A Powerful Sound

By Gobel Brockman


     There is a story in the Old Testament book of First Samuel that I find very interesting. Saul had been chosen by God and anointed to be Israel's first king. He began in humility, but soon became proud and began to assume that God was with him regardless of his actions. God told the prophet Samuel to go anoint David as the heir to the kingdom. (It was some time before David took control of the kingdom, but that's a story for another time.) But because of Saul's pride and rebellion, we see an interesting thing in 1 Samuel 16:14:

     "Now the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul and an evil spirit from the Lord terrified him."

     Saul began his rule with such promise, but lost it to his own folly. Now the Spirit of God has departed from him. (What a scary place to find yourself - may we always be on guard against pride!) But as the story continues, an interesting thing happens:

     "So the servants of Saul said to him, “See, an evil spirit from God troubles you. Let our lord now tell your servants, who are before you, that they might seek out a man experienced in playing the lyre. And it will come to pass, when the evil spirit from God is on you, that he will play with his hand, and you will be well.” (1 Samuel 16:16)

     His servants didn't suggest that they call for Samuel the prophet, nor did they ask for a priest. They suggested that they find a musician who could play for him. On the surface that may seem like a strange idea, but as the story continues we see that David was brought into the king's presence to play for Saul. In verse 23 of that chapter we read this:

     "It happened that when the evil spirit from God came on Saul, David would take the lyre in his hand and play. So Saul was refreshed and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him."

     I want us to notice two things about this story:

1) Music brought David into the presence of the king.
2) Evil spirits couldn't stay in the power of that sound.

     Simply put, we need to understand the power that can be found in anointed sound that honors God and is blessed by the Holy Spirit.  Beautiful music is one thing, but music and sound that is graced by the sound of Heaven is quite another. My point this week is to encourage you to learn an important lesson from this story: it matters what sound you listen to. If sound that honors Jesus Christ will repel evil forces, it only stands to reason that sound that glorifies evil will likewise attract them. Allow me to ask you a few questions:

1) Are sounds of violence, murder, adultery, and blasphemy being released in your home through the TV set under the guise of entertainment?
2) Do you tap your foot and sing along with songs that ridicule righteousness and glorify the flesh?
3) If you take away all the words of anger, strife, worry, fear, and doubt that are spoken in your house, how silent would your house be?

     The sound you release in your life matters. I urge you to release the powerful sound of praise and worship of Jesus Christ in your home and in your life. As David released the sound of Heaven through God-anointed music, Saul was refreshed. If you will release the sound of Heaven in your life, I promise you'll feel refreshed as well.