Last week I raised the controversial question, "Did King David have demons?" Without making definitive claims, I suggested the possibility that the unlikely affair of David and Bathsheba belies an explanation beyond lust and David's kingly prerogatives. I also pointed out that David's soul-connection to King Saul, whom we know had demons, might have transferred spiritual oppression to David. Please read part #1 of this series in its entirety to get the full context of what I've already postulated; to do so, click here.

Let's also consider the strong soul-tie that David had with Jonathan, Saul's son. First Samuel 18:1 declares that "the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul." Two verses later we read in First Samuel 18:3, "Jonathan and David made a covenant, because he loved him as his own soul." Jonathan even gave his royal robe to David, along with his sword and other articles of clothing. How much more powerful could a soul-bond be? As the son of Saul, Jonathan was afflicted by the same curses that came upon his father. The proof of this is his death in battle, citied in First Chronicles 10:2. And if Jonathan had his father's curses, why wouldn't he also have had his father's demons? And through the soul-connection between Jonathan and David, why wouldn't those demons have, to some extent, passed on to David?

As I stated in part 1 of this series, the breaking of curses, along with exorcism and deliverance, were unknown at the time of King David. Plus, the fullness of authority over curses and demons had not yet been given through Christ. Saul's demons most certainly passed to his sons, Jonathan being one of them; and by the soul-covenant between Jonathan and David these same demons could have passed from Jonathan to David. This helps us to better understand how such a godly man as David could committed adultery and then murder to cover up his evil.

None of this excuses David's failure of personal moral discipline and his willful scheming to kill Bathsheba's husband, Uriah the Hittite. As I've stated many times, demons can't make us do anything. They can lure and tempt, but no human responds robotically to demonic commands. But demons can orchestrate situations that make it difficult to remain true to the Lord. Why was David up at night walking around on the palace roof (2 Samuel 11:2)? Had evil spirits disturbed his sleep at the exact moment Bathsheba was bathing? Was the timing less coincidental and more of an intricately crafted plan of Satan to destroy the Seed which could eventually crush the serpent's head?

The lessons here are many. First, we must guard our hearts "with all diligence" (Proverbs 4:23). Second, we must be wary of soul-bonds with those whose alignment with evil can rub off on us. "Evil company corrupts good habits" (1 Corinthians 15:33), and melding our souls with those whose curses haven't been broken may mean spiritual disaster for them and us.