When we think about the start of David’s journey, we usually jump straight to the giant and the sling. But the real fight didn’t start in the valley of Elah; it started in a quiet room with a horn of oil. David’s spiritual battle was won long before he ever faced a physical battle with man.
In 1 Samuel 16, we see a massive collision of two lives: David receiving God’s Spirit and Saul losing it. Now, we know that after the cross, the Holy Spirit stays with the believer and doesn’t leave like He did in the Old Testament. But the lesson for us is still clear. We are looking at what happens when one man welcomes God’s blessing and another man walks away from it.
1. GOD WORKS INWARD BEFORE HE WORKS OUTWARD
David was anointed in private. There was no crowd, no throne, and no royal robe. Yet, in that quiet moment, God fully equipped him for what was coming.
1 Samuel 16:13 “Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward.”
God builds the man before He reveals the man. God often provides the grace and preparation long before He provides the position.
1 Samuel 16:7, “…man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.”*
Luke 16:10, “He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much.”*
(Psalm 78:70–72) David was taken from the sheepfold before he ever ruled the people. David’s true turning point was not the valley of Elah; it was the moment the Spirit came upon him.
2. YOU CAN KEEP THE POSITION AND LOSE THE POWER
Saul is still the King. He is still sitting on the throne and wearing the crown. But the most important thing about him was gone.
1 Samuel 16:14, “But the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul…”
It is entirely possible to keep your title and lose the touch of God. Saul had a loss of divine power, God removed the ability to rule well.
1 Samuel 15:26, “…the LORD hath rejected thee from being king.”*
(Judges 16:20) Samson “wist not that the LORD was departed from him.”
Hosea 7:9, “…strangers have devoured his strength, and he knoweth it not.”*
Losing God’s presence is worse than losing everything else you own.
3. WHEN GOD’S SPIRIT IS REJECTED, TROUBLE FILLS THE SPACE
When a man resists God and empties his life of godly things, he does not stay empty, he becomes exposed.
1 Samuel 16:14 “…and an evil spirit from the LORD troubled him.”
There is no neutral ground when God withdraws. When a man rejects God, he is left open to the very things he tried to manage on his own. God was not creating evil in Saul; He was simply uncovering the darkness that was already there.
4. THE SPIRIT CREATES TWO DIFFERENT LIVES
On the outside, we see the same nation, at the same time. But it’s not the outside that determines who we are, it’s what’s inside that directs our life.
David at this point in is life was full of: Worship, Courage, and Clarity.
“The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.” Psalm 23:1
“Thy word is a lamp unto my feet…” Psalm 119:105
Saul at this same time was full of: Fear, Anger, and Instability
Saul was afraid of David because the Lord was with him. (1 Samuel 18:12)
Saul was very wroth and eyed David from that day forward. (1 Samuel 18:8–9)
When God fills a life, there is stability. When God withdraws, there is only confusion.
5. THE FIRST EVIDENCE OF THE SPIRIT IS PEACE, NOT POWER
Notice that David does not go out and fight a war immediately after being filled. He plays music.
1 Samuel 16:23, “And it came to pass, when the evil spirit from God was upon Saul, that David took an harp, and played with his hand: so Saul was refreshed, and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him.”
A Spirit filled life affects others before it exalts itself. David brought peace into a troubled room before he ever stepped onto a battlefield.
Colossians 3:16, “…singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.”
Matthew 5:9, “Blessed are the peacemakers…”
6. WHAT YOU SEE IS NOT ALWAYS WHAT IS TRUE
David has the presence of God, but he has no throne. Saul has the throne, but lacks God. One man looks successful and is completely empty; the other man looks forgotten in a field and is completely full.
God’s favor is not always visible on the surface!
Psalm 37:16, “A little that a righteous man hath is better than the riches of many wicked.”
The real divide between these two men was the presence of God. David had God and was willing to wait. Saul had a crown and lost everything that actually mattered.
The weight of this passage is clear: Don’t chase the throne; chase the Spirit. If you have the presence of God, you have everything you need, even if you are still standing in a sheepfold.
