God Sets Boundaries and Uses Wicked Spirits - 1 Samuel 16-20

1 Samuel 18:10-11 (ESV)

The next day a harmful spirit from God rushed upon Saul, and he raved within his house while David was playing the lyre, as he did day by day. Saul had his spear in his hand. And Saul hurled the spear, for he thought, “I will pin David to the wall.” But David evaded him twice.

The above verse is the first time this is written.  Here is the second:

1 Samuel 19:9

Then a harmful spirit from the Lord came upon Saul, as he sat in his house with his spear in his hand. And David was playing the lyre.

We can struggle with this as to why God would use an evil spirit to influence Saul’s demise.   In our struggle to understand the sovereignty of God, these verses seem to show a part of that sovereignty that is confusing.    This recalls what happened to Job, when a wicked men, fire and wind came to destroy all Job owned:

Job 1:15-19 (ESV)

and the Sabeans fell upon them and took them and struck down the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you.” While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, “The fire of God fell from heaven and burned up the sheep and the servants and consumed them, and I alone have escaped to tell you.” While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, “The Chaldeans formed three groups and made a raid on the camels and took them and struck down the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you.” While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, “Your sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house, and behold, a great wind came across the wilderness and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young people, and they are dead, and I alone have escaped to tell you.”

The fact that God works in our lives in such a way can give us pause.  But we can rejoice that God is in control of all things.  He sets the boundaries for all things:

Jeremiah 5:22 (ESV)

Do you not fear me? declares the LORD.

Do you not tremble before me?

I placed the sand as the boundary for the sea,

a perpetual barrier that it cannot pass;

though the waves toss, they cannot prevail;

though they roar, they cannot pass over it.

We can be fearful and/or perplexed at these truths, or we can rejoice that God is in control and even limits and uses the evilness in this world for His good.