Spirit-Empowered

Well church, good morning. How are we doing? It is so good to be with you guys. I love the energy in the room. For those of you hanging out live at our Clovis campus, I’m grateful you’re here. For those of you outside enjoying that beautiful weather in our outdoor amphitheater, enjoy that. To those in our student center and our family venue, and those joining us online—we’ve got a lot of people in a lot of places today. It is good to be together.

My name is Mike, and I’m one of the teaching pastors here at The Well Community Church. I have the great privilege of picking up where we left off last week in 1 Samuel chapter 16. If you’re new around here, we’ve been in a series called Monarchy, walking through the lives of the three most famous kings of Israel: Saul, David, and Solomon.

Last week, we saw the handoff. We spent five weeks looking at King Saul. He was the king everybody wanted—the “Fabio” of Israel, the Webster’s dictionary picture of a king. The people said, “That’s our guy,” but God said, “No, he’s not.” Saul looked the part on the outside, but on the inside, he was significantly lacking. Because of his disobedience and his rejection of God’s word, God removed him from the throne to give it to a man after His own heart—a man described as “better than Saul.”

Not because David’s sin list would be shorter—we’ll see that David’s sins are quite significant—but because he was a man who walked intimately with the Lord, quick to repent and quick to ask for forgiveness. Today, we watch the aftermath of David’s anointing as he is brought into Saul’s world for the first time. As we make that transition, we see some pretty significant consequences in Saul’s life because of his disobedience.

The Departure of the Spirit

You might remember that Samuel told Saul the kingdom was being torn from him because he rejected the word of the Lord. In verse 14, we see how that reality begins to manifest in Saul’s daily life.

1 Samuel 16:14 (NASB)

Now the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD terrorized him.

Now, I always seem to get the easiest texts to unpack, right? This is a tricky one. Early in Saul’s life, we saw the Spirit come and go. For us today as New Testament believers who have placed our faith in Jesus, the Spirit is sealed inside of us. He is a down payment and an assurance of our salvation; He will never leave us. But in the Old Testament, the Spirit operated differently, coming to empower someone for a specific service or season.

Here, the Holy Spirit departs from Saul, and an “evil spirit from the Lord” begins to terrorize him. This phrase is going to be on repeat in the chapters to come. This wasn’t a one-time event; it was an act of divine judgment because Saul rejected God.

There are several challenging things here, starting with that word “evil.” The Hebrew word can be translated as evil, but it’s also translated elsewhere as misfortune, injury, disaster, pain, or calamity. Some versions, like the ESV, use the word “harmful.” Regardless of the translation, we see the result: significant mental anguish. Saul is afflicted by what some commentators describe as sudden fits of terror, unreasoning rages, and even homicidal violence.

What is clear is that this is a supernatural torment under the direction and authority of God. What is unclear is which “team” this spirit is playing for—is it a demonic spirit or a messenger of chaos sent by God? Either way, it results in disaster for Saul.

Reconciling God and Evil

This brings us to a “Pandora’s Box” we have to open: How do we reconcile evil in a world made by a perfect God? This is the “Problem of Evil.” Atheists often argue that if God were all-powerful, He could prevent evil, and if He were perfectly good, He would want to prevent evil. Since evil exists, they conclude such a God must not exist.

We see the results of evil everywhere—earthquakes, childhood cancer, wars, and abuse. This isn’t a hypothetical question for many of you in this room. You’ve experienced the horrors of this world firsthand. While there is no trite, five-minute answer, I want to try to reframe the issue.

Every world religion tries to deal with evil. Atheism says evil exists but has no purpose; you’re just unlucky if you’re in its path. Pantheism says evil is an illusion. Dualism says good and evil are equal, opposite forces locked in a battle with an unknown winner. But biblical theism says evil is real, it has an origin, it serves a purpose, and it is decreed by a sovereign and good God to produce a greater good.

Think about this: If evil never occurred—if Adam and Eve had chosen the Tree of Life and we lived in sinless perfection—would we truly know God’s mercy? Would we know His grace? Would we know the depths of His love and how far He would go to redeem a wayward humanity? The entire story of the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, is God pursuing us through His Son, Jesus Christ. We understand the patience and goodness of our Creator precisely because He works through the brokenness of our world.

Lamentations 3:37-38 (NASB)

Who is there who speaks and it comes to pass, Unless the Lord has commanded [it]? [Is it] not from the mouth of the Most High That both good and ill go forth?

Isaiah 45:6-7 (NASB)

That men may know from the rising to the setting of the sun That there is no one besides Me. I am the LORD, and there is no other, The One forming light and creating darkness, Causing well-being and creating calamity; I am the LORD who does all these.

When Jesus encountered a blind man, His disciples asked who sinned. Jesus replied that it was so the works of God might be displayed. Joseph told his brothers, “What you intended for evil, God used for good.” In the book of Job, we see that Satan operates only under the sovereign command and authority of God.

God has absolute authority over evil. He can be in charge and also grieve the evil He allows. The greatest evil ever committed was the crucifixion of the only truly innocent person who ever lived. Yet, God used that most evil act to redeem the world. Without it, we wouldn’t have a Savior. Christianity gives the only satisfying answer to evil: One day, a good and sovereign God will judge it. He will not call evil good; He will rightly and justly deal with it forever.

The Resume of a King

Watch how God uses this situation to open the door for David. Saul’s servants suggest finding a skillful harp player to soothe the king when he is distressed.

1 Samuel 16:15-16 (NASB)

Saul’s servants then said to him, ’Behold now, an evil spirit from God is terrorizing you. ‘Let our lord now command your servants who are before you. Let them seek a man who is a skillful player on the harp; and it shall come about when the evil spirit from God is on you, that he shall play [the harp] with his hand, and you will be well.’

Saul agrees, unwittingly inviting the man destined to take his throne into his very presence. Saul wants relief from his pain, but notice he doesn’t want to move toward God in repentance. He just wants the symptoms to go away. One of the young men then gives a glowing recommendation for David.

1 Samuel 16:18 (NASB)

Then one of the young men said, ‘Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite who is a skillful musician, a mighty man of valor, a warrior, one prudent in speech, and a handsome man; and the LORD is with him.’

That is a heck of a resume for a teenager! The Bible calls this a “good name.”

Ecclesiastes 7:1 (NASB)

A good name is better than a good ointment, And the day of [one’s] death is better than the day of one’s birth.

Proverbs 22:1 (NASB)

A [good] name is to be more desired than great wealth, Favor is better than silver and gold.

Your reputation is the net result of a lifetime of decisions. Let’s look at David’s qualities. He was a skillful musician. As a shepherd, he spent long, mundane nights alone with sheep, playing his harp and singing to the Lord. Many of the Psalms we read today are likely the lyrics he sang in those fields. He didn’t know he was practicing for the palace; he was just worshipping.

He was also a “mighty man of valor.” Valor isn’t born on the battlefield; it’s developed in the shepherd’s field. David later told Saul about how he fought off lions and bears to protect his flock. He was a “tender warrior”—strong enough to fight, yet sensitive enough to worship. He was “prudent in speech,” meaning he was discerning with his words.

Proverbs 21:23 (NASB)

He who guards his mouth and his tongue, Guards his soul from troubles.

Proverbs 12:18 (NASB)

There is one who speaks rashly like the thrusts of a sword, But the tongue of the wise brings healing.

Finally, the text says he was handsome and “the Lord is with him.” All of David’s qualities were an overflow of his relationship with God. He was an ordinary guy whose life was fully submitted to the Lord.

Living on Purpose

When Saul sends for David, where do they find him? With the flock. The anointed king went right back to his day job. I love that. God called him out of his current faithfulness.

1 Samuel 16:19-20 (NASB)

So Saul sent messengers to Jesse and said, ‘Send me your son David who is with the flock.’ Jesse took a donkey [loaded with] bread and a jug of wine and a young goat, and sent [them] to Saul by David his son.

Don’t discount your past. God uses everything—the mundane, the exciting, and even the difficult. I recently heard a story about a struggling actor in the 80s whose career had dried up. To support his family, he took a job as a carpenter. One day, he was hired to fix a door at a film studio. While he was working, a director he’d worked with before saw him and asked him to read for a part. That actor was Harrison Ford, the director was George Lucas, and the movie was Star Wars. He wasn’t there to audition; he was just there to fix a door. But that door opened a future he couldn’t have imagined.

At The Well, we call this “Living on Purpose.” It’s the idea that everything in my life belongs to the Lord to be used however He sees fit. When you have that posture of submission, God begins to move.

The Ministry of Refreshment

David enters Saul’s service, and the results are immediate.

1 Samuel 16:21 (NASB)

Then David came to Saul and attended him; and Saul loved him greatly, and he became his armor bearer.

1 Samuel 16:23 (NASB)

So it came about whenever the [evil] spirit from God came to Saul, David would take the harp and play [it] with his hand; and Saul would be refreshed and be well, and the evil spirit would depart from him.

Saul is refreshed. David brings relief. Think about the people in your life who do that for you—people who see you’re in a hard place and just “hold the space” for you.

Last Sunday night, I was having a rough week. My wife and I invited some dear friends over, and we cooked up some massive ribeyes. I told them, “I selfishly need tonight to be about me. I’m in a hard place and I need you to speak to my blind spots.” They were so honored to do it. Every time the conversation drifted, they pulled it back to make sure I was heard. I felt what Saul felt—I was refreshed and pointed back to the Lord.

David loved Saul and cared for him, even though he knew he would one day take his job. He was just available. And through this, Saul became dependent on the very man destined to succeed him.

The King We Need

As we look at this story, we have to see the bigger picture. This isn’t just about Saul and David; it’s about the King of Kings. God was moving the ball forward to fulfill a promise He made a thousand years earlier.

Genesis 49:10 (NASB)

’The scepter shall not depart from Judah, Nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, Until Shiloh comes, And to him [shall be] the obedience of the peoples.

God promised that the scepter would come from the line of Judah. Saul was from the line of Benjamin. To bring us the Savior we needed, God had to establish the line of David.

God uses everything—even the consequences of Saul’s sin and the presence of an evil spirit—to bring about the King who would eventually hang on a cross for us. We have a Redeemer in Christ who makes all things new. As we worship today, let’s remember God’s covenant faithfulness. He doesn’t drop the ball, and He doesn’t forget His promises.

Father, we are so grateful for these stories. Thank You that You connect the dots and never forget Your word. We sit here grateful that Jesus endured the ultimate evil for us because of Your love. Lord, use our lives for Your kingdom purposes. Cause our hearts to worship Jesus Christ this morning. We love You. In His name, amen.

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