Where Is the Valley of Elah Located?ĭescending from the hill country of Judah toward the Mediterranean Sea are numerous valleys or wadis. More and more Saul failed to find peace with himself until at last he became a miserable, guilt-ridden man. Recorded here are the first effects of Saul’s rejection of the Lord. The Joseph Smith Translation corrects this passage to say, “An evil spirit which was not of the Lord troubled him” ( JST, 1 Samuel 16:14 emphasis added).
He cast these evil spirits out of heaven long ago for their rebellion against Him. Did the Lord Really Send an Evil Spirit to Trouble Saul?Įvil spirits are not sent by God, nor does God give revelations through the evil spirits which sometimes trouble men. The “horn of oil” was probably a ram’s horn filled with olive oil and used to anoint those chosen of the Lord ( v. 13 see also v. 1). Mortals tend to see the outward appearance, but the Lord has the power to look to the very depths of men and things. Note the Lord’s special counsel in verse 7. These verses contain the Lord’s directions to His prophet in the selection of a new king. (Individual study students should complete all of this section.) Use Notes and Commentary below to help you as you read and study 1 Samuel 16–31.Ĭomplete Points to Ponder as directed by your teacher. There is a cause! That cause is the Lord’s! Brown, “Is There Not a Cause?” Ensign, Nov. As David said to Goliath, so each youth should declare to Satan, ‘Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied.’ ( 1 Sam. It is a cause that every youth in this Church should rally to as he declares war on Satan and his legions. “I declare with all my soul-there is a cause! It is a cause worth giving one’s life for. “And David behaved himself wisely in all his ways and the Lord was with him” ( 1 Samuel 18:14).Īnd what of today? Have we a cause? Indeed we have! We found that cause when we gained our testimonies of the true gospel and of the value of citizenship in the kingdom of God. In all his military ventures, in the face of threats against his life, and despite numerous opportunities to slay Saul, David was true to his chosen cause.
Throughout his early life, David stayed close to the Lord. And this cause was emphasized when Samuel, the Lord’s prophet, anointed David to be a future king of Israel. Young David, shepherd boy of Israel, had a cause. They need a purpose for living, a reason to be-they need a cause. They attach themselves to this or that organization or group because they wish to make the world a better place. Many young people of today are great joiners. When accused of pride, the future king of Israel asked his oldest brother, “Is there not a cause?” ( 1 Samuel 17:29). David’s actions showed that his answer to such a question would have been a hearty “I am!” Arriving at the battlefront at a time when the haughty giant Goliath had openly challenged Israel to send a man to fight him, David boldly volunteered to accept Goliath’s challenge.
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