King David III: You Jelly, Bro?

1 Samuel 18

While Saul was jealous and bitter, David was gracious and merciful.

“me”

howdy

“we”

Let’s be real- who has ever been jelly before?

Who has that person in your life that you feel a little too competitive towards?

Is there a particular person who is a little too athletic? How about that person who is a little too attractive? Perhaps they are a little too funny. Or, maybe, they do things and have talents that are a little too similar to yourself.

Story of Paden and I in HS

If we are honest… jealousy is a part of the human struggle often times

“God”

Read 1 Samuel 18:6-19

1 Samuel 18:6–19 CSB

As the troops were coming back, when David was returning from killing the Philistine, the women came out from all the cities of Israel to meet King Saul, singing and dancing with tambourines, with shouts of joy, and with three-stringed instruments. As they danced, the women sang: Saul has killed his thousands, but David his tens of thousands. Saul was furious and resented this song. “They credited tens of thousands to David,” he complained, “but they only credited me with thousands. What more can he have but the kingdom?” So Saul watched David jealously from that day forward. The next day an evil spirit sent from God came powerfully on Saul, and he began to rave inside the palace. David was playing the lyre as usual, but Saul was holding a spear, and he threw it, thinking, “I’ll pin David to the wall.” But David got away from him twice. Saul was afraid of David, because the Lord was with David but had left Saul. Therefore, Saul sent David away from him and made him commander over a thousand men. David led the troops and continued to be successful in all his activities because the Lord was with him. When Saul observed that David was very successful, he dreaded him. But all Israel and Judah loved David because he was leading their troops. Saul told David, “Here is my oldest daughter Merab. I’ll give her to you as a wife if you will be a warrior for me and fight the Lord’s battles.” But Saul was thinking, “I don’t need to raise a hand against him; let the hand of the Philistines be against him.” Then David responded, “Who am I, and what is my family or my father’s clan in Israel that I should become the king’s son-in-law?” When it was time to give Saul’s daughter Merab to David, she was given to Adriel the Meholathite as a wife.

We are going to focus on a big contrast today in this scripture- how Saul’s jealousy devoured him, while David’s humility and graciousness gave him peace and contentment

v. 6 & 7

guys, have girls ever danced and sang in your honor and because of your greatness before?

“When women sing and dance in your honor, you are popular. When it happens in all the cities of Israel, you are popular. This song was the number one hit in Israel” (Guzik)

Saul still got acclamation… but it wasn’t enough since he was comparing himself to someone else

“As the refining pot for silver, and the furnace for gold; so is a man to his praise” (Prov. 27:21). Praise is like a hot furnace: it reveals what a person is really made of. The praise that made David humble only brought the dross to the top in Saul’s heart and revealed his pride and desire for glory. - Wiersbe, W. W. (1993)remember this above all else- Saul did not have a right or close relationship with the Lord

guilty conscience of Saul, wondering when God would cast him off the throne… so he was already paranoid

Jealously gives way to worst case scenario thinking… and fear

“what more can he have but the kingdom?”

boyfriend/girlfriend talks to that one particular person… “well they deserve each other”

in your head you are already cryin’ in the rain “nevermind I’ll find someone like you”

jealousy is like a cancer

v. 10-12

Saul’s anger and resentment escalated quickly

But notice how David refused to retaliate

After the first miss, David still came back and played his harp

Do you think David was loving his enemy, just like Jesus talked about

Matthew 5:44 CSB

But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,

v. 13-19

Saul lost sight of who the real enemy actually is. He wanted David to die in battle.

He also tried to give David his daughter in marriage

David’s focus remained on God. David did not become prideful- he remained humble.

Psalm 16:2 “I said to the Lord, “You are my Lord; I have nothing good besides you.””

“You”

Where does your focus remain? On God, or on yourself & others?

If your focus is on yourself &/or on others, it will fail. Pride… jealousy… envy… etc etc

“We”

Titus 3:4–7 CSB

But when the kindness of God our Savior and his love for mankind appeared, he saved us—not by works of righteousness that we had done, but according to his mercy—through the washing of regeneration and renewal by the Holy Spirit. He poured out his Spirit on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior so that, having been justified by his grace, we may become heirs with the hope of eternal life.

Live like you’re loved

Psalm 139:13–16 CSB

For it was you who created my inward parts; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I will praise you because I have been remarkably and wondrously made. Your works are wondrous, and I know this very well. My bones were not hidden from you when I was made in secret, when I was formed in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw me when I was formless; all my days were written in your book and planned before a single one of them began.

abortion argument… but as soon as we are born, then all of a sudden we think we are made to be a carbon copy of someone else.

No! YOU are God’s workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works

our response to this? “Who am I...”

be radically God-centered

In all things rejoice. Rejoice in God!!