Rudy Ross, Bruce Kirby, and I will wrap up chapter 16 of 1st Samuel today and discuss it on YouTube. I’ll focus on two verses and share something that struck me while reading the Gospel of John.
So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the LORD came powerfully upon David. Samuel then went to Ramah.
Now the Spirit of the LORD had departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD tormented him (1 Samuel 16:13-14).
The Gift of the Holy Spirit
People knew about the Spirit’s role in the lives of prophets and God’s leaders. Both Saul and David had the Holy Spirit. Joel foretold that one day, the Spirit would be given to everyone.
“And it shall come to pass afterward,
that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh;
your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
your old men shall dream dreams,
and your young men shall see visions.
Even on the male and female servants
in those days I will pour out my Spirit. (Joel 2:28-29)
Jesus promised His followers that they would experience the dwelling of the Holy Spirit within them.
“If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever,
Even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you” (John 14:15-17).
On the day of Pentecost, the promises made by both Joel and Jesus came true (Acts 2:1-13).
Years ago, I read an academic book on the Holy Spirit by Eduard Schweitzer. I found it hard to understand because it was technical and my education wasn’t quite up to speed. However, one statement from Schweitzer’s book has always stayed with me and blessed me.
He wrote, “Everything Jesus was to his disciples, the Holy Spirit is to us today.”
I can’t emphasize enough how much we cheat ourselves if we don’t live in harmony with the Holy Spirit. The gift of the Holy Spirit is one of God’s greatest blessings to us all.
Saul’s Experience with the Holy and Harmful Spirit
Verse 14 explains that when the Holy Spirit came upon David, Saul lost the Spirit’s presence. Instead, he was troubled by a harmful spirit.
I’ve thought a lot about Saul’s experience and found some clarity by looking at Judas’s life. It’s not an exact comparison, but it helps me see how someone can go from having the Holy Spirit to being tormented by a harmful spirit.
Below is an account of Judas and Jesus at the Last Supper.
After saying these things, Jesus was troubled in his spirit, and testified, “Truly, truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me.”
The disciples looked at one another, uncertain of whom he spoke.
One of his disciples, whom Jesus loved, was reclining at table at Jesus’ side, so Simon Peter motioned to him to ask Jesus of whom he was speaking.
So that disciple, leaning back against Jesus, said to him, “Lord, who is it?”
Jesus answered, “It is he to whom I will give this morsel of bread when I have dipped it.” So when he had dipped the morsel, he gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot.
Then after he had taken the morsel, Satan entered into him (John 13:21-27).
At the Last Supper, Jesus told his followers that one of them would betray him. Worried, Peter asked John to find out who it was. Jesus said it would be the person he gave a piece of bread to after dipping it in wine.
Simon Iscariot, seated at the place of honor, received the bread. I believe Jesus placed him there to give him one last chance to stay loyal. However, when Simon took the bread, Satan entered into him at that moment.
When I thought about this passage, I realized that Simon Iscariot was the first person to take Communion, or what Protestants call the Lord’s Supper. Yet, his heart was so against Jesus that even while having a place of honor at the first Lord’s Supper, he allowed Satan to enter his life.
Simon walked with Jesus for about three years. He witnessed all of Jesus’ miracles, heard his teachings, and saw the love Jesus showed to many people.
Despite all this, Simon’s heart was so hardened that instead of walking with Jesus, he ended up being overtaken by Satan.
Saul’s Great Loss
Saul’s experience is a bit different from Judas’s, but there are some similarities worth noting.
(1) Saul was anointed and empowered by the Holy Spirit. For a while, he worked under the Spirit’s power and did great things for God.
(2) However, his downfall was due to self-interest. He disobeyed several times and even built a monument to celebrate himself instead of God’s power in him.
When it was time for him to lose his kingdom and status, he also lost the presence of the Holy Spirit, which was replaced by a harmful spirit.
People often ask if, after receiving the Holy Spirit, we can lose it like Saul did, or if Satan can find a way into our lives even after we’ve walked with Jesus for some time.
I don’t have a clear answer, but we should look at what Scripture says. Here are a couple of passages to consider as we try to answer this question.
And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption (Ephesians 4:30).
You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you (Acts 7:51).
When people ask me puzzling questions like these, I sometimes respond by asking if they’re trying to find out how far they can stray from God and still go to heaven.
If we’re asking questions like that, whether about going to heaven or the work of the Spirit, we’re clearly asking the wrong thing.
YouTube Discussion
Rudy Ross, Bruce Kirby, and I discussed this passage on YouTube today. It is on the Bob Spradling channel.
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