14 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 skillful 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 skillful in playing, a mighty man of valor, 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 favor 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.
The Lord’s gracious, quickening, constant presence makes all the difference in our lives. David and Saul were not different because David was naturally good and Saul wicked. Both were “born and conceived in sin;” it was the Lord who made the difference. Saul’s public anointing with the Holy Spirit did not echo in his heart with a true rebirth to new life. Saul was contented with his external privileges. When his anointing was removed, Saul was abandoned to his sins and driven to madness. David’s public anointing to be Israel’s king was a reflection of the new heart he already had. Both anointings were gracious – the new birth and the setting apart to be king. The Lord made the difference in David’s life. This is the transparent theme of these lines. And it is the same for us, as we shall see. We bring nothing to the Lord but our sin to be cleansed. No command he gives assumes our ability to obey. Every command is an invitation to seek the grace of Christ. We come to him as dead men to be quickened, rebels to be tamed, and cripples to be healed. Whatever God calls us to do, however heavy our crosses, the Lord’s presence with us makes all the difference. Without him, we can do nothing, for we have no strength to do what is good and pleasing to the Lord (John 15:5). Through union with our Savior, we can do all things, even the hardest (Phil. 4:13).
The Holy Spirit Abandoned Saul
Causes and Effects of God’s Abandonment
Horrible words: “But the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul. If the Lord departs from us, we are ruined. Even when he withdraws from his children the comfortable sense of his presence, perhaps to chasten our sins or to sharpen our appetite for his heavenly kingdom, we pine away for him like lost children. But to be abandoned completely by the Lord? This is a living death. The reason the Lord abandoned Saul is plain and terrible: willful, stubborn disobedience. It is true that Saul never knew the Lord in a saving way. He was not regenerate. He was what we might call an “official Christian,” or a “cultural Christian.” He was filled with the Spirit to fulfill a particular function in Israel’s nation. He was unfaithful to the Lord, and now the Lord has abandoned him. There is nothing more provoking to the Lord than opposing his will with our own will. Saul did this profusely, then blamed everyone else for all the troubles that came from his disobedience. The effects of the Lord’s abandonment were to be tormented by an evil spirit from the Lord. This does not mean that Saul became demon-possessed. The spirit troubled and terrified Saul. The spirit was not necessarily evil in itself, but it gave Saul no rest, judged him before the day of judgment, and drove him to fits of madness. Tragically, Saul was conscious at some level of the Lord’s abandonment (18:12), which means he knew he was being punished for his wickedness. He did not, however, turn to the Lord.
Misguided Remedy for God’s Abandonment
No child of God can hear of Saul’s abandonment without a shudder. It is true that Saul was only officially filled with the Holy Spirit, and not quickened to new life, but even David’s later prayed: “Take not your Holy Spirit from me.” In every regenerate heart there is the desire for God and groaning when he seems to have left us. When we sin, this groaning is intensified, so that we have little rest until we turn to him and confess our sins. This inner groaning and unrest is intentional. The Lord does not want us comfortable without him. He also does not want us seeking out a musician to “soothe the savage beast within.” The Lord used this shallow counsel to bring David into Saul’s court and give him a little training for his future public duties in the kingdom. And, it is true that music can soothe the nerves and calm our spirits so that perhaps evil thoughts and life’s tempests do not completely quench thoughts of the Lord’s love and sovereignty. At the same time, music will never bring the Lord back or really solve our souls’ dilemmas. Forgetfulness is not the answer to abandonment – drugs (legal or illegal), alcohol, entertainment, fantasy, sensual indulgence, worldly music will not drive away our demons.
When we feel abandoned by the Lord, we should, first, consider carefully and prayerfully the causes. Have we grieved him? Are we sinning against him? He does not normally withdraw his presence from us for hard-to-find sins or other obscure reasons. We are slow of heart, so he normally creates unrest in us for on the surface, in-your-face sins – pride, stubborn refusal to bend our wills to his, neglect, misuse, or contempt of the means of grace, particularly his preached word, and worldly thoughts. Second, we must turn to him, confess our sins, and seek his grace to forsake them. Any conviction that the Lord is displeased with us or has withdrawn to any degree previously enjoyed fellowship must drive us back to him by repentance. He is near and loving; he is also holy and to be reverenced. Third, we should cry. Watch what happened to Saul when the Lord abandoned him – weep! Let our hearts be broken in the realization that we need the Lord more than we need another breath. We must have him. He is our life. One reason he temporarily removes our sense of his loving presence is so that we want him more than life itself. He knows he is our life. He knows that we were made for him, are lost without him, and cannot truly live unless we live with him and for him.
The Lord Was with David
Quickened to New Life, Then Anointed
What a contrast was the life of David! He hoped in the Lord when he was a child (Ps. 22:10) Being raised in Bethlehem, with so many famous scenes, he lived in a vivid pictorial Bible -- Sodom’s scorched ruins, the cave of Machpelah, where Abraham and Sarah in repose, waiting for the resurrection, his grandmother Ruth’s home, and old men still living who remembered the might of Israel’s famous hero, Samson. Early the Lord was with David – and this should be every parent’s prayer, trust, and labor – for our children not simply to know truths about the Lord, but to know the Lord, as a personal, controlling reality. Now, David had been recently anointed, so the inner workings of the Spirit began to prepare him for opportunities beyond the fields and family circle. All of these blessings and influences may be traced to one source – the God of Israel, the giver of the Holy Spirit to David, quickening him to new life and now empowering him to become Israel’s next king. The Lord was with David, and this made all the difference. By nature, he was no better than Saul. By sovereign grace and mercy, David was a man after God’s own heart.
Prospered as a Young Man, Then Raised Higher
After David’s anointing, some years likely passed. During this time, he grew to maturity. With a Philistine camp nearby, David may have participated in some daring attempts against God’s enemy that won him some reputation as a “mighty man of valor” (v. 18). Samuel did not see Saul again (15:35), and the aging prophet spent more time with David, instructing him in the ways of God’s kingdom and calling upon him to pursue a holy life before the Lord. Later, when Saul began attacking David, he immediately went to Samuel and lived with him for a period, which speaks of a strong relationship between them (1 Sam. 19:18). David thus prospered as a young man. Like his greater Son, he “grew in wisdom and favor with God and man” (Luke 2:52). David began to be reputed as a man of discretion (16:18). He still kept his father’s sheep, however. Neither his anointing nor his increasing strength led him from the known path of duty. Whatever the Lord had for him, David waited for the Lord to raise him higher. He served where he was, grew in the soil he was planted, without pining away for change and novelty. He is a needed model for young men. Even with clear indications of what his future greatness would be, he served quietly in the sheepfold. He did not concern himself with matters too high for him or worry that the wheels of providence turned slowly.
And so for young men today, with so many promises of future greatness that apply to all as servants of the High King, our Lord Jesus Christ, serve where you are. Prepare where you are. Do not become a slave to gratification and distraction. Gain talents and skills and grace. Develop lifelong habits of communion with the Lord. His presence in your life will make all the difference in your life. The world’s young men do not have the Lord’s presence or promises. Do not follow them, be curious about their ways, or envious of their pleasures. Learn to deny your impulses toward sin and the world, even toward self. You may have strong nudgings toward sin, but you are under no necessity to yield to them. Like David, the Lord has anointed you for something much higher. You may have only vague notions as to what that might be, but you have the path of piety and duty before you. Follow this path, and you will arrive at the Lord’s destiny for your life. Be faithful on this path, and it will bring you one day before the King of glory himself.
Played Skillfully, Then Evil Departed
David was rising on the wings of grace, but Saul was falling under the weight of rebellion. His fits became more intense. Peace left him for longer periods. Neither military prowess, which were plentiful (14:47-48), nor the pleasures of court life brought lasting satisfaction. When the Lord abandons a man, the world’s highest successes and accolades give no rest to the soul. Saul’s particular malady was fear – the “evil spirit” from the Lord terrorized Saul – with guilt over his sins, uncertainty about his future, and paralysis in the present. Someone suggested music – not a bad suggestion, but hardly adequate. It has long been known that music has a soothing influence on everything from raw nerves to aching hearts. In Saul’s case, good music – not the perverse noise that today often passes for music – could not materially help him, except temporarily. It did not deal with his true demons, which were not mood vacillations or depression, but a judicial terror sent from the Lord to punish him for his rebellion. Someone in court knew or had heard of David. His list of virtues and accomplishments led to a call to court to play for the king. David complied, played skillfully, and, for the moment, defeated the evil spirit.
As long as the story of David and Saul is recounted, the poignancy of Saul’s love for David will move the soul. How could Saul spend so many years trying to kill the young man he loved? David represented what Jonathan was and Saul should have been. Jonathan, however, would not have a chance to be king because of his father. Saul loved David for his beautiful music and perhaps for the blessing that came to Saul when David was near him. But then, one dark day, perhaps while the young men were celebrating David’s victories, the thought took control of Saul that David was actually his supplanter – that Saul had nurtured his successor and his son’s obstacle to the throne. Love turned to hate. But for the moment, the Lord brought David to court to see for himself the life of a king and to serve the existing king so that he would learn first to humbly serve. One cannot lead until one has learned to follow, wear the crown without bearing the cross. And David rose quickly at court to become Saul’s armor-bearer. Saul asked Jesse if David could remain at court. Perhaps in the early days David would stay only for a while, and then return to his domestic duties. Saul soon found David indispensable. The Lord was with David, and as long as Saul kept David near, the evil did not conquer him completely. The Lord’s presence makes all the difference. Even through David, it was making a difference in the abandoned Saul. We may feel that our nation is abandoned, but we are salt and light. The Lord’s presence with us is the only reason our nation does not teeter over the edge into the abyss of its own depravity. Let us shine as children of light (Eph. 5:8)!
The Lord Is with Us by His Holy Spirit
Christ’s Sheep Never Lost or Forsaken
The Lord’s abandonment of Saul should be balanced with the Spirit’s plain teaching that not one of Christ’s sheep will ever be lost. “And this is the Father’s will who has sent me, that of all whom he has given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day” (John 6:39). “The Lord knows those who are his” (2 Tim. 2:19). “And whom he justified, them he also glorified” (Rom. 8:30). Saul’s abandonment is not revealed to unsettle our faith but to confirm it. Saul had “tasted the powers of the good world to come” and was a “partaker of the Holy Spirit” in an external way (Heb. 6:4). He never committed himself to the Lord. This is very different from the Father’s true children. The Lord Jesus Christ will never forsake us; we have his promise (Matt. 28:20). If we are his, he holds fast to us. It is not how strongly and faithfully we hold to him, though we should and must, but it is his strong hand that holds on to us. We must therefore trust in the Lord Jesus, and this is one key way we “make our calling and election sure” (2 Pet. 1:10). Is Christ in us (2 Cor. 13:5)? How do we know? Are we in the faith? Do we believe in his name and rest upon him for salvation? Have we renounced all ability and attempts to save ourselves and given ourselves over to Jesus Christ to save us? Are we surrendered to him? “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me” (John 10:27). If we are his sheep, we will follow him. There is no mystery here. There are seasons of weakness and discouragement, of sin and even great hardship, but the Lord is holding on to us so that we will never perish. Never.
Willful, Stubborn Sin Grieves the Spirit
At the same time, even true believers can grieve the Holy Spirit (Eph. 4:30) and quench his graces and fire in our heart (1 Thess. 5:19). The Holy Spirit is God himself indwelling us, making us God’s temple and house. His presence is a downpayment of the great promise that the Lord will dwell with us and walk with us. And yet, how unthinking we are, rather than sober-minded. We sin carelessly, “taste that the Lord is gracious,” but let our hearts grow cold to his amazing grace. And Saul’s life thus stands as a strong and needed warning to quicken us. We must not be stubborn but resolved to submit our wills to the Lord’s. We must be “obedient children,” as Peter wrote (1 Pet. 1:14). Whenever we are confronted with a choice or a matter of wisdom respecting our lives in this world, we should never ask, “What do I want?” Instead, we should seek to “walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing” (Col. 1:10). We have the Spirit of wisdom and revelation. He promises to guide us. We must learn to walk in the Spirit more than we do, to think about the Spirit’s work in our lives, and then to yield ourselves to the Holy Spirit. He is the way the Lord is with us, but if we are worldly, we grieve him. He then withdraws some of his gracious influence and the comfortable feeling of our adoption. He does this to teach us that he is a real person, a Holy Person to be walked with, known, loved, worshipped, and obeyed. He is what makes the difference in the life of the believer – not anything in us.
“Take Not Your Holy Spirit from Me!”
If David teaches us that God’s children will never be abandoned, Saul reminds us that the false branches will be cut off and false children of the kingdom will be exposed and abandoned. The kingdom of heaven casts a wide net, catching good and bad fish. The bad are eventually thrown way (Matt. 13:47-48). Now, there is a war in the good fish. “When they would do good, evil is present with them.” And this conflict means that even the true fish, like David, can sometimes commit horrific sins, sins of such a nature and duration, that they doubt of grace in their heart or are terrified that the Lord will abandon them. Yet, here is the difference. Saul never once cried, “Father, take not your Holy Spirit from me.” David did. It is one mark that David was a true son of the kingdom. He did not pray, “Father, take not this kingdom away from me.” He did not pray to be relieved from the embarrassment of public exposure. He prayed only that the Lord would not abandon him (Ps. 51:11). And when we find that we have provoked the Lord, we must confess our sins and turn back to him. Saul never did. He was willing to listen to music to soothe his soul, but he would not seek covering in blood atonement. He hated the consequences of his abandonment, but he did not hate the abandonment. He did not know the Lord. He did not want the Lord. David did.
And so must we want the Lord more than anything else. “Whom have I in heaven but thee, and there is none upon earth I desire beside thee” (Ps. 73:25). Can you say this? What if the Lord keeps you in the lowly sheepfold and never raises you much? What if you have sinned against him? Do you fear consequences most, or broken fellowship with the Lord? You see, the Lord was with David, and this changed everything for David. The Lord’s presence made all the difference in his life. It is the same for us. We can have little, but if we have the Lord, we have everything (1 Cor. 3:21-23). If we have much but lack the Lord, we have nothing. His presence is life. The Father has revealed himself and is in us by his incarnate Son, by the indwelling Spirit. Let us walk in the Spirit and obey our Savior. He has promised to reveal himself to us and with the Father to dwell with us (John 14:21-23). With him, we can do all things, all that he commands in his word, anything he asks of us.
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