Beware the Green-eyed monster

Victories are great, but they can also lead to trouble ()

Explanation: The death of Goliath put the entire Philistine army into retreat (). The Israelite army took up the chase and killed the enemies all the way back to their cities. God gave the people a great victory and much plunder (17:53).

As the victorious warriors returned home, they were greeted with a victory parade. The women came from all the cities of Israel to greet them (). The victory party is expressly stated to be for King Saul, and the women came with singing and dancing to meet him. They were celebrating a great victory and it was a great time. One part of the celebration, however, was not pleasing to Saul. The crowd acknowledged and praised Saul for his contribution to victory over the Philistines, but they also gave greater acknowledgement and praise to David. In this greater level of praise to David is the seed of hostility that will ultimately consume the life of Saul.

Illustrate:

Argument: During times of victory, it is important to keep our spiritual guard in place. Celebrations are necessary and helpful, but only when the focus is on the right person. God was the one responsible for the victory, not David or Saul. God used David, and David was obedient and trusted God, but make no mistake; God is the One who brought the victory.

Application: Recognizing people for their contribution is a good thing. The Church can’t operate without volunteers, and we need to show appreciation. The motive for service should be to please God, not to gain public recognition.

The way we respond to unfavorable circumstances reflects our character

Saul’s progressive downward spiral ()

Explanation: Saul does not handle this slight very well at all. Hearing one of his servants receive more praise than him does not make him feel warm and fuzzy towards David. In fact, his response is an avalanche of negative feelings that leads to very un-kingly actions.

Let’s examine the regression of his downward spiral:

1. Saul responds with anger (v. 8a)

Saul gets mad when he hears David being praised more than him. What is Saul’s ground for being angry? He doesn’t have any. While Saul was cowering in fear with the rest of the army () David was the one who had the faith to trust God and face the giant.

Anger does not have to have rational grounds, and very often it is misplaced. In the book of James we are told to be “slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God” (James 1:20)

2. Saul becomes jealous (v. 8b, 9)

Saul was the rightful King of Israel. The King was the head of the nation, and the position carried a great deal of prestige. As the leader of the people, Saul should have been able to overlook the praise chorus of the people. Instead, Saul considered it a deliberate, thought out insult. He also looked at David for being responsible, even though David had no input or control over what the women sang. Human Jealousy is an ugly thing and it leads to bad decisions

We see the result of Jealousy in the NT with the Pharisees. Jesus has been resurrected and has shown to be alive! The apostles are preaching the Gospel and the Kingdom of God is growing! What an exciting time! Everyone is happy, right? Wrong. The Pharisees were “filled with jealously” and had the Apostles arrested and thrown into jail (Acts 5:17)

3. Saul’s jealousy leads to paranoia (v. 8c)

While it is true that Samuel had already prophesied that the kingdom would be taken from him (), Saul had no specific reason to suspect David. Saul, however was insecure, and he was probably suspicious of anyone that did well. Instead of being mature and celebrating with David and praising him for being God’s instrument, Saul chooses to think David has ulterior motives. Without a shred of evidence, Saul decides that David is after the Kingdom.

4. Saul attempts to eliminate David (vv. 10-11)

Saul attempts to eliminate David (vv. 10-11)

In his paranoia, Saul actually tries to kill David. The harmful spirit from the Lord is oppressing Saul and David has resumed his duties of playing the lyre to soothe Saul. David has not let his victory over Goliath go to his head by demanding an important position. David, in his humility, is still filling the role of a servant to the King. Paranoia, is a mental insecurity and the actions of one suffering from this are not rational. Saul uses his spear to try to kill David, not once, but twice.

5. Saul ends up fearing his servant David (vv. 12, 15)

Saul ends up fearing his servant David (vv. 12, 15)

Saul realizes that God is protecting David. Saul has enough insight left to understand that his inability to kill David is due to God’s protection of David. This insight, however, does not bring Saul to his senses. Instead, the idea that the LORD is with David (v. 12, 14, 28) filled the heart of Saul with fear.

In this the heart of Saul is laid bare. What a reversal when a person becomes fearful of another because that person is walking in the Blessing of the LORD! May we never get to that place!

Ways we can avoid jealousy and anger

Maintain a Kingdom view, not a personal agenda

Jonathan’s response was very different from his father’s. Whereas Saul was jealous and fearful of David, Jonathan was not only accepting of David, but he welcomed David with love and friendship () While Saul was the King, Jonathan was the next in line. If anyone should have been threatened by David, it should have been Jonathan, not Saul. Jonathan was more focused on that which pleased God rather than securing his own personal future.

We are called to God’s Agenda, not our own. The most important thing is God’s Glory, not our personal advancement in the world system. Too many of us think about ourselves first, and are willing to do whatever it takes to get ahead. This is not the way of the Kingdom of God, and it will not lead to unity within the family.

Deal with relationship issues in a positive way, and stamp out problems with pride and jealousy before they grow.

The Scripture is clear about how believers are to deal with one another. The NT testament abounds with “one another” passages, and not one of them tells us to just let things go when problems arise.

English Standard Version Chapter 12

14 STRIVE FOR PEACE with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. 15 See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled;

We are commanded to strive for peace, meaning that we beseech God to help us do our part. Peace with all is not always possible, and Scripture recognizes this (). Our goal should be peace with all, and if we are jealous of another, we will not attain this goal. Not only do we fall short, we allow the “root of bitterness” to spring up and it will cause problems for many.

Abide in the Spirit and let His fruit be produced in our lives.

The passage that deals with the FRUIT (singular) of the Spirit is located in . The Word reveals that the FRUIT of the Spirit has a nine-fold harvest that includes love, joy, peace, and patience among others. An interesting note that applies to our topic under discussion is the content of the verses that come before the fruit of the Spirit. Verses 19-21 describe the works of the flesh, and they contain what is known as a “vice list.” Included in this list is “strife, jealousy, and fits of anger” (v. 20).

In context, the vice list is contrasted with the Fruit of the Spirit. This tells us that if we are to overcome these sins, along with the others, we MUST rely on the Holy Spirit. Believers can and do continue to struggle with the sins of the flesh, but we can be victorious through the Holy Spirit. This is where the abiding principle in takes center stage. We are to abide in Him - meaning we are to continually deny our selves and rest in Him.