1 Samuel 16:23

_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._ David took an harp, and played with his hand, х_ HAKINOWR_ (H3658), the kinnor] - not the large, heavy instrument denoted by the word harp among us, but the lyre, a light, portable instrument, resembling a bow in shape. The performers played on this instrument both in a standing (1 Samuel 16:21) and a sitting posture. SAUL WAS REFRESHED, AND WAS WELL. The ancients believed that music had a mysterious influence in healing mental disorders (see 'Dissertatio Historico-Theologica de Saule per musicam curato,' by Casper Laescherus, Professor of Divinity at Wittemberg, 1868; 'Memoires de l'Academie Francoise,' 1707; Issac

14-23 Saul is made a terror to himself. The Spirit of the Lord departed from him. If God and his grace do not rule us, sin and Satan will have possession of us. The devil, by the Divine permission, troubled and terrified Saul, by the corrupt humours of his body, and passions of his mind. He grew fretful, peevish, and discontented, and at times a madman. It is a pity that music, which may be serviceable to the good temper of the mind, should ever be abused, to support vanity and luxury, and made an occasion of drawing the heart from God and serious things. That is driving away the good Spirit, not the evil spirit. Music, diversions, company, or business, have for a time often been employed to quiet the wounded conscience; but nothing can effect a real cure but the blood of Christ, applied in faith, and the sanctifying Spirit sealing the pardon, by his holy comforts. All other plans to dis...

Verse 1 Samuel 16:23. _THE_ EVIL _SPIRIT FROM GOD_] The word _evil_ is not in the common Hebrew text, but it is in the _Vulgate, Septuagint,_ _Targum, Syriac_, and _Arabic_, and in _eight_ of _Kennicott's_ and _De Rossi's_ MSS., which present the text thus: רוח אלהים רעה _ruach_ _Elohim raah_, spiritus Domini malus, _the evil spirit of God_. The _Septuagint_ leave out Θεου, _of God_, and have πνευμα πονηρον, _the evil spirit_. The _Targum_ says, _The evil spirit from before_ _the Lord_; and the _Arabic_ has it. _The evil spirit by the permission_ _of God_; this is at least the sense. _AND THE EVIL SPIRIT DEPARTED FROM HIM._] The _Targum_ says, _And the_ _evil spirit descended up from off him_. This considers the malady of Saul

DAVID ANOINTED AS THE FUTURE KING, AND HIS FIRST INTRODUCTION TO SAUL. (1 Samuel 16:1) EXPOSITION CHOICE OF DAVID AS SUCCESSOR TO SAUL (1 Samuel 16:1). 1 SAMUEL 16:1 HOW LONG WRIT THOU MOURN? The grief of Samuel was prolonged almost to a sinful extent, nor can we wonder at it. We who see Saul's whole career, and know how deeply he fell

AND IT CAME TO PASS, WHEN THE [EVIL] SPIRIT FROM GOD WAS UPON SAUL,.... See 1 Samuel 16:14 though the word evil is not in the text here; wherefore Abarbinel thinks that this here was the Spirit of God, which stirred up in him thoughts of divine things, put him in mind of what God had said, that he had rejected him from being king, and had rent the kingdom from him; and this filled him with grief and trouble, and he became melancholy: THAT DAVID TOOK AN HARP, AND PLAYED WITH HIS HANDS; upon it; and, as Josephus r says, at the same time sung hymns and psalms; made use both of vocal and instrumental music: SO SAUL WAS REFRESHED, AND WAS WELL; became cheerful, his grief was removed, his black and gloomy apprehensions of things were dispersed, and he was cured of his melancholy disorder for the present: and the evil spirit departed from h

III. DAVID, THE KING AFTER GOD'S HEART--HIS EXILE AND SUFFERING 1. David Anointed King and the Departure of the Spirit from Saul CHAPTER 16 _ 1. David anointed king (1 Samuel 16:1)_ 2. The Spirit departs from Saul and David with Saul (1 Samuel 16:14) The king after the people's heart has failed and is set aside, and now Jehovah brings forth His king after His own heart. That king like Jonathan, a man of faith, is devoted to Jehovah and in perfect subjection unto Him. Furthermore, from the tribe of Judah (Judah means “praise”) he is a worshipper through whom the Spirit of God pours forth the sweetest strains of praise and worship. He prospers into a great kingdom and Jehovah makes an oathbound covenant with him ...

DAVID, SAUL'S MINSTREL. (J), the ancient narrative, continues 1 Samuel 14:52. The earlier and more authentic of the two accounts of David's introduction to Saul (_cf._ 1 Samuel 17:55 ff.). Saul became possessed with some form of recurrent mania, which the primitive combination of pathology and theology explained by saying that the Spirit of Yahweh had departed from him, and that Yahweh had sent an evil spirit to torment him; so, according to Micaiah, 1 Kings 22:23, Yahweh put a lying spirit in the mouth of Ahab's prophets. For us such statements connect themselves with the problem of the relation between the Divine Omnipotence and the origin of evil, but here they show that the Israelites did not yet ful

David's introduction to the Court of Saul 14. _But the spirit of the Lord departed from Saul_ Note the contrast to 1 Samuel 16:13. As David rose, Saul sank. _an evil spirit from the Lord_ The cause of Saul's mental disorder is described as "an evil spirit from Jehovah," or "of Jehovah" (1 Samuel 19:9); "an evil spirit of God" (1 Samuel 16:15; 1 Samuel 18:10); "the spirit of evil" (1 Samuel 16:23); even "the spirit of God" (1 Samuel 16:23

_Saul Seeks a Musician._ 1 Samuel 16:14-23 14 But the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord troubled him. 15 And Saul's servants said unto him, Behold now, an evil spirit from God troubleth thee. 16 Let our lord now command thy servants, _which are_ before thee, to seek out a man, _who is_ a cunning player on a 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 Beth-lehemite, _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 Wheref

DAVID IS ANOINTED KING OVER ISRAEL From 1 Samuel 16 on, the interest centres in David rather than in Saul....