At first king Saul loved David. Then Saul hated David and kept trying to kill David.
What happened?
How can love turn so fast to hatred?
We can see what happened by looking at parts of the scriptures concerning Saul.
God anointed Saul king when the people wanted a king. God gave Saul His own Spirit, the Holy Spirit. Saul was changed from the man he had been. This is like being born again for us today when God changed us and gave us HIS Spirit.
God gives Saul the Holy Spirit:
I Samuel 9:15-17 Now the Lord had told Samuel in his ear a day before Saul came, saying,
To morrow about this time I will send thee a man out of the land of Benjamin, and thou shalt anoint him to be captain over my people Israel, that he may save my people out of the hand of the Philistines: for I have looked upon MY people, because their cry is come unto ME.
And when Samuel saw Saul, the Lord said unto him, Behold the man whom I spake to thee of! this same shall reign over MY people.
And when Samuel saw Saul, the Lord said unto him, Behold the man whom I spake to thee of! this same shall reign over MY people.
Saul and his servant have been out looking for his father's missing donkeys. They came to the prophet (called the seer in those days) to ask him where the donkeys might be.
The day before they arrive at the place where Samuel the prophet is, God tells Samuel the man HE has chosen as king for Israel will arrive that next day and Saul arrives.
And Samuel answered Saul, and said, I am the seer: go up before me unto the high place; for ye shall eat with me to day, and to morrow I will let thee go, and will tell thee all that is in thine heart.
Before Saul even asks about the donkeys, Samuel tells Saul what he wants to know:
And as for thine asses that were lost three days ago, set not thy mind on them; for they are found.
Then Samuel says something Saul can't understand:
And on whom is all the desire of Israel? Is it not on thee, and on all thy father's house?
And Samuel said unto the cook, Bring the portion which I gave thee, of which I said unto thee, Set it by thee.
(When God told Samuel the man chosen by HIM to be king would arrive the next day, the prophet Samuel made special arrangements for this arrival, having cook prepare portions of food for the man who was to be king, and set those portions aside.)
And the cook took up the shoulder, and that which was upon it, and set it before Saul. And Samuel said, Behold that which is left! set it before thee, and eat: for unto this time hath it been kept for thee since I said, I have invited the people. So Saul did eat with Samuel that day.
(The kingdom is "kept" for Saul, God is saying.)
And they arose early: and it came to pass about the spring of the day, that Samuel called Saul to the top of the house, saying, Up, that I may send thee away. And Saul arose, and they went out both of them, he and Samuel, abroad.
And as they were going down to the end of the city, Samuel said to Saul, Bid the servant pass on before us, (and he passed on), but stand thou still a while, that I may shew thee the word of God.
I Samuel 10:1 Then Samuel took a vial of oil, and poured it upon his head, and kissed him, and said, Is it not because the Lord hath anointed thee to be captain over HIS inheritance?
At that point in time it was just Samuel and Saul alone with no witnesses to this anointing of Saul.
Samuel says to Saul:
I Samuel 10:6-7 And the Spirit of the Lord will come upon thee, and thou shalt prophesy with them, and shalt be turned into another man. And let it be, when these signs are come unto thee, that thou do as occasion serve thee; for God is with thee.
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This is exactly what happens to us when we are born again. The Spirit of the Lord comes upon us and we are changed into another person. For the fruits of Spirit of the Lord are: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance:
Everything is going along very well and Saul has been equipped by God with everything he will need to be king of the children of Israel which will happen in the coming time.
God causes an event in the days ahead which will thrust Saul into the eye of all the people and then Saul is made king by the people.
In the meantime, Saul is already king, anointed as such by God and equipped by God until the moment when the people are caused to choose Saul as king.
A need arises in the land: Saul gathers an "army" from the children of Israel to deal with this problem. The enemy is slain. The army of Israel returns home and the people recognize Saul as their king who will lead them in battle, and they made Saul their king.
I Samuel 11:15 And all the people went to Gilgal; and there they made Saul king before the Lord in Gilgal; and there they sacrificed sacrifices of peace offerings before the Lord; and there Saul and all the men of Israel rejoiced greatly.
But Saul had already been anointed by God to be king before he was recognized as king by the people.
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Saul reigns as king, and a test comes.
God tells the prophet Samuel to go to Saul and tell Saul to annihilate the people of Amalek.
(God didn't go directly to Saul but sent Samuel the prophet to tell Saul what to do.)
I Samuel 15:1-3 Samuel also said unto Saul, The Lord sent me to anoint thee to be king over his people, over Israel: now therefore hearken thou unto the voice of the words of the Lord.
Thus saith the Lord of hosts, I remember that which Amalek did to Israel, how he laid wait for him in the way, when he came up from Egypt. Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.
Then came the word of the Lord unto Samuel, saying, It repenteth ME that I have set up Saul to be king: for he is turned back from following ME, and hath not performed my commandments. And it grieved Samuel; and he cried unto the Lord all night.
Because of this, because Saul would not "fully" obey God, the kingdom was removed from Saul, the Holy Spirit was removed from Saul, an evil spirit "from the Lord" was given to Saul, and David was given the Holy Spirit and anointed king, though Saul still ruled as king at that time.
The point when Saul showed this change came as follows:
I Samuel 18:6-9 And it came to pass as they came, when David was returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, that the women came out of all cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet king Saul, with tabrets, with joy, and with instruments of musick.
And the women answered one another as they played, and said, Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands.
And Saul was very wroth, and the saying displeased him; and he said, They have ascribed unto David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed but thousands: and what can he have more but the kingdom?
And Saul eyed David from that day and forward.
And the women answered one another as they played, and said, Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands.
And Saul was very wroth, and the saying displeased him; and he said, They have ascribed unto David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed but thousands: and what can he have more but the kingdom?
And Saul eyed David from that day and forward.
For the remaining days of Saul's life, he tried to kill David.
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The Holy Spirit made all the difference.
Can the Holy Spirit be removed from us today?
This is answered for us by the apostle Paul when he spoke about the subject of "reprobates".
II Corinthians 13:5 Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?
Romans 1:28-32 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.
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