THE TRANSFORMING POWER OF THE SPIRIT

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In Christ, Mark

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Once more war broke out and David went out and fought the Philistines. He struck them with such force that they fled before him.

But an evil spirit from the Lord came upon Saul as he was sitting in his house with his spear in his hand. While David was playing the harp, 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.

Saul sent men to David's house to watch it and to kill him in the morning. But Michal, David's wife, warned him, "If you don't run for your life tonight, tomorrow you'll be killed." So Michal let David down through a window, and he fled and escaped. Then Michal took an idol and laid it on the bed, covering it with a garment and putting some goats' hair at the head.

When Saul sent the men to capture David, Michal said, "He is ill."

Then Saul sent the men back to see David and told them, "Bring him up to me in his bed so that I may kill him." But when the men entered, there was the idol in the bed, and at the head was some goats' hair.

Saul said to Michal, "Why did you deceive me like this and send my enemy away so that he escaped?" Michal told him, "He said to me, 'Let me get away. Why should I kill you?'"

When David had fled and made his escape, he went to Samuel at Ramah and told him all that Saul had done to him. Then he and Samuel went to Naioth and stayed there. Word came to Saul: "David is in Naioth at Ramah"; so he sent men to capture him. But when they saw a group of prophets prophesying with Samuel standing there as their leader, the Spirit of God came upon Saul's men and they also prophesied. Saul was told about it, and he sent more men, and they prophesied too. Saul sent men a third time, and they also prophesied. Finally, he himself left for Ramah and went to the great cistern at Secu. And he asked, "Where are Samuel and David?"

"Over in Naioth at Ramah," they said.

So Saul went to Naioth at Ramah. But the Spirit of God came even upon him, and he walked along prophesying until he came to Naioth. He stripped off his robes and also prophesied in Samuel's presence. He lay that way all that day and night. This is why people say, "Is Saul also among the prophets?"

1 Samuel 19:8-24

This ends our reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

As we continue our study of 1st Samuel, chapter 19, we find Saul returning to his murderous ways. You may recall that he had been bent on killing David, jealous of the popularity and success he had gained. You’ll also remember that Saul’s efforts failed because the Lord was with David, who the scriptures tell us was a man after God’s own heart. This would continue as we look at today’s passage.

First, we see where David had once again gained victory for Israel over the Philistines, displaying “such force that they fled before him”. With every win, David gained more and more esteem from the people of Israel…and as we will see, more disdain from Saul.

For we read where once again where “an evil spirit from the Lord came upon Saul as he was sitting in his house with his spear in his hand”, causing him to try to pin David to the wall for a second time while he “was playing the harp”. But just as before, we see where David “eluded him” and “made good his escape”, returning to his home and wife Michal.

This didn’t deter Saul who wasn’t willing to give up until David was dead and so he “sent men to David's house to watch it” and “kill him in the morning”. It was a plan that failed only because “Michal, David's wife, warned him” of the pending attack saying:

“If you don't run for your life tonight, tomorrow you'll be killed."

And so Michal helped David escape “through a window and he fled” before she “took an idol and laid it on the bed, covering it with a garment and putting some goats' hair at the head” so it would appear as if David was there.

When Saul’s men arrived to capture David, Michal first tells them that David was ill and so Saul’s men returned to the king and made the report. Having little concern for David’s condition, we fund Saul give the following order to his men:

“Bring him up to me in his bed so that I may kill him."

And so the men returned to David’s home and it was then that they discovered they had been tricked, finding an “idol in the bed” with “some goat’s hair” at the head in place of David.

Well, the scriptures tell us that Saul was furious with his daughter and demanded an explanation saying:

“Why did you deceive me like this and send my enemy away so that he escaped?"

Her reply was just as sly as the ruse she used to conceal David’s escape as she lied to Saul, telling him she had to let David go out of self defense because her life had been threatened if she didn’t help him (David) get away.

The deception worked for Saul bought the story.

So where did David go after escaping?

We read where he returned to his old friend Samuel who was at Ramah and once there, David shared “all that Saul had done to him”. Given Saul’s past behavior, I’m sure Samuel was not surprised at the report.

Unfortunately, we see where David wasn’t out of the woods with Saul just yet in this passage for “word came to Saul” that David was at Naioth in Ramah and so he “sent men to capture him” there. And it was then that something miraculous happened…something that revealed the transforming power of the Spirit of God.

For as Saul’s men arrived in Naioth, “they saw a group of prophets prophesying, with Samuel standing there as their leader”. And at that very moment, “the Spirit of God came upon Saul's men” and they also began to prophesy!

What a sight that must have been…and word quickly traveled back to Saul about it. And so he “sent more men” with the same results…the Spirit of God coming upon them and bringing them to prophesy. And again, word went back to Saul who sent yet a third set of men who also were brought to prophesy by the mighty, transforming Spirit of God.

Frustrated by all this, Saul decided to go to Naioth himself. And when he did…you guessed it…”the Spirit of God came even upon him” and “he walked along prophesying until he came to Naioth”. Once there, we read where Saul “stripped off his robes” and “prophesied in Samuel's presence”, laying there in “that way all that day and night” and prompting the people to ask:

"Is Saul also among the prophets?"

Friends, this passage is simply amazing because we get to witness through the scriptures the awesome strength of God’s Spirit to change the hearts of people from bad to good. Saul and his men went from having murderous intent to speaking on behalf of the Lord in the blink of an eye. Ironically, we see in the New Testament where another man named Saul with murderous intentions would have a similar transformation as he traveled to Damascus to persecute and kill Christians (Acts 9). Of course, that Saul would find his name to Paul and his transformation at the hands of the Holy Spirit would make him an Apostle and one of the greatest Christ servants ever known.

Well, the good news today is that this can happen to anyone just as easily for the Holy Spirit has lost none of His transforming power…none of his ability to change and affect the hearts of people, turning the bad to good…the sinful to righteous. And because of this, we can hold out hope for any person, praying earnestly for change through the Spirit of God because we know change is always possible through Him.

If you’re reading this today and in need of a spiritual makeover, place your belief in Jesus and commit yourself to live as He did. Through the leading of the Holy Spirit, you can be sure you’ll do just that, a reflection of this exhortation from the aforementioned Paul as he wrote to the believers in Rome:

Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. Romans 12:1-2

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.