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S. Michael Houdmann
Supporter
First Samuel 16:14 says, "The Spirit of the LORD had departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD tormented him." This is also mentioned in 1 Samuel 16:15-16, 23; 18:10; and 19:9. Why did G...
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Walrus theCat
Evil spirits under the command of the LORD are not a unique occurrence in Scripture. Examples are 1 Kings 22, when God commissions one during a heavenly council, Job 1, when Satan presents himself before the Lord, and all of the instances of evil spirits obeying the Lord Jesus Christ during his earthly ministry. God lets loose many evil spirits from the abyss during the tribulation to torment mankind. It's a sort of judgement. Not to say any kind of evil spirits' activity is a divine judgement, but that divine judgement can include affliction by evil spirits. Saul was being judged. That's why God sent an evil spirit to torment King Saul.
Chris Eleam
The bad spirit that deprived Saul of his peace of mind was the bad inclination of his mind and heart—his inward urge to do wrong. When Jehovah withdrew his holy spirit, Saul lost its protection and came to be dominated by his own bad spirit. Since God permitted that spirit to replace His holy spirit, this bad spirit is termed “a bad spirit from Jehovah.”
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