Evil Spirits From the Lord

QUESTION:

I was reading in 1 Samuel 16 and in verse 14, it says that The Spirit of the Lord departed Saul and an evil spirit from the Lord tormented him. I did not know that the Lord would send an evil spirit. Is that right or is there a different translation?

ANSWER:

Well, it is a fine line between God “sending” an evil spirit and “allowing” an evil spirit to enter Saul. God on purpose removed His Holy Spirit from Saul which left him empty (see Matthew 12:43-45). He also allowed an evil spirit to enter Saul and allow it to torment him. To be honest, in Jewish theology (and in some Christian circles) there is no difference between God allowing something to happen and God doing it. God is sovereign and therefore if something happens, He allowed it or did not stop it. It is the same thought as in the life of Job. God allowed Satan to take his family, give him boils, etc, but the whole books speaks of God doing it to Job.

In the end, this is a complicated question.  In the end, we see that in ALL THINGS our God is sovereign and does allow evil to happen, but NO, He does not CAUSE it.

Perhaps the small study below will help you think through the issue…

“an evil spirit from the Lord” (3x in OT) + “God sent an evil spirit” (1x in OT)

[1 Sam 16:13-18] [1 Sam 18:10-11] [Judges 9:23]

1 Samuel 19:8-10  Once more war broke out, and David went out and fought the Philistines. He struck them with such force that they fled before him.  9 But an evil spirit from the LORD came upon Saul as he was sitting in his house with his spear in his hand. While David was playing the harp, 10 Saul tried to pin him to the wall with his spear, but David eluded him as Saul drove the spear into the wall. That night David made good his escape.

What do these above verses describe that was a spiritual reality for King Saul?

How do we reconcile these passages with James 1:12-14 which seems to state the opposite?

What do we notice about evil spirits in relation to God in Mark 1:23-27 and Mark 5:7-9?

What do we notice about evil spirits in relation to people in Acts 19:13-17?

In view of the Old Testament and New Testament, does God really send evil spirits to torment people and harm them? 

Troy Borst

Christian Education Minister