1 Samuel 16:14-23
“ Now the Spirit of the Lord had departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord tormented him.” 1 Samuel 16:14
God took Saul from obscurity in the least clan of the smallest tribe, Benjamin. He had been given the opportunity of a lifetime to be the ruler of God’s chosen people. And he blew it! Like so many people, power and position went to his head. His failure to wait on God and obey Him, and his tendency to take things into his own hands and do them his way were his undoing. As a result of his disobedience, Saul lost his inner peace. Peace is too valuable to exchange for anything else. The expression “peace at any price” reminds us that, without peace, we cannot enjoy anything we have. If we have lost our peace, we can regain it by sincerely confessing and repenting of each sin we have committed. Then God will cleanse us and restore us to fellowship with Him.
In Psalm 32, David wrote how he felt about his sin with Bathsheba, saying, “There was a time when I wouldn’t admit what a sinner I was. But my dishonesty made me miserable and filled my days with frustration. All day and all night your hand was heavy on me. My strength evaporated like water on a sunny day until I finally admitted all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide them. I said to myself, ‘I will confess them to the Lord.’ And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone...What happiness for those whose guilt has been forgiven! What joys when sins are covered over! What relief for those who have confessed their sins and God has cleared their record.” (Psalm 32:3-5, 1 The Living Bible)
God used Saul’s situation to David’s advantage--Saul’s attendants suggested getting someone to play the harp for Saul to make him feel better, and one of the servants recommended David. The servant described David in 1 Samuel 16:18 saying that he “knows how to play the lyre. He is a brave man and a warrior. He speaks well and is a fine-looking man.” And the servant saved the best for last: “And the Lord is with him.” David so loved God that it was obvious even to this servant in the palace. Hopefully, we so love God that it shows everywhere we go and is like a sweet aroma to all the people we meet.
Saul sent for David, the young shepherd, and gave him an opportunity to come to the king’s palace...and learn how to rule a nation. He also learned how to lead an army--lessons David would need when he became Israel’s king. His gifts as a musician and soldier and his heart for God endeared him to the people as their spiritual leader as well as their political leader. We would do well to pray that the political leaders of our own country today would be spiritual leaders as well.
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