Sermon Tone Analysis

Do I have a thankful heart?

A thankful heart is not often come by.

The idea of being thankful is both a state of mind and a response.

It can be easy to have a response of thankfulness when someone has done something we enjoy, like when they give us gifts or take us out to eat.

I feel like an attitude of thankfulness is so much more than just responding to good things that happen.

With an attitude of thankfulness we can live a life of worship no matter what circumstances we find ourselves in.

Unfortunately, thankfulness is often lost.

Are our hearts not satisfied in Christ?

Are we a generation fixated on self?

Self-centered, self-exalting, selfish, every kind of self except self-examining.

Could it be that in order to become full of thanks we must first become less of self.

My prayer is that as we study our passages tonight we might grow in our thankfulness to God and our selflessness to others.

David and Nabal

The chapter begins with the death of Samuel.

Although Samuel anointed David king over Israel he would never live to see him actually sit on the throne.

David is still on the run from Saul.

His journey brings him to Carmel where he comes across a man named Nabal.

Before entering the city David spent time in the pastures with Nabal’s servants.

David’s men protected them and ensured they were safe to do what was required of them.

When it was time for David to go to Carmel he sent some of his men to the house of Nabal to try and get help in return for how he had protected Nabal’s servants.

Nabal was an angry and bitter man but more than that he was stupid.

When a man who has killed tens of thousands of Philistines asks for some bread and water you give it to him.

David was offended at Nabal’s greed and was ready to take his life.

David often times finds himself surrounded by stupid people

It is stupid to think that our sin will not have consequences.

Unfortunately, if I am honest with myself, I spend more time thinking like a dummy than like David.

Nabal was greedy.

He refused David’s hospitality but thankfully his wife was a lot smarter than he was.

We can all be thankful for intelligent women.

When my pride has blinded me to the reality of a situation its nice to have an intelligent woman lovingly tell me I’m being an idiot.

When Nabal’s wife Abigail hears of what Nabal has done she prepared the bread and supplies and met David before he came to the house.

Ironically, Nabal’s name means stupid, so when she meets David she takes the blame for the situation and tells David, my husband lives up to the meaning of his name.

She humbly asks for forgiveness and mercy.

She reminds David that the Lord casts David’s enemies away from him like a rock from a sling, a reminder of how God literally did that in the instance of Goliath, and she asks that her husbands fate be left in the Lord’s care.

David is struck by Abigail’s humility and shows forgiveness and mercy to her.

He blesses her and sends her back to her house where greedy Nabal is eating a feast fit for a king.

That morning she told him all she did and it says his heart stopped, he became like stone, and ten days later he died.

When David heard all that had happened he brought Abigail into his house to be his wife.

A thankful heart leads to generosity

Nabal’s greed (selfish)

Abigails intercession (selfless)

Christ’s intercession (Empties Himself of glory to fill Himself with wrath)

A thankful heart leads to compassion

Nabal’s wickedness

David’s forgiveness and compassion in withholding his justice and bringing Abigail into his house as a bride

Christ’s forgiveness and compassion in taking God’s justice upon Himself and bringing us into His house as a bride

Am I generous to others?

Do I show compassion for the needs of others?

David and Saul

We saw last week that even though he prayed for God to free him from his situation when God delivered Saul into his hands David showed mercy.

This week Saul once again finds himself at the mercy of David.

While Saul’s army was camped and when everyone had fallen asleep, David found his way to the presence of the king.

Abishai, one of David’s men was ready to kill Saul at David’s command.

He told David, “I can kill him with one blow and all this suffering will come to an end”.

To which David replied, “who can lift their hand against the Lord’s anointed and remain innocent?”.

David once again chooses to spare Saul.

He instead takes Saul’s spear, probably the one he threw at him multiple times while in the palace, and he called to Saul, showed him the spear, and reminded Saul once again of his mercy.

David’s view of this situation is interesting.

Even though Saul was in the wrong and that David had been anointed as the rightful king of Israel, David was trusting in God’s timing for it all.

He is content in his circumstance because he knows God is working in it all to bring about the promise He has made to David in His own timing.

It can be a difficult thing to trust God in His timing.

It can be a difficult thing to find contentment in our circumstances.

Some of you I’m sure know what it’s like to feel frustrated about your situation.

And its natural to want that difficult time to end.

To resolve itself and to go back to some sense of normalcy.

It’s natural.

But what the Lord is teaching us here in this moment of David’s life is that where it might be easy to take a shortcut or to try and force a resolution, the best option is to trust in the Lord.

Trust that He is working all things for our good and that we just need to be still.

Allow our circumstance to produce inside us a steadfast faith.

Worshiping while we wait.

Giving thanks to God while we wait.

“When darkness veils His lovely face,

I rest on His unchanging grace.

In every high and stormy gale,

My Anchor holds within the veil.”

If we can’t think of a reason to worship or be thankful in our current circumstances rest assured there is plenty of reasons He has already given us before the storm hit.

And as we remember all God has done for us we begin to sit in anticipation for all He will do, and the thought of that gives cause for thankfulness.

Because the work He has begun in us He will bring to completion in the day of Christ Jesus.

He will not abandon the work He has already started, and for that I am thankful.

A thankful heart leads to trust and contentment

Am I content in my circumstance?

Am I patiently waiting on the promises of God?

Do I trust that His ways are better than my own?

Taking time to give thanks to God is important.

It reminds us of how He cares for us.

Could it be that a heart of thankfulness produces within us a sense of peace as well?

We look at David and there were extreme times of anxiety and fear.

We see his back against the wall and his life in danger.

We begin to see how he responds in those situations.

He calls out to God in prayer.

He reminds himself of all God has done.

He trusts the Lord and is brought into a place of peace.

A thankful heart leads to peace

A Thankful heart responds to God’s Steadfast Love and Faithfulness

David is moved to worship and thanksgiving by all God has done.

A heart of thankfulness is rooted in this.

Without Christ as the anchor of our hearts we are drawn to worthless things.

We can be Thank-full because He has been Faith-full.

David’s story once again brings him into the presence of his enemies.

This time David doesn’t act crazy.