Game of Thrones – Good and Evil Spirits

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Category: Personal Study

Thread: Game of Thrones

Post Topic: Good and Evil Spirits

Post in Thread: #5

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Scripture: I Samuel 16:14-23

Key Verse:
Whenever the spirit from God came on Saul, David would take up his lyre and play. Then relief would come to Saul; he would feel better, and the evil spirit would leave him.
I Samuel 16:23

Observations

Context

Previously, in Game of Thrones:
- King Saul had been rejected as king by God due to his continual defiance.
- The Spirit of God had departed from him.
- David, son of Jesse, had been anointed as the next king of Israel by the judge and prophet Samuel.

David Meets Saul:

The spirt of the Lord departed Saul, and he became tormented by an evil spirit.
The evil spirit was sent by God (deeper discussion on this later).
Saul’s attendants suggested a musician might be able to calm him.
As luck (or God) would have it, they chose David.
David was known for his skill with the lyre, but he was also filling out and becoming known as a brave man and a warrior.
Saul took a liking to David, and made him one of his armor-bearers.
Whenever the evil spirit would come upon Saul, David would play the lyre, and relief would come to Saul, as the spirit would leave him.
- Spoiler Alert – this peace won’t last. In future episodes, Saul will attempt to kill David with a spear while he plays calming music.

Interpretation

Setting

Saul’s home was in the town of Gibeah, just north of Jerusalem but south of Samuel’s home of Ramah. It is located on a high point overlooking valleys and travel routes in all directions.

Genre

Narrative description.

Author

The author is unknown, but they had access to the records of the kings and possessed a thorough knowledge of the life and times of Samuel and the events surrounding the first kings of Israel.

Takeaways

King Saul unwittingly invited the man who was to replace him as king into his court.
God has a way of working out his plan that sometimes seems surreal.
Good and evil spirits are real.
We should seek to invite the Spirit of the Lord into our lives, and then yield to him.
The contrast between the brooding Saul and the glowing David is stark.

To Ponder

This passage clearly states that God sent the evil spirit to Saul. Could that really have happened?

Yes – evil spirits are subject to God’s control and operate only within divinely determined boundaries.
But why would God do this to Saul, or anyone, for that matter?
- It seems that one purpose was as a punishment to Saul. Remember, Saul had God’s Holy Spirit upon him, but rejected him.
- It also might have been part of God’s divine plan to bring David to Saul’s side.
Dig Deeper: A more thorough discussion can be found here: Why did God send an evil spirit to torment King Saul?

Imagine

What must David have thought? First, he’s anointed the next king of Israel by Samuel. But Saul still holds that title, and David respects Saul’s position. Then, suddenly, he’s called before Saul to play music for him and to go to battle by Saul’s side. I’m sure he was careful to keep that anointed one nugget of information a secret.

Do you think he was ever tempted to start a revolt of his own? God had selected him to be Saul’s replacement, after all. If so, he refrained, and waited on God’s timing.

Correlation

I Kings 22:22-23 – God used an evil spirit to carry out his judgment against the wicked. Saul isn’t the only time this has happened.
Ephesians 6:2 – We do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the spiritual forces of evil. Spiritual warfare in an unseen realm is a reality.

Application

Generic Applications

Contrast the difference between Saul and David in the same room.
- Saul’s attendants could see that he was tormented.
- His own men described David as: A brave man and a warrior; he speaks well and is fine-looking; the Lord is with him. And on top of all that he could play the Lyre!
When the Spirit of the Lord is upon us, everyone can see the difference.

Personalize it

When we feel tormented or attacked by dark forces, do we brood? Give up? Or turn to praise music and scripture and fellowship with other believers? Even Saul felt relief when David played the Lyre.
If you can’t fight feelings of oppression, or you worry that you’ve dabbled in the occult and opened yourself up, find a Bible-believing church and ask to speak with the pastor. Some things do require professional help. Pray that God leads you to the right church before seeking one out.

Bible study methodology adapted from Searching the Scriptures with permission from Tyndale House:

Swindoll, Charles, Searching the Scriptures. Tyndale House Publishers, 2016.

Daniel P Warner