Evil Spirit?

[pixdogg]

What are your thoughts on Judges 9:22-23

"After Abimelech had governed Israel three years, God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the citizens of Shechem, who acted treacherously against Abimelech"

And how about Samuel 16:14-16, 23

"Now the Spirit of the Lord had departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord tormented him. Saul's attendants said to him, 'see, an evil spirit from God is tormenting you. Let our Lord command his servents here to search for someone who can play the harp. He will play when the evil spirit from God comes upon you, and you will feel better.'

"Whenever the spirit from God came upon Saul, David would take his his harp and play. Then relief would come to Saul; he would feel better, and the evil spirit would leave him."

Would/could God send evil spirits to someone?

What does this verses mean?

 

[talitha]

The word translated "evil" in these scriptures is the usual word for evil, but it can also be rendered "pain-inflicting" or "breaking" -- it's also used in this scripture:

And it shall come to pass, [that] like as I have watched over them, to pluck up, and to break down, and to throw down, and to destroy, and to afflict; so will I watch over them, to build, and to plant, saith the LORD. (Jeremiah 31:28)

Reminds me of a great line from the coach in the movie Hoosiers. “I’m going to break them down, and build them up again.”

blessings
tal

 

[Browe]

God in several occasions uses a evil spirit. In 22:19 he uses a lying spirit. In Rev. 9 he uses Abbadon, which means "the destroyer" to command the locusts from the bottomless pit. In Ex. 12 he uses someone called the destroyer to kill the firstborn of Egypt.