Why was it that when "God's spirit" came on Saul and his men, it caused them all to prophesy by ranting in gibberish and tearing off their clothes?
This doesn't seem to me like something God would want to happen, or something we would expect to see happen when someone prophesies.
1 Samuel 19:22 - 23
MSG - 22 Fed up, Saul went to Ramah himself. He came to the big cistern at Secu and inquired, "Where are Samuel and David?" A bystander said, "Over at Naioth in Ramah. 23 As he headed out for Naioth in Ramah, the Spirit of God was on him, too. All the way to Naioth he was caught up in a babbling trance! He ripped off his clothes and lay there rambling gibberish before Samuel for a day and a night, stretched out naked. People are still talking about it: "Saul among the prophets! Who would have guessed?
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Asked September 30 2014
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Jillian Tompane
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tom TOm
The word prophecy here is נָבָא - read as naba'. This is to prophesy under influence of divine spirit. Before Jesus came, the Holy Spirit did not dwell in men. The Spirit would only COME UPON men. This is not the indwelling of the Spirit. The Spirit just influenced him and in a certain sense took control of him so that he keep bubbling up. That is what this word prophesy נָבָ naba mean.... it is to keep bubbling up. Today, we do see people bubbling up when the Holy Spirit comes upon a person. Spirit - רוּחַ ruwach came on him God just wanted to contain Saul so that he would not kill David. So He kept him busy all day and all night - to a point others thought Saul had become a prophet! The Holy Spirit that comes on the believers in the NT times is πνεῦμα pneuma.
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