Dark Cloud on a Sunny Day

But the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD troubled him. 1 Samuel 16:14

At the home of a very dear friend, as we conversed, I saw a change come over him. His countenance darkened and he took on a hostile look. "I don't believe Alexander the Great died in Babylon. What proof do you have?"

Some time before, as I was studying Alexander, I had mentioned this fact, now in dispute. Why now, and why about such an arcane subject? Though the question was easily resolved by referring to my friend's encyclopedia, I was puzzled by his sudden change.

This sort of thing is certainly not unheard of in my life and in that of others. It is as if you reached out to pet your dog and it snapped at you.

My wife and I often drove to a pastry shop, and I would go in to get some treats and coffee. The wife of the owner, usually pleasant, showed such an expression one morning. "You wait on your wife?" she asked. She could have said this in a kidding way, and I would have told her in turn that I was my wife's slave--one mistake on my part and she would beat me.

But she was not kidding. Her expression had that same darkness that I had seen in my friend's face before. I told her that, yes, I did wait on my wife in this case and that when I came into the shop I had the benefit of conversing with her husband. He was an Iranian citizen and taught micro economics at a local university. We had a lot to talk about.

Just yesterday, a long time friend called me. She had been married to my childhood pal until his death. Her usual cheerful manner had been replaced this morning by a fake cleverness. She twisted every statement I made, laughed inappropriately, and her voice became vicious and mocking when she mentioned the names of some of my recent guests. Though I had known her for decades, today she was a different woman.

What happens to these people? Is there a brief interlude where an evil spirit overshadows them? Even in this present satanic world, such happenings are usually of short duration. How I look forward to the time when they will be gone completely.