jealousies of David
David obviously became more than a harp player:
5 And David went out whithersoever Saul sent him, and behaved himself wisely: and Saul set him over the men of war, and he was accepted in the sight of all the people, and also in the sight of Saul’s servants.
This is what leads to more trouble
6 And it came to pass as they came, when David was returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, that the women came out of all cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet king Saul, with tabrets, with joy, and with instruments of musick.
7 And the women answered one another as they played, and said, Saul hath slain his thousands, And David his ten thousands.
8 And Saul was very wroth, and the saying displeased him; and he said, They have ascribed unto David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed but thousands: and what can he have more but the kingdom?
From that day on the rivalry was clear and the ominous words ring out:
9 And Saul eyed David from that day and forward.
It becomes so apparent that the next day:
10 And it came to pass on the morrow, that the evil spirit from God came upon Saul, and he prophesied in the midst of the house: and David played with his hand, as at other times: and there was a javelin in Saul’s hand.
11 And Saul cast the javelin; for he said, I will smite David even to the wall with it. And David avoided out of his presence twice.
12 And Saul was afraid of David, because the Lord was with him, and was departed from Saul.
It is interesting to me that along with the greatest of rivalries in the Old Testament we have the greatest of friendships:
1 And it came to pass, when he had made an end of speaking unto Saul, that the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul.
This rivalry will follow David through most of the rest of Saul’s reign - just as the friendship will outlast it.
When the javelin failed - Saul tried another way to rid himself of David in a rather gruesome and horrific manner -
Saul promised David his daughter in marriage for a dowry of the lives of 100 Philistine men - well David goes out and slays two-hundred Philistine men - and brought his trophies into the king and won the daughter of the king to wife
I am very thankful that wasn’t a requirement for my bride!!!
David upon several occassions will be running from Saul - miles and mountains and caves
next time we talk about David - I may cover some of those.
The last testimony of King Saul in the Bible 1 Sam 28:15
15 And Samuel said to Saul, Why hast thou disquieted me, to bring me up? And Saul answered, I am sore distressed; for the Philistines make war against me, and God is departed from me, and answereth me no more, neither by prophets, nor by dreams: therefore I have called thee, that thou mayest make known unto me what I shall do.
