Blind Anger Series

On July 4th, 1826 two of our nation’s Founding Fathers died (that same day) within hours of each other. John Adams & Thomas Jefferson (the 2nd and 3rd Presidents of the U. States) both died on July 4th.

What makes this interesting is that Adams and Jefferson were close friends. In 1775 they met at the Continental Congress and later collaborated on the Declaration of Independence. They were so close that, after Jefferson's wife died in 1782, John and Abigail Adams regularly had Jefferson to their home.

Though they differed politically, they remained close friends until Adams ran for a 2nd term as President… and Jefferson ran against him. Then things got nasty real quick.

Jefferson won (pause) but the campaign was so filled with insults and personal attacks that they both became angry with each other, and Adams was so bitter he left town before the inauguration ceremony. From that point on the two became bitter rivals who refused to speak to each other for the next 12 years. Both of them felt justified in their hatred of the other… (pause). But then, a few years later, one of Jefferson’s neighbors visited Adams in Massachusetts and reported that Adams’ said: “I always loved Jefferson, and still love him.” When Jefferson heard this, he wrote: “this is enough for me. I only needed this knolege to revive towards him all the affections of the most cordial moments of our lives.” And they began to write to each other. And when they died, they died as close friends again.

(https://www.monticello.org/site/research-and-collections/john-adams and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-aeo8Ml4R4 - at the 36 minute time mark)

Now anger destroys stuff. It destroys friendships, marriages, families, and even entire nations. And that’s what happened in the life of the 1ST of King Israel– King Saul.

Saul was a man whose ANGER destroyed his family and … ultimately his own life

In our text today we read that Saul nearly killed his own son in a fit of rage. He angrily told Jonathan that “as long as the son of Jesse (David) lives on the earth, neither you nor your kingdom shall be established. Therefore send and bring him to me, for he shall surely die." Then Jonathan answered his father, "Why should he be put to death? What has he done?" But Saul hurled his spear at (his son Jonathan) to strike him. I Samuel 20:30-33

He could have killed his own son because he was angry. And that’s NOT the only time that Saul lost his temper. Several times Saul tried to kill David, even chasing David across the wilderness to destroy him.

And because - the priests at the Tabernacle - had helped David as he fled, Saul destroyed the city where the priests lived.. “(He put) to the sword - Nob, the town of the priests, with its men and women, its children and infants, and its cattle, donkeys and sheep.” 1 Samuel 22:19

Saul was NOT a very nice guy, and it was his anger that made him what he was.

The thing was, Saul felt justified in his anger. He felt he had a right to his rage.And the focus of his anger was a young man named David. You see, David was a better man than Saul was… and Saul knew it. David was a skilled singer and musician; He was a great warrior; and David had faced and defeated a giant that King Saul was afraid to face.

We’re told that: When the men were returning home after David had killed (Goliath), the women came out from all the towns of Israel to meet King Saul with singing and dancing, with joyful songs and with tambourines and lutes.

As they danced, they sang: "Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands." Saul was very angry; this refrain galled him. "They have credited David with tens of thousands," he thought, "but me with only thousands. What more can he get but the kingdom?" And from that time on Saul kept a jealous eye on David. I Samuel 18:6-9

And so, King Saul hated David, and he became blinded by the belief that – he was justified in his anger. He considered his hatred to be NORMAL.

ILLUS: I once talked with a preacher who was counseling a man who had problems. The man was divorced, his children didn’t like being around him, and his life was falling apart. As the preacher talked with the man he realized what the problem was. He told the man: “The problem is - you’re an angry man.” The man responded: “No I’m not.” But because the preacher insisted that he was, the man went to two more counselors who told him the same thing: He WAS an angry man. His features were hardened, and he his voice was harsh. You could feel the anger in everything he did.