Video summary
The video addresses a difficult theological question regarding whether God can send evil spirits, using the biblical accounts of King Saul in 1 Samuel as a primary example. The discussion begins with the observation that while Saul was initially anointed by God and had a promising future, he eventually fell into sin and rebellion. A key argument presented is that God did not create or directly send an evil spirit to torment Saul; rather, the situation arose because Saul stepped out of God's protective covering. When Saul began to engage in wrong behaviors and allowed his ego to take precedence, the special presence of the Lord departed from him, leaving a void that was filled by malevolent forces. This perspective suggests that God allows such events as a form of judgment when individuals reject His guidance and protection, rather than actively orchestrating evil for its own sake.
The conversation further explores the nature of divine sovereignty over evil spirits by drawing parallels to the book of Job and the ministry of Jesus. It is explained that even in cases where suffering or demonic activity occurs, God maintains ultimate control and does not originate evil; instead, He permits it within His providence, often as a means of discipline or judgment against specific sin. For instance, when Jesus commanded demons to enter pigs, this act was viewed not as an endorsement of evil but as a sovereign decision to bring judgment upon those who were living in disobedience. The hosts emphasize that nothing happens outside of God's knowledge and permission, which provides believers with the assurance that even when they cannot trace His hand in difficult circumstances, His heart remains good and His purposes are under control.
A significant portion of the dialogue clarifies the distinction between the Old Testament experience of the Holy Spirit and New Testament regeneration. The speakers note that the removal of the Spirit from Saul was not necessarily a loss of salvation or being "born again," but rather the withdrawal of a special empowerment given to him for his role as king, similar to how God empowered David and Samson. When Saul rebelled severely, this specific gifting was taken away as an act of judgment, leaving him vulnerable to tormenting spirits. The hosts argue that if God had shown mercy at that moment, the evil spirit would have driven Saul to humility and repentance, but instead, it served as a severe consequence for his rejection of God's authority.
In conclusion, the video affirms that while God is holy and does not create evil, He remains sovereign over all spiritual forces and allows them to operate within His permissive will. The case of Saul illustrates that when people step out from under God's protection through persistent sin and rebellion, they become susceptible to negative influences that God had previously guarded against. Ultimately, the message encourages trust in God's character, noting that He is merciful and gracious, yet just in His judgments. The discussion ends by reinforcing the belief that believers can rest secure in the knowledge that God controls everything, even the presence of evil spirits, ensuring that His ultimate plan for justice and redemption prevails.
Read the full video transcript
Before I give my question, I just want
to say how much I enjoy your program and
appreciate the pastor's hard work and
their research. My question is from 1
Samuel 16:14
and 1 Samuel 19:9.
The word tells us that a harmful spirit
from the Lord tormented Saul.
This troubles me because I never thought
the Lord would send harmful spirits on
people.
Can you explain this?
>> Thank you for the question. It's a great
one and it's you know, hard to
understand sometimes. We're going to
start with Pastor Glaze.
>> Well, you know, when you think about you
know, Saul
and one of my professors in seminary,
Dr. Harold Wilmington, he said no man
ever started so good and finished so
bad. And you know, Saul was anointed,
you know, to be the king of Israel and
and God just you know, had some powerful
plans for his life. But I I think what
happened is that Saul began to dip and
dabble in the wrong things. You know, he
he got caught up with his ego and he's
you know, did things, went into make
sacrifices when he shouldn't have done
that. And so you know, I believe that
you know, Saul had a propensity, you
know, towards evil and the wrong things.
Now, you may remember Job. The Bible
says that God put a hedge of protection
around Job. And I believe the case was
so with Saul too that there was a hedge
of protection around Saul and even
before it talked about this evil spirit
coming on Saul, it said the spirit of
the Lord left him.
>> departed
>> Wow. The spirit of the Lord left him.
And so what happened was you know, God
didn't you know, create some evil spirit
and send it to attack Saul, but when
when Saul opened himself up to to all
these, you know, negative things, and
the spirit of the Lord left, I believe
that was God allowing that protection to
be dropped around Saul, and that God
allowed this evil spirit to come into
his life. Now, again, God didn't create
this evil spirit to specifically attack
Saul, God just allowed it to happen in
his life.
>> It's scary
>> thing to get out from under the
protection of God like that, you know.
>> And and notice that Saul left God first.
So, it wasn't a matter of of God leaving
Saul. Saul, as Pastor Glaze said,
uh Saul went through a progression
of
In the beginning, it said that
God changed his heart. He started with a
good heart.
But he didn't finish.
>> He didn't finish.
>> And so, again, if you can imagine, like
Pastor Glaze saying, that
it God allowed.
He didn't send the evil spirit. He
because Job step I mean, Saul stepped
out from God's covering.
And when we step out from God's
covering, I really believe we're free
game.
>> We're out from under the protection of
the Lord. Pastor Jay, what's your
thoughts on this?
>> Yeah, I think a lot of it's a play on
words a little bit, you know, if you
think about the use you guys about using
the allowance that God allowed that you
can look back at the book of Job, where
he had the hedge up, Satan had to get
permission.
>> Mhm.
>> So, in essence, God had to it it's not
from him, but it was from him. He had to
say, all right, I'm sending you to Job.
He gave the devil permission to go to
him. So, in essence, it was from him by
way of permission, not to your point in
regards to that he created or that God
has an evil spirit, but the devil has to
seek out permission, which is
encouragement for us that nothing
happens in our lives without God's
providence. And so therefore, as a
result of that, we can always trust that
even we can't trace his hand, we can
trust his heart because we know that
he's got everything under control. So,
even though it came from him, it wasn't
of his nature.
>> Right. Right. Evil is not of God's
nature. Right. I I do have a a follow-up
question is uh it says that the the Holy
Spirit was removed from him, but it was
different in the Old Testament compared
to now.
>> Yeah, I I don't think that the
scriptures are commenting on whether or
not Saul was regenerate. You know,
whether or not he was born again of the
spirit. I mean, you have to
in order to be saved, you have to be
born again. I think that was true in the
Old Testament. That's why Jesus said to
Nicodemus, you know, you're the teacher
of Israel and you don't even understand
this. How can you not understand that
the spirit has to do a work in you?
I think what it's talking about is the
giftedness and the special position. You
know, God had made Saul king.
God had chosen him. He had given him to
the people. He had empowered him with
his spirit in that special way that that
Saul was able to be king. Just as God
empowered David in a special way, Samson
in a special way. And so, when God with,
you know,
Saul really rebelled. I mean, it was
more than just like little things. He
rebelled uh to the point where God says,
I have rejected him from being king.
Remember, cuz he had rejected me. And
Samuel pled for him and God said, "Don't
plead for him anymore. I've I have" and
it was an act of judgment. It was really
an act of judgment. God judges
uh sinners. He is merciful. He is
gracious. You know, you guys spoke about
how, you know, he he allows even his
protection to protect all kinds of
people, but you know, Paul warns people
about uh whom I have delivered to Satan.
You know, there's a sense in which God
is sovereign over evil spirits. Jesus
commanded them to go into pigs.
Why did he do that? To bring judgment on
those people who shouldn't have been
farming pigs in Israel. Um you know, so
you know, God is sovereign. He's allowed
to send them to where he wants and and I
think it was a great act of judgment on
Saul, but even in that judgment, that
evil spirit should have drove Saul to
his knees. It should have made him
humble. Should have made him miss what
he had had when the Holy Spirit was on
him, and it didn't.
>> Right. Right. God would have had mercy.
God would have had mercy at that time
cuz it's the nature of God. Thank you so
much for the question. We appreciate
that one.