Do Not Seek Revenge

Let's pray together. Father, we thank you so much for how it is you have beckoned us to come unto you all who are labor and who are heavy laden and how it is you give rest for our souls. How you call us to learn from you and to understand that you are meek and lowly of heart. I pray tonight as we look once again to the perfect law of liberty, our lives will be transformed and changed by what we read because it is the inspired Word of God that speaks the heart and soul of every man and every woman.

We're grateful for the opportunity to study your Word Lord. Thank you for allowing us to gather together in the middle of the week to be refueled that we might be used by you. In Jesus name, Amen. We are in 1st Samuel, 1st Samuel particularly chapter 25. As you're turning there I want to remind you of the words of Jesus in Matthew chapter 5 because what Jesus says in Matthew chapter 5 is beyond anything any of us could ever imagine.

Remember in Matthew 5 Jesus preached that great sermon called, what is commonly called the Sermon on the Mount. It was the Mount of Beatitudes and he sat down and began to speak and he gave us the lessons about what it means to live like a child of the King and in that sermon he outlined salvation. He outlined what people in God's kingdom look like and how people in God's kingdom behave. He talks to us about murder and how we're not to murder anyone. He talks to us about adultery and marital infidelity.

He speaks to us about divorce. He speaks to us about verbal integrity. He speaks to us about things that we can understand and then he says something that kind of goes way overboard when it comes to understanding the Christian life. Overboard because in our natural self we have a hard time comprehending what Jesus says.

We don't want to live this way. We can look at the adultery thing. We can look at the marital fidelity thing and we can look at murder to understand that and we can look at a verbal integrity to understand that our words are to be pure and true but what he says in Matthew 5 verses 38 to 48 is so over the top when it comes to understanding the Christian life and that's because it goes against everything the natural man believes.

This is what he says. He says you have heard that it was said an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. Remember Jesus introduces these statements by saying you have heard that it was said literally by the ancients of old by your rabbis this is what they taught you and a lot of what they said was true. It was all out of the Bible but they had perverted everything so extensively that they had twisted the truth of Scripture. It is true that the Old Testament taught an eye for an eye and a tooth for tooth.

It did teach that in a legislative system where there was a judge and a jury and where justice would be served. But the Pharisees decided to take things into their own hands and use that phrase eye for an eye tooth for tooth in a vindictive kind of manner so that they could justify their individual revenge. So Jesus comes he begins to preach a sermon and he says this is what you've heard and the people in the audience would say amen you're right eye for an eye tooth for a tooth we're all for that and if that's all Jesus said we'd leave that leave church taken man this is so good to be a Christian.

Vengeance is mine eye for an eye tooth for a tooth. Then Jesus says this but I say to you those great biologies of Scripture do not resist him who is evil but whoever slaps you on your right cheek turn to him the other also and if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt let him have your coat also and whoever shall force you to go one mile go with him too give to him who asks of you and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you.

Now if you're on the hill overlooking the Sea of Galilee listening to the words of Jesus you're thinking wait a minute you're talking about my dignity you're talking about my security you're talking about my liberty you're talking about my property and I don't like what you said about those things you're telling me that when my dignity has been slapped when my security has been seized when my liberty has been stolen and my property has been swallowed up by someone else I am to live like a child of the king and Jesus would say amen to that because in the midst of losing your dignity you must exercise self-control in the midst of losing your security you must exercise self-denial in the midst of losing your liberty you must exercise self-sacrifice in the midst of losing your property you must exercise self-sharing none of which we want to do all goes against everything in the natural man it goes against the base nature of man and Jesus says the people of my kingdom they are so completely different than the world and our problem is is that we're governed more by what society says then what scripture says and we think that what society has to offer us is true virtue and yet the scriptures speak against what society has said and we find it very difficult not to seek revenge when our dignity when our security when our liberty when our property has been damaged stolen seized destroyed we need to get back we speak of women's rights we speak of student rights we speak of my rights we speak of rights so much there are no more lefts in the world everything is right and so we're in trouble because we think the world revolves around me and my rights and what I believe in how I should be treated and there's none of us here this evening that is always treated with dignity respect and honor for the most part we are treated in a very wrong way in our workplace in our homes with those that were closest to with our friends and somehow some way we wish that they would treat us differently than they do but they don't in in the depths of our soul there's that spirit of revenge that wells up on the inside and says I'm getting back I'm gonna deal with this in the first game of 25 our good friend David the king of Israel has that vengeful spirit well up within him just after he had exercised self-control in the caves of En Gedi just after he had restrained his men all 600 of them from enacting revenge on Saul his enemy after he gained the greatest victory of his personal life now he faces a temptation that will cause him to want to kill a man his whole household how does that happen the same way it happens with you and me when one day we get the victory over temptation and we are feeling really good about ourselves and the very next day we succumb to temptation that's David's life I'm gonna read to you the story it's over 40 verses but we are committed to the reading and the teaching and the instruction of the Word of God we're just not committed to the instruction of it we're not just committed to the teaching of it we're committed to the reading of it so we're gonna read to you the whole story so you get into perspective and then we'll draw some conclusions as we understand it together 1st Samuel 25 verse 1 then Samuel died what a way to start a chapter right then Samuel died and all Israel gathered together and mourned for him and buried him at his house in Ramah and David arose and went down to the wilderness of Paran now there was a man in Maon whose business was in Carmel and the man was very rich and he had 3,000 sheep and a thousand goats and it came about while he was shearing his sheep in Carmel 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 and he was a Calebite that David heard in the wilderness that Nabal was shearing his sheep so David sent ten young men and David said to the young men go up to Carmel visit Nabal and greet him in my name 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 and 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 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 when David's young men came they spoke to Nabal according to all these words in David's name then they waited but Nabal answered David's servants said who is David and who is the son of Jesse there are many servants today who are each breaking away from his master shall I then take my bread and my water and my meat and that I have slaughtered and my shearers and give it to men whose origin I do not know so David's young men retraced their way and went back and they came and told him according to all these words and David said to his men each of you gird on his sword so each man girded on a sword and David also girded on his sword and about four hundred men went up behind David while two hundred stayed with the baggage but one of the young men told Abigail Nabal's wife saying behold David sent messengers from the wilderness to greet our master and he scorned them yet the men were very good to us and we were not insulted nor did we miss anything as long as we went about with them while we were in the fields they were a wall to us both by night and by day all the time we were with them tending the sheep now therefore know and consider that you should do 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 then Abigail hurried and took two hundred loaves of bread two jugs of wine 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 sounds like a meal to me and she said to her young men go on before me behold I am coming after you but she did not tell her husband Nabal and it came about as she was riding on her donkey and coming down by the hidden part of the mountain that behold David and his men were coming down toward her so she met them now David had said surely in vain I had guarded all that this man has in the wilderness said nothing was missed of all that belonged to him and he has returned me evil for good 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 when Abigail saw David she hurried and dismounted from her donkey and fell on her face before David and bowed herself to the ground she fell at his feet and said on me alone my lord be the blame and please let your maidservant speak to you and listen to the words of your maidservant please do not let my lord pay attention to this worthless man the ball for as his name is so is he the ball is his name and folly is with him but I your maidservant did not see the young men of my lord whom you sent 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 against my Lord be as the ball and now let this gift which your maidservant is brought to my Lord be given to the young men who accompany my Lord please forgive the transgression of your maidservant for the Lord will certainly make for my Lord an enduring house because my Lord is fighting the battles of the Lord and evil shall not be found in you all your days and should anyone rise up to pursue you and to seek your life then the life of my Lord shall be bound in the bundle of the living with the Lord your God but the lies of your enemies he will sling out as from the hollow of a sling and it shall come about when the Lord shall do for my Lord according to all the good that he has spoken concerning you and shall appoint you ruler over Israel that this will not cause grief or troubled heart to my Lord both by having shed blood without cause and by my Lord having avenged himself when the Lord shall deal well with my Lord then remember your maidservant then David said to Abigail blessed be the Lord God of Israel who sent you this day to meet me 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 nevertheless as the Lord God of Israel lives who has restrained me from harming you unless you had come quickly to meet me surely there would not have been left in the ball until the morning light as much as one male so David received from her hand what she brought him and he said to her go up to your house in peace see I have listened to you and granted your request then Abigail came to the ball and behold he was holding a feast in his house like the feast of a king and the ball's heart was merry within him for he was very drunk so she did not tell him anything at all until the morning light but it came about in the morning when the wine had gone out of the ball that his wife told him these things and his heart died within him so that he became as a stone and about 10 days later it happened that the Lord struck the ball and he died when David heard that the ball was dead he said blessed be the Lord who has pleaded the cause of all my reproach from the hand of the ball and has kept back his servant from evil the Lord has also returned the evil doing of the ball on his own head then David sent a proposal to Abigail to take her as his wife when the servants of David came to Abigail at Carmel they spoke to her saying David has sent us to you to take you as his wife she arose and bowed with her face to the ground and said behold your maidservant is a maid to wash the feet of my Lord's servants then Abigail quickly arose and rode on a donkey with her five maidens who attended her and she followed the messengers of David and became his wife David had also taken a Hinnomim of Jezreel and they both became his wives now Saul had given Michael his daughter David's wife to Palty the son of Laish who was from Galilee ah quite a story in the story David makes a decision that will haunt him the rest of his life what God does to protect him is unique God always protects his own when they trust him believe in him and wait upon him the story begins with the death of Samuel this is important because all Israel mourned at the death of Samuel if you go back and you read the scriptures you realize that all Israel mourned at the death of Aaron the high priest at Moses the greatest leader in Israel and King Josiah the greatest king in Israel all Israel mourned for those three men now they all mourn for Samuel Samuel had bridged the gap between the judges and kings when every man did that which is right in his own eyes Samuel the prophet was put in place and God used Samuel in a great and mighty way to lead people into the knowledge of the truth the people needed spiritual leadership and Samuel was that man and all Israel mourned his death when Nabal died at the end of the chapter nobody mourned his death not even his wife in fact he died for the next day she was married to David ok there wasn't much mourning going on in her life but you see it's important to realize that leadership at home as well as in the nation is absolutely essential that it be a spiritual kind of leadership a leadership that leads people toward the grace and knowledge of God and Samuel was that man that God used in a mighty way to help Israel understand the words of God why is that even in there because who's going to take Samuel's spot who's going to be the next spiritual leader of Israel answer David King David and so the story begins with the death of Samuel so that you understand the story of David and the very first temptation he faces as he realizes that he will be the next spiritual leader of Israel Saul's not that guy the spirit of the Lord has already departed from Saul Saul is an ungodly man David is the godly one he is the servant of the Lord he is the one that seeks after God's heart David's going to become that next spiritual leader of Israel and so therefore the story begins with the first test he faces after Samuel's death a test that could destroy his ability to lead the nation spiritually if he fails the test and that is the test of seeking revenge on someone who was wronged you and that's why Abigail brings up that whole scenario and the consequences of sin in the future and how it will destroy your kingship in the future if you go and kill the ball and it would because it would destroy the people's confidence in a man a spiritual leader who's supposed to exemplify self-denial self-control and self-sacrifice see that so it's important to understand the context how the whole story begins so let's begin by looking at number one the request by David David just simply makes a request to Nabal now in those days remember David was a fugitive he was running from Saul he didn't have time to set up camp and to cook food and do all these things he was always on the run and so he as a warrior would protect the shepherds of Nabal and their sheep and he would be like a guard a protector of them so that they could roam the fields and do what they do without any fear of someone hurting them so David makes a request a very simple request could it be as you men go and talk to Nabal ask him if he would just please give us whatever he wants to give us I'm not making a request here that he gives so much of this and so much of that whatever his heart finds to give us let him give us what he thinks is best for what we have done for him to protect his men to watch over them it was a festive day that means it was the day in which everything was coming home to roost they were shearing the sheep all the money was coming in everything had been paid for so David knew that this was the proper time to ask which would be a normal thing to do because he has protected Nabal's men that's all he does makes a simple simple request yet Nabal was an evil man his name means fool by the way just in case you wanted to know and his men even said that he was a worthless man if you want to know the true character of your boss ask those around him who are led by him and they all said he's a worthless guy his wife even said his name is what he is his name means fool he is exactly what his name says he is a fool he was a very wealthy fool though wasn't he he had sheep he had livestock he had so much he was a very rich man the Bible tells us so he had lots of money he had lots of animals he could easily give something up to help David and his men and yet and yet he would not also he had a wife with beauty and brains every man wants a wife who's beautiful and intelligent and Nabal got just that question is how did Nabal get Abigail remember in those days they betrothed their children to one another Abigail's dad I'm sure was looking for some kind of dowry that would enable him to make ends meet and so Nabal probably offered Abigail's father a lot of money and that would have been hard for him to refuse so that he would betroth his daughter to Nabal who was a very wicked man so she was in a marriage that was betrothed they were betrothed together they were put together by their parents and here she was caught in this relationship with a wicked evil man how long she was married to him we do not know but he was a miser wicked evil individual so David makes a request oh by the way isn't it easy to say in your own heart and mind you know what I can seek vengeance on this guy he is so evil so wicked God can use me as a tool in his hand to destroy this man's integrity destroy this man's life someone needs to deal with this guy he's out of control everybody who works for him hates him his wife she hates him I hate him everybody hates him certainly this vengeance would be justified to some degree nobody likes the guy and if we rid the world of him who's going to care nobody's going to care right so David in his mind would seek revenge on a man who would not reciprocate in fact David says he has done evil to me and I have done good to him he's returned evil for my good and I'm not going to stand for that how many people do you know that have returned evil for your good you've been good to them you've been kind to them you've been sweet to them and they have been absolutely nasty to you evil what do you do how do you handle that David says fellas gird your swords we're going to war he takes 400 of his men that's kind of over the top you know what I'm saying I mean it's just the ball in his family it's not like it's hundreds of men but he takes 400 men with him I mean he wants to make a statement he wants to show power he wants to show control he wants to show that he is top warrior he takes 400 men that's overkill but David is absolutely furious he makes a very simple request listen I have protected your men I have watched over your sheep from Marauders from the Philistines from the Amalekites you've been protected whatever you want to give us just give us it's up to you would you please give us something so David makes a request and the ball refuses who is this David who is this son of Jesse and everybody in the room wants to know that somebody else knows your name right and knows who you are we kind of like that you know and this guy comes along and says who is David David who and who is the son of Jesse and let me characterize the ball for you number one he is ungrateful David provided for him a very valuable service of protecting his men in fact the men said in verse 15 David's men were very good to us and we were not insulted nor did we miss anything as long as we went about with them while we were in the fields they were a wall to us both by night and by day all the time we were with them tending the sheep they were like a wall around us they were impenetrable they protected us that's what the servant said to Abigail and Nabal was ungrateful I am not giving this guy anything knowing that he was ungenerous look what he says verse number 11 shall I then take my bread my water my meat I have slaughtered my shearers my, my, my, my, my, my, my everything is about me he is ungenerous he knows nothing about stewardship he thinks everything is his these are my shearers these are my sheep this is my food this is my water and I'm not giving it to anybody else it's mine how selfish can you be and he had a whole bunch of it he was a rich man the Bible tells us he was very wealthy it wasn't like he was hurting he was on poverty row he had all kinds of money and yet he was unwilling he was ungenerous to David because he was ungrateful to David he didn't see himself as a steward all that he had came from God anyway he also was unlawful and note that this is very important he was unlawful how do we know that Deuteronomy 15 verse number 7 says if there is a poor man with you one of your brothers in any of your towns in your land which the Lord your God has given you you shall not harden your heart nor close your hand from your poor brother poor refers to those who experience hardship the law of the Lord in Deuteronomy 15 verse 7 says look if you see someone suffering hardship it's your responsibility to take care of that person and to help them through the process and this man Nabal was unlawful he would not abide by that law now note the Bible tells us he was a Calebite remember Caleb Joshua and Caleb Caleb name means dog or means whole heart because his whole heart was committed to the Lord and if you read the book of Joshua you realize that Moses said his whole heart was committed to God God said his whole heart was committed to God Caleb echoed that his whole heart was committed to God Joshua said his whole heart was committed to God this man had committed everything to God so he comes from good roots except he now is a very selfish man and therefore he would not give anything to David he also was untruthful because somehow he didn't know anything about David are you kidding me everybody in Israel knows who David is everybody knows that David is a runner from Saul this is not some secret I mean how long have we been studying this thing now we all know about it we just read it once a week they lived it every day in Israel they knew who David was they knew who Saul was they knew David was a fugitive running from Saul in fact he says these words there are many servants today this is Nabal speaking who are each breaking away from his master he is accusing David of running away from Saul well he was running away but he was a fugitive he had to run because Saul was pursuing him to kill him and this man Nabal was untruthful he also was unkind look at what the Bible says in verse number 14 behold David sent messengers from the wilderness to greet our master and he scorned them in other words he blew up at them he railed them he didn't just say you know what I don't want to do that he just lit into them he blew up and was unkind to David Smith this is Nabal's refusal this is important why because the natural response by David is really he doesn't want to help us out fellows gird your swords we're cutting them up we're going to dice them and slice them nobody disrespects me nobody is going to treat my men this way nobody is doing this to me and all the guys are like oh yeah I'm getting my sword too man I want a piece of this guy let's go and boy I tell you there was nobody holding back at that time because everybody by nature wants to seek revenge it's part of who we are in our carnal state David mounts his men and off they go oh by the way just as a note Nabal was an unlawful man based on Deuteronomy 15 verse number 7 I read that earlier right what about David because in Deuteronomy 32 verse number 35 says vengeance is mine and retribution in due time their foot will slip for the day of their calamity is near and the impending things are hastening upon them that's what God said so to some degree David was unlawful he was not willing to submit to the law of God he is angry at a man who will not submit to the law of God and so because Nabal won't submit to the law of God neither is David and vengeance now will be his and yet what made David a man after God's own heart is that he never sought revenge except right here and so he girds his men with their swords and off they go enter Abigail verses 14 and 22 this is the reaction by Abigail she faced a huge problem why because she faced losing everything everything her home her husband she was the innocent victim in the whole process and so she made preparations she got everything together and notice how it happened verse 18 then Abigail hurried and took 200 loaves of bread 2 jugs of wine 5 sheep by the way 1 sheep would feed 100 men she took 5 sheep they had already been prepared it's not that she took them out and she prepared them only had a few minutes they were already prepared ready to go she took the ones already prepared for the men and notice what the text says verse 18 then Abigail hurried verse 23 when Abigail saw David she hurried verse number 34 David says unless you had come quickly to meet me or hurried to meet me this would have never happened verse number 42 then Abigail quickly arose and rode on a donkey one thing about Abigail ladies she was always in a hurry whatever she did she did it quickly no grass would grow under her feet when there was a problem she rose up handled the problem opportunity to get married well maybe I should pray about my marriage here I don't know time to get married she got married when it was an opportunity for her to get to David and bow before him she hurried and bowed before him there was no grass that grew under her feet she was a godly woman who loved the Lord so much she would sacrifice her life to protect her family not only was she a beautiful woman not only was she a brainy woman she was a brave woman she had that try you nature of all great women she was brave she was beautiful she was brainy she had it all I mean she was the whole package man no wonder David wanted to marry her I mean she was it she was everything and she was brave and she would go to David she would risk everything she would risk losing her life in front of David because David in her mind is seeking revenge she's going to die too she doesn't know he's going to slice her up right she risked losing her husband all of her support of her family and everything at home she risks it all but she goes because she wants to deal with the issue why?

how do you overcome evil? with good right? overcome evil with what? good so what is she going to do? she's going to do all the good things what her husband was unwilling to do because he was an evil man people say listen carefully people say well you know what she didn't ask her husband she didn't submit to her husband she should have done that uh uh uh uh uh let me tell you something when your husband is ungodly and acts in an ungodly way you better do what God says you better follow God that's what she did she followed the law of God she understood Deuteronomy 15-7 she understood the needs of the men she understood what God required of her she understood it's always better to obey God than man Acts 5-39 when God says do something and man says don't do it and ladies let me tell you something if your husband is leading you the wrong way and he's an ungodly man you better make sure that you obey God as your number one priority because he is the one you're answerable to and you follow God humbly quickly submissively to all that he says and that's exactly what Abigail did she feared God she knew that God was the answer she knew that God had a plan and so she went and she gathered all these goods together and she went up to David and when she saw him she bowed before him she bowed before him and this is verses 23-31 the reasoning of Abigail she says as she got down she would bow and acted in great humility why?

because she would seek someone else's interest above her own Philippians chapter 2 she was more interested in what David was going to do to her family than what David would do to her her life was irrelevant but the protection of her family was extremely relevant and so she went after David and she bowed before him and she reasoned with him as she subjected herself to him she was protecting her house and as she bowed before him she did it out of humility out of grace and know what she did? she accepted the blame on me alone verse 24 my Lord be the blame she took responsibility she was willing to lose her life to save her evil husband's life she was willing to do good to David who was about to do evil so that she could live a godly life see that?

I mean this woman was unbelievable and that's what she did and she takes all the guilt in order for there to be reconciliation you must be willing to accept blame and all the guilt and she did notice what she says verse 28 please forgive the transgression of your maidservant please forgive me let me ask you a question what did Abigail do?

nothing did she do anything wrong? no she said please please forgive me what a humility you know last week my wife and I we had an upset in all reality it was all my fault but don't tell her I said that okay it was all my fault and she called me on the phone she says honey please forgive me for my attitude I'm like are you kidding me? that should have been my words instead that was her words please forgive me for my attitude please forgive me for the words I used please forgive me for my response and talk about heaping coals of fire upon someone's head and shaming them I was so ashamed because that should have been me but those two words please or three words please forgive me are so powerful and they melt the enemy when a man's ways please the Lord he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him and Abigail's ways please the Lord and David the enemy was pleased with this woman's willingness to return good for his evil and he's convicted and she analyzes all the consequences for David now she knows she's going to be the king of Israel she knows so we know the ball knows everybody knows that David's the next king I mean that's been all around the land of Israel this is no secret to anybody and Abigail knows this and she understands that that because my Lord is fighting the battles of the Lord and evil should not be found in you all your days she says in verse number 30 it shall come about when the Lord shall do for my Lord according to all the good that he has spoken concerning you and shall appoint you ruler over Israel she says I know God is making you ruler over Israel I know that she says verse 31 that this will not cause grief or trouble heart to my Lord both by having shed blood without cause and by my Lord having avenged himself when the Lord shall deal well with my Lord then remember your maid servant David listen in the future you can't rule as king having a vengeful spirit having enacted vengeance on my husband and my family she was right and David knows she's right that leads us to point number what five the response of David verse 32 blessed be the Lord God of Israel who sent you this day to meet me God did this God sent you to me God used you in my life praise be to God he recognizes that and then he recognizes Abigail's discernment he says 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 wow woman bless you you spared me so much God brought you to me God caused you to come here and God used you and he gave you a spirit of discernment and you were able to discern my evil and with your goodness you turned my evil blessed be you woman for what you've done he realized that she spared him from sin sorrow and shame wow what a testimony what a testimony David's response was one of tremendous gratitude so what happens next he says I've listened to you I've granted your request you may go so what does she do she wants to tell her husband what's happened but he's drunk she can't tell him she wants to tell him but he's so drunk she can't tell him so she has to wait to the light of the next day when the light comes up she tells him she can't wait to tell her husband she can't wait to tell her evil husband what God has done maybe what he hears will turn his heart maybe for the first time the ball will realize that God is sovereign, he rules over all and that this man David is going to be the king of Israel and he'll come to realize that God is in complete control of all things and maybe this will be the conversion of her husband, maybe this will turn her husband around, maybe this will change their whole marriage it does by the way it does so she tells him he has a stroke and for 10 days he can't move then God kills him that's the revenge of the Lord vengeance is mine I will repay says the Lord now because you're here tonight don't think that God is going to kill your enemy tomorrow or cause your enemy to have a stroke and die 10 days later that's not the way it always works it might work that way but there's no guarantee that's the way it's going to happen that just happens the way it worked out in this story right he dies and Abigail is free the Bible says he wants me I want her she didn't expect her husband to die she expected her husband to live why?

because she returned good for evil she heaped coals of fire of shame upon David's head David repented David turned from his anger she had won a great victory she was excited about telling her husband and maybe this would be the thing that would bring their marriage together and make it strong she had been betrothed to this man she didn't love this man she didn't want to be with this man but she was obligated to this man in the marriage and she wanted to be used of God and she was and she couldn't wait to tell her husband how God had worked to spare Nabal's life he hears it has a stroke and dies which leads us to the results for David David realizes he's dead and realizes what God did how God spared David everything came to light for David so what's he do?

I have to have that woman as my wife she is an amazing woman so he sends his men to go make the proposal what does Abigail do? she hurries quickly to marry David would you? sure you would sure you would she marries David she quickly goes and says you know what? you betcha I'll be your bride but notice what the text says verse 43 David had also taken a heroine of Jezreel and they both became his wives that verse is David's downfall that verse contradicts Deuteronomy chapter 17 verses 14 to 17 no king can have multiple wives that's the law of God now most commentators will tell you that Abigail would be his second wife after Michael but notice the text tells us now Saul had given Michael his daughter David's wife to Paul remember David got Michael because he slew Goliath way back earlier in 1 Samuel well Saul took Michael away from David gave her to somebody else so she's already committed immorality based on Deuteronomy 24 he can't take Michael back no matter what so now in all reality he has no wife except Ahinoam was his wife before Abigail was his wife based on 2 Samuel chapter 3 because she bore the first son Abigail bore the second son and so what David did was take another wife and this was the beginning of David's downfall why did he do that?

he's the king he can do whatever he wants right he's the king and you gotta remember that he would take a lot more wives after this right oh by the way so would his son Solomon which by the way was his downfall right we go to Israel and we stand on the city of David and we overlook the Kidron Valley what do we see? we see the hill of offense where all of Solomon's wives built all their pagan idols built all their pagan altars to their pagan idols the hill of offense Solomon followed in the footsteps of his father see but David violated Deuteronomy 17 oh by the way it was legal to have as many wives as you wanted but it wasn't moral to have as many wives as you wanted let's put it in context it's legal to have an abortion but it's not moral it's wrong right it's legal the law says you can have an abortion you can kill the unborn child really what does God say now you put that in the context of David it's legal to have as many wives as you want but it's not moral it certainly isn't biblical and David was enraptured with her beauty enraptured with her bravery enraptured with this woman who had brains beyond anything he could ever imagine he wanted her so he took her and she was a willing participant believe me but this would be the downfall because one day in 2 Samuel chapter 11 David will see another woman after already obtaining many wives because once you begin to obtain many wives guess what there's always another one to obtain he sees Bathsheba if you've been to Israel with me and stood on the top of the city of David you can see how the city descends to the base of the kitchen valley how easily David could stand up there and view every patio in his kingdom that's what he did he saw Bathsheba and what did he do he wanted Bathsheba he wanted her so he called for her he's the king it's legal but it's not moral nor is it biblical and that adulterous affair led to the murder of her husband but it all began right here in 1 Samuel chapter 25 when he decided to take one more woman for his wife the lesson is this I don't care how many victories you win there is another temptation on the heels of that victory it will be here just as quickly as you bet your eye you must learn to walk in the spirit so you don't fulfill the lust of the flesh and honor God with your life God spared David God protected David from enacting vengeance on Nabal because God was going to take care of him and God used Nabal's wife Abigail to turn David from his sin but David then once tempted again would take her as his wife in which would be the beginning of the downfall of the great king of Israel let's pray Father we thank you for tonight the reminder of your word how true it is I pray for all of us Lord that we would be committed to doing what your word says no matter what so easily we rationalize our sin so easily we can justify what we have done as we read the story of David we realize how you protected him and you could have protected him from Mary and Abigail you could have but you didn't just like you could protect us from the next temptation that comes our way and sometimes you let us make the wrong choice because you will override that wrong choice with your sovereign power our prayer Lord is that we would follow your word fully submit to you and honor you may we continue to learn from the life of David king of Israel in your name amen