1 Samuel 16:13-23

 

1065 BC          Saul Anointed

1063                Saul disobeys in chapter13 by offering the sacrifice before Samuel arrives

                        Saul is told that his dynasty would not last

“the Lord has sought out a man after his own heart.”

1040                Saul is rejected in his 25th year as king in chapter 15

Saul did not completely destroy the Amalekites.

David is 10-15 years old

1040                David is anointed by Samuel in chapter 16

1025                Saul Dies; David is 30 years old. (2 Samuel 5:4)

 985                 David dies at the age of 70 after having ruled for 40 years.

 

1 Samuel 16:13-14

When the Spirit of God came upon David, Samuel, the prophet and anointer, left David.

David was in the guidance, training and protection of God.

When the Spirit of God left Saul the evil spirit came upon Saul.

Saul was now with out guidance and with out the protection of God.

 

“Evil” spirit means “injurious”.  This spirit may have tried to bring harmful things to Saul.  Saul did suffer mental and psychological problems from now on.

 

“Tormented” is literally “terrified, terrorized”

 

God and Evil Spirits

 

A)  Sent in Response to Sin or Disobedience of the Rebellious

 

1) Judges 9:22-25

Abimelech (one of Gideon’s sons) had his 70 brothers murdered so that he could be the ruler.  After three years “God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the citizens of Shechem.” 

  • The evil spirit was not sent right away.  There was 3 years to repent.
  • It was sent to “avenge” the murder of the 70 sons of Gideon.
  • It was judgment on the people of Shechem who had helped murder the 70 sons.
  • It manifested in the people rebelling against Abimelech.

 

2) 2 Chronicles 18:1-35

God has a council with “all the host of heaven”.  One of them went as “a lying spirit in mouths” of King Ahab’s false prophets.  The Lord said, “You will succeed. . .Go and do it.”

  • King Ahab had surrounded himself with these prophets of Baal.
  • Ahab’s sin opened the door for demonic activity
  • The “spirit” could not go without God’s permission
  • Some spirits and their ideas where rejected by the Lord
  • The spirit was allowed to go where false teaching and lies where first.  Then the spirit manifested and empowered those words to be powerful enough to mislead.

 

 

3) Mark 5:1-16

Demons (“Legion” a Roman military division made up of 6,000 men) had possessed a man.  Jesus spoke with the demons.  The demons asked permission to go into the pigs.  Jesus granted their request.

  • Jesus (the Lord) conversed with demons.
  • The demons made a suggestion to Jesus.
  • Jesus granted them their request.
  • The demons presence brought about negative results

 

 

4) Matthew 26:1-5; Luke 22:3; John 13:21-30

  • The Jewish leaders had decided to wait until after the Passover to kill Jesus.
  • Judas was offended by the waste (loss) of money at the anointing (John 12:4)
  • Satan entered (“eisalthen” aorist, indicative, active, means to go in, to come in.) Judas and Judas goes to the chief priest to betray Jesus (Luke 22:3)
  • Judas is seated by Jesus at the last supper in a seat of honor and is offered the “piece of bread” (it was unleavened bread wrapped around lamb, sprinkled with bitter herbs and dipped into a sauce.)  This was an offer of salvation and forgiveness.
  • Judas took the bread but apparently did not eat it because “Satan entered into him” (“entered” is “eisalthen” aorist, indicative, active, same word as Luke 22:3)
  • God used Satan to keep events on track and cause the Jewish leaders to kill Jesus when they had decided to wait.
  • God offered Judas a chance to escape, but his heart was set and Satan entered.

 

5) 1 Corinthians 5:5

  • A believing member of the church is knowingly living an immoral life.
  • He is to be “handed over to Satan”
  • His “sinful nature” (“sarkos” or “flesh”) will “be destroyed” by Satan
  • His “spirit” will be saved.
  • In 2 Corinthians 2:5-11 the church is told to allow the man to return into fellowship.  He is to be accepted and forgiven so that “Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes”
  • Satan can “outwit” or “overreach us”.  (“pleonektathomen” means to take advantage of, to outwit.  The word refers to the arrogant, greedy defrauding of someone, often through trickery and treacherous means).  Satan outwits us by:
    • Causes us to be unforgiving as is seen here.  This brings about unnecessary division in the church
    • Accuses us to God and to ourselves for our failures and sins.  This then neutralizes us in our own minds and we quit
    • Fear Death (Heb. 2:14,15)
    • Persuades people to rebel against the Word of God by:
      • Disobey it
      • Worry and fear instead of trusting it
      • Ignore Word
      • Ignore God’s will (Gal. 5:7)
      • Run from God’s Word and his plan
      • Focus on self
      • Focus on other people (Gn. 19:28)
      • Focus on things and material (Heb. 13:5-6)

 

6) Revelation 16:13 (1 Timothy 4:1-2)

A false proclamation (false teaching, false philosophy, satanic lie) is spoken by the false prophet, the anti-christ and satan.  Demons manifest through these words and they gather the kings for battle against Israel in a final attempt to wipe them off the earth.  

·        The battle they want to fight against the Jews becomes the Lord’s slaughter of the rebellious kings and nations at Armageddon.

 

B)  Sent for the purpose of testing and proving the Faithful

 

1)      Deuteronomy 13:1-3

·        God will send false prophets to test people’s hearts

 

2)      Job 1:12

·        “This man was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil”      (Job 1:1)

·        “The Lord said to Satan, ‘Have you considered y servant Job?  There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.’ ” (1:8)

·        Job says, “My feet have closely followed his steps; I have kept to his way without turning aside.  I have not departed from the commands of his lips; I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my daily bread.”              (Job 23:11,12)

 

3)            Luke 22:31

·        Satan asked to sift Peter (“you” is plural meaning in the Greek all the disciples)

·        Jesus prayed for them and said they would recover

 

4)            2 Corinthians 12:1-10

·        A messenger from Satan that God would not remove from Paul’s life because,
 “when I am weak, then I am strong.”

5)            Revelation 2:10

·        To the faithful church in Smyrna the Lord says:

“Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer.  I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days.  Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life.”