Sermon Series: 1 Samuel 24 The Temptation to Get Even

Transcription

1 Sermon Series: David: Following God s Heart 1 Samuel 24 The Temptation to Get Even 1 Pastor Phil Christiansen: March 4th, 2016 Big Idea: Reverence for God is our job. Revenge is not. Last week Brian talked about how, in God, David s troubled heart found encouragement, renewal of spirit, and a Divine rerouting in his life. Together we learned that taking refuge in God leads to renewal in our lives. Where do you run when the bottom drops out? Run to God. Let Him renew, refresh and redirect you. Fill in the Blank Game Before we look at today s text, 1 Samuel 24, I want to play a game with you and you can play it right where you sit. In a moment I m going to put a phrase on the screen. I want you to fill in the blank by shouting out what word or words should go in that blank. For example: Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Or Strike while the iron is hot. We will do several of them, so here we go. Let s see the first one. 1) My name is Inigo Montoya, you killed my father, prepare to die! (Princess Bride) 2) Revenge is a dish best served cold. 3) The ends justify the means. 4) Don t get mad, get even! Isn t that always our temptation? Our culture loves the idea of getting even with the person who beat us in the game or defeated us in the workplace or wounded us deeply. We love the idea of even -ing the score! Revenge is the plotline of many of our favorite movies. Do you remember the movie Gladiator, with Russell Crowe? The scene I m going to show you highlights just how powerful the desire for revenge is in the human experience. [Show Clip] Isn t that powerful? I remember when I saw the movie and I was talking to the screen, Get him! I was fist pumping and rooting for Maximus to get his vengeance. We want to justify revenge when we, or those close to us, have been deeply hurt. But as God s people, that s not what He s has called us to. And today we re going to watch David honor God as he navigates his way through a very tempting opportunity to get even with Saul. Let s take a look at the first couple verses of 1 Samuel 24. [Read v 1-2] After Saul returned from pursuing the Philistines, he was told, David is in the Desert of En

2 2 Gedi. So Saul took three thousand able young men from all Israel and set out to look for David and his men near the Crags of the Wild Goats. Setting the Scene: Saul Continues His Murderous Pursuit (v 1-2). So here s the scene: At the end of chapter 23, the Lord thwarts Saul s pursuit. It was a close one for David and his crew basically orbiting the mountain with Saul on one side and David on the other. But as Saul was closing in, word came that the Philistines were raiding the land (23:27). So Saul broke off his pursuit and went to beat up some Philistines. The king hardly finished fighting his real enemy before he continued his pursuit of his imagined enemy. So he gathers 3,000 of his choice warriors not just any 3,000 to go after David and his, now, 600 men (23:13). 5:1 odds. That s pretty serious! Saul is bent on finding and killing David and he s got the troops to prove it. Can you imagine how David must have felt to see Saul and his cream-of-the-crop soldiers coming after him when he s got this rag-tag bunch of misfits on his team? Engedi, which means spring of the goat, [Pic 1] was a perfect hideout It hasn t changed much since the days of David [Pic 2]. It was an oasis in the desert wilderness, where there were fresh water springs, waterfalls [Pic 3], lush vegetation, and countless caves in the rocky limestone cliffs, high above the Dead Sea [Pic 4]. Engedi was a perfect place to hide (Swindoll, Charles R. David: A Man of Passion & Destiny. Thomas Nelson, Nashville, P 83). Several of these pictures are Brian s from his travels to Israel. This is really what En Gedi looks like! So there s the backdrop for the rest of our chapter. Now, let s look at the next couple of verses. [Read v 3-4] He [Saul] came to the sheep pens along the way; a cave was there, and Saul went in to relieve himself. David and his men were far back in the cave. 4 The men said, This is the day the Lord spoke of when he said to you, I will give your enemy into your hands for you to deal with as you wish. Then David crept up unnoticed and cut off a corner of Saul s robe.

3 3 A Strategic/Convenient Opportunity (v 3-4) If you don t know the story already, it s easy to imagine that David is going to creep up and stab Saul. It s easy to picture that! This seems to be an awesome opportunity for David. As nature would have it, Saul has to go! How do I say this delicately? Saul had to poop. (Not very delicate.) So he takes advantage of being near a cave where he can do his business in private (he thinks!). He s not going to pull 3,000 guys with him. Just watch the entrance to the cave for me I ll be back in a minute. It was probably nice and cool in there, too. It might have been a nice place to rest for a few minutes after taking care of stuff. Here s the humor in the whole thing: David and his men are in the cave! (So much for privacy!) I don t know if all 600 of David s men were there (the text doesn t say either way) but how many guys do you want with you while you re in the bathroom doing personal business? This is a vulnerable position for Saul. The king s bathroom break seems to be a strategic opportunity for David and his men say, This is your chance! God has given Saul into your hands. Here s a knife! We don t see in Scripture the promise to which David s men refer. So, is their assumption? Because David has an advantage and opportunity to kill Saul, is that what leads his men to believe this is from God? We don t know. But I do know this: Be careful who you listen to. These are David s guys. His brothers in arms. But that doesn t mean they speak for God. Jesus follower: Your inner circle of friends MUST be Jesus lovers. Not just people who go to church but Jesus lovers. Jesus followers. Not just spiritual people, but people who are indwelt by the Holy Spirit of God. Not people of other faiths. Jesus loving, Jesus living, Christian people must be in the center of your inner circle. Their voices are important to you and you have to know that they are more interested in the things of the Spirit than the things of the flesh. Even then, you must be intimately connected with Jesus and know how to discern His voice.

4 4 Our culture shouts: Do what you gotta do! The ends justify the means! Get them before they get you! If you re not careful, you ll assume God s role and try to mete out justice on His behalf. You don t want to be in that position. You ll mess it up because it s not your job! So, to some degree, David listened to his guys because he did approach the king and cut off a piece of his robe presumably while the king was crouched down. How David wasn t heard, I don t know. If I m in a cave, I m on alert. If I m doing personal business in a cave, I m on red alert. I don t know how this happened without Saul s knowledge, but it did! Check out what happens next. [Read v5-7] Afterward, David was conscience-stricken for having cut off a corner of his robe. 6 He said to his men, The Lord forbid that I should do such a thing to my master, the Lord s anointed, or lay my hand on him; for he is the anointed of the Lord. 7 With these words David sharply rebuked his men and did not allow them to attack Saul. And Saul left the cave and went his way. Stay Tender Hearted Toward God (v 5-7) The depth of David s character never ceases to blow my mind. After all he s been through with Saul, he is conscience-stricken for clipping off a piece of the king s robe! It seems like such a small offense, doesn t it? What s the big deal? It s not like he killed the king or anything. That s the justification game we play: It s just a pen. It s not like I took a whole box from the office. I don t usually copy someone else s homework, but I ve been working a lot lately. I need to keep my grades up. It s not like I m having an affair. I only look. I don t touch. We like to justify the small stuff but to the man/woman of God, the small stuff is a big deal. There s no room for little sins. If you have a tender heart toward God, when little stuff pops up and the Holy Spirit pokes you, you re going to be quick to adjust and change direction. That s precisely what David did! All the voices from his guys were still ringing in his ears, but he hears even more clearly that what he just did was wrong. David returns to his guys and basically says, I ve gone this far, but even this is too far and I won t go any farther. Even a small step

5 5 in that direction is a wrong step (Swindoll, 85). The person with a tender heart toward God admits when they ve blown it and is quick to repent and get back on track. If you ve ever blown it while on a diet or workout plan, you know that you don t quit. If you miss a day in gym, you don t quit the gym. If you eat the wrong kind of food you don t quit the diet. You get back on track. Friends, when we blow it we need to be quick to admit it and get back to it. Remember, it s not about perfection but direction: a consistent direction of godliness. That s what we see in the upcoming king. David sharply rebukes (literally tore apart) his men and won t let them touch the king. He repeatedly tells his guys in verse 6 that what the LORD wants is most important. The LORD forbid the LORD s anointed the anointed of the LORD. What s going to honor God most? That s what s rolling around in David s heart. David doesn t want the kingdom on his terms; he wants it on God s terms. It s not David s job to take revenge. His job is to revere the LORD. In other translations it says, David persuaded his men with his desire to do the right thing. Who might you persuade with your willingness to honor God even if it cost you greatly? Who could you influence at your school, on your team, at your work or in your home if your heart toward God was so tender that you were willing to do the right thing no matter what? What would happen if honoring God was more important than anything else? Speak the Truth (v 8-15) Too many people are afraid of stirring things up when they get hurt. Under the guise of peacemaking and not being judgmental, Christians are notorious for saying things like, Don t worry about it. Just let it go. It ll be fine. Don t be easily offended and weird, but if you re injured, if you ve been wounded, it s okay speak up! That s what David does in this next section. [Read v 8-15] Then David went out of the cave and called out to Saul, My lord the king! When Saul looked behind him, David bowed down and prostrated himself with his face to the ground. 9 He said to Saul, Why do you listen when men say, David is bent on harming you? 10 This day you

6 6 have seen with your own eyes how the Lord delivered you into my hands in the cave. Some urged me to kill you, but I spared you; I said, I will not lay my hand on my lord, because he is the Lord s anointed. 11 See, my father, look at this piece of your robe in my hand! I cut off the corner of your robe but did not kill you. See that there is nothing in my hand to indicate that I am guilty of wrongdoing or rebellion. I have not wronged you, but you are hunting me down to take my life. 12 May the Lord judge between you and me. And may the Lord avenge the wrongs you have done to me, but my hand will not touch you. 13 As the old saying goes, From evildoers come evil deeds, so my hand will not touch you. 14 Against whom has the king of Israel come out? Who are you pursuing? A dead dog? A flea? 15 May the Lord be our judge and decide between us. May he consider my cause and uphold it; may he vindicate me by delivering me from your hand. When it s time to speak the truth, approach the one who s wounded you with humility. Don t think of yourself too highly. Philippians 2:3 says, in humility consider others better than yourselves. Humility is not an exalted character trait in our culture, but it definitely is to God. David recognizes that Saul is still king and worthy of respect because of it. Even if he s a complete nut-job! He calls him My lord the king! Bows down and lays flat on the ground face down before Saul. That is a position of subservience. That is a place of humility. In verse 14 David essentially refers to himself as the last flea on a dead dog. Closely tied to humility is respect (something missing in society today). Chuck Swindoll talks about saluting the rank not the man. If he is a major, even if he s wasted, you salute him because of the rank he s a major (P 86). Do you treat elderly people with respect? Students, do you speak respectfully to and about your teachers even if you don t like them? Children this relates to how you treat your parents. This is how we are to treat our law enforcement, our leaders, even our president. It doesn t matter how we feel about them (think Romans 13:1). Speak respectfully as you set the record straight. Remember, your job is to honor God. Aligning yourself with God sets you up to receive His best. You ve only got Him to please. If you will do that, everything else

7 7 will be fine. David s men didn t have to like his decision. Saul didn t need to like what he was hearing. But David wanted to make sure God was honored at all costs. That included treating the current king with humility and respect and speaking the truth! You may have noticed cut off language in verse 4, now in verse 11 and later in verse 21. This stresses the fact that David is innocent. He cut off the skirt of the robe, but that is all he cut off He did not cut off Saul, or Saul s throne, or Saul s future (Brueggemann, Walter. First and Second Samuel, Interpretation. John Knox Press, P 169). David is innocent and he s saying, God is in charge. I m not! David knows that God will avenge and vindicate him so David doesn t need to take matters into his own hands. And neither do you! Do you belong to God? Do you have an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ? If so, then you get what David got: peace in your soul despite the circumstances because God has your back. You don t need to get even with the people who have hurt you. You don t need to prove that you re right and that they re wrong. God will take care of it! More on that in a minute. There is no room for evil in the lives of God s people. David knows that to get even with the king would be evil and says, From evildoers come evil deeds so my hand won t touch you (v 13)! David will continue to wait on God and His perfect timing. That s always the best way to go! On the heels of what David has to say, Saul seems to soften. Check out verses 16-22a. [Read v16-22a] When David finished saying this, Saul asked, Is that your voice, David my son? And he wept aloud. 17 You are more righteous than I, he said. You have treated me well, but I have treated you badly. 18 You have just now told me about the good you did to me; the Lord delivered me into your hands, but you did not kill me. 19 When a man finds his enemy, does he let him get away unharmed? May the Lord reward you well for the way you treated me today. 20 I know that you will surely be king and that the kingdom of Israel will be established in your hands. 21 Now swear to me by the Lord that you will not kill off my descendants or wipe out my name from my father s family.

8 8 22 So David gave his oath to Saul. Saul Sees What s Coming (v16-22a) As soon as Saul hears David s voice, the king is overwhelmed. He recognizes his own depravity and David s righteousness (v 16-18). You re the good guy and I m the bad guy. You treated me well and I treated you badly. You didn t kill when you had the chance and I ve taken every chance I could to kill you. Saul even has a saying of his own: When a man finds his enemy, does he let him get away unharmed (v 19)? Saul didn t deserve David s treatment and David didn t deserve Saul s. At long last, Saul tells David what we ve all known since chapter 16: David will, one day, be king and Israel will flourish under his leadership (v 20). In verse 21 Saul asks for more thing. It s not enough that David didn t kill him. Saul wants a promise that David won t kill his entire family once he becomes king. My acquaintance, Pastor Dan, has a saying, I ll give you the shirt off my back, just don t help me unbutton it! Well, Saul is definitely unbuttoning. David has displayed incredible restraint, respect and righteousness toward the king and Saul wants just a little more. And here s why: in the ancient world, when a new dynasty began, it was common for the new leader to have the entire family of the old dynasty killed to prevent any future reprisals or attempts by the old family to reclaim power. This is what Saul is worried about his entire family line being cut off by David. You may remember from a couple weeks ago that David already promised Jonathan that he would do good to Jonathan s family. That s partly why the first part of verse 22 is so terse: So David gave his oath to Saul. This entire section demonstrates David s amazing character. He humbles himself, speaks respectfully and conducts himself like a true man of God in front of the one who has brutally mistreated him. If there was ever a situation where someone could justify revenge, isn t this it?

9 9 But that s not how David operates. That s not his job. David is a living demonstration of what we read in Romans 12. Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord. To the contrary, if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. Romans 12:17-21 (ESV) Leave it in God s capable hands, friends. He won t forget. He won t do it wrong. Live righteously and let God take care of the revenge. Boundaries (v 22b) Notice how our chapter ends, Then Saul returned home, but David and his men went up to the stronghold. Isn t that interesting? This exchange makes it seem like David has won Saul over like the king finally sees the error of his ways and the writing on the wall. He finally sees what s coming and he appears to be okay with it. He s even making preparations for the future which is why his request for a promise is important. At last, the king gets it! He s out and David s in. Saul even called David my son and he wept. Isn t that indicative of heart change? If so, why doesn t David go home with Saul? Because David is wise. David doesn t want to hurt the king. He doesn t wish evil upon him. But he has experienced the king s flip-flopping for a long time and he doesn t trust Saul. The king might be fine right now, but what s he going to be like in 15 minutes? Or tomorrow? David established a wise boundary that I think we can learn from today. When you ve been repeatedly wounded, injured, or mistreated by someone, you don t jump right back into close relationship at the first sign of change. Saul had promised before not to kill David only to try to pin him to the wall with his spear. David did not return with Saul because David knew what Saul was capable of.

10 10 Some wounds, whether repeated or isolated incidents, are so serious that there can never be closeness in the relationship again. Attempted murder is definitely one of them as David knows! In other situations, healing and restoration are not only possible but can be cultivated and actively sought. The bottom line is this: you must be wise when relating to those who have hurt you. And remember: God will take care of you and the one who has wounded you. Your job is to trust God. Conclusion/Application We live in a society that praises revenge. Don t get mad. Get even! Exact your pound of flesh. Give them what they ve got coming to them. But that s not your job. Your job is to glorify God not get revenge. Leave the vengeance to Him. So let s put some feet on this. As Christ followers, as Jesus people, how do we handle the wounds, the desire to retaliate and honor God at the same time? First, remember that people are broken, so expect to be mistreated. We often we step back with our hands over our mouths when people do and say things that hurt us as though it s impossible. We live in a sinful world with sinful people and we regularly bear the brunt of that sinfulness. I m not saying you need to be okay with mistreatment. I m saying that you need to anticipate it. Then, you need to recognize your desire to retaliate and take it to God. It s a natural desire to want to get even. As a Christian, the Spirit of God lives in you, so you don t have to respond out of your natural, fleshly desires. The longing to retaliate is not the same as retaliating. So, when you feel that bubbling inside, take the chance to think, pray, consider wisely, and choose a response that demonstrates your desire to trust and honor God. You get to respond in cooperation with the Holy Spirit instead of out of your flesh! Finally, you must refuse to exact revenge and release the other person into God s hands. I m not saying that you should ignore what s happened to you. I m not saying you shouldn t take legal action or talk to HR or your teacher at school if it s necessary. I am saying that you must refuse to exact revenge. Revenge is not your job. Honoring God is your job. Trusting God is your job. Following God is your job. God is holy

11 11 which means that He is perfect in every way. He knows, perfectly, how to handle the person who s hurt you. It is mine to avenge; I will repay, says the Lord (Romans 12:19). That s God s promise. You don t need to worry about it. Release that person into God s capable hands, just like David did with Saul. Expect mistreatment. Recognize your desire to retaliate. Release the offender to God. Just like David, reverence for God is your job. Revenge is not. Church of the Foothills 2015