Could disobedience lead to depression? Not always, but Saul’s arrogance and disobedience (masquerading as godliness) did lead to his terror and depression (1 Sam. 16:14). In contrast, David’s obedience enabled the Holy Spirit to empower his life and give him joy (1 Sam. 16:13). The Bible placed both of these experiences in close succession so we can see the contrast between the disobedience of Saul and the humble obedience of David and then the way the Holy Spirit left one man but empowered the other.
Samuel told Saul that God wanted him to kill all the Amalekites and their livestock. Saul spared some of these enemy men (such as their king) and all of their healthy livestock. When Samuel confronted Saul’s sin, he claimed the army had done this disobedient thing, sparing the livestock as a sacrifice for the Lord. He blamed his men multiple times, even though the Scriptures say Saul and his men did these things, not the men alone. Samuel placed the blame on Saul alone and confronted his “partial obedience” (which is just rebellion) by saying, “What is more pleasing to the Lord, your burnt offerings and sacrifices or your obedience to his voice? Listen! Obedience is better than sacrifice, and submission is better than offering the fat of rams. Rebellion is as sinful as witchcraft, and stubbornness as bad as worshiping idols,” (1 Sam. 15:22b-23a).
Even when Saul confessed, he still claimed he had only disobeyed Samuel and not God “I have disobeyed your {Samuel’s} instruction,” (1 Sam. 15:24b). He finished that verse by saying, “I was afraid of the people and did what they demanded.” He still blamed others because he wanted to please them more than pleasing God.
Not only did God care about Saul’s rebellion, but so did Samuel. When God told Samuel he was sorry he ever made Saul King (1 Sam. 15:10-11) Samuel reacted powerfully. “He was so deeply moved when he heard this that he cried out to the Lord all night,” (verse 11b). This man agonized all night while Saul slept peacefully and then awoke to gratify his selfishness some more. For we learn that when Samuel went to find Saul, he “went to the town of Carmel to set up a monument to himself,” (verse 12c). While Samuel and God were grieving, Saul was oblivious to his sin and disgrace and off flattering himself with a self-glorifying monument. Then we read that “When Samuel finally found him, Saul greeted him cheerfully, ‘May the Lord bless you,’ he said. ‘I have carried out the Lord’s command,” (verse 13). Saul was full of glee while in full disobedience against God.
God took the Kingdom of Israel away from Saul, due to this disloyalty and chose young David to succeed Saul as King. God did not choose David based on his looks, because God said of David’s oldest, strong brother, “Do not judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him,” (1 Sam. 16:7b). Saul was the most handsome man in Israel and one of the tallest (1 Sam. 9:2). He came from a wealthy and prominent family. Yet he was rebellious, arrogant and weak inside. He acted piously, but he did not truly honor the Lord. So looks did not impress God.
In contrast, David was from a humble family, and Jesse, his own father, only acknowledged David’s older brothers. Jesse did not even acknowledge David existed until Samuel asked if Jesse had more sons. Yet, because David called on the Lord, we read: “David continued to succeed in everything he did, for the Lord was with him,” (1 Sam. 18:14). God blessed David’s obedience. Yet the next verse (15) shows Saul’s ignorance, “When Saul recognized this, he became even more afraid of him.” Instead of recognizing the trouble his disobedience caused, he looked at others and envied the success God gave them. Saul did not realize that God wanted to give Saul that success too but not while he was rebelling againsts God.
Remember, God had said (in 1 Sam. 15:11) “I am sorry that I ever made Saul king, for he has not been loyal to me and has refused to obey my command.” Saul could not plead ignorance, because Samuel had rebuked him in the same chapter (15). Yet Saul never changed, as 1 Sam. 18:29 confirms, “Saul became even more afraid of him, and he remained David’s enemy for the rest of his life.” How tragic that Saul lost the son-ship of this son-in-law. Saul lost the friendship with this young man. And worst of all, Saul refused to humble himself before God, so he lost access to God’s empowering Holy Spirit. And then he fell into depression and fear.
Probably most people do not suffer from depression due to disobedience to God. I know the intense sorrow I felt (depression) in my teens and twenties occurred because of my damaged relationship with my dad. As I worked on that relationship, I found healing. So I never want anyone to think I equate depression with disobedience to God. This was Saul’s suffering. But what I do want to emphasize is not just the depression but also the fear Saul suffered, and the loss of the Holy Spirit in his life. While believers always have access to the Holy Spirit today (unlike how the Spirit came to believers and left them in Old Testament times), we can quench the Holy Spirit (1 Thess. 5:19), and we can grieve the Holy Spirit (Eph.4:30). In both cases, we limit the Holy Spirit’s ability to move in our lives, due to our sin.
I do not believe we will suffer the way Saul suffered in the Old Testament. But I do think that Christians will suffer today, if they resist the Holy Spirit’s moving in their lives to show them their sins (convict them of these sins). Yet the joyful opposite will also happen. Just like David, we can obey God, and he will bless us. We may not prosper financially, but we will prosper in our relationship with him, in the peace of mind we experience, and in our relationships with godly people.
God wants us to examine the stories in the Bible, so we can see how God moved in the lives of the people there. Clearly God put the parallel but different lives of Saul and David right next to each other so we can see the verses about each of them juxtaposed to contrast the way the Spirit empowered one (David) but left the other (Saul). I believe God put the verses next to each other on purpose, so we would consider how closely their stories are woven. Both stories (in the earlier chapters of 1 Samuel) show the results of obedience or disobedience. We get to choose the fruit of our own lives too, and I pray you will choose obedience. If you are suffering in sorrow, please know I am not saying this is your fault, even as my father’s anger and his abuse of me as a child and our damaged relationship was not my fault.
But as I have aged, I have caused plenty of sorrow in my life, due to my own sin and disobedience. The difference between me and Saul is that I keep coming back to God. Unlike Saul, I am not as outwardly amazing as him (most handsome/best looking person in Israel, head and shoulders taller than others, from a wealthy and prominent family). So I might have had less opportunities to be tempted by that kind of pride. But I can still wander off, perhaps being prideful of my independence or some other silly belief. This still hurts my heavenly Father, and it hurts me too. God keeps humbling me so I keep coming back to him, repenting, and then enjoying his forgiveness. I pray the Lord will do this for you too.
Thanks for joining us in this week’s post that reflected my recent Bible readings. I pray I have inspired you to examine the Scriptures as you read them too. May the Lord bless you this week!