“So Jonathan called David and told him the whole conversation. He brought him to Saul, and David was with Saul as before.8 Once more war broke out, and David went out and fought the Philistines. He struck them with such force that they fled before him. 9 But an evil[a] spirit from the Lord came on Saul as he was sitting in his house with his spear in his hand. While David was playing the lyre, 10 Saul tried to pin him to the wall with his spear, but David eluded him as Saul drove the spear into the wall. That night David made good his escape.” 1 Samuel 19.7-10
Sometimes even when we have great success, evil is lurking close beside us.
Take David’s life for example. He was filled with the Lord’s spirit, strength and power. He killed Goliath, was victorious in many battles, won over the kings’ beautiful daughter, and was secretly anointed king by the great prophet Samuel. And still, evil was trying to take him down namely through King Saul.
Saul could not contain his hatred toward evil. The more I read about the evil spirit coming from the Lord upon Saul, the more I am convinced that Saul brought this on himself. His lust for power and jealously toward David open the door and let evil in. The Lord simply allowed it to happen.
David continued to have great success in battle so much so that all the Philistines “fled before him.” After the battle, he returned to the court of Saul where the king tried to kill David again by pinning him to the wall with his spear. “David eluded him as Saul drove the spear into the wall.” Enough was enough, “David made good his escape.” Smart move.
No matter how much success David had, he could not win over the love of King Saul. This rivalry would last for many years, but here at the beginning of David’s rise to power, this obstacle was huge. Having to evade the king who wanted to kill your life was not easy, even for David.
No matter what comes our way, God is with those who love and serve him. Those who place their hope in his hands have a place in paradise. Even the thief on the cross next to Jesus who was guilty of sins and confessed before the Lord was promised paradise that very day. We can be guaranteed the same when we put our faith in Christ to rescue us from this present danger of the enemies who love evil.
Our only hope is reliance upon Jesus. Won’t you turn to him? Surrender your heart, give up control. Find hope in his hands and allow him to rescue you by the redemption of your sins upon the cross.
“O Lord God, you are good. I praise you. For this day and for my journey you are faithful. Thank you for the power of the cross to save me from my sins. For the hope that is found in you and for being my shield and my protector, I give you praise. Come Holy Spirit, fill me with your power and love. For you are good and your love endures forever.” Amen