Jim Gallagher

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…