Transcript Document

DAVID THE SHEPHERD
KING #8
A WISE WOMAN STOPS AN
ANGRY MAN
1 Samuel 25:1-42
• In our last lesson from the life of David, we saw that
vengeance belonged to God and that we are not to
pay back evil for evil
– In a touching story of mercy – David spares Saul’s life
– David provided us a real life illustration of the teaching of
the New Testament that says, “Vengeance is Mine, I will
repay says the Lord.”
• Listening to these types of stories, one might get
the idea that David was some type of “Super Saint”
who never makes a mistake
– As we move into 1 Samuel 25 we will see a carnal side of
David – a time when in a hot flash of anger he nearly
committed murder
– Had it not been for the intervention of a certain godly
woman, that is exactly what would have happened.
THE INSULT
• 1 Samuel 25:1-3
– David had been staying in the stronghold and now moves
1 Sam
25:1-3 in high emotion, I am sure, as a result of
westward,
ThenSamuel’s
Samuel died;
and all Israel gathered together and
death.
mourned
for him, andwe
buried
himencountering
at his house in
Ramah.
And
– Circumstances
are now
can
affect how
Davidwe
arose
andthis
went
down
to thethat
wilderness
handle
next
situation
arises of Paran. 2
Now
there is
was
a man inaMaon
whose
in out the
– Here
introduced
husband
andbusiness
wife whowas
bring
Carmel;
theand
manthe
was
very
rich,
he had three
veryand
worst
very
best
in and
David
thousand
sheep
goats. And
it came
about
– You will
not and
find a
a thousand
more mismatched
couple
in all
of the
whileBible:
he was shearing his sheep in Carmel 3(now the man's
name •was
Nabal,
name
was– Abigail.
And the
Abigail
(“oneand
whohis
givewife's
joy to her
father”)
she was intelligent,
gracious,
loyal,
and humble
woman beautiful,
was intelligent
and
beautiful
in appearance, but the
• Nabal
(“fool”)
harsh,
his dealings,
man was
harsh
and–evil
in evil
his in
dealings,
andself-centered,
he was a
unreasonable, and cruel
Calebite),
THE INSULT
• 1 Samuel 25:1-3
• 1 Samuel 25:4
– Sheep shearing time for a herdsman was what
1 Sam 25:4
payday is to you and me, and in that day it meant
David heard in the wilderness that Nabal was
a celebration
shearing
his sheep– a PARTY!
– David, now in the wilderness, gets word that
such a party is about to occur
THE INSULT
• 1 Samuel 25:1-3
• 1 Samuel 25:4
• 1 Samuel 25:5-8
– David
1 Sam
25:5-8was requesting that Nabal let he and his men join
thesent
party
So David
ten young men; and David said to the young men, "Go
up to–Carmel,
visit
Nabal
and a
greet
him in my
6 and
thus you
Now this
may
sound
bit forward
toname;
us, but
in their
shall say,
' Have
a long
peace
you, andthan
peace
be toayour
culture
it was
nolife,
more
outbe
of to
ordinary
tipping
house,waitress
and peace
to allrecognition
that you have.
7'Now I have
heard that
– abelittle
for services
rendered.
you have
now of
your
shepherds
have
been …
with us and we
• shearers;
Prowling bands
thieves
were very
common
have not insulted them, nor have they missed anything all the days
• David had been in that area protecting Nabal’s flocks
they were in Carmel. 8'Ask your young men and they will tell you.
• To refuse to invite David to the party would be a insult
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.'"
THE INSULT
• 1 1Sam
Samuel
25:1-3
25:9-11
• When
1 Samuel
David's25:4
young men came, they spoke to Nabal
to all
these words in David's name; then they
• according
1 Samuel
25:5-8
10 But Nabal answered David's servants and said, "
• waited.
1 Samuel
25:9-11
Who is David? And who is the son of Jesse? There are many
– Count
the number
“I’s” breaking
and “my’s”
in that
verse
we just
servants
today
who areofeach
away
from
his master.
read – seven of them. Nabal was a self-centered, stingy
11 "Shall
I then take my bread and my water and my meat
tightwad!
that I have slaughtered for my shearers, and give it to men
– By the way, we make a mistake if we think we are
whose
origin Imasters
do not know?
absolute
over all that we have and can,
therefore, do with it as we please – actually, all belongs
to God
– David is not going to be very happy with this
THE REACTION
• 1 Samuel 25:12-13
– You do not gird on your sword for a
1 Sam 25:12-13
gentlemanly chat
So David's young men retraced their way and went back;
– Drop
now and
to verses
andtoyou’ll
seewords.
the
and
they came
told him21-22
according
all these
13 David
saidfor
to the
his men,
"Each of you gird on his
reason
swords
sword."
So each
man to
girded
on his
1 Sam
25:21-22
• David
is going
kill them
all sword. And David
also
girded
onsaid,
his sword,
and
about
four hundred
men
Now
David
had
"Surely
in
vain
I
have
guarded
all that
• Has David snapped? Has David lost it!
went
behind
while two
hundred
stayed
the of
this
manuphas
in theDavid
wilderness,
so that
nothing
waswith
missed
allbaggage
that belonged to him; and he has returned me evil for
good. 22 " 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."
THE REACTION
• 1 Samuel 25:12-13
• Isn’t this the same David who in the last
chapter showed mercy to the very one
who had been trying to take his life?
1 Cor
10:12 is a great lesson here for us:
– There
Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed that
Yesterday’s victories do not assure us of
he does not fall.
success against today’s problems
– Paul puts it this way … 1 Corinthians 10:12
THE REACTION
1 10:13
Samuel 25:12-13
1•Cor
No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to
•
Isn’t
this
the
same
David
who
in
the
last
man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted
chapter
showed
very one
beyond
what you
are able,mercy
but withto
thethe
temptation
will
provide
waybeen
of escape
also,to
so take
that you
be able to
whothehad
trying
hiswilllife?
endure it
• Remember, God provides a way of escape
– 1 Corinthians 10:13
– David’s escape would be Abigail
THE WAY OF ESCAPE
• 1 Samuel 25:14-17
1 Sam
– I 25:14-17
can imagine Abigail thinking, “I’m not
But one
of the young men told Abigail, Nabal's wife, saying,
surprised”
"Behold, David sent messengers from the wilderness to greet
– Abigail
have them.
just looked
otherwere
wayvery
–
our master,
andcould
he scorned
15 "Yetthe
the men
I’m
living
Nabal
nomiss
bowl of
good to
us,sure
and that
we were
notwith
insulted,
norwas
did we
cherries
waswith
notthem,
that while
kind of
anything
as long–asbut
weAbigail
went about
we were
in the woman
fields. 16 " They were a wall to us both by night and by
day, all the time we were with them tending the sheep. 17
"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."
THE WAY OF ESCAPE
• 1 Samuel 25:14-17
• 1 Samuel 25:18-19
1 Sam
25:18-19
– That’s
what you call fast food!
Then Abigail hurried and took two hundred loaves of bread
and two jugs of wine and five sheep already prepared and
five measures of roasted grain and a hundred clusters of
raisins and two hundred cakes of figs, and loaded them on
donkeys. 19 She said to her young men, " Go on before
me; behold, I am coming after you." But she did not tell her
husband Nabal
THE WAY OF ESCAPE
• 1 Samuel 25:14-17
• 1 Samuel 25:18-19
• 1 Samuel 25:23-25
– Suddenly Abigail comes into the path of 401 angry men, and
was ready to kill
1 Sam David
25:23-25
– Abigail
She pleads
the lifeshe
of her
foolishand
husband
– she even
takes
When
sawfor
David,
hurried
dismounted
from
her
blame for her foolish husband!
donkey,the
and
fell on her face before David and bowed herself to
– Notice that Abigail does not have on rose colored glasses when
the ground.
24 She
fell
at his feet
said,
"Onwhat
me alone,
my
she looks
at her
husband.
She and
knows
full well
he is and
lord, beisn’t.
the You
blame.
And please let your maidservant speak to
see…
you, and• listen
to thein words
ofayour
maidservant.
"Please
The answer
living with
difficult
mate doesn’t lie25
in denial
or do
about
the truth to this worthless man, Nabal, for as
not let my fantasy
lord pay
attention
• It lies squarely in commitment to God and His law regarding
his name is,
so is he. Nabal is his name and folly is with him; but
marriage.
I your maidservant did not see the young men of my lord whom
you sent
1 Sam 25:26-31
"Now therefore, my lord, as the LORD lives, and as your soul lives, since
the LORD has restrained you from shedding blood, and from avenging
yourself by your own hand, now then let your enemies and those who seek
evil
my lord,
be as Nabal. 27 "Now let this gift which your
• against
1 Samuel
25:14-17
maidservant has brought to my lord be given to the young men who
• 1 Samuel
25:18-19
accompany
my lord.
28 "Please forgive the transgression of your
• 1 Samuel
25:23-25
maidservant;
for the
LORD will certainly make for my lord an enduring
house,
because
my lord wise
is fighting
the battles of the LORD, and evil will not
• Notice
Abigail’s
counsel
be found
you all 25:26-31
your days. 29 "Should anyone rise up to pursue you
– 1inSamuel
and to seek your life, then the life of my lord shall be bound in the bundle
– Notice that Abigail brings up the possibility that the Lord was
of the living
with theDavid
LORDfrom
yourdoing
God; wrong
but thethrough
lives of her
yourintercession
enemies He will
restraining
sling out as
from the hollow of a sling. 30 "And when the LORD does for
• God may send people to us providentially …
my lord according
to all the good that He has spoken concerning you, and
• He may be providing you a way of escape – when someone is trying
appoints youtoruler
Israel,
this– will
not cause grief or a troubled
stop over
you, don’t
get31
mad
listen
heart to
both
by counsel.
having shed
without
andvengeance
by my lord
– my
Shelord,
gives
good
If weblood
disobey
Godcause
and take
having avenged
When
thecome
LORD
deals
well with
into our himself.
own hands
it will
back
to haunt
us. my lord, then
remember your maidservant."
THE WAY OF ESCAPE
THE WAY OF ESCAPE
• 1 Samuel 25:14-17
• 1 Samuel 25:18-19
Prov 25:12
•Like
1 Samuel
an earring25:23-25
of gold and an ornament of fine gold
a wise reprover
to a listening
ear.
•Is Notice
Abigail’s
wise counsel
• Proverbs 25:12 … Does David listen to
Abigail’s wise reproof?
THE LISTENING EAR
• One of the things that made David a man
after God’s own heart was that he
constantly watched for God’s dealing in his
life – he maintained spiritual sensitivity
– David looked for God’s lessons in his
circumstances
– There are lessons to be learned in every
situation
• The wise Abigail had stopped David in his
tracks – but the story doesn’t end here …
VENGEANCE BELONGS TO GOD
• 1 Samuel 25:36-38
– Nabal
really lives up to his name
1 Sam
25:36-38
Then
Abigail
cameNabal
to Nabal, and behold, he was holding a
– God
killed
feast in his house, like the feast of a king. And Nabal's
• Guys, God will judge us for mistreating our wives
heart was merry within him, for he was very drunk; so she
Hehim
will anything
take vengeance
onthe
youmorning
that your
wife37
has
did not•tell
at all until
light.
But
not
in the morning,
when the wine had 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.
VENGEANCE BELONGS TO GOD
• 1 Samuel 25:36-38
• 1 Samuel 25:39a
– Remember?
“Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,
1 Sam
25:39
says the Lord.” Here is a case in point.
When David heard that Nabal was dead, he said,
– God takes vengeance upon Nabal for the
"Blessed be the LORD, who has pleaded the cause of my
wrong
against
David
andand
thehas
wrongs
against
reproach
from
the hand
of Nabal
kept back
His
Abigail
one
swoop
servant
from in
evil.
Thefell
LORD
has also returned the
evildoing of Nabal on his own head."
HAPPY ENDING
1 Samuel
1• Sam
25:40-42 25:39b
When
the servants
of David
came
to Abigail
at
Carmel,
they
–
No,
ladies
this
doesn’t
mean
that
if
your
1 Sam
25:39
spoke
to her,
saying, "David has sent us to you to take you
husband
is amean
to you
that God
willher
get
rid
Then
David
sent
proposal
to
Abigail,
to
take
as
his
as his wife." 41 She arose and bowed with her face to the
himsaid,
and"Behold,
you’ll have
a King David
wife.ofand
ground
your maidservant
is agalloping
maid to
over
the
top. servants." 42 Then Abigail quickly
wash the
feet
of hill
my lord's
arose,
rodemean,
on a donkey,
with
herGod
five maidens
– Itand
does
though,
that
can turnwho
a
attended
her; andaround
she followed
the messengers
David and
situation
in a matter
of a few of
days
became his wife.
when it is time. Trust Him!
• 1 Samuel 25:40-42 … a romantic ending!
THE LESSON TO BE LEARNED
• Vengeful anger can turn right around and
sink you
• We cannot rely on our past success –
each day there will be news battle to be
won