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Answer
First Samuel 16:14 states, “The Spirit of the LORD had departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD tormented him.” This is also referenced in 1 Samuel 16:15–16, 23; 18:10; and 19:9. Why did God allow an evil spirit to torment Saul? In what manner was the evil spirit “from” the Lord?
Initially, the evil spirit was “from” the Lord in the sense that it was permitted by God to trouble Saul. Ultimately, all created things are under God’s sovereignty. It is probable that this evil spirit was a component of God’s judgment upon Saul for his disobedience. Saul had directly defied God on two occasions (1 Samuel 13:1-14;15:1-35). Consequently, God withdrew His Spirit from Saul and allowed an evil spirit to afflict him. Presumably, Satan and the demons had always desired to assail Saul; God was now simply granting them permission to do so.
Secondly, the evil spirit was utilized to introduce David into Saul’s life. This narrative occurs immediately after David’s anointing as the future king of Israel. The audience would be curious about how a shepherd boy could ascend to the throne. First Samuel 16 unveils the initial phase of this journey. When the king’s attendants witnessed the torment Saul was enduring, they proposed, “See, an evil spirit from God is tormenting you. Let our lord command his servants here to search for someone who can play the lyre. He will play when the evil spirit from God comes on you, and you will feel better” (1 Samuel 16:15-16).
One of the king’s attendants recommended David to the king, portraying the youth as a skilled harpist, among other attributes (verse 18). Saul summoned David, who brought him great solace: “David came to Saul and entered his service. Saul took a great liking to him, and David became one of his armor-bearers. Then Saul sent word to Jesse, saying,‘Allow David to remain in my service, for I am pleased with him.’ Whenever the spirit from God came on Saul, David would take up his lyre and play. Then relief would come to Saul; he would feel better, and the evil spirit would leave him” (1 Samuel 16:21-23).
It is important to note that this evil spirit that troubled Saul was only temporary. The final verse notes that the evil spirit came on multiple occasions to bother Saul, but also departed from him.
A related question is, does God send evil spirits to torment people today? There are examples of individuals in the New Testament being turned over to Satan or demons for punishment. God allowed Ananias and Sapphira to be filled with the spirit of Satan as a warning and example to the early church (Acts 5:1-11). A man in the Corinthian church was committing incest and adultery, and God commanded the leaders to “hand him over to Satan” to destroy his sinful nature and save his soul (1 Corinthians 5:1-5). God allowed a messenger of Satan to torment the apostle Paul to teach him to rely on God’s grace and power and not become conceited because of the tremendous abundance of spiritual truth he was given «And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. », (2 Corinthians 12:7).
The New Testament reveals how God can use the presence of evil spirits to reveal His power. Jesus showed His power over demons on multiple occasions; every time Jesus cast out a demon, it affirmed the Lord’s authority. The account of Jesus’ casting out the demons who enteredRead a herd of pigs indicates that perhaps as many as 2,000 evil spirits were present, yet they all feared the power of Christ (Mark 5:1-13).
If God does allow evil spirits to torment people today, He does so with the goal of our good and His glory “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”, (Romans 8:28). And, just as in Job’s case, Satan and his minions can do only what God allows them to do (Job 1:12; Job 2:6). They never act independently of God’s sovereign and perfect will and purpose. If believers suspect they are being tormented by demonic forces, the first response is to repent of any known sin. Then we should ask for wisdom to understand what we are to learn from the situation. Then we are to submit to whatever God has allowed in our lives, trusting that it will result in the building up of our faith and the glory of God.
Evil spirits are no match for the power of God. As Ephesians 6:10–12 commands, “Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”
