In 1 Samuel 16, we read about David’s anointing as the future king of Israel and Saul’s descent into madness. One verse that stands out in 1 Samuel 16 and resonates throughout eternity is verse 14.

Now the Spirit of the Lord had departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord tormented him (emphasis added).

1 Samuel 16:14 (NIV)

Whether you are a Christian or not, one cannot help but read this verse and have questions. For example, how could a good and holy God have evil spirits doing his bidding? Atheists love this verse because they think they can point to it as proof that God isn’t the holy and purely good being we Christians think he is, and Christians quake in their boots because they don’t know how God “could do such a thing.” Regarding atheists, I wonder why some of them spend so much time trying to disprove something they don’t believe in, but please keep on examining God’s word because you just might change your mind. To the Christians, I say have faith and read on to find out what’s going on in 1 Samuel 16:14.

To understand what’s going on in 1 Samuel 16:14, we must first turn to Job and review this incident between God and Satan.

8 Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.”

9 “Does Job fear God for nothing?” Satan replied. 10 “Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land. 11 But now stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face.”

12 The Lord said to Satan, “Very well, then, everything he has is in your power, but on the man himself do not lay a finger.”

Then Satan went out from the presence of the Lord.

Job 1:8-12 (NIV)

There’s a lot we can extract from these four verses, and one of those things is the sovereignty of God expressed in the truth that nothing can happen that God doesn’t allow to happen. This fundamental truth about God is something we too often forget. Instead, we think the devil is “out to get us,” and if we’re not careful, he will destroy us. While it’s true that Satan is our enemy, and he’d like nothing more than to kill everything that stands against God, he has no power that isn’t given to him by God. 

Another thing we can gather from Job 1:8-12 is the concept of God’s “hedge,” as seen in verse 10. I see this hedge of protection as an expression of God’s favor, and in verse 12, we see God remove some of that hedge. Indeed, Satan was given the power to do whatever he wanted to everything Job cared about except Job himself. Now, make sure you understand this because it’s the first “piece” to the puzzle of understanding what’s going on in 1 Samuel 16:14.

In the gospel of Matthew, Jesus gives us this insight.

43 “When an impure spirit comes out of a person, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. 44 Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order. 45 Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that person is worse than the first. That is how it will be with this wicked generation.”

Matthew 12:43-45 (NIV)

I’m not going to go into much detail about these verses (go here if you’d like to know more), but I want you to notice what’s going on here. There’s an impure spirit that leaves a person, and when it leaves, what does it do? It goes out and finds seven other spirits, and they go back into the person they left. In other words, they fill the vacancy that was once there. Aristotle said something about this concept when he observed that nature abhors a vacuum. This is the second piece of our puzzle, so take note of it. 

In Romans 7, the apostle Paul introduces us to the concept of what he called our “sinful nature.”

15 I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. 16 And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. 17 As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. 18 For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. 19 For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.

21 So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me (emphasis added). Romans

7:15-21 (NIV)

I’m not going to go into detail about everything going on here right now, but you can read my thoughts about this passage here. However, what we must take note of here is the concept of the sinful nature in verse 18. That concept is that we have nothing good inside of us that comes from us. Indeed, every good and perfect gift comes from God (James 1:17), and apart from God, we can do nothing (John 15:5). Furthermore, our righteousness is nothing but a filthy rag compared to God (Isaiah 64:6). Therefore, as verse 21 assures us, there’s a law at work, and that law refers to sin. The sin that is all around us, and, of course, in us. This is the third piece to our puzzle in figuring out what’s going on in 1 Samuel 16:14, and it aligns with our second piece. 

Let’s put these puzzle pieces together before we proceed.

  1. God puts a “hedge of protection” around those who serve him, and he can remove that hedge at any time.
  2. Nature abhors a vacuum. In other words, everything needs to be filled with something. 
  3. There is sin (evil) inside of and all around us. 

One thing people seem to miss when reading about the Lord sending an evil spirit to torment Saul in verse 14 is what happens right before it. 

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 (emphasis added).

1 Samuel 16:13 (NIV)

The “Spirit of the Lord powerfully came upon David.” What happens next? 

Now the Spirit of the Lord had departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord tormented him (emphasis added).

1 Samuel 16:14 (NIV)

If we apply our three pieces to the “puzzle” of 1 Samuel 16:14, this is what happens. 

  1. The Lord had established a “hedge of protection” or favor around Saul.
  2. The Lord removed Saul as king (in his eyes) and anointed David as king, thus establishing a “hedge of protection” around David.
  3. Upon removing the hedge from Saul, a vacuum is created.
  4. What fills the vacuum? Evil fills it in the form of an evil spirit that torments Saul.

I don’t know about you, but I’ve often heard people “explain” God to unbelievers using the concept that they have a “God-sized” hole in them that they try to fill with other things. However, because that “God-sized” hole is meant for God, none of those other things can do the job. What’s going on in 1 Samuel 16:14 is kind of like that. However, Christians are different from Saul because when Jesus was glorified, the Holy Spirit was given to all who believe as a guarantee of our salvation in Christ (Ephesians 1:14).  

So there you have, that’s what’s going on in 1 Samuel 16:14. Thanks for reading.