Today I want to share a word about going over to the dark side as I comment on selected verses from 1 Samuel 20-28.
In our last episode, we saw that God had directed Samuel to anoint David to become king. We also saw that David’s destiny had changed, but by-and-large his day-to-day life had not changed. He was still his father Jesse’s youngest son, and David recognized that fact. He still tended his father’s sheep, and he still took lunch to his brothers.
For as long as Saul remained the king of Israel, David was a model of humble service to Saul, to the people of Israel, and to God. David did service without subversion both in the shadows and in the limelight, and he continued to serve God after he was driven off into the wilderness. David was content to be a model of humble service because Saul was still his king.
Saul was still king, but he was struggling. He knew he had sinned against God, and that he had lost his destiny, and that his son Jonathan, with whom he was very close, would never become king over Israel. Even so, Saul could have repented and served his God and his people with honor until the end of his life. This is not what Saul did, however. He went over to the dark side.
The idea that we have a dark side to our spirits was a prominent theme of the Star Wars media franchise, so much so that a very popular meme appeared that is common across social media in various forms. This makes light of going over to the dark side by showing Darth Vader or the evil Emperor Palpatine proffering a plate of delicious looking cookies, saying, “Come to the dark side . . . we have cookies.” I can admire the wittiness of that meme while also knowing that evil is nothing to make fun with.
The idea that we must choose between good and evil did not begin with Star Wars, of course. An old Cherokee parable says that people have a fight going on inside their spirits. It is a terrible fight between two wolves. One wolf is evil and the other wolf is good. The bottom line of this parable says that the wolf which wins is the one which you feed. We will see that Saul fed his evil wolf copious amounts of red meat. Let’s begin by reading 1 Samuel 20:30-34,
Then Saul became angry with Jonathan and shouted, “You son of a perverse and rebellious woman! Don’t I know that you are siding with Jesse’s son to your own shame and to the disgrace of your mother. Every day Jesse’s son lives on earth you and your kingship are not secure. Now send for him and bring him to me—he must die!” Jonathan answered his father back, “Why is he to be killed? What has he done?” Then Saul threw his spear at Jonathan to kill him, so he knew that his father was determined to kill David. He got up from the table fiercely angry and did not eat any food that second day of the New Moon, for he was grieved because of his father’s shameful behavior toward David.
Saul Fed His Dark Side Through Rage:
Anger is a natural human emotion. We all feel and express anger, although what angers us and how we express that anger varies considerably between people and also between situations. Usually, our anger is an example of our lack of control, but not always.
It is true that some anger is righteous anger. When someone else is being hurt, or when God’s name and cause is being slandered, it is only right that we should get angry. When Jesus cleared the Temple of the money changers, He explained His actions in Matthew 21:13,
He said to them, “It is written, my house will be called a house of prayer, but you are making it a den of thieves!”
This action of Jesus was so out of character for Him that it has become another internet meme, which merges two separate thoughts: “If anyone ever asks you, ‘What would Jesus do?’ Remind him that flipping over tables and chasing people with a whip is within the realm of possibilities.” Again, I admire the wittiness of this meme, but it misses the point of what Jesus did. Jesus was defending His Father’s house and His reputation, He wasn’t just blowing His top. Paul taught us in Ephesian 4:26-27,
Be angry and do not sin. Don’t let the sun go down on your anger, and don’t give the devil an opportunity.
Saul/Paul wrote this sound counsel many years after Saul had been king, but his Old Testament namesake could have benefited from it. King Saul held onto his anger, he fed it, and it exploded one day into a fiery rage. When that day came, Saul nearly killed his own son, whom he loved. Unchecked anger is a dangerous thing.
Not many days before I wrote this, a minor car wreck in St. Louis, MO resulted in an argument between the drivers involved. This contention became so heated, that one of the drivers returned to his automobile, procured a firearm, and shot and killed the other driver. We must learn to be angry but to not sin, because the consequences of sinful anger are severe.
Saul fed his anger, which burst out into a rage that pushed him further into the dark side of life. Next, let’s read 1 Samuel 22:9-19,
Then Doeg the Edomite, who was in charge of Saul’s servants, answered, “I saw Jesse’s son come to Ahimelech son of Ahitub at Nob. Ahimelech inquired of the Lord for him and gave him provisions. He also gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine.” The king sent messengers to summon the priest Ahimelech son of Ahitub, and his father’s whole family, who were priests in Nob. All of them came to the king. Then Saul said, “Listen, son of Ahitub!” “I’m at your service, my lord,” he said. Saul asked him, “Why did you and Jesse’s son conspire against me? You gave him bread and a sword and inquired of God for him, so he could rise up against me and wait in ambush, as is the case today.” Ahimelech replied to the king, “Who among all your servants is as faithful as David? He is the king’s son-in-law, captain of your bodyguard, and honored in your house. Was today the first time I inquired of God for him? Of course not! Please don’t let the king make an accusation against your servant or any of my father’s family, for your servant didn’t have any idea about all this.” But the king said, “You will die, Ahimelech—you and your father’s whole family!” Then the king ordered the guards standing by him, “Turn and kill the priests of the Lord because they sided with David. For they knew he was fleeing, but they didn’t tell me.” But the king’s servants would not lift a hand to execute the priests of the Lord. So the king said to Doeg, “Go and execute the priests!” So Doeg the Edomite went and executed the priests himself. On that day, he killed eighty-five men who wore linen ephods. He also struck down Nob, the city of the priests, with the sword—both men and women, infants and nursing babies, oxen, donkeys, and sheep.
Saul Fed His Dark Side Through Murder:
While Saul had a track record of being morose, difficult, and angry, his sinful actions reached a new darkness in this horrific event. Saul resorted to the cold-blooded murder of innocent people to try to achieve his own political survival. This will not be the last instance of premeditated murder in our study of the kings of Israel and Judah, but this homicidal act by Saul set the climate for others to follow in his steps.
Murder, as opposed to killing on the battlefield or as part of a judicial process, is always a sin. Murderers decide that it is time for another’s life to end, placing themselves in the role of God. No human born of a mother and father is God, and to place oneself in that position is the height of arrogance. That’s not the only factor in this massacre that makes it a heinous act, however. Saul went over the top in this spree of premeditated murder.
First, Saul accused Ahimelech of a motivation that he did not have. The priest had been misled by David, and he never had any intention to overthrow Saul’s reign. Ahimelech was as innocent of subversion and conspiracy as was David, yet Saul decided he must also die.
Next, not only did Saul kill an innocent person, but he also killed the representative of God on the earth. Priests stood between God and people to bring about reconciliation and forgiveness of sins, yet Saul did not honor that vital work. Saul struck at the very heart of the spiritual life of his people.
Even worse, Saul not only killed Ahimelech, but he also had many other priests and their entire families killed. He even had an entire city destroyed. Note that Saul’s own soldiers refused to conduct this massacre, and Saul had to enlist an Edomite to do his dirty work for him.
This incident reminds me of a story told by my professor in an undergraduate class. He was a former police officer and a former state trooper, and one day he was drinking in a bar when another patron took offense at him. The other man was both very large and very inebriated and he threatened to attack the professor and beat him. My professor, who was not so drunk as his challenger, looked at the other fellow coldly. He said, “Go ahead; take your best shot. You might hurt me this evening, but when I am well again, I will find you and burn down your house. Then I will kill your wife, your children, your parents, and any other person, animal, or thing you hold dear. Then I will come for you.” The drunk decided that this man was no one to trifle with, and so he moved on.
Whether or not my professor was simply bluffing or not, Saul meant what he had said, and his cold-blooded murder pushed him further into the dark side of life. Next, let’s read 1 Samuel 23:19-29,
Some Ziphites came up to Saul at Gibeah and said, “Isn’t it true that David is hiding among us in the strongholds in Horesh on the hill of Hachilah south of Jeshimon? So now, whenever the king wants to come down, let him come down. As for us, we will be glad to hand him over to the king.” “May you be blessed by the Lord,” replied Saul, “for you have shown concern for me. Go and check again. Investigate where he goes and who has seen him there; they tell me he is extremely cunning. Investigate all the places where he hides. Then come back to me with accurate information, and I’ll go with you. If it turns out he really is in the region, I’ll search for him among all the clans[of Judah.” So they went to Ziph ahead of Saul. Now David and his men were in the wilderness near Maon in the Arabah south of Jeshimon, and Saul and his men went to look for him. When David was told about it, he went down to the rock and stayed in the Wilderness of Maon. Saul heard of this and pursued David there. Saul went along one side of the mountain and David and his men went along the other side. Even though David was hurrying to get away from Saul, Saul and his men were closing in on David and his men to capture them. Then a messenger came to Saul saying, “Come quickly, because the Philistines have raided the land!” So Saul broke off his pursuit of David and went to engage the Philistines. Therefore, that place was named the Rock of Separation. From there David went up and stayed in the strongholds of En-gedi.
Saul Fed His Dark Side Through Obsession:
For Saul, David became an obsession. David lived rent-free in Saul’s mind and soul, and he became Saul’s major focus in life. Obsession is the character traits of determination and focus misused. When people become obsessed, they lose touch with other important factors in life. Saul was not always an obsessed person, if he at times came close.
Remember back before Saul was anointed king? He had gone out with his servant to search for his father’s lost donkeys. He and his servant looked high and low, but they could not find them, and Saul came to the point when he was ready to give up the search. At that point, Saul was diligent and determined, but he was also rational and realistic. He could balance his search for the lost animals with his concern for his father, who probably had begun worrying about the safety of his son and his servant. Those days were gone, and Saul was now obsessed with David to the point that Israel became vulnerable to a Philistine attack. He was derelict in his duties to the nation because of his obsession. How can we avoid this mistake of feeding our dark side through obsession?
First, we must recognize that some obsessions derive from medical conditions and these must be treated by medical means. To ignore this is to ignore how God’s creation has been affected by human sin. By that I don’t mean that someone who has a medical condition that causes obsessiveness is sinful, but that human sin has corrupted the perfect creation of God. Yet, God in His grace has given us modern medicine to address these medical conditions. But, what about other obsessions, the ones which do stem from our sins? What do we do about those?
Jesus gave us a simple, yet profoundly powerful means to avoid feeding our dark side through obsession. In the Sermon on the Mount, He taught us this in Matthew 6:33,
But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you.
Of course, we are limited and weak people, so we need God’s help to follow even this type of simple command. Blessedly, Paul told us in Romans 8:26 that God’s Spirit helps us in our weakness. Saul, however, cultivated his obsession, and that was another factor that pushed him toward the dark side.
Next, let’s read 1 Samuel 28:5-10,
The Philistines gathered and camped at Shunem. So Saul gathered all Israel, and they camped at Gilboa. When Saul saw the Philistine camp, he was afraid and his heart pounded. He inquired of the Lord, but the Lord did not answer him in dreams or by the Urim or by the prophets. Saul then said to his servants, “Find me a woman who is a medium, so I can go and consult her.” His servants replied, “There is a woman at En-dor who is a medium.” Saul disguised himself by putting on different clothes and set out with two of his men. They came to the woman at night, and Saul said, “Consult a spirit for me. Bring up for me the one I tell you.” But the woman said to him, “You surely know what Saul has done, how he has cut off the mediums and spiritists from the land. Why are you setting a trap for me to get me killed?” Then Saul swore to her by the Lord: “As surely as the Lord lives, no punishment will come to you from this.”
Saul Fed His Dark Side Through Witchcraft:
In a previous episode, we saw how Samuel had delayed anointing Saul’s replacement, David, because Samuel was so fond of Saul. He simply could not let go of their past together. The same is apparently true of Saul. An old saying that describes why people can get into a rut in their lives is, “You go with what you know.” Saul had not progressed in his spiritual life, and in fact he had regressed. He was desperate for help, and he turned to his old mentor, Samuel.
While God does intend for His people to grow and mature, there is nothing inherently wrong in asking an old friend for advice. The problem in this case stemmed from the fact that Samuel was dead, and Saul went to the dark side to contact him.
It is easy to conclude from our study of the Scriptures that Saul never did anything correctly after his rescue of Jabesh, but his conversation with the Witch of Endor belies that fact. Saul had prohibited using seers and mediums, and he had made the penalty for witchcraft as death. Yet, like many things Saul set out to do, he violated his own laws and his own oaths. He said one thing and did another, and in this case, he looked to the dark side for help. How did that work out for him? Let’s read 1 Samuel 28:15-19,
“Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?” Samuel asked Saul. “I’m in serious trouble,” replied Saul. “The Philistines are fighting against me and God has turned away from me. He doesn’t answer me anymore, either through the prophets or in dreams. So I’ve called on you to tell me what I should do.” Samuel answered, “Since the Lord has turned away from you and has become your enemy, why are you asking me? The Lord has done exactly what he said through me: The Lord has torn the kingship out of your hand and given it to your neighbor David. You did not obey the Lord and did not carry out his burning anger against Amalek; therefore the Lord has done this to you today. The Lord will also hand Israel over to the Philistines along with you. Tomorrow you and your sons will be with me, and the Lord will hand Israel’s army over to the Philistines.”
Satan is a liar from the pit of Hell, but ironically, he also knows the truth. James 2:9 tells us,
You believe that God is one. Good! Even the demons believe—and they shudder.
When Saul turned to witchcraft, he was playing with fire, and it was not a good move. The facts that Saul learned from feeding his dark side through witchcraft were not any different for him had he not done so. To state it plainly for us today, nothing good comes from turning to the forces of evil for help when we are in trouble.
The results of all of Saul’s foolish actions are found in I Samuel 28:20-225
Immediately, Saul fell flat on the ground. He was terrified by Samuel’s words and was also weak because he had not eaten anything all day and all night. The woman came over to Saul, and she saw that he was terrified and said to him, “Look, your servant has obeyed you. I took my life in my hands and did what you told me to do. Now please listen to your servant. Let me set some food in front of you. Eat and it will give you strength so you can go on your way.” He refused, saying, “I won’t eat,” but when his servants and the woman urged him, he listened to them. He got up off the ground and sat on the bed.
Saul Fed His Dark Side Through Fear:
Everything that Saul had done since he had disobeyed God led him to this point. He had fed his dark side until it was obese, and it was weighing down his spirit to the point that Saul collapsed on the floor and refused to eat. Not only was Saul unable to lead his troops, but he was also unable to even control his own emotions.
As Saul fed his dark side, it became more than a ravenous wolf, it became a debilitating parasite. It sucked the very life out of Saul, and the more he fed it, the more it wanted, until it all but destroyed him.
In contrast to Saul’s experience with the dark side, the Scriptures abound with God telling His people to “fear not, for I am with you.” In John 10:10 Jesus described the contrast between good and evil this way,
A thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I have come so that they may have life and have it in abundance.
The dark side is the thief of our joy. Why would we ever feed it?
Conclusion:
Few people are ever as one-dimensional in their failures as was Saul. We try to play both ends against the middle by feeding both wolves, but that is a fool’s errand. The only way to that abundant life in Christ is to let him feed your good wolf. He’s the only one able to do that and wise people let Him!
Every blessing,
Dr. Otis Corbitt
