1 Samuel 16 · a question people ask
"An evil spirit from the LORD troubled him" (16:14). How can an evil spirit come from the LORD?
The chapter says it plainly, and more than once. "Now the LORD’s Spirit departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD troubled him" (16:14). His servants say, "See now, an evil spirit from God troubles you" (16:15), and speak of "when the evil spirit from God is on you" (16:16). When David plays, "the evil spirit departed from him" (16:23). The book says it again of Saul: "an evil spirit from God came mightily on Saul" (18:10), and "An evil spirit from the LORD was on Saul" (19:9). In Hebrew evil spirit is ruach ra'ah, the two words of "God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the men of Shechem" (Judges 9:23). Brown-Driver-Briggs gives ruach senses that include "breath, wind, spirit" and "temper, disposition", and ra senses from "bad, unpleasant, giving pain, unhappiness, misery" to "ethically bad, evil, wicked". The chapter doesn't say which it means. Christians read it in two main ways, each resting on verses. Both agree on what the chapter says: it came after the LORD had rejected Saul (15:26, 16:1) and his Spirit had departed from him (16:14); it came from the LORD (16:14); and David's playing brought relief (16:23). Both also read it beside James: "God can’t be tempted by evil, and he himself tempts no one" (James 1:13).
How Christians read it
Where Christians differ, Favor sets out the main views side by side and doesn't pick one.
A spirit sent as judgment
Those who hold this view read evil spirit as a spirit that came on Saul at the LORD's sending, as judgment on a king he had rejected (16:1), and went only as far as the LORD allowed. They point to Micaiah's vision, where "A spirit came out and stood before the LORD, and said, ‘I will entice him.’" (1 Kings 22:21), and the prophet told Ahab, "the LORD has put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these your prophets" (1 Kings 22:23). They point to Job, where the LORD said to Satan, "Behold, all that he has is in your power. Only on himself don’t stretch out your hand" (Job 1:12), and later, "Behold, he is in your hand. Only spare his life" (Job 2:6). And they point to one census told two ways: "the LORD’s anger burned against Israel, and he moved David against them" (2 Samuel 24:1), and "Satan stood up against Israel, and moved David to take a census of Israel" (1 Chronicles 21:1).
1 Samuel 16:1 · 1 Samuel 16:14 · 1 Kings 22:19-23 · Job 1:12 · Job 2:6 · 2 Samuel 24:1 · 1 Chronicles 21:1
Distress sent as judgment
Those who hold this view read evil spirit as a spirit of distress, a troubled temper, that came on Saul from the LORD as judgment once the LORD's Spirit had departed from him (16:14). They point to the senses Brown-Driver-Briggs gives the two words, "temper, disposition" for ruach and "bad, unpleasant, giving pain, unhappiness, misery" for ra; to what the chapter says it did, "troubled him" (16:14); and to what eased it: "so Saul was refreshed and was well" (16:23). The LORD says in Isaiah, "I make peace and create calamity" (Isaiah 45:7), where calamity is ra, under the same Strong's number (H7451).
1 Samuel 16:14 · 1 Samuel 16:23 · Isaiah 45:7
The verses
“Now the LORD’s Spirit departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD troubled him. Saul’s servants said to him, “See now, an evil spirit from God troubles you. Let our lord now command your servants who are in front of you to seek out a man who is a skillful player on the harp. Then when the evil spirit from God is on you, he will play with his hand, and you will be well.””
“When the spirit from God was on Saul, David took the harp and played with his hand; so Saul was refreshed and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him.”
“On the next day, an evil spirit from God came mightily on Saul, and he prophesied in the middle of the house. David played with his hand, as he did day by day. Saul had his spear in his hand;”
“An evil spirit from the LORD was on Saul as he sat in his house with his spear in his hand; and David was playing music with his hand.”