Overcoming the Desire for Revenge (1 Samuel 18-25)

Transcription

1 Overcoming the Desire for Revenge (1 Samuel 18-25) David suffered for no reason at all at the hands of two wicked men. It all began when David, a young shepherd, trusted God more than the entire Israelite army and he single-handedly killed Goliath, the Philistine enemy of God. Saul was king and he loved having a guy like David around him. He even moved David into the palace but when David s popularity grew, so did Saul s pride and jealousy. 1 Samuel 18:2; 5-9 Saul took [David] that day and did not let him return to his father s house 5 So David went out wherever Saul sent him, and prospered; and Saul set him over the men of war. And it was pleasing in the sight of all the people and also in the sight of Saul s servants. 6 It happened as they were coming, when David returned from killing the Philistine, that the women came out of all the cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet King Saul, with tambourines, with joy and with musical instruments. 7 The women sang as they played, and said, Saul has slain his thousands, And David his ten thousands. 8 Then Saul became very angry, for this saying displeased him; and he said, They have ascribed to David ten thousands, but to me they have ascribed thousands. Now what more can he have but the kingdom? 9 Saul looked at David with suspicion from that day on. Saul was jealous and vengeful towards David and even tried to kill him several times with a spear. David knew he had to get away from Saul but he couldn t run from the fact that he would have to choose how he was going to respond to Saul s actions. You see, insults and betrayal are going to happen regardless of where you go. You can t run from them. The question is: How are you going to respond to them? David s response to Saul teaches us some valuable lessons about overcoming the desire for revenge.

2 1. We should value a clear conscience more than getting even. 1 Samuel 24:1 7 Now when Saul returned from pursuing the Philistines, he was told, saying, Behold, David is in the wilderness of Engedi. 2 Then Saul took three thousand chosen men from all Israel and went to seek David and his men... 3 He came to the sheepfolds on the way, where there was a cave; and Saul went in to relieve himself. Now David and his men were sitting in the inner recesses of the cave. 4 The men of David said to him, Behold, this is the day of which the LORD said to you, Behold; I am about to give your enemy into your hand, and you shall do to him as it seems good to you. Then David arose and cut off the edge of Saul s robe secretly. 5 It came about afterward that David s conscience bothered him because he had cut off the edge of Saul s robe. 6 So he said to his men, Far be it from me because of the LORD that I should do this thing to my lord, the LORD S anointed, to stretch out my hand against him, since he is the LORD S anointed. 7 David persuaded his men with these words and did not allow them to rise up against Saul. And Saul arose, left the cave, and went on his way. David didn t let outside pressure cause him to react in a way he would later regret. (vs.4) David s men said Behold, this is the day of which the LORD said to you, Behold; I am about to give your enemy into your hand, and you shall do to him as it seems good to you. But David was only willing to cut off the edge of Saul s robe secretly. Physically, Saul was no match for David and the men who traveled with David were some of the toughest men imaginable. No doubt, David was feeling tremendous pressure to be a man and do what he had to do. But that s just it; David was being a man a man of integrity and forgiveness!

3 David knew his response would set the example for his men. (vs.7) David persuaded his men and did not allow them to rise up against Saul. Peter reminds us that Jesus had this same resolve to forgive in the face of those who mistreated Him: 1 Peter 2:23 And while being reviled, [Jesus] did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously. The word revile means to rail against 1 someone but Jesus kept entrusting Himself to His Father who judges righteously. The word entrust means to surrender into the care of someone else. 2 Jesus entrusted not only His situation but also Himself to the sovereignty of His Father. This is the same trust that enabled David to forgive Saul. It s why Joseph was able to forgive his brothers when they betrayed him. In Genesis 50:19-20 Joseph said to them, Do not be afraid, for am I in God s place? As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people. Joseph, like David, didn t respond in a way he would later regret, which leads us to the next lesson that David teaches us about revenge. 2. You can vow to forgive someone, but your actions speak louder than your words. 1 Samuel 24:8-12; Now afterward David arose and went out of the cave and called after Saul, saying, My lord the king! And when Saul looked behind him, David bowed with his face to the ground and prostrated himself. 1 Strong, J. (1996). The exhaustive concordance of the Bible: Showing every word of the text of the common English version of the canonical books, and every occurrence of each word in regular order. (electronic ed.). Ontario: Woodside Bible Fellowship. 2 Strong, J. (1997). The new Strong's dictionary of Hebrew and Greek words. Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

4 9 David said to Saul, Why do you listen to the words of men, saying, Behold, David seeks to harm you? 10 Behold, this day your eyes have seen that the LORD had given you today into my hand in the cave, and some said to kill you, but my eye had pity on you; and I said, I will not stretch out my hand against my lord, for he is the LORD S anointed. 11 Now, my father, see! Indeed, see the edge of your robe in my hand! For in that I cut off the edge of your robe and did not kill you, know and perceive that there is no evil or rebellion in my hands, and I have not sinned against you, though you are lying in wait for my life to take it. 12 May the LORD judge between you and me, and may the LORD avenge me on you; but my hand shall not be against you 16 Then Saul lifted up his voice and wept. 17 He said to David, You are more righteous than I; for you have dealt well with me, while I have dealt wickedly with you For if a man finds his enemy, will he let him go away safely? May the LORD therefore reward you with good in return for what you have done to me this day. 20 Now, behold, I know that you will surely be king, and that the kingdom of Israel will be established in your hand. 21 So now swear to me by the LORD that you will not cut off my descendants after me and that you will not destroy my name from my father s household. 22 David swore to Saul. And Saul went to his home, but David and his men went up to the stronghold. Both of these men vowed to forgive and move on but Saul would later come after David again. His actions proved that his words were not genuine. Unlike David, Saul let the influence of others affect his decision making. (vs.9-10) David asked Saul, Why do you listen to the words of men? He said, The LORD had given you into my hand and some said to kill you, but my eye had pity on you.

5 God gave David the grace he needed to show kindness to his enemy, and this was an even greater achievement than defeating Goliath. 3 David s actions proved that he was the better man and Saul even admitted it. But the next chapter shows us that David didn t always respond the right way. He was human and he learned that just because God gives you overcome the desire for revenge today doesn t mean you should let your guard down tomorrow. Chapter 25 tells us that David and Saul went their separate ways and David later encountered a guy named Nabal. His name literally means fool and he would test David s resolve to be as patient and forgiving as he was with Saul. In verse 25 his own wife says do not pay attention to this worthless man, Nabal is his name and folly is with him This doesn t mean he was unintelligent. You can be very smart and still make stupid decisions. The Bible says Nabal was harsh, evil, worthless and wicked but it never says he was unintelligent. As a matter of fact, verse 2 says that he was very successful and very rich. He was simply a guy who cared about no one but himself. Verse 3 tells us more about Nabal and his wife: 1 Samuel 25:3 Now the man s name was Nabal, and his wife s name was Abigail. And the woman was intelligent and beautiful in appearance, but the man was harsh and evil in his dealings... So let s keep reading and see what happens between this guy and David: 1 Samuel 25:4-8; David heard in the wilderness that Nabal was shearing his sheep. 5 So David sent ten young men; and David said to the young men, Go up to 3 Wiersbe, W. W. (1993). Wiersbe's expository outlines on the Old Testament (1 Sa 24). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

6 Carmel, visit Nabal and greet him in my name; 6 and thus you shall say, Have a long life, peace be to you, and peace be to your house, and peace be to all that you have. 7 Now I have heard that you have shearers; now your shepherds have been with us and we have not insulted them, nor have they missed anything all the days they were in Carmel. 8 Ask your young men and they will tell you. Therefore let my young men find favor in your eyes, for we have come on a festive day. Please give whatever you find at hand to your servants and to your son David 10 But Nabal answered David s servants and said, Who is David? And who is the son of Jesse? There are many servants today who are each breaking away from his master (This was an insult because David was on the run from king Saul). 11 Shall I then take my bread and my water and my meat that I have slaughtered for my shearers, and give it to men whose origin I do not know? David and his men had protected Nabal s shepherds and livestock from thieves and wild animals. When David asked him to simply return the favor by giving them some food, Nabal insulted David and acted like he didn t even know him. Big mistake! 1 Samuel 25:13; 22 David said to his men, Each of you [put] on his sword and about four hundred men went up behind David while two hundred stayed with the baggage 22 [David said] May God do so to the enemies of David, and more also, if by morning I leave as much as one male of any who belong to him. David s forgiving spirit went right out the window! Nabal was acting like he didn t know who David was but he was lying. Everyone knew who David was. That s why Nabal got so scared in verse 37 which says, In the morning, when the wine had gone out of Nabal, his wife told him [about David] and his heart died within him so that he became as a stone. Look what happens next:

7 1 Samuel 25:14; 17 But one [of Nabal s servants] told Abigail, Nabal s wife, saying, Behold, David sent messengers from the wilderness to greet our master, and he scorned them Now therefore, know and consider what you should do, for evil is plotted against our master and against all his household; and he is such a worthless man that no one can speak to him. So without telling her husband, Abigail loaded up gifts that Nabal should have given David to begin with and headed out to meet him. Her conversation with David helped him learn our next valuable lesson concerning revenge. 3. Before you vent your emotions, ask a trusted friend for a reality check. 1 Samuel 25:25; [Abigail said to David] Please do not let my lord pay attention to this worthless man, Nabal, for as his name is, so is he. Nabal is his name and folly is with him; but I your maidservant did not see the young men of my lord whom you sent 32 Then David said to Abigail, Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, who sent you this day to meet me, 33 and blessed be your discernment, and blessed be you, who have kept me this day from bloodshed and from avenging myself by my own hand. Abigail was the opposite of Nabal. She knew David would regret his retaliation in a moment of anger. Think about it, this was her chance to get rid of a wicked husband, but instead she convinces David to forgive regardless of his emotions. So let s see what happened to Nabal: 1 Samuel 25:36-39a Then Abigail came to Nabal, and behold, he was holding a feast in his house, like the feast of a king. And Nabal s heart was merry within him, for he was very drunk; so she did not tell him anything at all until the morning light. 37 But in the morning, when the wine had

8 gone out of Nabal, his wife told him these things, and his heart died within him so that he became as a stone. 38 About ten days later, the LORD struck Nabal and he died. 39 When David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, Blessed be the LORD, who has pleaded the cause of my reproach from the hand of Nabal and has kept back His servant from evil. The LORD has also returned the evildoing of Nabal on his own head. When Nabal heard about David, he had a stroke or a heart attack and ten days later he died. He was a living example of Proverbs 1:7 which says, Fools despise wisdom and instruction. But this story does have a happy ending: 1 Samuel 25:39b; 42 Then David sent a proposal to Abigail, to take her as his wife Then Abigail quickly arose with her five maidens who attended her; and she followed the messengers of David and became his wife. So the obvious question is: How did a godly, intelligent and beautiful woman like Abigail end up married to a fool like Nabal? The marriage may have been arranged and she had no choice. Maybe God changed her life after they were already married. Maybe she thought her influence would cause him to eventually love God. All we do know is that she was faithful to the marriage vows she made before God. Nabal was judged for his wickedness and Abigail was blessed because she honored the Lord.