TIMEs 2

intro

reasons for getting lost

hes bad and im good / right / wrong

ive had a hard day (Samuel died)

** Samuel the one that believed in David when all else dismissed...

Samuel the only one who could do anything about Saul—wouldnt listen to anyone else

BTW—note v 13—David as leader—puts 2x as much energy into taking new ground than holding old

NABAL- fool, worthless...

cf inner vows

familiar patterns of thinking

passionate impulses

reasonable right

??moral superiority

unplug from the provocation

the generosity of the Lord draws out our generosity...

cf Spurgeon’s “preventing grace” msg—all the teaching that God sent our way—some were formal educators… some were spiritual directors… some were close companions… some were strangers who simply spoke for the Lord without ever knowing the spirit that activated their words

so healthy education, Godly inflence, providential direction (changing our course by disrup[ting our destructive activity)

anything that confronts our impulses becomes a friend to your future—and thus is the grace of Christ for our salvation

grace is teh thing that allows us to move past our impulses and into our ___

grace is teh thing that turns our attention from teh offender that we despise to the life we desire

grace softens our hearts to give conscience a chance to speak

grace reminds us of teh great invitation to life unspoiled by low-character reactions

grace draws up a great sense of gratefulness that has the power to overwhelm every other impulse (the sum and substance of God’s graciousness to me isn’t simply greater than my capacity to thank Him—it’s greater than all teh collection of irritation and resentment I can muster—Cf. my mother would get so frustrated with my brother because there she was—worked up into such a good lather, and the fiery whippoing he had comiong was going to be a good one. I used to see on tv theose calm mothers and fathers who sat with their mournful children and explained about the licks they were soon to dole out--”this will hurt me more than it will hurt you.” I guess that’s what mothers and fathers say. I didn’t have a mother and father—I had a mama and a daddy. And mamas and daddys didn’t say stuff like that. The said stuff that included snatching a not and upside your backside and blister your bottom and things like that. And my mama would be ready to snatch a not and blister his bottom upside his backside and the whole business. And then he would make a joke and get her busy laughing. Don’t get me wrong—Mama could spank and laugh all at the same time. She wasn’t truly thwarted. But it’;s also true, the better she laughed the worse she spanked. Which was fine, unless she was spanking him to get him back for something he did to me. Then it wasn’t so great. “Naw, Mama, don’t laugh! He playing yuo! That one didn’t even hurt! Naw, Mama, now he’s laughing too. What kind of payback is this? What about snatching that knot? Mama he can’t have a knot if you don’t do some snatching. Look, his hide isn’t tanned at all! No blistered backside? How can you have any self-respect when you and all the other mamas get together and talk about your achievements this week? They’re going to run you out on a rail—luagh you out of town, kick you right out of the club. They’re liable to take your Mama card. Don’t give in, Mama! No!

God wired us...

you have tograsp this—every wayeard act that God diverts me from committing is a field full of weedsthat don’t have to be uprooted from the soil of my soul. It’s not simply the foolishly satisfying reaction that God prevents me from, but it’s every downstream regret, every painful penalty that follows the ways of a fool...

And you free every soul that follows you from the pollution you would have so flippantly poured into their lives.

And maybe more than all other things—to be spared the defeat that not only leaves you in the ditch of demoralization, but leaves you entirely lackluster in any aspiration of soul, and perfectly willing to tolerate even more compromise of character, because you simply grow used to being disappointed in yourself.

Cf. Proverbs—do not answer a fool...

what is grace in our lives--

education

association

expectation (commit yourself publicly—it will call out better things to sincerely commit to higher things)

??industriousness / habituation / occupancy with useful things

heart’s sensitivity (regular exposure—trained to hear and respond—amazing how you can sleep through so many things—but that sound

(anything to the notion that just like rain sounds aid sleep by masking all other sounds and essentially making them unnoticeable, teh noise of a busy soul leaves us inattentive to the voice of teh Lord? Also, maybe worth considering how easily Kim and I could distinguish erin’s cry from down the hall of the hospital)

** Appeal to conscience

** Appeal to future

Note the appropriateness of the actions—it makes sense that Nabal would act thus—he is only being true to who he is. But for David to act as Nabal is to not be true to how is he...

working against David / offense at work—rationalization?

fiery impulse / offense flowed from:

identifying fault of enemy’s character

sense of suffering an injustice

inner vow

??? is this the best organization? / framework?

Offense multipliers (terribel reasons to make a terrible decision / reaction)

I’ve had a bad day

hes such a bad person

I’ve suffered such bad treatment

** emotionally raw

** moral supreiority

** injustice

** When you’re a David, it’s easy for every problem to be a golaith (I hear sermons so often about how to knock down your giants—and that can becomes deceptive, in that whenever you feel oppressed you must be a “david” which only leaves the possibility that your problem is a Goliath—and you know what’s supposed to happen then! If you’re a David, your political oppponent must be a what? And if you’re facing a Goliath, what must you do? {take him down!} If you’re a David, your hard-to-live-with spouse myst be…? If you’re a David, your unreasonable boss… If you’re a David, that terrible president…; if you’re a David, that nasty reporter…; If you’re a David, that loud-mouthed activist…; if you’re a david, that cocky, self-assured radio personality...

*** I hear

cf vv 26 & 29—not only spared from issues with conscience and future with God, but even if seems fair, consider next step. Nabal’s relatives now have to take vengeance upon David. Then what? More vengeance from David’s men? Where does it end? Thus with offense and defensiveness that becomes vengefulness and rationalized payback.

Cf the fair-mindedness of david’s request. It’s the same today in much of the middle east, that a sheik will send messengers at the time of shearing to ask for remuneration because his band has kept watch.

It’s a bit like the guys in larger cities standing at intersections ready to wach your window. Sometimes they will, with the firm expectation of repayment.

But whereas you have been doing just fine with your smudgy front glass and have little need for that service, in david’s day, maraufing bands of Amalekites were common in the fields, and Nabal might very well have been much worse of without David’s 600 warriors. they were like a small army of bald-headed, black t-shirt wearing, tattoo covered bouncers with a big chip on their shoulders. One look and you knoew, thses were NOT the sheep you wanted to try and pluck away. Better move on to the next flock.

And note, according to some commenters, it would be seen by many as a right that David has to be repaid.