In 1 Samuel 19:9 and 16:14 it states that an evil spirit from the Lord came upon Saul, and in James 1:13 it states God does not tempt anyone. How is it that God is able to send an evil spirit? -- Joanne Gross (Cincinnati)
The short answer: In the Bible, particularly the Old Testament, secondary causes are often described as though they were primary causes. Since everything that happens God either (1) wills directly (causes) or (2) wills indirectly (allows to take place), it is true that nothing happens apart from the will of God.
The ancient Hebrews often describe events of the second category as though they belonged to the first. In this way, everything is attributed to God. The trick is to figure out whether something is being merely allowed (as presumably in 1 Samuel 19, a chapter in which a "good" spirit also is dispatched from God later on in verses 21-23). So in the verses you cite, God sends evil spirits (indirect causality). There is no compromise of God's purity (Habakkuk 1:13), since this spirit does not flow from God (directly).
As for the tempting, Satan of course is the tempter (Matthew 4:3; God merely uses the work of Satan (indirectly) to test us.
I know this is not the way you would describe secondary causes, and probably feels strange, but I am afraid you are going to have to accept this way of talking about events. It is very common in the Bible (see e.g. Isaiah 45:7).
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