My struggle with the phrase, "God sent an evil spirit to torment Saul" in 1 Samuel 16:14.

Sometimes, I struggle over a phrase as I read a passage like, "God sent an evil spirit on Saul when his spirit departed him." I can't tell you how many times I have researched this after reading it because I need better understanding.

I love to use GotQuestions.org. It helps me to ask better questions and reframe my thinking. 

This reminds me of how Saul sent for David to help him. When Saul was tormented he needed someone to come alongside him and assist him on the journey. When David played, the evil spirit stopped tormenting Saul. I know the reality of this. Don't you?

Have you ever struggled over something to the point of torment, but once you processed with someone you found relief? 

I try to remind myself about what I know about God. God is all seeing, all knowing, and all powerful. 

DRAW NEAR TO HIM! 

Satan and his minions, dominions, and legions are NOT all knowing, all seeing, or all powerful. 

RESIST THE DEVIL AND HE WILL FLEE.

Something powerful happens when we praise God. He inhabits the praises of His people. Saul found peace when David played music because the spirit of God was upon David. I choose to assume David was playing his Psalms or worship music to Saul.

GRIEVE, MOURN, and WAIL!

Resistance comes through repentance and turning toward God. 

PRAISE HIM! 

THANK HIM FOR HIS WORK IN YOUR LIFE!

GIVE HIM GLORY!

GOD inhabits the praises of His people (Psalm 22:3)

When we praise HIM as we face darkness, we will know His presence and He will dispel the darkness.

HUMBLE YOURSELF BEFORE GOD!

This is when you will be lifted up!

This is based on James 4:7-10.

So, I still want to ask, does God send evil upon people?

I think the thing that has helped me the most is that when I walk away from God, I open the door for evil to come upon me. Without the LORD'S presence to protect me this opens me up to attack. God gives me freedom to choose HIM! Even when it means I will suffer torment just like Saul if I should choose to walk away by disobeying HIM.

So, I choose God and trust Him as He chooses me!

David: A shepherd protects and mourns

A good shepherd will protect his people. His love for the people will remain steadfast even when they lose it, are in despair, or out of control. This is not easy to do, yet we see over and over that David does this for King Saul, his mighty men, and the nation of Israel. His love remained steadfast for King Saul even after he died. 

I find myself asking, Are you willing to keep loving and protecting the ones you are called to serve even when it hurts? There will always be moments where will be hurt by others. Most of us will never face what David did with Saul throwing spears at him. I realize that a hurt from casual words seems silly to make a fuss about when I read stories like David loving Saul. 

This section shows us the depth of David's steadfastness. I am praying for steadfast love. How about you?

You can listen to the story here.

David: A shepherd protects and mourns

David: A shepherd warrior on the run

Do you ever feel like running away from a circumstance? I know I do at times. How do we know when to run? And what should our lives look like on the run?

In today's story summary, we will hear about David running from King Saul. Saul was determined to kill David. It was wise to remove himself. 

What blessed me so much about David was he was able to differentiate himself from Saul's issues and keep his vision of what a good shepherd should do. He promised Jonathan to protect his family. This meant he would protect Saul. 

I also love that David collected a bunch of men that would have been considered a reject in society. They were in debt, depressed, and in despair from many nations. Yet, David accepted them and literally trained them into mighty warriors. Many of them were listed in the Bible as the mighty men of David full of valor. 

And in the one moment David flew off the handle in a rage against one of the sheep (Nabal) that he was called to protect, David listened to a woman and changed his course of action. He could be reasoned with and he showed a heart of repentance. 

Even while on the run, we see that David was growing as a person, leader, and commander. Maturing was one important thing he did not run from.

You can listen to this true story here.

David: A shepherd warrior on the run