1 Corinthians 14:32 says the spirit of prophets are subject to prophets however 1 Samuel 19:20-23 says the men Saul sent couldn't help but prophesy

Question

1 Corinthians 14:32 The spirits of prophets are subject to the control of prophets.

But in 1 Samuel 19:20-23 all the men Saul sent including Saul couldn't help but prophesy, doesn't this contradict the fact that the spirit of prophets are subject to them and the fact that self control is a fruit of the Spirit

1 Samuel 19:20-23 so he sent men to capture him. But when they saw a group of prophets prophesying, with Samuel standing there as their leader, the Spirit of God came on Saul’s men, and they also prophesied. 21 Saul was told about it, and he sent more men, and they prophesied too. Saul sent men a third time, and they also prophesied. 22 Finally, he himself left for Ramah and went to the great cistern at Seku. And he asked, “Where are Samuel and David?” “Over in Naioth at Ramah,” they said. 23 So Saul went to Naioth at Ramah. But the Spirit of God came even on him, and he walked along prophesying

Answer 1

They belongs to two scenarios that are not comparable.

1 Cor 14:32 Paul told the Corinthians when they prophesize amongst themselves in the congregations, they should speak one by one so that they could hear each another. For God is not a God of disorder (vv14:33). So what is meant by Paul said "The spirits of prophets are subject to the control of prophets"? It means if a prophet was keep talking and not allowed other people to speak, the spirit in him was not the spirit of God, for God is not a God of disorder.

1 Samuel 19:20-23. All the men Saul sent including Saul couldn't help but prophesy. However, they only prophesized when they got close to Samuel and his team. It means the Spirit had formed like a protective shell covering Samuel and David, that the men Saul sent including Saul couldn't do anything but submitted to the Spirit.

The situation of the Corinthians is if they were true prophets, then the Spirit was in them and work with them. In Samuel, the Spirit was not in Saul instead against Saul.

Answer 2

1 Samuel 19:20-23

so he sent men to capture him. But when they saw a group of prophets prophesying, with Samuel standing there as their leader, the Spirit of God came on Saul’s men, and they also prophesied. 21 Saul was told about it, and he sent more men, and they prophesied too. Saul sent men a third time, and they also prophesied. 22 Finally, he himself left for Ramah and went to the great cistern at Seku. And he asked, “Where are Samuel and David?” “Over in Naioth at Ramah,” they said. 23 So Saul went to Naioth at Ramah. But the Spirit of God came even on him, and he walked along prophesying

1 Corinthians 14:32

The spirits of prophets are subject to the control of prophets.

It does not say that the Spirit of God is subject to the control of prophets.

Answer 3

Not every experience that is described in the Bible with the word "spirit" (ruah) is the same experience. There are different types of experiences.

When the Bible says "the spirit came upon" someone, that is the initiative of the Holy Spirit causing something to happen. This is how Mary became pregnant:

Luke 1:35 KJV: And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.

This was not something that Mary was in control of. It was God visiting her, and when God visits you, you are not in control.

So the phrase "Holy Spirit came upon" denotes a situation where God is in control, and is a different situation than when a believer exercises their spiritual gifts.

I believe (but the scripture does not explicitly say) that the Holy Spirit "came upon" the believers in Acts 2.1, and they did not know what they were doing, nor were they in control of the situation. But this was a one time event. Subsequently the apostles were able to use the gifts that the Holy Spirit had given them.