Why did God allow evil Spirit to Saul

1 Samuel 16:14-23

1 Samuel 16:14-23, But the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and a distressing spirit from the Lord troubled him. 15 And Saul’s servants said to him, “Surely, a distressing spirit from

God is troubling you. 16 Let our master now command your servants, who are before you, to seek out a man who is a skilful player on the harp. And it shall be that he will play it with his hand when the distressing spirit from God is upon you, and you shall be well.” 17 So Saul said to his servants, “Provide me now a man who can play well, and bring him to me.” 18 Then one of the servants answered and said, “Look, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, who is skilful in playing, a mighty man of valour, a man of war, prudent in speech, and a handsome person; and the Lord is with him.” 19 Therefore Saul sent messengers to Jesse, and said, “Send me your son David, who is with the sheep.” 20 And Jesse took a donkey loaded with bread, a skin of wine, and a young goat, and sent them by his son David to Saul. 21 So David came to Saul and stood before him. And he loved him greatly, and he became his armorbearer. 22 Then Saul sent to Jesse, saying, “Please let David stand before me, for he has found favour in my

sight.” 23 And so it was, whenever the spirit from God was upon Saul, that David would take a harp and play it with his hand. Then Saul would become refreshed and well, and the distressing spirit would depart from him. We will never understand God wholly until we are in His presence.

Whether it makes sense or not we are here to worship and fear God. John 6. Everyone left. We are dealing with the God, who broke the hips of Jacob. God who tried to kill Moses.

God sending the evil spirit? God rejected Saul as a king. God choses a younger one who after His heart, David. Samuel went secretly to anoint David as King. In the OT time the spirit of God rested upon David and left Saul from that moment.

Please do understand that there is a difference between the Old and New Testament. It is typical in the Old Testament for the spirit of God leaving the people of God. V 14, But the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and a distressing spirit from the Lord troubled him.

In Hebrews ‘ra ruah’ Evil, distressing, tormenting, etc., We can understand that God is good there nothing evil in Him. We understand that God uses even the evil, We understand that God uses the enemy for His purpose. But we have a problem that the scripture says that the evil spirit from the Lord went to trouble Saul.

Holiness and Evil are contrary.

How can Holy God use Evil? My human understanding is limited. Mystery! Reality and prevalence of mental illness.

Saul rejected by God because of the three reasons. 1. Saul repeatedly disobeys God. 2. Saul extremely jealous of David. 3. Saul affected by mental illness. Saul could be the first person in the Bible who has affected by mental illness.

Many Bible scholars agree that Saul was affected by mental illness. We can study from the scriptures that Saul being affected by mental and emotional illness. Saul does many irrational things.

• When he was anointed to be king, he was hiding in the baggage.
• He wants to kill Jonathan for eating honey.
• He wants to throw spear on David who tries to play harp to cast away the demons.
• He goes to witches to bring up Samuel from the dead.
• Ultimately Saul commits suicide.

Psychologist who diagnosed his life have concluded that Saul had clear signs of mental illness. The diagnosis are,

• Anxiety disorder,
• Panic attack,
• Severe depression,
• Paranoid hypopnea,
• Border line bipolar.

Saul, the King of Israel sitting at the highest office of the country affected by this mental illness.

I. Define Mental illness

Anyone can be affected by mental illness. No one can be sealed from this, no race, age, colour, education, qualification, etc can discriminate you from the mental illness. Please do not attach stigma to mental illness. When I say mental illness, you will remember someone other than you.

You think they are crazy. You think they are weak. Every church someone has been affected by mental illness that doesn’t mean they are weak.

II. Seek help for the mental illness. Use mental health care professional. Someone can play music so that he can be relieved from the mental illness. Nothing wrong in using therapist. David was skilled in playing music and also anointed by God.

David was gifted by God. David was like a therapist. God has gifted people who are very good in bringing deliverance to people. Please do use the therapist when you need. 1 Samuel 15 we see Saul was repenting, worshipping, and praying yet he still going through difficulty.

You can pray, worship, pray and yet you can be still tormented. You can have bible and a therapist. You can pray and psychiatric. You can worship God and yet seek consultant. Everyone needs a person like David.

There are many pastors who have gone through the depression. No shame in in looking some help and availing them.

III. Be sympathetic towards Mental illness

people. We got to be compassionate towards people who have mental illness. 1 Samuel 17 and 18 we see Saul is trying to kill David who was helping to sooth the evil spirit which was tormenting him. David never tries to harm Saul.

David got Saul all alone in the cave still he did not kill him. David might be knowing that Saul has a mental disorder that is the reason he never harmed him. We must be a caring and compassionate church for the people who had this kind struggle to come and worship the Lord without judgement.

They are also like us to come and worship without any fear.

We should accept the autistic children as a normal child. The child is more important because they are differently abled. Put the child or the person first before their sickness. God’s relationship to Evil. God and evil are to be mutually exclusive.

Theodicy. Define: The vindication of divine providence in view of the existence of evil. How do we justify and explain the omnipotent and loving God in the midst of evil?

How can loving God allow this evil?

How can an omnipotent God allow this? How could God allow me to go through this mental illness? People are not able to reconcile God and evil. Many walked away from faith in God because of this.

Reconciling God and Evil in the same verse? V 14 evil spirit from the Lord.

How can you reconcile God and Evil? Those who wrote the bible had in their mind that there is no secondary cause. They penned the scriptures view the world that there is no secondary cause. Everything leads back to God. All road leads to God.

Whatever happens in the world are part and plan of God. God is responsible for everything.

Examples

They did not view that certain metalogical conditions came about for the rain. It rained because God said let it rain so the rain came. If Israel lost the battle means it is not because of weapon or bad military strategy but God.

If you are sickness people think it is not because of bad diet, lack of exercise but God. If a tragedy happens then it is not because of anything but God.

God was responsible for everything. It is the perspective of the author who wrote the bible. We can have different perspective with clear understanding as a child of God. Make stand between God’s providence and Human Free will.

• Providential plan of God,
• Human Free will
• One side everything happens according to the predestined plan and purpose of God.
• Other side my free will choices will determine where I will end in my life.

Calvinists are the extreme on onside saying that God is Omnipotent, and everything happens are predestined and pre planned by God. Other side we have a free will which we can do contrary to the will of God and our choices will determine where we will land in our life.

We are puppet on the string, We are the coins in the chess board,

Every move has been already decided and God controls everything. The other side think that God is a mere spectator sitting and watching how you play out your life and He doesn’t force or control your move. This is the tension!

How much of your life is predestined and pre planned by God? How much of your life is according to your free will?

Example

Clothes you are wearing now.

Was it your choice?

Was it your free will?

How much of it under your choice? Now how much you agree or stand in the tension between Predestination and Free will decide how you will handle evil in your life.

Example

A child was run over by drunk driver.

If you ought to preach on that funeral, what would you say?

Is it the will of God?

Is it free will? How many of you will say that the Death of a child is the plan of God? How many you would say that the death of child is the free will of man? A man chose to drink, drive and that choice made that the killing of a child. God just sat and watched it?

I have difficulty with both the extreme. I don’t want to lay all the evil upon God. God is not unsympathetic. I can give you enough scripture to support both the views. I don’t want you to go more confused than you came in here.

I can tell you where me as a Pastor stand on this. I believe few things.

A. God has a plan for my life

1. God has a plan for my life. 2. God has a desire for every decision I make. 3. God has prescribed plan what He wants me to do.

4. There is nothing happens in my life God is being

helpless. 5. God cares about place, job, people, money, homes etc. 6. God has a plan for everything I wear. 7. God has detailed plan for my life.

B. God has given me the gift of Free Will

I also believe God has given me a free will. God has given me ability to choose what I want to do? Why did God give me the free will choice? To worship Him! To worship God is not a mandate but a choice. There is a difference between choosing to come to church and forcing you to come to church.

You chose to love someone because you value that person. The choices we make will shape our life better or worse. God created all the animals and gave Adam the authority to name them. He named them and it becomes their name.

God gave the free will to name the animals.

He named lion so it become lion. Maybe God didn’t have that name in His mind, but it becomes that name. I can choose my choices to obey or disobey God. Either I choose to live what God has planned or to live the way I want my own terms.

Mouse in maze cheese story

Either you can come closer to God or go away from God. In my life God has a preplanner plan for me. The choices I make with my free will either it will take me closer to the plan of God or take you away from that plan of God.

Closer or away. Some choices will take me to closer in a short time or longer. Missing the Exit in motorway story. Some choices will take a longer time. Some choices will not make any difference. Wearing the wrong colour socks will not take a long time.

C. Presence of Evil

I also believe the very presence of evil in this world. No need to call them as Satan, demonic or some super spiritual term.

Job 1:7, And the Lord said to Satan, “From where do you come?” So Satan answered the Lord and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking back and forth on it.” Evil what Peter calls going around walking like roaring lion. Evil what Jesus said that it comes to steal, kill and destroy. Evil which drew Eve away from God and His divine plan by luring her. Existence of evil is the necessary consequence of the gift of Free will. Natural consequence of my free will allows the evil to exist in my world when I choose to do something against the plan of God. Every time when we walk away from the plan of God and His purpose then the evil is,

• Enlarged,
• Enhanced, and
• Empowered.

Evil grows when we make every sinful decision we make.

Evil is been fed by every decision we make against the predestined plan of God. We inherited the world with evil and it is growing more with every generation. Since you were born into this world yet you are affected by the very presence of the evil irrespective of your choice.

How our world eco system have affected?

How about the cancer?

How progressive in the system? Mass murder, Drugs, homosexual and so many. Watch the TV! Can we watch TV with the family. World is full of evil which inflicts upon you. A Women of 40 years who never smoked, drank alcohol and drugs die of cancer.

Is that the will of God?

Is that a free will? Even though it is not her choice its because of the evil prevalent in the world.

So it is not that evil is present not because of the free will choice or the will of God. It caused by the ruler of the world.

Good news

When the evil strikes at you, When bad happens to you, When tragedy strikes you, When you don’t understand about what is happening to you, But God! God is not sitting idle watching it on the side-lines. God is Omnipotent, God is Omnipresent, God is good, Turns it around good.

God corrects evil. How the navigation corrects. I don’t hold God causes Evil. God fixes evil. A child was run over by drunk driver.

Family of the child opens a charity and raise millions to bring awareness on drunk driving and helping the families to go through this ordeal in their life. God works it out for good. It may not be the will of God, but God makes it good.

Saul is tormented here. God had the plan for this. Saul calls for David to relive himself. This is the first time the name of David appears in your bible. He was known as son of Jessie. God introduce David who will reign over Israel.

God invited David to have a look at the throne room experience to know what was coming in his future. God used David to help Saul. Don’t give up when evil knocks on your door. God is not keep evil from us but He fixes it for us.

Anyone can bring good out of good but God, who is omnipotent makes the evil into good.

Now where do you stand between God’s predestination and Free will? You make your choice. That will make how you handle Evil. Evil is real. Evil is present. You will experience evil. But you have Faith and God.