Skip to main content

Question: A harmful spirit from the Lord? What?

Then a harmful spirit from the Lord came upon Saul, as he sat in his house with his spear in his hand. And David was playing the lyre (1 Samuel 19:9 ESV). What? A harmful spirit....from the Lord?
Yes ... well ...

It just doesn't seem right, eh?

In this setting, the harmful spirit was allowed by the Lord. When it says "from the Lord," it does not mean that the Lord purposely created something harmful to get Saul to be evil. These things are often happening or trying to. When it reaches into the life of someone who "love[s] God and [is] called according to [His] purpose," God will permit it if it will accomplish His purpose of conforming that one into the image of His beloved Son (Romans 8:28). David was hunted by Saul as this jealousy continued on, but in his exile, he trained up mighty men from the outcasts of Israel. He learned to be the humble servant-king that he was anointed to be.

This harmful spirit was "from the Lord," allowed by the Lord, but also permitted by Saul. If Saul was not also choosing to open himself up to jealousy and rage against David, no other spirit could have forced him to act that way.

Remember the hardening of Pharoah's heart? It happened at first by Pharoah (Exodus 8:32) and then on top of that by the Lord (9:12). We have our will, but the Lord has His will as well.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The mystery of Israel: a conversation about prophecies and modern events

 This is not a message, it is more of a discussion that I’ve been having with several people by phone call or email or chat or in person. This only includes some notes on it but I wanted to share a more comprehensive view all at once.
Post a Comment
Read more

God Has Spoken Series

Question: Where can I get the audio messages of Stephen Kaung's God Has Spoken series? If I could recommend only one book or series by Stephen Kaung it would be his God Has Spoken series. He shared a message for each book of the Bible, giving a simple overview and revealing the way to find Christ as you read. It is not only his classic set but it's His way with the Scriptures. Our brother could always find Christ and find Him as He's meant to be found. For a new believer and an old believer, this is the first set to have as guide through the Bible and a reference set to go back to later on.  Below are links to each of the original messages.   Old Testament  Introduction to the Old Testament Genesis -The Will of God Exodus -The Works of God Leviticus - The Ways of God Numbers -The Walk of God Deuteronomy - The Word of God Joshua - Possessing the Land   Judges - Possessing all the Possessions Ruth - Recovery of the Inheritance I Samuel - Epoch-...
Post a Comment
Read more

How do I prepare to share a 5-minute message?

I just received a question via text from a brother who is about to share a short word at an upcoming event. He wanted to know how I prepare when I'm sharing a word. There are many more details to talk about, but for those 5-minute times, here are my notes: 1) Pray for the people  The "burden of the word" (Mal 1:1) or the specific main word I get often comes through this. If I have no clue what to share on and I'm asking the Lord about it, the answer doesn't always come until I begin to pray for the people. More often than not, I'll be praying for the souls, and some Scripture or topic will come through that. Sometimes I already have the word, and I cannot tell when it came, but I know what I should share on. In your case, you may have a word already in your heart that has worked in you to get you to this point. Even still, you take the word and bring it to the Lord and pray for the people that will be listening. 2) Meditate and receive the word The largest par...
Post a Comment
Read more