The Spirit comes and goes in Samuel: Apostolic Pneumatology

Daniel Segraves

Spirit upon Saul

I have finished my study of the Spirit of the Lord and the Spirit of God in I and II Samuel, with some interesting observations. First, both terms are used as synonyms. Second, the idea of “supernatural vocalization,” as seen in Numbers 11, is reinforced. Third, as in the book of Judges, we can see that the coming of the Spirit does not endorse a person’s character, lifestyle, or theology. We will also see this when we look at Paul’s corrective for the abuse of spiritual gifts in I Corinthians 12-14. Fourth, the LORD sometimes sends an “evil” or “distressing” spirit. Fifth, in David’s last words, he claimed divine inspiration and identified the Spirit of the LORD as the LORD Himself.