1 Samuel 16:14-23

1 Samuel 16:14-23

[14] But the Spirit  of the LORD  departed  from Saul,  and an evil  spirit  from the LORD  troubled  [15] And Saul's  servants  said  unto him, Behold now, an evil  spirit  from God  troubleth  [16] Let our lord  now command  thy servants,  which are before  thee, to seek out  a man,  who is a cunning  player  on an harp:  and it shall come to pass, when the evil  spirit  from God  is upon thee, that he shall play  with his hand,  and thou shalt be well.  [17] And Saul  said  unto his servants,  Provide  me now a man  that can play  well,  and bring  him to me. [18] Then answered  one  of the servants,  and said,  Behold, I have seen  a son  of Jesse  the Bethlehemite,  that is cunning  in playing,  and a mighty  valiant man,  and a man  of war,  and prudent  in matters,  and a comely  person,  and the LORD  is with him. [19] Wherefore Saul  sent  messengers  unto Jesse,  and said,  Send  me David  thy son,  which is with the sheep.  [20] And Jesse  took  an ass  laden with bread,  and a bottle  of wine,  and a  kid,  and sent  them by  David  his son  unto Saul.  [21] And David  came  to Saul,  and stood  before  him: and he loved  him greatly;  and he became his armourbearer.  [22] And Saul  sent  to Jesse,  saying,  Let David,  I pray thee, stand  before  me; for he hath found  favour  in my sight.  [23] And it came to pass, when the evil spirit  from God  was upon Saul,  that David  took  an harp,  and played  with his hand:  so Saul  was refreshed,  and was well,  and the evil  spirit  departed  from him.

What does 1 Samuel 16:14-23 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

"In addition to being the middle chapter of1Samuel, chapter16 is pivotal in another way as well: Its first half ( 1 Samuel 16:1-13), ending with a statement concerning David"s reception of the Spirit of God, describes David"s anointing as ruler of Israel to replace Saul; its second half ( 1 Samuel 16:14-23), beginning with a statement concerning Saul"s loss of the Spirit and its replacement with an "evil spirit" sent by God, describes David"s arrival in the court of Saul. Thus the juxtaposition of 1 Samuel 16:13-14 delineates not only the transfer of the divine blessing and empowerment from Saul to David but also the beginning of the effective displacement of Saul by David as king of Israel. The transition at 1 Samuel 16:13-14 can thus be arguably defined as the literary, historical, and theological crux of1Samuel as a whole." [1]
1 Samuel 16:14 describes God"s relationship to Saul following the Lord"s rejection of him. Yahweh had less and less contact with His faithless representative. His empowering Spirit left him without the divine enablement that he had once enjoyed (cf. Judges 9:23; Judges 16:20; 1 Kings 22:21-23; Psalm 51:11).
"When YHWH"s Spirit came upon David his anointer [2] left, leaving him in good hands. When YHWH"s Spirit left Saul an evil spirit came upon him, leaving him in dire straits." [3]
The evil spirit that Yahweh permitted to trouble Saul has been the subject of considerable interest among Bible students. It may have been a spirit of discontent (cf. Judges 9:23), a demon who afflicted him periodically (cf. 1 Kings 22:20-23), or a demon who indwelt him from then on. [4] In any case it was a discipline for departing from God. When people depart from God, their troubles really begin.
"Saul"s evil bent was by the permission and plan of God. We must realize that in the last analysis all penal consequences come from God, as the Author of the moral law and the one who always does what is right." [5]
The writer mentioned Saul"s fits of terror, in addition to his deteriorating mental state, to explain why Saul called for a musician and how David gained access to the royal court. Saul evidently first met David in about the twenty-fifth year of his forty-year reign. [6] It is tempting to suggest that Saul"s mental problems may have resulted from his spiritual rebellion, which is common, but the text does not state that connection outright. Apparently some people already regarded David as a mighty man of valor and a warrior ( 1 Samuel 16:18) because he had single-handedly defeated lions and bears ( 1 Samuel 17:34-35). Most important, the Lord was with David. [7] The fact that Jesse could provide a donkey suggests that he was fairly prosperous, since this is how the more wealthy classes traveled ( 1 Samuel 16:20). Yet David"s family was not outstanding in Israel (cf. 1 Samuel 18:18).
Initially Saul loved David greatly, as Jonathan did (cf. 1 Samuel 18:1; 1 Samuel 18:3; 1 Samuel 20:17). However, Saul"s attitude would change. The king appointed an armor-bearer to that position because of his courage, his ability to handle weapons, and his ability to get along with the king. David was probably a teenager at this time since he was30 when he began to reign ( 2 Samuel 5:4). He was not Saul"s bodyguard. He just helped the king handle his armor. Whatever kind of spirit afflicted Saul, David"s sweet music reduced its ill effects. Saul was becoming dependent on the one who would replace him.
God was elevating David from the ranks of a shepherd of sheep ( 1 Samuel 16:11) to become the shepherd of His people, and David"s musical ability ( 1 Samuel 16:18) enabled him to lead the Israelites in the worship of Yahweh later.
"This story of how David first met Saul and how he came to the royal court makes two points. The first is that David did not engineer it. David was no ruthlessly ambitious Prayer of Manasseh , determined to rise up the social ladder-any more than Saul himself had been (cp. chapter9). David"s hands were clean. The second point is that God overruled to bring David to court, through the sheer chance (as it seemed) that one of Saul"s courtiers knew something about him and brought him to Saul"s attention [8]. So it was God, not David, who was responsible for the young man"s first steps towards the throne." [9]