Sermon Tone Analysis

The mirror responds, "Vain is your beauty, majesty.

But, oh, a lovely maid I see.

Rags cannot hide her gentle grace.

Alas, she is more fair than thee."

The queen's face contorts and her eyes burn with anger.

How could a maid, dressed only in rags, compare to the regal beauty of the queen?

"Reveal her name!"

demands the queen.

The mirror tells the queen the name of Snow White.

"A lash for her!" hisses the queen.

Though she is a beautiful queen surrounded by royalty, her envy of Snow White consumes her.

From that moment forward the queen seeks to destroy Snow White.

The queen commands a huntsman to take Snow White into the woods and kill her, returning only with her heart.

When this doesn't work, the queen attempts to kill Snow White by giving her a poison apple.

Ultimately, the queen perishes while fleeing the scene of the crime.

She is destroyed by envy.

Ahhh… Envy/Jealousy.

It is described as cancer in our bones.

From Wikipedia - Jealousy is an emotion; the term generally refers to the thoughts and feelings of insecurity, fear, concern, and envy over relative lack of possessions, status or something of great personal value, particularly in reference to a human comparator.

Jealousy often consists of a combination of emotions such as anger, resentment, inadequacy, helplessness and disgust.

How many of us have experienced this kind of emotion at some time in our lives?

Many times?

Still feel it today?

A woman who is angry that her husband is flirting with another woman, a man who resents his coworker for being promoted before he was, and a teenager who is annoyed at her sister for going to the movies with her best friend are all experiencing jealousy.

What causes it…some common ones.

Sibling rivalry, or the jealousy and envy one sibling feels as a result of the love, attention, and resources received by another sibling.

Romantic jealousy, or fear and anxiety about the perceived or actual loss of a romantic partner.

Workplace jealousy, or the jealousy and envy one might feel toward a coworker's career accomplishments, social acclaim, or treatment by superiors.

Ministry larger churches, more successful ministries, ect.

Envy and Jealousy affects us all in so many different ways.

But is there hope for us to be free of the snares of jealousy?

We will see in our passage today.

As soon as David had finished speaking to Saul, he and Jonathon became kindred spirits making a covenant together.

When they returned from defeating the Philistines, there was singing and celebration.

The song did not please Saul too much.

And again, the harmful spirit rushed upon Saul and he “raved” in his house in madness.

David came to play the lyre and Saul hurled his spear at him trying to pin him against the wall.

But David twice escaped.

Finally, Saul sent David away to lead his troops into battle hoping he would die.

Yet David, succeeded at everything he had done causing more fear to appear in Saul and at the same time increasing the love that Israel had for David.

Saul wanted to allegedly hook David up with his apparently already spoken for daughter and all he had to do was continue to fight battles for Saul.

Saul had secretly hoped that the Philistines might kill David so that he would not have to.

David said who am I that I should be the king’s son-in-law?

He graciously declined.

Later Saul found out that David was loved by his other daughter Mical and decided to give her to David to be one who would lead him into idolatry or time for the Philistines to end David.

But David said, I got nothing to pay a bride-price.

Saul only demanded 100 Philistine foreskins.

David brought him 200.

Saul also increased in madness realizing how much the Lord was with David and how much his daughter loved him.

He from then on was an enemy of David till the day he died.

David continued to be victorious, much more than any of the other leaders of Saul.

The name of David became very famous.

1 Samuel 18:

The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever.

Madness

Unhappily ever after

Christ is more than enough

The first thing we will see today is that jealousy can destroy us with madness like it affected Saul.

The second thing is how jealousy can be one of those things that we can hold onto till the grave, unhappily ever after like it was for Saul.

And finally, we will see that it is our faith and trust in the more than enough Lord Jesus that will free us from the unbelief of Jealousy.

Thesis: Though sin fuels the fires of jealousy within our hearts causing us to fall into our own form of madness; fearing removal or abandonment of that which we hold dear, our Lord whose name is more famous than any other, more victorious than any other, more frightening to the caverns of darkness than any other, will remove the thorns of jealousy’s unbelief and increase our faith and cover us with the the gospel.

I. Madness

- Madness blossoms from the seeds of jealousy.

A. There was victory in the land with song and celebration in the city.

However, in the midst of the party, the grateful mothers, wives, and daughters began to sing lyrics that did not please Saul.

Now this was not an uncommon thing to do.

Women sang songs to memorialize military successes.

Miriam sang a song after the defeat of the Egyptians, Deborah sang after their victory.

B. Saul declared in jealousy that if they praise him now for his victories, next they’ll want to make him king.

They still praised Saul… but the 9000 more of David, became 9000 times more Envy.

Saul saw incredible treason in this.

C. Now after all that David did, should not there be rejoicing?

Even from Saul? Think about it.

David saved his kingdom.

David kept them from being slaves to the Philistines.

No telling what they would have done to Jonathon and the rest of Saul’s family to keep them from an uprising.

The people saw this.

The soldiers saw this.

Jonathon saw it.

That is why they rejoiced.

But not Saul?

D. Remember, Saul was more concerned about his position as king more than he did his own repentance.

He was jealous for anything that would threaten his kingdom… and why not?

It was no longer his.

God did take the kingdom away from him.

E. His madness sprouted from the seeds of jealousy.

And even when plagued with the tormenting spirit and David being the one to bring relief, he tried to kill him.

He tried to kill the one who brought relief?

The madness continued.

He could not kill him so he decided to send him out to fight and maybe the Philistines would kill him.

However, David continued to be victorious causing Saul to feel more threatened and his madness to grow.

Madness blossoms from the seeds of jealousy.

F. What is jealousy doing in us today?

Envy is one of those awful sins.

Does it not cause us to do some of the most insane things today?

It is so destructive and the scriptures make it clear.

G.

It is destructive especially to yourself…

Proverb

Did you know that even the wisdom of the world sees it.