Patience & God's Plan
Notes
Transcript
Psalm 24 reading.
God calls us to patiently wait on His timing and plan—learning through His discipleship (as learners) and loving discipline (as correction), often delivered through unexpected people.
David had learned a lesson through his dealing with the squatting king. To wait on the Lord’s timing for the Lord’s plan. waiting is a hard thing to do, we struggle sometimes patiently for the Lord and what He wants for us. sometimes we become rash, sometimes we become lazy, sometimes we run the opposite direction. When we do this the Lord teaches us a little something about discipleship. Discipleship and discipline, they are surprisingly similar to one another.
what we learn is that the Lord uses discipleship and discipline to draw us to himself and the way that He does that is sometimes through other people. foolishness vengenance and pride get in our way and we forget about God and that vengence rule belong to Him not to us.
Sermon Illustration: “The Brakes You Didn’t Ask For”
David is ready to act. Sword on. Men assembled. Decision made. From David’s perspective, timing is perfect and justice is overdue. He’s convinced God will back his move.
Then God sends Abigail.
Not a prophet. Not an angel. Not a voice from heaven.
A wise, courageous woman who steps into David’s path and becomes God’s brakes.
She doesn’t flatter David’s anger.
She doesn’t say, “You’re right to feel this way.”
She says, in effect: “This isn’t who you are. This isn’t God’s timing. Don’t take bloodguilt into your future.”
David stops. Later he says it plainly:
“Praise be to the LORD… who sent you today to meet me.” (1 Sam 25:32)
David recognizes something crucial:
If God hadn’t intervened through Abigail, David would have ruined God’s plan by rushing God’s timing.
Think about driving down a highway. You’re late. You’re confident. You know the route.
Then traffic slams to a stop.
Your instinct: “This is stupid. This is in my way.”
But up ahead—what you can’t see—is a wreck, debris, or a closed bridge.
That delay you resent is actually protection.
Abigail is that traffic jam.
David thought Nabal was the problem.
In reality, David’s impatience was the danger.
David had already been anointed king (1 Sam 16).
God had already promised the throne.
But David was about to grab with his hands what God intended to give in His time.
God’s solution wasn’t lightning from heaven.
It was a godly voice at the right moment.
HBI - God calls us to patiently wait on His timing and plan—learning through His discipleship (as learners) and loving discipline (as correction), often delivered through unexpected people.
Point 1: The Danger of Rash Action (Nabal's Foolishness and David's Impatience)
remember, David was learning and growing in His faith turning into a man after God’s own heart, and even David struggled with doing the right thing as we are going to see. God used Abigail to turn Him back to the right path. we start out with a bit of a sad time.
Samuel died, and all Israel assembled to mourn for him, and they buried him by his home in Ramah. David then went down to the Wilderness of Paran.
It seemed liek David and Saul where going to be reconciled after the cave incident we went through last week, but with Samuel now gone the reconciliation will fail. David had tried, but Saul will prove to be unwilling
David decides to flee farther south, from what I can see it was about 120 miles south from the lush valley to the desert David fled to get away from the mad king. David ended up around the land of a man named Nabal. Nabal was married to a lady named Abigail.
A man in Maon had a business in Carmel; he was a very rich man with three thousand sheep and one thousand goats and was shearing his sheep in Carmel.
The man’s name was Nabal, and his wife’s name, Abigail. The woman was intelligent and beautiful, but the man, a Calebite, was harsh and evil in his dealings.
i find it humerous that Nabal lives up to his name. We are goign to find out that Nabal means sensless or fool. I am not sure if this is a nickname, or if his parents where feeling especially grumpy the day that they named him. But we are going to see that the two of them live up to their names.
sNabals Foolishness
so we set the scene for the foolishness of Nabal. You can follow along with me in your bibles. we read in verse 2-3 that Nabal was a rich man wiht alot of stuff. how he sheared that amount of sheep is beyond me. Abigail was a beautiful wise woman and Nabal was a fool, as his name shows.
David was encamped around the land that Nabal and his family had kept, they likely had a lot of land and David and His hundreds of men kept the land around them safe. but the problem was they where running out of supplies.
David sent men to talk to Nabal’s servants to get a few supplies.
so David sent ten young men instructing them, “Go up to Carmel, and when you come to Nabal, greet him in my name.
Then say this: ‘Long life to you, and peace to you, peace to your family, and peace to all that is yours.
some things to understand before we go foward. David would have been known throughout the land, he had one many battles, people had sung His praises and the king was running after Him. He went around with hundreds of men. So Nabal likely would have known who David was.
the second thing that we should understand is that emissaries sent on behalf of someone carried the authority of the person sending them. so to go against the emissary would be to go against the sender. It would have been as if David himself went to Nabal and asked Him the question. So Nabal really did know who David was, Nabal responded to David’s plea for help with rudeness and disrespect.
another thing to know is that the OT law commands the Israelites to help their brothers in need.
“If there is a poor person among you, one of your brothers within any of your city gates in the land the Lord your God is giving you, do not be hardhearted or tightfisted toward your poor brother.
Instead, you are to open your hand to him and freely loan him enough for whatever need he has.
Be careful that there isn’t this wicked thought in your heart, ‘The seventh year, the year of canceling debts, is near,’ and you are stingy toward your poor brother and give him nothing. He will cry out to the Lord against you, and you will be guilty.
The law of God itself commanded that he help David in His time of need. But he refused to help. Davids response we read in vs 12, put on your swords he said. They where going to go seek vengence on the man that dared insult them. So yes Nabal did wrong in what he did, but the bible also says vengence belongs to the Lord. Sometimes in the OT the Lord used the Israelites for His vengence but in this case David was taking vengence into his own hands, he to was about to do something wrong.
Point 2: God's Gracious Intervention Through Others (Abigail as the Unlikely Hero)
One of Nabal’s young men informed Abigail, Nabal’s wife, “Look, David sent messengers from the wilderness to greet our master, but he screamed at them.
The men treated us very well. When we were in the field, we weren’t harassed and nothing of ours was missing the whole time we were living among them.
They were a wall around us, both day and night, the entire time we were with them herding the sheep.
Now consider carefully what you should do, because there is certain to be trouble for our master and his entire family. He is such a worthless fool nobody can talk to him!”
Abigail hurried, taking two hundred loaves of bread, two clay jars of wine, five butchered sheep, a bushel of roasted grain, one hundred clusters of raisins, and two hundred cakes of pressed figs, and loaded them on donkeys.
We have Nabal the literal fool and Abigail who knew what to do and went to try and calm dowwn. To get a sense of this woman’s bravery, imagine a solitary woman riding a donkey laden with valuable goods headed into a desert alone to face an approaching army of bloodthirsty men She was placing herself entirely at David’s mercy There was at least an equal chance she might have been killed or worse
Please forgive your servant’s offense, for the Lord is certain to make a lasting dynasty for my lord because he fights the Lord’s battles. Throughout your life, may evil not be found in you.
Then David said to Abigail, “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, who sent you to meet me today!
May your discernment be blessed, and may you be blessed. Today you kept me from participating in bloodshed and avenging myself by my own hand.
so there are a few things that I wants us to look into around this scenario of David seeking His own vengence instead of God. He did not seem to learn his lesson with what happened with Saul, at least not at first anyways. There is a correct way to handel opposition and it is not by flying off the handel. And that is to be patient, show restraint and wait on God’s plan.
Point 3: The Fruit of Patience and the Role of Discipline/Discipleship
but how do we do this?
How many of you can relate to David in this scenario. Some one does something like this, and you respond in anger and vengence. Maybe you say some evil words to the person to try and get your point accross. David here could have been acting on behalf of God, but he wasnt, he was acting in anger.
Abigail is the unlikely hero in this story she rode in on a donkey, transferred blame to herself and tried to make it right. Does that sound a little familiar? Abigail pointed David back to the Lord.
Please forgive your servant’s offense, for the Lord is certain to make a lasting dynasty for my lord because he fights the Lord’s battles. Throughout your life, may evil not be found in you.
It’s easy to see the Lord speaking through Abigail directly to David’s heart She skillfully speaks to David’s conscience by pointing him back to his relationship with the Lord
This was the lesson the Lord wanted David to understand In Chapter 24, David took a step of revenge in defense of himself against a foolish man, Saul Here he was ready to do the same again So the Lord sends a woman to teach David what he already knew And to stop David from sinning against the Lord Finally, Abigail knew her audience well, because in v.29 she used a metaphor especially appealing to shepherds Shepherds carried two bundles while tending the sheep She reminds David that his life is assured because he is bound with the Lord While David’s enemies are like stones to be flung away by a sling.
Sometimes we need to remember to patient, show restraint and wait on God’s plan. and then when we know where God wants us to go then we move. Other times God uses discipline to bring us back in line with Him.
This is the first step in recognizing the discipline of the Lord in our own lives When the Lord disciplines his children, the Bible says He does so for our good And that discipline usually comes through other people Most often through our spouse But other times through our children or friends or even a stranger like Abigail Obviously, not every critique we receive is from the Lord or even appropriate But when someone offers criticism or makes a suggestion or maybe they merely model righteousness before us and we experience conviction, we’ll know it’s the Lord
What happens next will determine whether we’ll learn the lesson Do we react defensively, do we make excuses, do we run away? Then we missed the chance to recognize the Lord sent us a messenger to correct our heart For his part, David immediately knew this woman was speaking with the heart of God So David received her as from the Lord
how do you respond to the discipline of the Lord in your life when you have not been patiently waited on Him The Lord ended up working it all out for His glory.
In the morning when Nabal sobered up, his wife told him about these events. His heart died and he became a stone.
About ten days later, the Lord struck Nabal dead.
When David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, “Blessed be the Lord who championed my cause against Nabal’s insults and restrained his servant from doing evil. The Lord brought Nabal’s evil deeds back on his own head.” Then David sent messengers to speak to Abigail about marrying him.
Be patient, show restraint and wait on God’s plan
Be patient, show restraint and wait on God’s plan
We learn here that David has learned that patience and restraint are part of the plan of God. the bible tells us to wait upon the Lord, to find peace in Him. It tells us that vengence is not ours but the Lord’s. Abigail, the unlikjel;y hero shows us that we need to look forward to what is coming in the end. We look forward to eternal peace when God wins and in the mean time our goal is to glorify the Lord our God and allow Him to speak through us.
But when we do run the wrong way and try to get ahead of God we need to be disciplined sometimes, in love to be brought back to God. God allows other people in our lives to do this, like an ABigail who came in humility and love and pointed David back to God. Sometimes though people may be well meaning but are not actually coming on behalf of God and we should not listen to. depend on God, allow God to lead and to Guide you.
this is where Discipleship comes in.
1 & 2 Samuel Contemporary Significance
The nature of Christian discipleship involves “learning,” since a disciple is, after all, a “learner” and the rabbi is a “teacher.”19 This text serves as a reminder that disciples must be teachable; they receive the word of God and must act on it, adjusting their lives accordingly
God calls us to patiently wait on His timing and plan—learning through His discipleship (as learners) and loving discipline (as correction), often delivered through unexpected people.
discipleship and discipline need to be part of the work of the church because in love we sometimes need to help eachother grown closer to God. so as we learn as we grow together we must remember to Patiently in restraint wait on the Lord while we seek to glorify him.
rewritten
rewritten
Sermon Title: God's Brakes: Learning to Patiently Wait on His Timing and Plan
Opening Scripture – Psalm 24 (Read Aloud Slowly)"The earth is the LORD's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; for he founded it on the seas and established it on the waters. Who may ascend the mountain of the LORD? Who may stand in his holy place? The one who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not trust in an idol or swear by a false god. They will receive blessing from the LORD and vindication from God their Savior..." (Psalm 24:1–5, NIV).
Friends, this psalm reminds us that everything belongs to God—including our timing, our plans, and even our frustrations. Today, we turn to 1 Samuel 25, a chapter that shows us what happens when we forget that truth. It's a story of impatience, divine intervention, and the beautiful growth that comes from learning to wait on the Lord.
Introduction and ContextLast week (if you were here), we looked at chapter 24—David sparing Saul's life in the cave, showing remarkable restraint. It seemed like reconciliation might be possible. But then tragedy strikes: "Samuel died, and all Israel assembled and mourned for him, and they buried him at his home in Ramah" (1 Samuel 25:1). Samuel, the prophet who anointed both Saul and David, is gone. With his death, the fragile hope of peace between David and Saul crumbles. Saul's madness continues, and David must flee farther south—about 120 miles into the harsh Wilderness of Paran, a barren desert far from the lush valleys he once knew.
David and his 600 men are now in survival mode. They're encamped near the lands of a wealthy man named Nabal, who owns 3,000 sheep and 1,000 goats. During shearing season—a time of abundance and celebration—David sends ten young men to Nabal with a polite request for provisions. After all, David's men had acted as a protective "wall" around Nabal's shepherds for months, ensuring no harm came to them or their flocks.
David's message is gracious: "Long life to you! Good health to you and your household! And good health to all that is yours!" (v. 6). It's not extortion; it's a culturally appropriate request for hospitality and help in a time of need. God's own law commanded generosity toward those in hardship (Deuteronomy 15:7–11). But Nabal—whose name literally means "fool"—responds with contempt: "Who is this David? Who is this son of Jesse? ... Why should I take my bread and water, and the meat I have slaughtered for my shearers, and give it to men coming from who knows where?" (vv. 10–11).
The insult stings. David's messengers return humiliated. In a flash, David's anger flares. He tells his men, "Each of you strap on your sword!" (v. 13). Four hundred men prepare for vengeance. From David's perspective, the timing feels right. Justice is overdue. He's convinced God will bless the move.
But God has other plans.
Big Idea – The Heart of the MessageGod calls us to patiently wait on His timing and plan—learning through His discipleship (as lifelong learners) and loving discipline (as correction in love), often delivered through unexpected people like Abigail.
This is not just a historical story. It's a mirror for our souls. We all struggle to wait. We rush decisions, lash out in anger, or take matters into our own hands when life feels unfair. Yet God, in His mercy, sends "brakes" we didn't ask for—people, circumstances, convictions—that stop us from ruining His greater purpose.
Let's walk through the chapter in three clear movements.
1. The Danger of Rash Action: When Impatience Leads to SinFirst, we see the peril of acting ahead of God.
David's reaction is understandable on a human level. Nabal's rudeness was public and personal. The messengers carried David's authority; insulting them was like insulting David himself. Moreover, David's men had genuinely served Nabal's household. Gratitude should have been the response.
But David's response crosses into sin. He forgets the lesson from chapter 24. There, he had spared Saul—God's anointed—and trusted God for justice. Now, with a "lesser" fool like Nabal, he prepares to shed blood over personal pride and hunger.
The Bible is clear: "Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: 'It is mine to avenge; I will repay,' says the Lord" (Romans 12:19, quoting Deuteronomy 32:35). Vengeance belongs to God. In the Old Testament, God sometimes used His people to execute justice, but only under clear divine direction. Here, David is acting on emotion, not obedience.
How many of us can relate?
A coworker takes credit for your work → you fire off an angry email.
A family member speaks harshly → you cut them off with sharp words.
Someone wrongs you online → you hit "reply" with something you'll regret.
We tell ourselves, "They deserve it." But in those moments, we're grabbing with our hands what God intends to give (or handle) in His time.
Consider this everyday picture of protection disguised as frustration:
Here are scenes of sudden traffic stops—jams that feel infuriating in the moment but often prevent disaster ahead.
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That delay you resent? It might be God's way of saying, "Wait. There's danger you can't see."
David's impatience was the real danger. He was already anointed king (1 Samuel 16). God had promised him the throne. But by rushing vengeance, he risked bloodguilt that could disqualify him from God's plan. Rash action almost derailed everything.
2. God's Gracious Intervention: The Brakes We Didn't Ask ForSecond, God sends an unlikely deliverer—Abigail.
One of Nabal's young servants reports everything to Abigail: "David's men were a wall around us... but our master screamed at them. He's such a worthless fool nobody can talk to him!" (vv. 14–17). Abigail doesn't panic or defend her husband. She acts with wisdom and courage.
She quickly gathers provisions—200 loaves of bread, two wineskins, five dressed sheep, roasted grain, 100 clusters of raisins, 200 cakes of figs—and loads them on donkeys. Then she rides out alone to meet an approaching army of 400 armed men.
Think about her bravery. She's a woman in a patriarchal world, placing herself between wrath and her household. She could have been killed, captured, or worse. Yet she goes in humility, carrying the very supplies David requested.
When she meets David, she bows low and speaks with profound discernment: "Please forgive your servant's presumption... The LORD your God will certainly make a lasting dynasty for my lord, because you fight the LORD's battles... When the LORD has fulfilled for my lord every good thing he promised... do not have on your conscience the staggering burden of needless bloodshed" (vv. 28–31).
She doesn't flatter David's anger. She doesn't say, "You're right to be mad." Instead, she reminds him of his identity: a man called by God to fight the Lord's battles, not personal ones. She points him to God's promises and future. She transfers blame to herself and her household, absorbing the offense in humility.
David listens. His heart softens. He says, "Praise be to the LORD, the God of Israel, who has sent you today to meet me. May you be blessed for your good judgment..." (vv. 32–33). He recognizes God's hand: Abigail is the divine intervention, the brakes slamming on his runaway plan.
Here are artistic depictions of this powerful encounter—Abigail approaching David with wisdom and humility.
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These images capture the drama: a wise woman stepping into the path of an angry warrior, becoming God's mouthpiece.
Abigail shows us how God often disciplines and disciples us through people—especially those we least expect.
A spouse who gently says, "You're reacting in pride—let's pray."
A child who innocently asks, "Why are you so mad, Daddy?"
A friend who speaks truth in love.
Even a stranger whose words pierce our conscience.
Not every criticism is from God, of course. But when conviction follows, when Scripture echoes in our hearts, we should pause: Is this the Lord sending an Abigail?
3. The Fruit of Patience: Discipline, Discipleship, and God's Ultimate VictoryFinally, we see the beautiful outcome when we wait and learn.
After Abigail's intervention, David accepts the gifts, blesses her, and turns back. The next morning, Abigail tells Nabal what happened. His heart "died within him; he became like a stone" (v. 37)—perhaps a stroke or divine judgment. Ten days later, "the LORD struck Nabal and he died" (v. 38).
David praises God: "Blessed be the LORD, who has upheld my cause against the insult of Nabal... He has kept his servant from doing wrong" (v. 39). God handled justice perfectly—without David staining his hands.
David grows. He learns patience, restraint, and trust. Later, he even marries Abigail, gaining a wise partner who points him to God.
This is discipleship in action: being a learner under God's teaching. And discipline: loving correction that brings us back to the right path. Hebrews 12:6 reminds us, "The Lord disciplines the one he loves." It hurts in the moment—like brakes—but it protects and shapes us.
In the church, we need both. We disciple one another through teaching, encouragement, and accountability. We receive discipline humbly, knowing it's for our good. As learners, we adjust our lives to God's Word.
Deeper Application: How to Wait Well in Real LifeSo how do we practically live this out?
— Know when impatience rises: hunger, tiredness, injustice, delay. Name it: "This is my Nabal moment."Recognize Your Triggers
— Before acting, breathe. Ask: "Lord, is this Your timing? Show me if You're sending an Abigail."Pause and Pray
— Surround yourself with godly people who will speak truth, not just affirm your anger.Seek Wise Counsel
— David had seen God deliver him from lions, Goliath, Saul. List your own testimonies of God's faithfulness.Remember God's Track Record
— God promised David the throne years before he sat on it. Waiting refined him into "a man after God's own heart."Trust the Long Game
Here are images that capture the posture of waiting on God—patient prayer in difficult places.
answeredfaith.comBiblical Stories of Patience: Lessons in Perseverance from Abraham ...
These remind us: waiting isn't passive. It's active trust.
Conclusion: Looking Forward with HopeFriends, the big idea again: God calls us to patiently wait on His timing and plan—learning through His discipleship and loving discipline, often through unexpected people.
Where are you tempted to rush? A relationship? A career move? Anger toward someone? A ministry decision? Next time frustration builds, picture Abigail riding out with humility, or traffic halting before a wreck. Ask God for eyes to see His brakes.
And when you're called to be an Abigail—speak with wisdom, humility, and love. Point people back to God's promises.
We live between the already and the not yet. Christ has come, defeating sin and death. Yet we wait for His return, when every wrong will be made right, vengeance perfected, and peace eternal.
Until then, let's glorify Him by waiting well—patient, teachable, restrained, and full of hope.
Let’s pray: Heavenly Father, thank You for the story of David, Nabal, and Abigail. Thank You for sending brakes when we race ahead. Teach us patience. Make us humble learners. Use us to speak Your truth in love. Help us trust Your perfect timing. In Jesus' name, Amen.
(Word count: approximately 2,650 words. This expanded version adds deeper explanation, more application points, extended reflections on each section, and practical steps while keeping the structure clear and engaging for listeners.)
May the Lord use this message to draw hearts closer to Him. Preach it with confidence—God is faithful! If you'd like further adjustments, I'm here.
