1 Samuel 19:9&10
Worship Music
King Saul had been given an evil spirit to torment him after the Spirit of the Lord departed because Saul would not trust nor obey God. This became a problem for Saul and the people around him as he would act out negatively when he was tormented. The people close to him thought that Saul could be calmed if he listened to music and so they sought out David and had him come and play the harp whenever the king was tormented by this evil spirit.
I am convinced that David was playing worship music because the music he played calmed Saul and the evil spirit would leave Saul, (1 Samuel 16:23), but where did it go? In our passage today we read that as David was playing the harp, Saul picked up his spear and tried to kill David. We have to ask, why did the evil spirit not leave Saul this time as he had before? Let’s ask the one who would know.
Jesus said, “When an evil spirit comes out of a man, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ When it arrives, it finds the house swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they live there. And the final condition of that man is worse than the first. That is how it will be with this wicked generation.” Matthew 12:43-45 NIV
The answer is simple. The first thing that happened was the Spirit of the Lord departed. Then the evil spirit moved back in and tormented Saul. As David played the harp the spirit left only to return with another spirit, a spirit of jealousy.
King Saul had become jealous of David and envious of his victories in battles. He had also become fearful of losing the kingdom because David was gaining popularity as God was blessing him so Saul makes several attempts to kill David. David depends on his youthful agility to escape these attempts on his life but he knows he must get away from Saul. His wife helps him with his escape. When Saul’s daughter lies about David threatening to kill her if she didn’t help David escape, that only adds fuel to the fire already burning in Saul. Now he has a reason to kill David and he will be able to convince others that David is really a threat to the kingdom.
King Saul, instead of taking in the worship music and giving the worship of God a place in his life, gave the devil a foot hold in his thought life. The evil spirit was able to suggest evil themes to Saul and it was just a matter of time before the thoughts turned to actions.
In Psalms 11 and 59 we read how David dealt with his thought life. But let me be clear here, some of the situations we have faced may come to mind again and again, particularly when we are vulnerable because we are emotionally or physically tired. We need to realize that at these times we are being tested by the enemy to see if we have a weak spot in our armor. When these times come put on the full armor of God and hold up the shield of faith. (Ephesians 6:10-20)
The trial will pass and victory will be won and the enemy will be the one who is frustrated!
Guard your thought life! 2 Corinthians 10:5
Pastor Dave