Now the Spirit of the LORD had left Saul, and an evil spirit sent from the LORD began to torment him. 1 Samuel 16:14 HCSB
Saul was the first king of Israel. God had delivered the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, brought them through the Red Sea, and taken care of them in the wilderness. But time and time again, they had rejected him and fallen into idolatry. They decided they wanted a human leader like all the other pagan nations had. God gave them Saul.
Young Saul was out looking for some of his father’s donkeys that had been lost. He went to Samuel the prophet to see if he could tell him where they were. Samuel told him he had been chosen to be the king of Israel. Saul responded with humility. He couldn’t believe God had chosen him as he was from a small tribe and there was nothing significant about him.
Once he became king, he began to fear men. He worried more about what the men thought about him than he did about what God thought. He became impatient and offered a sacrifice without waiting for Samuel as God had instructed. Instead of listening to God and doing what God had told him to do, he took matters into his own hands.
He made ridiculous rules like not allowing his warriors to eat all day while they were in battle.
The final straw was when Saul disobeyed a direct order from God. He was told to go in and destroy the Ammonites, but he failed to do so. He wanted to bring the king back alive. Maybe he wanted to show his kingdom how awesome he was by capturing this king.
Paul says in Galatians 1:10, “If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.”
He says in 1 Thessalonians 2:4, “But just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts.”
There is a certain thrill in sinning, be it pride, lust, or whatever type of sin we fall into. Saul probably was thrilled to have men’s approval. He didn’t want men to desert him, he wanted them to revere him.
Saul’s heart was prone to sin. He was prone to rebel against God. There came a time when God had enough and told him his descendants would not succeed him as king. God removed the kingship from him. The thrill of being the very first king of Israel was gone.
Thinking more about what men think of us than what God thinks of us will skew our judgment and cause big problems. Saul is beginning to experience God’s judgment as God is sending or allowing this evil spirit to torment Saul. This torment is coming in the form of severe bouts of depression, anger, and delusions.
Not only is this evil spirit tormenting Saul, but the whole kingdom realizes he’s losing it. His servants are suggesting that he get someone in to help calm him. Can you imagine being around this guy every day? Perhaps you do deal with someone like this.
When we accept Christ as our Savior, we ask His Holy Spirit to dwell in our hearts. We confess our sins, repent and ask Him to strengthen us against temptation.
We are given over to our evil desires when the Lord’s spirit departs. We are subject to senseless or foolish thinking (Romans 1:21-25). There is nothing thrilling about that.
I have lived in disobedience and thought I was having a good time. There were brief periods when I thought life was thrilling, but it was short-lived. Since I have surrendered my life to Christ, I have been thrilled by the peace and joy I have in my life. I have been thrilled to spend time with like-minded Christians who mentor me and help me in my daily walk.
If you have unrepentant sin in your life, it may be thrilling for now, but trust me the thrill will be gone. We can be left with heartache and despair when this happens.
Trust in God today, the thrill He gives us in our hearts will never leave so long as we trust in Him and obey His commands.
Have a great day!