The Spiritual Realm - Part 9
Notes
Transcript
Handout
I want to open with reflecting on Ephesians 6:10-20
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.
May we live focused on Jesus so that we can be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might, fully clothed in his armor.
The nine terms that describe the status of Spiritual Beings who are not aligned with Yahweh. They are: Satan or the Devil, Belial, Nephilim, Rephaim (giants, shades, departed spirits, or the dead), Death (Mot, Thanatos), Azazel, Demons (shedim, daimon), evil spirits (ra ruah, poneros pneuma), and unclean spirits (tumah ruah, akathartos pneuma).
Today, we are finishing up the terms for spiritual beings who are not aligned with the LORD by looking at evil spirits and unclean spirits.
I will not have time to cover Azazel today. However, if you are interested, I can give you my notes. Just ask me after the service.
Evil Spirit (Ra Ruah, Poneros Pneuma) and Unclean Spirit (Tumah Ruah, Akathartos Pneuma)are the terms of status we will cover today.
In observing the world within the text, we see that the phrase “evil spirit” is used 14 times in the OT and 16 times in the NT. The phrase “”unclean spirit is used 1 time in the OT and 44 times in the NT.
Evil Spirit and Unclean Spirit are synonyms in the NT, and in the Second Temple writings, so we will deal with them together.
In the OT, evil spirit is used once in Judges 6:23 and the other thirteen times in 1 Samuel 16:14-23; 18:10; 19:9. All thirteen occurrences concern an evil spirit sent from Yahweh to torment Saul. Turn to 1 Samuel 16:14-23
Now the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and a harmful spirit from the Lord tormented him. And Saul’s servants said to him, “Behold now, a harmful spirit from God is tormenting you. Let our lord now command your servants who are before you to seek out a man who is skillful in playing the lyre, and when the harmful spirit from God is upon you, he will play it, and you will be well.” So Saul said to his servants, “Provide for me a man who can play well and bring him to me.” One of the young men answered, “Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, who is skillful in playing, a man of valor, a man of war, prudent in speech, and a man of good presence, and the Lord is with him.” Therefore Saul sent messengers to Jesse and said, “Send me David your son, who is with the sheep.” And Jesse took a donkey laden with bread and a skin of wine and a young goat and sent them by David his son to Saul. And David came to Saul and entered his service. And Saul loved him greatly, and he became his armor-bearer. And Saul sent to Jesse, saying, “Let David remain in my service, for he has found favor in my sight.” And whenever the harmful spirit from God was upon Saul, David took the lyre and played it with his hand. So Saul was refreshed and was well, and the harmful spirit departed from him.
Verse fourteen has most of us taking a double-take. We have no problem with the Spirit of the Lord departing from Saul since he had rejected the word of Yahweh in chapter 15. The part that catches us by surprise is that God sends an evil spirit to torment him.
As we wrestle with this text, we need to keep two things in mind.
First, Yahweh is the God of gods, the Lord of lords; there is none other like him. In his sovereignty throughout Scripture, he uses evil forces, both spiritual and natural, to bring his judgment. Other examples are 1 Kings 22:19-23; Isaiah 10:5-6; 45;7 Jeremiah 25:9; Revelation 6; 8.
Second, 1 Samuel 16:14-23; Zechariah 13:1 are ground zero for the expectation of the Messiah having victory over the forces of wickedness by casting out evil spirits/unclean spirits.
In the time between the OT and NT, it is taught that David and Solomon are exorcists and that the coming Son of David would do battle with the forces of wickedness. (See the Testament of Solomon, Josephus in his Antiquities Book 8, section 45, and 11Q11, which is a revised edition of Psalm 91.)
Jesus, the Christ, the son of David, claimed this in Luke 7:18 -23 and clearly demonstrated his power over them throughout the gospels and then through his disciples in Acts.
The disciples of John reported all these things to him. And John, calling two of his disciples to him, sent them to the Lord, saying, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” And when the men had come to him, they said, “John the Baptist has sent us to you, saying, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?’ ” In that hour he healed many people of diseases and plagues and evil spirits, and on many who were blind he bestowed sight. And he answered them, “Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached to them. And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.”
Looking at the World in Front of the Text, we see scholars wrestle with 1 Samuel 16:14. They propose two possibilities for the meaning of a harmful/evil spirit.
The first meaning is that it is “not a malevolent spiritual being per se, but an ill temper or even psychological affliction. (John H. Walton, Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary (Old Testament): Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 & 2 Samuel, vol. 2 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2009), 343.)
The second meaning is “that it was a demonic, satanic instrument,” i.e., an evil spirit. (Eugene H. Merrill, “1 Samuel,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 448.)
Both of these scholars are looking at the World Within the Text and coming to different conclusions. How can we bring clarity?
First, we look at the World Behind the Text by asking, “How did Samuel’s audience understand the phrase ‘evil spirit’?”
The answer is they would have seen it just as real as the Spirit of the LORD, who had departed from Saul and who now rested on David.
Second, we recognize that these definitions are not mutually exclusive. We are, by nature, embodied spirits. Saul definitely had an ill temper and psychological distress, and an evil spirit was contributing to and even causing that state of mind.
We often, with our Western mindset, try to figure out if something is natural or spiritual, assuming that distinctions can be made. Scripture teaches that it is both because we are embodied spirits living in both realms.
Therefore, focus on Jesus who clothes us with the armor of God so that we can stand in this evil day (Ephesians 6:10-20).
