The Principality of Rebellion

The principality of rebellion is the sixth principality of Satan. The objective of this principality of Satan is to cause mankind to rebel against Jesus Christ—the Word of God; and its attendant powers are the spirit of rebellion and the spirit of Saul. The spirit of Saul inhabits men ordained into either spiritual (elders/bishops/pastors) or governmental (kings/presidents/prime ministers) ministry. The spirit of rebellion has at his disposal four captains: namely sedition, idolatry, guile, and confusion. Whereas, the spirit of Saul has at his disposal six captains: namely sedition, idolatry, guile, confusion, envy, and malice. These princes both have all lower ranking principalities and powers like entrepreneurship, tradition, lying, disobedience, emulation, judgment, hate, bitterness, haughtiness, etc. to use to fulfill their objective.

Tradition lays a foundation for false worship. False worship—idolatry—necessitates that a symbol be made to replace God. A person able to provide the symbol with significance and power sustains it. That person usually becomes synonymous with the symbol and becomes worshipped alongside the symbol, as will the false prophet: "he had power to give life unto the image of the beast" (Revelation 13:15). This person is the entrepreneur who takes risks and attempts to control his surroundings. The progression we just narrated represents the spiritual status of the church. All these stages show spiritual decay and bring us to this present section. Here we discuss the evil spirit called Saul. This devil, like the spirit of entrepreneurship, works through the leadership of the church.

What is the Spirit of Saul?

Now at first glance, this seems to be a problematic assertion. How could a spirit be named Saul, or entrepreneurship, or even tradition for that matter? The name of the spirit merely indicates the force (principalities and powers) behind it. Unclean spirits, divination spirits, familiar spirits or the spirit of Elijah, all show something different. The forces behind these spirits are either of God or of Satan. Their particular names are of no real consequence in the sense that they have the specific force of Satan or God to enact their titles. We should not be concerned with how their names operate as much as we are concerned with the power they wield. Our identifying the spirit of Saul, then, exposes a very seditious as well as insidious problem that persists within the body. God revealed this spirit to us through two separate incidents.

The Lord showed us that this spirit, as we shall explain, generally inhabits people who are called as pastors and secular heads of state like presidents, kings, and prime ministers. They have to be anointed to lead the people of God in some fashion. These people will embrace all of the devils mentioned earlier; they may have a combination of all of the unclean spirits named in this book working together. We want to express through scripture how this spirit operates. What you will find is that this spirit stands in the way of David (a Christ figure), signifying that this spirit is a type of antichrist. He is a pretender to the throne holding people from worshipping the true king, Jesus Christ. We will see this clearly when we examine how Saul became king.

The People's Choice

Here we begin our journey to understand how this spirit has arisen. As the children of Israel embraced the ways of the world—the traditions and idolatry of the surrounding nations, they no longer wanted to be different—peculiar—than those nations. They no longer wanted to be the only nation led by God—spiritual king; they wanted, just like the heathen nations, to be led by a physical king. This is just as the Lord prophesied that they would in Deuteronomy 17:14-15.

And said unto him, Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the nations. But the thing displeased Samuel, when they said, Give us a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed unto the LORD. And the LORD said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them. ... and they said, Nay; but we will have a king over us; That we also may be like all the nations; and that our king may judge us, and go out before us, and fight our battles. (1 Samuel 8:5-7, 19-20)

And when ye saw that Nahash the king of the children of Ammon came against you, ye said unto me, Nay; but a king shall reign over us: when the LORD your God was your king. (1 Samuel 12:12)

The Lord as per Ezekiel 14:1-8 gave them what they wanted per the "idols in their heart[s]" even though what they wanted was not his will: Saul was not "a man after his own heart" as was his successor David (1 Samuel 13:14). "Now therefore behold the king whom ye have chosen, and whom ye have desired! and, behold, the LORD hath set a king over you" (1 Samuel 12:13). The people were not only "signing up" to have a king over them but they wanted a king like the kings of the heathen nations. They wanted a worldly leader not a spiritual leader; this marks the beginning of the separation of church and state. Worldly leaders had two key attributes, riches and honor, which validated their kingship as we see here with King Ahasuerus:

Now it came to pass in the days of Ahasuerus, (this is Ahasuerus which reigned, from India even unto Ethiopia, over an hundred and seven and twenty provinces:) That in those days, when the king Ahasuerus sat on the throne of his kingdom, which was in Shushan the palace, In the third year of his reign, he made a feast unto all his princes and his servants; the power of Persia and Media, the nobles and princes of the provinces, being before him: When he shewed the riches of his glorious kingdom and the honour of his excellent majesty many days, even an hundred and fourscore days. (Esther 1:1-4)

Today, riches and honor, are reframed as prosperity and popularity. And as we discussed in the prior "The Principality of Entrepreneurship" section, Christians infused with tradition and idolatry want their pastor to be rich. They want him financially prosperous and popular because he now represents them—he becomes the symbol of their idols of prosperity and popularity. "Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself. But godliness with contentment is great gain" (1 Timothy 6:5-6). Of course, if the pastor is a king, his wife and children have to also be elevated; however, calling her queen and his children princes and princesses may be too truthful. Thus, the wives of these kingly pastors are called, "First Lady," and the entire family, "First Family." It should be noted that in Italian, "First Lady" is Prima Donna. So much for impartiality: "I charge thee before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, and the elect angels, that thou observe these things without preferring one before another, doing nothing by partiality" (1 Timothy 5:21). Thus, God, along with temperance and contentment, takes a backseat, or worse, God is morphed into a wish-granting genie.

Characteristics of the Spirit of Saul

Saul, the spirit, can only be seen when we look at the propensities of Saul, the first king of Israel, the man. Here we continue our journey to understand how this spirit operates:

And Samuel told all the words of the LORD unto the people that asked of him a king. And he said, This will be the manner of the king that shall reign over you: He will take your sons, and appoint them for himself, for his chariots, and to be his horsemen; and some shall run before his chariots. And he will appoint him captains over thousands, and captains over fifties; and will set them to ear his ground, and to reap his harvest, and to make his instruments of war, and instruments of his chariots. And he will take your daughters to be confectionaries, and to be cooks, and to be bakers. And he will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your oliveyards, even the best of them, and give them to his servants. And he will take the tenth of your seed, and of your vineyards, and give to his officers, and to his servants. And he will take your menservants, and your maidservants, and your goodliest young men, and your asses, and put them to his work. He will take the tenth of your sheep: and ye shall be his servants. And ye shall cry out in that day because of your king which ye shall have chosen you; and the LORD will not hear you in that day. (1 Samuel 8:10-18)

Notice, the king chosen by the people takes rather than gives (John 3:16). He takes the people as servants as opposed to serving their spiritual needs (Mark 10:42-45; Matthew 20:25-28) and, most telling, the king takes a tenth of their livelihood—produce and livestock—as tribute to benefit his enterprise. "A tribute (from Latin tribulum, contribution) is wealth one party gives to another as a sign of respect or, as was often [the] case in historical contexts, of submission or allegiance."¹³ In Christian churches, this tribute is cloaked with a more "spiritual" designation: tithes and offerings (see our discussion of this in the "Tithes & Offerings" section). As New Covenant Christians, however, we are not under the mandates of the law nor of worldly customs as were the Jews but we have come to "Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things" (Hebrews 12:20). Moreover, as children of the Highest we are free from having to pay tribute money (Matthew 17:24-26) to our king, Jesus. Notwithstanding, many Christians, for the sake of the aforementioned prosperity and popularity, blindly do "the works of the law" not recognizing that instead of the coveted prosperity that they are "trusting the Lord for," they have, rather, cursed their finances (Galatians 3:10). Okay, back to our examination of Saul:

Now there was a man of Benjamin, whose name was Kish ... a mighty man of power. And he had a son, whose name was Saul ... the LORD had told Samuel in his ear ... 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. [Chosen by God to have authority over the people of God] Then Saul drew near to Samuel in the gate, and said, Tell me, I pray thee, where the seer's house is. And Samuel answered Saul ... on whom is all the desire of Israel? Is it not on thee, and on all thy father's house? And Saul answered and said, Am not I a Benjamite, of the smallest of the tribes of Israel? and my family the least of all the families of the tribe of Benjamin? wherefore then speakest thou so to me? (1 Samuel 9:1-2, 15-21)

Saul was chosen by God to fulfill the request of the children of Israel for a king—he was anointed only with the gifts of government and prophecy, and not as a priest. In other words, he was a non-ministerial shepherd to the people of God. Pay attention to what he thought of himself: he had a very low self-image. This means that he had to traverse boundaries, externally or internally imposed, to become the king. His self-doubt gives evidence to his perceived rejection as a part of the tribe of Benjamin, which was cut off from Israel during the time of judges (Judges 21). Where there is rejection (emptiness), there is the desire for fulfillment—approval. Sometimes, as we shall discover, the desire for fulfillment causes one to forget God and become self-focused. Before Saul began filling his own emptiness, God attempted to fill his emptiness by anointing/empowering him to be king,

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? [Saul is Anointed by God and has the spirit of God on him] ... and it shall come to pass ... that thou shalt meet a company of prophets coming down from the high place with a psaltery, and a tabret, and a pipe, and a harp, before them; and they shall prophesy: 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. ... And it was so, that when he had turned his back to go from Samuel, God gave him another heart: and all those signs came to pass that day. And when they came thither to the hill, behold, a company of prophets met him; and the Spirit of God came upon him, and he prophesied among them. (1 Samuel 10:1, 5-7, 9-10)

God was with Saul and God converted him. Generically, we think that having a conversion experience, in addition to having gifts of God, makes us transcendent. All of a sudden, we are righteous and not subject to messing up with God. Saul's life responds to this suggestion poignantly in the negative. We find Saul about to do something that causes a great rift between him and God. Let us first review the instructions given to him by Samuel: "And thou shalt go down before me to Gilgal; and, behold, I will come down unto thee, to offer burnt offerings, and to sacrifice sacrifices of peace offerings: seven days shalt thou tarry, till I come to thee, and shew thee what thou shalt do" (1 Samuel 10:8). Now let us examine Saul's actions. In this next passage, Saul—with his focus on the people, in preparation of going to war with the Philistines, makes an awful decision:

And the Philistines gathered themselves together to fight with Israel, thirty thousand chariots, and six thousand horsemen, and people as the sand which is on the sea shore in multitude: and they came up, and pitched in Michmash, eastward from Bethaven. When the men of Israel saw that they were in a strait, (for the people were distressed,) then the people did hide themselves in caves, and in thickets, and in rocks, and in high places, and in pits. And some of the Hebrews went over Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead. As for Saul, he was yet in Gilgal, and all the people followed him trembling. And he tarried seven days, according to the set time that Samuel had appointed: but Samuel came not to Gilgal; and the people were scattered from him. And Saul said, Bring hither a burnt offering to me, and peace offerings. And he offered the burnt offering. And it came to pass, that as soon as he had made an end of offering the burnt offering, behold, Samuel came; and Saul went out to meet him, that he might salute him. And Samuel said, What hast thou done? And Saul said, Because I saw that the people were scattered from me, and that thou camest not within the days appointed, and that the Philistines gathered themselves together at Michmash; Therefore said I, The Philistines will come down now upon me to Gilgal, and I have not made supplication unto the LORD: I forced myself therefore, and offered a burnt offering. (1 Samuel 13:5-12)

Saul's focus on the people led him to sedition and rebellion against God (Leviticus 17:5, 8-9) and caused God to reject the continuity of his kingdom: "And Samuel said to Saul, Thou hast done foolishly: thou hast not kept the commandment of the LORD thy God, which he commanded thee: for now would the LORD have established thy kingdom upon Israel for ever. But now thy kingdom shall not continue: the LORD hath sought him a man after his own heart, and the LORD hath commanded him to be captain over his people, because thou hast not kept that which the LORD commanded thee" (1 Samuel 13:13-14). When Saul accepted the lies of Satan above the Word of God, he set an example for the people—"his servants"—to follow. "If a ruler hearken to lies, all his servants are wicked" (Proverbs 29:12). Subsequently, we see in 1 Samuel 14 (verses 24-30, 31-35, 36-45) that the sin of rebellion spreads like cancer to the people: first Saul's son Jonathan sins by breaking an oath (Ecclesiastes 8:2-5) given by Saul, then the people sin by eating blood (Leviticus 7:26-27), and then Saul sins by not executing the punishment stipulated by the law. Notice, repentance is not sought for any of these sins. Rebellion is now fully entrenched in Saul and the people. We see this clearly years later when Saul is commanded by God to "utterly destroy all" of the Amalekites and their possessions; however, he and the people rebel again. This rebellion is the "last straw," God now rejects Saul as king:

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 ... 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 ... But Saul and the people spared Agag, and the best of the sheep, and of the oxen, and of the fatlings, and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them: but every thing that was vile and refuse, that they destroyed utterly. 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 Samuel came to Saul: and Saul said unto him, Blessed be thou of the LORD: I have performed the commandment of the LORD. And Samuel said, What meaneth then this bleating of the sheep in mine ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear? And Saul said, They have brought them from the Amalekites: for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen, to sacrifice unto the LORD thy God; and the rest we have utterly destroyed. Then Samuel said unto Saul, Stay, and I will tell thee what the LORD hath said to me this night. And he said unto him, Say on. And Samuel said, When thou wast little in thine own sight, wast thou not made the head of the tribes of Israel, and the LORD anointed thee king over Israel? ... Wherefore then didst thou not obey the voice of the LORD, but didst fly upon the spoil, and didst evil in the sight of the LORD? And Saul said unto Samuel, Yea, I have obeyed the voice of the LORD, and have gone the way which the LORD sent me ... BUT THE PEOPLE took of the spoil ... to sacrifice unto the LORD thy God in Gilgal. And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, TO OBEY is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king. And Saul said unto Samuel, I have sinned: for I have transgressed the commandment of the LORD, and thy words: BECAUSE I FEARED THE PEOPLE, AND OBEYED THEIR VOICE. (1 Samuel 15:1, 3, 9, 13-17, 19-24) [Emphasis added]

See what happened? Saul was a man of authority; he was the king; God anointed him. Not only that, but God was with him. Yet, this was not enough. All these things he had from God, but he still believed that the people were the source of his authority: idolatry. "In the multitude of people is the king's honour: but in the want of people is the destruction of the prince" (Proverbs 14:28). Therefore, he did something he was not called to do (as noted in 1 Samuel 13:8) and lost the posterity of his kingdom; and then, on top of that, he employed hypocrisy, continued to rebel against the Lord, and stubbornly refused to repent. Consequently, Saul loses his kingship and God chooses someone in his Saul's kingdom to replace him and to fulfill the call that was originally given to Saul,

And the LORD said unto Samuel, How long wilt thou mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? fill thine horn with oil, and go, I will send thee to Jesse the Bethlehemite: for I have provided me a king among his sons. And Samuel said, How can I go? if Saul hear it, he will kill me. And the LORD said ... call Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will shew thee what thou shalt do: and thou shalt anoint unto me him whom I name unto thee. ... Jesse made seven of his sons to pass before Samuel. And Samuel said unto Jesse, The LORD hath not chosen these. And Samuel said unto Jesse, Are here all thy children? And he said, There remaineth yet the youngest, and, behold, he keepeth the sheep. And Samuel said unto Jesse, Send and fetch him ... Now he was ruddy, and withal of a beautiful countenance, and goodly to look to. And the LORD said, Arise, anoint him: for this is he. Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah. (1 Samuel 16:1-3, 10-13)

In addition to being rejected by God, Saul was troubled by an evil spirit from God. He now needed a person with God's spirit to come to him so that he would be healed of that spirit's effect on him,

But the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD troubled him. And Saul's servants said unto him, Behold now, an evil spirit from God troubleth thee. Let our lord now command thy servants, which are before thee, to seek out a man, who is a cunning player on an harp: and it shall come to pass, when the evil spirit from God is upon thee, that he shall play with his hand, and thou shalt be well. And Saul said ... Provide me now a man that can play well ... Then answered one of the servants ... I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, that is cunning in playing, and a mighty valiant man, and a man of war, and prudent in matters, and a comely person, and the LORD is with him. Wherefore Saul sent messengers unto Jesse, and said, Send me David thy son ... And David came to Saul, and stood before him: and he loved him greatly; and he became his armourbearer. And Saul sent to Jesse, saying, Let David, I pray thee, stand before me; for he hath found favour in my sight. And it came to pass, when the evil spirit from God was upon Saul, that David took an harp, and played with his hand: so Saul was refreshed, and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him. (1 Samuel 16:14-19, 21-23)

What's more, David is initially so loved by Saul that Saul requests David's father, Jesse, to allow David to be in Saul's continual presence as his armor bearer. Saul quickly forgets (gets confused), however, who is David's father. He questions Abner after David's slaughter of Goliath:

And when Saul saw David go forth against the Philistine, he said unto Abner, the captain of the host, Abner, whose son is this youth? And Abner said, As thy soul liveth, O king, I cannot tell. And the king said, Enquire thou whose son the stripling is. And as David returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, Abner took him, and brought him before Saul with the head of the Philistine in his hand. And Saul said to him, Whose son art thou, thou young man? And David answered, I am the son of thy servant Jesse the Bethlehemite. (1 Samuel 17:55-58)

Furthermore, Saul's love quickly turns to hate when the women, in their praise, elevate David over Saul. Saul desired praise from the people and could not stand to see another elevated beside or above him: the cheers of the women changed his love to wrath, envy, and hate:

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 music. 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. (1 Samuel 18:6-9)

Thus, Saul's initial sin of rebellion grew and spread to include guile (treachery), lying, judgment, hate, confusion, fear, envy, wrath, malice, and wickedness (examine 1 Samuel Chapter 17 through 19). All these issues culminate in Saul trying to kill David (Christ figure) on several occasions:

And it came to pass ... that the evil spirit from God came upon Saul, and he prophesied in the midst of the house: and David played with his hand, as at other times: and there was a javelin in Saul's hand. And Saul cast the javelin; for he said, I will smite David even to the wall with it ... . And Saul was afraid of David, because the LORD was with him, and was departed from Saul. Therefore Saul removed him from him, and made him his captain over a thousand; and he went out and came in before the people. And David behaved himself wisely in all his ways; and the LORD was with him. Wherefore when Saul saw that he behaved himself very wisely, he was afraid of him. (1 Samuel 18:10-15)

And Saul spake to Jonathan his son, and to all his servants, that they should kill David ... And the evil spirit from the LORD was upon Saul, as he sat in his house with his javelin in his hand: and David played with his hand. And Saul sought to smite David even to the wall with the javelin; but he slipped away out of Saul's presence, and he smote the javelin into the wall: and David fled, and escaped that night. Saul also sent messengers unto David's house, to watch him, and to slay him in the morning: and Michal David's wife told him, saying, If thou save not thy life to night, to morrow thou shalt be slain. (1 Samuel 19:1-11)

Even after David spares Saul's life in 1 Samuel 24 and Saul acknowledges that David will be king: "And now, behold, I know well that thou shalt surely be king, and that the kingdom of Israel shall be established in thine hand" (1 Samuel 24:20), Saul still tries to kill David again in 1 Samuel 26. In total, Saul attempts to kill David seven times and in most cases through guile and treachery. "Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him" (1 John 3:15). Note the warning from the Lord below about persons like Saul that hate others,

He that hateth dissembleth with his lips, and layeth up deceit within him; When he speaketh fair, believe him not: for there are seven abominations in his heart. Whose hatred is covered by deceit, his wickedness shall be shewed before the whole congregation ... A lying tongue hateth those that are afflicted by it; and a flattering mouth worketh ruin. (Proverbs 26:24-26, 28)

Despite Saul's reprobate status, however, he was still considered anointed by God: "The LORD render to every man his righteousness and his faithfulness; for the LORD delivered thee into my hand to day, but I would not stretch forth mine hand against the LORD's anointed" (1 Samuel 26:23). As such, Saul, though God had rejected him, still tried to hear from God. God, however, did not respond by the usual methods. Thus, in his determination to hear from God, Saul crossed the line of abomination and employed sorcery: "asking counsel of one that had a familiar spirit, to enquire of it" (1 Chronicles 10:13). He wanted to hear of good fortune for the battle he would fight against the Philistines; however, he received news that he did not want to hear:

And the Philistines gathered themselves together ... and Saul gathered all Israel together, and they pitched in Gilboa. And when Saul saw the host of the Philistines, he was afraid, and his heart greatly trembled. And when Saul enquired of the LORD, the LORD answered him not, neither by dreams, nor by Urim, nor by prophets. Then said Saul ... Seek me a woman that hath a familiar spirit, that I may go to her, and enquire of her. And his servants said to him ... there is a woman that hath a familiar spirit at Endor. And Saul disguised himself ... and he went, and two men with him, and they came to the woman by night: and he said, I pray thee, divine unto me by the familiar spirit, and bring me him up, whom I shall name unto thee. And the woman said unto him, Behold, thou knowest what Saul hath done, how he hath cut off those that have familiar spirits, and the wizards, out of the land: wherefore then layest thou a snare for my life, to cause me to die? And Saul sware to her by the LORD, saying, As the LORD liveth, there shall no punishment happen to thee for this thing. Then said the woman, Whom shall I bring up unto thee? And he said, Bring me up Samuel. And when the woman saw Samuel, she cried with a loud voice: and the woman spake to Saul, saying, Why hast thou deceived me? for thou art Saul. And the king said unto her, Be not afraid: for what sawest thou? And the woman said unto Saul, I saw gods ascending out of the earth. And he said unto her, What form is he of? And she said, An old man cometh up; and he is covered with a mantle. And Saul perceived that it was Samuel, and he stooped with his face to the ground, and bowed himself. And Samuel said to Saul, Why hast thou disquieted me, to bring me up? And Saul answered, I am sore distressed; for the Philistines make war against me, and God is departed from me, and answereth me no more, neither by prophets, nor by dreams: therefore I have called thee, that thou mayest make known unto me what I shall do. Then said Samuel, Wherefore then dost thou ask of me, seeing the LORD is departed from thee, and is become thine enemy? And the LORD hath done to him, as he spake by me: for the LORD hath rent the kingdom out of thine hand, and given it to thy neighbour, even to David: Because thou obeyedst not the voice of the LORD, nor executedst his fierce wrath upon Amalek, therefore hath the LORD done this thing unto thee this day. Moreover the LORD will also deliver Israel with thee into the hand of the Philistines: and to morrow shalt thou and thy sons be with me: the LORD also shall deliver the host of Israel into the hand of the Philistines. Then Saul fell straightway all along on the earth, and was sore afraid, because of the words of Samuel: and there was no strength in him; for he had eaten no bread all the day, nor all the night. (1 Samuel 28:4-20)

All of this happened because Saul refused to obey God's voice. His lack of connection with God even moved him to do something that he had completely outlawed in Israel—witchcraft—making him a hypocrite (1 Samuel 28:3). Nevertheless, it was all for naught because Saul was condemned because of his rebellion (Leviticus 20:6). "So Saul died for his transgression which he committed against the LORD, even against the word of the LORD, which he kept not, and also for asking counsel of one that had a familiar spirit, to enquire of it; And enquired not of the LORD: therefore he slew him, and turned the kingdom unto David the son of Jesse" (1 Chronicles 10:13-14).

Here is the summary of what we have before us: Saul was a man chosen by God to work the works of God. We must be clear on this point because Saul was king. Modern perspectives suggest that a king is the supreme authority in the land and should be able to do what he wants. At least, that is what most people think about a king; however, a king appointed by God is completely different. He like, everyone else, has to be subject to the laws of God (Deuteronomy 17:14-20). Yet, he did not desire to do God's will. As such, his kingship appears to remain the same—but alas, it was not, for God was not with him. Having the gifts of God does not validate you in the eyes of God. This is what we have in Saul; a man who was chosen by God but who rejected God's Word. It is obedience to God's Word that validates those he has called to work the works of God. Now, let us see how this spirit operates in the church.

My Pastor has the Spirit of Saul in Him?

The spirit of Saul works mainly through church leaders. As the entrepreneur spirit in these church leaders gains more power over the person, he ushers in the spirit of Saul to transition the leader from the point of idolatry and the desire for control, to outright rejection of the Word of God. Once these church leaders reject the Word of God, then God cannot be with them (John 15:23). He must depart. "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children. As they were increased, so they sinned against me: therefore will I change their glory into shame" (Hosea 4:6-7). There are millions of preachers today who have rejected the Word of God. God is not with them anymore but they still hold their positions as leaders. Logic tends to suggest that this is an impossibility. How is it possible for a pastor to not have God, and yet and still have a congregation? He is still leading people. People still listen to him. But he is not following God. This may all seem very strange to the average reader but it is the truth. There are people out there leading churches who do not have God backing them. They have been consumed with the spirit of Saul.

Where Does it Come From?

We first listed the scriptures that showed Saul before he was anointed to be king. Saul was "little" in his own mind (as a part of the rejected tribe of Benjamin). God, however, chose him to lead the people of Israel. Well, the same thing happens today. Many church leaders have been chosen by God to lead, but they, at some point, believed that they were unworthy or unfit to do the job. Having a sense of depravity or lack of esteem may seem like it is a good trait for a man of God; it is not. Those who believe themselves, unworthy or unfit usually do so because of something else. One of the contributors to this book, before he met God, had a low self-image. This low self-image was the result of his lack of relationship with his earthly father, and it was the consequence of his belief in what people thought of him. These two components led him to compensate for his lack of self-acceptance by creating a new version of himself. Notice the link, because of what "the people" thought of him, or even how they treated him, no matter who it was, he then created new images for himself to please the people who did not accept him. It was all because of this lack of self-acceptance he had. The person who has been rejected by the people, ultimately, wants the people's acceptance. He, in most cases, will do whatever it takes to gain their approval. This truth is no different for Christians. When, in the world, people rejected us, that rejection stayed with us. Our coming to the Lord did not automatically erase the stain of the hurt we endured. The pain was still there inside of us. When this happens to Christian leaders, the problems are still the same. Instead of seeking the Lord for deliverance, they attempt to go forward without it. They believe their gifts will overcome the stain of rejection in them. Their gifts cannot compensate for the rejection; and, the rejection opens the door for the desire to control which leads to the spirit of Saul. See our prior section on "The Principality of Rejection," our chapter on "Understanding Deliverance" and our subsection on "Strong Holds (Idols of the Heart)" for details on getting free from rejection.

What do you have to do to Get it?

The scripture that speaks the loudest of all is the one probably most used: "rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry" (1 Samuel 15:23). Rebellion in hearing the Words of God and not doing them; in other words, esteeming God's Words as evil and the people's words as good (see "The Principality of Witchcraft"). Moreover, stubbornness in refusing to repent once confronted with the truth. The man with the spirit of Saul will do several things against the Lord. Here are some examples of the things Saul did: 1) He did something he was not called to do—sacrificing the burnt offering; 2) He attempted to cause the people to believe in him (by doing what they said and disobeying what God said); 3) He plotted to destroy God's chosen (by trying to kill David); 4) He attempted to override God and receive power from devils (by asking counsel of one that had a familiar spirit, to enquire of it). Likewise, church leaders with the spirit of Saul will do all of these kinds of things:

Many of them call themselves pastor when they were called to another office like evangelist, teacher, or prophet. Many of them will disobey the voice of God and teach doctrines that are not scriptural. Additionally, they will use the Bible sparingly and make the focus of service about themselves (rebellion and stubbornness). This is evidenced by those preachers who like to talk about their "anointing" and how you will be blessed when you give to them.
Predominantly, the preachers exemplify the spirit of Saul by trying to "preach the people happy," "make the people shout," and "lift up their spirits," all of these are examples of the leader taking on the aspect of what God is supposed to do. The people are God's responsibility, he will lift them up and please them as he desires. Leaders try to take God's position by giving the people messages to make them feel good about themselves by telling them what they want to hear. Yet, this is not what God wants them to hear. He wants them to hear his Words. Subsequently, the leader disobeys God's voice and loses God's presence.
Leaders who possess the spirit of Saul have intense problems with sharing leadership in the church. The leader "fears" other people who have gifts and talents and tries to control them. They very rarely let others preach. They very rarely give responsibility to others. This leader wants to do everything himself. He believes the church is "his" church. As such, he hangs banners and pictures of himself all over the place. Also, he will allow people to praise him. He will also seek the approval of the women in the church. He will attempt to destroy Christ (David in the accounts above) by not focusing on the Word of God (Jesus) but focusing on himself.
Leaders attempt to circumvent the oracles of God and create their own rules and power by being hypocrites and workers of witchcraft (both of these will be discussed below thoroughly). For now, it will serve our purpose to note what happens in churches where preachers have hypocrisy and witchcraft on the inside. It will show itself; for example: there are ministers who preach against fornication and lust, yet they wear muscle shirts and their wives wear short skirts, tight dresses, and "painted on" jeans. What kind of example is this? This is an example of hypocrisy and idolatry because they tell you to not do the things they do themselves. In order to not look at what they are doing, you have to believe they are more than human. With respect to sorcery, they teach people and show people the lifestyle of manipulation and control (see "Name it and Claim it"). They tell you all you need from God is what you want. The rest is not important. Just as Saul showed obedience towards what he wanted to hear from God (the part he obeyed) and rebellion towards the parts he did not want to hear. They do the same, showing they have this spirit, by not emphasizing all of scripture but only the parts that discuss prosperity, healing, favor, etc.

The principality of rebellion entrenched as a strong hold works to cause the infected person to presumptuously transgress the Word of God (Numbers 15:30-31). Rebellion also begets strong holds for the spirits of sedition, idolatry, guile, confusion, envy, and malice. The person learns to usurp the authority of Christ, to elevate others, self or things above the Lord, to use deceit to accomplish their goals, to operate in double mindedness, to be desirous of vain glory based on acquiring some perceived advantage held by another person, and to hold vicious ill will, spite, or hatred against those they envy. The spirit of Saul is very insidious. It is working through our leaders and getting them to stand in the way of the figure of Christ (David), which means that they are excellent expositors of tradition, idolatry (especially of themselves), and entrepreneurship. What the leadership of the church, possessed by the spirit of Saul, will do is teach hypocrisy. They are fertile grounds for hypocrisy by hearing and not obeying God's commands. They are simply figures (in form only) of God's blessing (by sitting in the seat of authority) without having God's presence with them, looking the part but not acting or being the part. This leads us to our next section on hypocrisy.

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