16:14
“Now the Spirit of the Lord had departed from Saul”. It is not clear exactly when the Spirit of the Lord had departed from Saul. Whether it was just after David was anointed, or after one of the “rejections”. Whatever the case, the Lord now sent an evil spirit to torment Saul. In the Old Testament virtually all actions are seen as being initiated by God. We might have a problem with the Lord sending an evil spirit, and would prefer it to just to say that “an evil spirit tormented Saul”. However, as God is sovereign all events are in some way down to Him, but this does not mean that man and/or the devil are not responsible. Indeed, if God is in control of everything, then the way the Bible puts it is the way it has to be.
16:15-18
Saul’s attendants knew what was happening. Quite often Saul’s attendants seemed to be more aware than Saul was! They also knew how to relieve Saul’s troubles. Someone playing the lyre would relieve the symptoms. So Saul instructs his attendants to find such a person. David was known for his musical skills. He was also known as a “brave man and a warrior”. This was probably because of his exploits in protecting the sheep from bears and lions. They also knew that the Lord was with him.
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