Background:
ch 16a anointing of David
aftermath of that
how God leads David before Saul
Was David being anointed as king?
but He was not inaugurated. There is a time laps.
be patient to wait for the Lord.
David still humbly came to serve Saul.
God unfolded His plan in ch 16b.
Observations and Interpretations:
(1) 16:13-19 The rise of David and the fall of Saul
Repeated phrase: The Spirit of the LORD rushed upon David v.13, 18 and turned away from Saul v.14, and an evil spirit from the LORD tormented Saul v.14, 15, 23.
v.14 Now the Spirit of the LORD had turned away from Saul
v.23 Then the evil spirit would leave him alone
v.14, 23 depart=depart from way = get out of the way, cease to obstruct (only temporarily, bc in ch 18, 19 the evil spirits came back to Saul)
(EBC) Just as the accession of the Spirit by David was an expected accompaniment of his anointing as Israel’s next ruler (v.13), so the departure of the Spirit from Saul (v.14) should be understood as the negation of effective rule on his part from that time on
However, the departure of the Spirit from Saul (which is natural consequence for his loss of the kingship), but not the coming of the evil spirit.
(BDAG) Evil spirit=bad, unpleasant, giving pain, unhappiness, misery, of the divine spirit as producing an ecstatic state of frenzy and violence
(EBC) it was sent in response to their sin, which in Saul’s case was particularly flagrant (13:13–14; 15:22–24)...It was thus doubtless responsible for the mental and psychological problems that plagued Saul for the rest of his life.
(2) Why the lyre will make Saul feel better?
v.23 relief=there was enlargement, relief, for Saul
v.16, 23 feel better=pleasant
v. 18 One of his attendants replied, “I have seen a son of Jesse in Bethlehem who knows how to play the lyre. He is a brave warrior and is articulate and handsome, for the LORD is with him.”
The key is the LORD is with David and thus God gave Saul relief because of David. Part of God's plan to introduce David into the life of Saul?
The evil spirits served 2 purpose: (1) as a punishment for Saul's sins; (2) a mean to introduce David to Saul
(3) About David
A. There are 4 signs that people observed that God is with David: v.18善於彈琴，是大有勇敢的戰士，說話合宜，容貌俊美
v.18 說話合宜articulate=be intelligent, discreet, discerning, have understanding
B. The brevity and faith of David
- He was a brave warrior. v.18 He ran into the battlefield when he visited his brothers v.22. Even when fighting with Goliath David was not afraid. He quickly ran toward the battle line to attack him v.48. He did not have any sword v.50, but just the staff, stones and sling v.49-50.
- He had faith in God while none of the Israel had:
a. He saw things from God's point of viewFor who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he defies the armies of the living God?” v.26This uncircumcised Philistine will be just like one of them. For he has defied the armies of the living God v.36b. He ignored his brothers when they doubted him v.29c. He volunteered himself to fight with Goliath v.32d. He was determined and would not be swayed away v.33e. He saw the defeat of Goliath as a done deal v.45-47
Conclusion: Today's passage is very similar to yesterday's. In 1 Samuel 14-15, we saw the rise of Jonathan and the fall of Saul. Today, we read the rise of David and the fall of Saul. Also, both Jonathan and David were brave and the reason they were brave was because of their faith. They both saw something that other people did not see. They saw things from God's perspective and considered the victory as a done deal. Other people might doubt them and discourage them, but they were determined and would not be swayed away.
Reflection: How about us? What does our faith do to us? Do we dare to be different? Are we determined? Do we see things that God said as a done deal? Are we ready to dash to the battleground?
Audrey
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