1 Samuel 19:9
“Now the distressing spirit from the Lord came upon Saul as he sat in his house with his spear in his hand. And David was playing music with his hand.”
Like all of us, King Saul struggled with his emotions. When he looked at David, he did not see Israel’s rising star, or a man after God’s heart, but only a man who was a threat to his throne. Saul found himself filled with jealousy, fear, pride, and anger. As the story unfolds, we find these sins ultimately became his downfall. His failure was partly due to the way he dealt with his sin.
We read time and time again of a “distressing spirit from the Lord” that came upon Saul. This spirit was no doubt a strong conviction for the things he was doing wrong. Instead of allowing his conviction to bring him to repentance, Saul tried to drown out the voice of God with music. Lacking a “Walk-Man,” a CD player, or an iTunes playlist, he did the next best thing whenever conviction arose, he brought musicians in to play his favorite songs. While the music may have removed the guilty feelings and calmed the king, it failed to deal with the real issue. What Saul needed was not to feel better, instead he needed to change his behavior.
It is very common today for people to attempt to remove guilty feelings, instead of removing the actions that make them guilty. We might even run from friend to friend, or counselor to counselor, until we find someone who will tell us what we are doing is OK. While their counsel may make us feel better, it will not make us less guilty.
If you are tormented by conviction because you are involved in a lifestyle that God forbids, the answer is not to seek things that will make you feel better, but to seek to change your lifestyle. The Bible gives a clear cut way of dealing with sinful behavior,
1 John 1:9
“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
If you are misbehaving, take time right now to confess your sins and allow God to forgive you and to set you free.
Pastor Jim
The relationship between David and Jonathan is one of the most beautiful and encouraging in all of Scripture. We find that these two young men met while serving the Lord and furthering His kingdom. Their relationship was built on love, humility, and self-sacrifice. It was this relationship that proved to be a constant source of encouragement to David, and a means by which Jonathan learned to discover God’s plan for his life.
The Psalmist is describing his life. The lines he refers to, speak of his experiences in life. They might include his family life, his marriage, his ministry experiences, and even his recreational pursuits. He is saying, life is good. To use the words of Jesus, he is experiencing life in abundance. I think every one of us would like to be able to sing these words. The question is, how did he get there.?
David had many reasons not to enter the arena and do battle with Goliath. David was young and had no real experience in battle. He lacked the support of those who knew him best, and the protective armor was way too big. Goliath, on the other hand, was a man of war, a legend on the battle field. His size alone was a force that spread fear throughout the camp of Israel. We would hold nothing against David, if the story read that he delivered the supplies to his brothers, then returned home. With all the reasons David had to avoid engaging in this battle, he had one reason that triumphed over all. David believed that God was alive and able to lead him to victory.
The word distressing that describes Saul’s condition could also be translated as bad, evil, sad, or even as being in a state of misery. The writer wants us to understand that King Saul was being plagued by his emotions. The chapters leading up to this reveal that the cause of Saul’s condition was his disobedience to the Lord. Pride, self will, and fear of man, have been the driving forces behind Saul’s actions, and he is now reaping the consequences of a life lived contrary to the ways of God. In an attempt to be helpful, his friends gave him some very bad advice. They suggested that whenever he started to feel bad, he should distract himself with music. This remedy might have helped Saul feel better, but it in no way cured what actually ailed him. What Saul really needed to do was change his behavior, not his radio station. 
A modern dictionary defines a fool as, “someone who lacks judgment,” or “a deranged person lacking in common powers of understanding.” As a form of illustration, this sentence was used: “You would be a fool to believe what he tells you.” Often, the Christian is portrayed as a fool, and sometimes, belief in God is treated as folly. More commonly, believing God is looked at as foolishness.
As this psalm begins to unfold, we find David facing some pretty difficult times. He describes himself as feeling forgotten and being overcome by sorrow. Without giving details, he describes his enemy as threatening to prevail against him. Yet, in all this, he wrote of singing to the Lord. It is the song of triumph that will often lead to release from despondency. Instead of waiting for circumstances to change, David determined to worship in the midst of trial. As he took his eyes off his suffering and fixed them on the grace of God, he soon found himself rejoicing rather than complaining. 
There is no doubt, while all of the Bible is inspire by God and “profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness” (Titus 3:16), there are certain passages that stand out to us. They seem to strike a chord in our lives, or present a truth that is so profound, it will transform our living. This is one of those passages. The scene is set in the previous chapter. The Philistines had been oppressing Israel for years. The weak, scattered tribes of Israel were no match for the immense army of the Philistines. They had been defeated time and time again by the Philistine raiders. All weapons had been confiscated from Israel, leaving them incapable of mustering a resistance against the Philistine lords. With all his effort, the best Saul could do was muster a six hundred man standing army that was no match for the enemy.
In many ways, the Old Testament serves as a picture book to illustrate New Testament principles. That is not to say the events recorded are not factual, but that they were designed to bring out Biblical principles in living color. The story of Saul and his battle to defeat the Amalekites unfolds like a motion picture, illustrating the battle we face with our own flesh. It does not take long for every Christian to realize, we struggle to resist some of the things that God has forbidden. Overcoming the ungodly desires within us is the daily struggle of the believer, and the story before us helps to unveil one of the secrets to success.
Jim Gallagher 