The Spear, The Harp, and The Unblinking Eye of God Text: 1 Samuel 19:8-10
Introduction: The Unraveling of a King
We come now to a scene that is, in many ways, a miniature portrait of the entire biblical narrative of redemption. We have a righteous man, David, serving his king faithfully. We have a tormented king, Saul, consumed by a bitter and irrational envy. And we have the invisible hand of God, governing every particular of the scene, down to the flight of a spear and the nimble dodge of His anointed. This is not simply a dramatic episode in the life of David. It is a theological lesson, painted in the stark colors of jealousy, music, and attempted murder.
The modern mind, particularly the modern Christian mind, is often squeamish about passages like this. We want our stories neat and tidy. We want our villains to be entirely self-generated, and we want God to be a concerned but distant observer, wringing His hands and hoping for the best. But Scripture will not allow us such sentimentalism. Here we see the raw reality of a world groaning under sin, but a world that is never, for one fraction of a second, outside the absolute and meticulous control of Almighty God. The central conflict is not merely between Saul and David. It is between the kingdom of man, flailing in its rebellion, and the kingdom of God, advancing inexorably through His chosen instruments.
Saul is a man coming apart at the seams. He has rejected the Word of the Lord, and so the Spirit of the Lord has departed from him. But nature abhors a vacuum, and so does the spiritual realm. Something else has filled that void. And David, the man after God's own heart, is the constant, living reminder of everything Saul has forfeited. David's victories are Saul's torment. David's music is the backdrop for Saul's madness. And in this clash, we see what happens when the Lord's anointed is rejected and the Lord's truly anointed is present.
The Text
Then there was war again. And David went out and fought with the Philistines and struck them with a great slaughter, so that they fled before him. Now there was an evil spirit from Yahweh on Saul as he was sitting in his house with his spear in his hand, and David was playing the harp with his hand. And Saul tried to pin David to the wall with the spear, but he slipped away out of Saul’s presence, so that he stuck the spear into the wall. And David fled and escaped that night.
(1 Samuel 19:8-10)
Faithfulness in the Line of Fire (v. 8)
We begin with David's consistent and courageous service.
"Then there was war again. And David went out and fought with the Philistines and struck them with a great slaughter, so that they fled before him." (1 Samuel 19:8)
Notice the simple, matter-of-fact nature of this statement. "There was war again." This is the normal state of affairs for Israel in a fallen world, surrounded by enemies. And what is David's response? He "went out and fought." This is his duty. He is a servant of Israel and of Israel's king. Despite Saul's previous attempts on his life, despite the simmering jealousy that is plain for all to see, David does not shirk his responsibility. He does not say, "I'm not going to risk my neck for a man who wants to kill me." No, his loyalty is not ultimately to Saul, but to the God who placed Saul on the throne and who has anointed David to be the next king.
David's faithfulness is a rebuke to all our modern therapeutic excuses for disobedience. We think that if we are wronged, we are thereby released from our obligations. But David operates on a different principle. He understands that his duty is determined by God's calling, not by the character of his immediate superior. He is a soldier of Yahweh before he is a courtier of Saul. And so, he fights. And God blesses his faithfulness. He strikes the Philistines with a "great slaughter." Every victory David wins for Israel is another nail in the coffin of Saul's legitimacy. It is another demonstration of where the Lord's favor truly rests. This is God's doing. God is exalting His chosen man, and He is using the ordinary means of military conflict to do it. David's success is not the cause of Saul's sin; it is the occasion for revealing the sin that is already festering in his heart.
The Sovereignty of God Over Evil (v. 9)
Now we come to the theological heart of the passage, a verse that causes many to stumble.
"Now there was an evil spirit from Yahweh on Saul as he was sitting in his house with his spear in his hand, and David was playing the harp with his hand." (1 Samuel 19:9)
Let us be very clear here. The text says the evil spirit was "from Yahweh." It does not say it was "independent of Yahweh" or "in rebellion against Yahweh" or "an unfortunate accident that Yahweh was trying to manage." It was from Him. This is a hard pill for our sentimental age to swallow, but it is the consistent teaching of Scripture. God is sovereign over all things, and this includes evil spirits. He is not the author of sin, meaning He is not the one who is morally culpable for the evil. But He is the ultimate author of the story, the one who ordains and governs every event for His own holy purposes. As the Westminster Confession puts it, He ordains whatsoever comes to pass, yet in such a way that the sinfulness of the act proceeds only from the creature.
Think of it this way. God is the playwright. Saul is the actor. The evil spirit is a prop, or perhaps a stage direction. The actor is responsible for delivering his lines with malicious intent. The playwright is responsible for writing a story that, in the end, brings about a glorious and redemptive conclusion. God sent this spirit to chasten the disobedient king, to reveal the wickedness of his heart, and to drive the plot forward toward David's eventual and rightful ascension. This spirit is an instrument of divine judgment. Saul had opened the door to it through his rebellion, and God, in His justice, shoved it through the door. God is not wringing His hands over this; He is working His purposes out.
And look at the scene. Saul is sitting with his spear. David is playing his harp. This is a picture of two kingdoms. Saul's kingdom is the kingdom of force, violence, and intimidation. His instrument is the spear. David's kingdom, the kingdom that is to come, is one of beauty, worship, and harmony. His instrument is the harp. The spear and the harp are at war in that room, and it is a war that God is orchestrating.
Providence in a Split Second (v. 10)
The tension breaks, and God's meticulous providence is put on display.
"And Saul tried to pin David to the wall with the spear, but he slipped away out of Saul’s presence, so that he stuck the spear into the wall. And David fled and escaped that night." (1 Samuel 19:10)
Saul "tried." That is the key word. The apostate king, empowered by a spirit of malice sent from God, hurls a deadly weapon at God's anointed. And he misses. Why does he miss? Was David just quick on his feet? Was Saul a bad shot? The text says David "slipped away." But who governs the trajectory of a spear? Who governs the reflexes of a young man? The same God who sent the spirit that prompted the throw. God is not the author of Saul's murderous intent, but He is the author of Saul's bad aim.
This is the doctrine of divine providence in its most practical form. God's will of decree is never thwarted. His will of command often is. God commands Saul not to murder, and Saul, in his sin, disobeys. But God has decreed that David will be king, and so Saul's spear cannot find its mark. God's ultimate purpose overrides Saul's sinful purpose. He uses Saul's sin to test David, to drive him into the wilderness where he will be shaped into a true king, and to demonstrate His own sovereign protection over His chosen one. The spear quivering in the wall is a monument to the futility of fighting against God.
David fled and escaped. This was not an act of cowardice, but of prudence. He knew that the time for him to take the throne had not yet come. He would not lift his hand against the Lord's anointed, even in self-defense. He would wait for God to remove Saul. His escape was as much a part of God's plan as the spear throw. Every step of David's flight that night was a step ordered by the Lord.
The Spear, The Cross, and The Empty Tomb
This scene is more than just an exciting story. It is a type, a foreshadowing, of a greater conflict. David, the anointed one, faithfully serves and brings peace with his music, and in return, the ruler of the kingdom, filled with a spirit of envy and malice, tries to kill him. David is the innocent servant, hunted without cause.
Does this not sound familiar? The Lord Jesus, the greater David, came to His own people. He came bringing the music of the gospel, the good news of the kingdom. He went about doing good, healing the sick, casting out demons, and teaching the truth. And how did the rulers of Israel, the Sauls of that generation, respond? They were filled with envy. The chief priests, we are told, handed Him over because of envy (Mark 15:10).
And they too threw a spear at Him. They hurled their accusations, their false witnesses, and their political maneuvering. And unlike David, Jesus did not slip away. In the garden, He could have called down twelve legions of angels. But He stood still. The spear, in this case, found its mark. The nails were driven. The cross was raised. Why? Because it was the Father's will. It was "determined before to be done" (Acts 4:28). God, in His sovereign plan, did not make His Son slip away. He used the wicked hands of sinful men to accomplish the greatest good the world has ever known: the atonement for our sins.
Saul's spear stuck in the wall, a symbol of defeated malice. But the cross, which seemed to be a symbol of defeated righteousness, was in fact the instrument of ultimate victory. David escaped that night and eventually took the throne. Jesus Christ went into the tomb, but He escaped on the third day, and He has taken His throne at the right hand of the Majesty on High. Saul's rage was impotent. The rage of the Sanhedrin, of Herod, of Pilate, was ultimately impotent. They all did what God's hand and God's plan had predestined to take place.
Therefore, we should take immense comfort from this. Is there an evil spirit from the Lord tormenting your life? Perhaps not in the same way as Saul, but are you facing irrational hostility? Are spears being thrown at you at the office, in your neighborhood, or even in your home? Remember this. The one who governs the evil spirit also governs the flight of the spear. He is working all things, even the malicious attacks of your enemies, together for your good. Trust Him. Play the harp of praise, even when the spears are flying. For the God who protected David, the God who raised Jesus, is your God, and His purposes for you cannot be stopped.