Playing the fool
1 Samuel 26:23
1. Illus. of Alfred Nobel
• In 1866 Nobel invented dynamite and built up companies and laboratories in more than 20 countries all over the world. In the process, he amassed a considerable fortune.
• When Nobel’s brother died, the newspaper made a mistake and ran an obituary for Alfred Nobel. In the obituary they stated that he was known for creating the most destructive force known to mankind, dynamite. When Nobel read the obituary, he decided that he didn’t want his family name remembered for destruction.
• While science had built the foundation for Nobel’s own activities as a technological researcher and inventor, efforts to promote peace had always been close to his heart. As a result he began thinking about giving away his fortune as a means to recognize those that have made significant contributions in physics, chemistry, physiology or medicine, literature and peace.
• On November 27, 1895, Nobel signed his final will and testament at the Swedish-Norwegian Club in Paris. When Nobel died on December 10, 1896, it was discovered that according to his will, his vast wealth was to be used for five prizes, including one for peace. The prize for peace was to be awarded to the person who “shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding of peace congresses.”
• Just before his death he confided in a friend, “I want to be remembered for peace, not destruction.”
2. What will your obituary say? Or, to put it another way, how will your life be summed up? Saul summed up his life one day as he shouted to a young man named David, “I have played the fool!”
3. Saul’s reign began so full of promise. He was tall, smart, and godly. It ended on a battlefield; his son’s dead at his feet, his army routed, and with him taking his own life in despair and defeat. What happened? In his own words, he played the fool.
4. I’ve know many Christians who started out full of promise. Yet, instead of living a life of eternal significance, they lead empty, meaningless lives that amount to nothing. Instead of leaving a legacy of godliness they leave a legacy of sorrow and regret. Do you know why this happens? Because like Saul, they’ve played the fool.
5. I want you to look at Saul’s life with me for the ways he played the fool. I want us to examine our lives and make sure we are not playing the fool as well.
6. How does one play the fool? Saul gives us several examples.
I. We play the fool when we neglect godly counsel
1. Samuel was the prophet that anointed Saul king of Israel. Samuel was available at any time to give wisdom and counsel to Saul. But instead of seeking out that godly counsel, if you read these chapters in 1 Samuel that contain Saul’s life you get the idea he is trying to avoid godly counsel from Samuel. As a matter of fact, the only time he looks for Samuel is when Saul is in trouble!
2. If he had sought out Samuel instead of avoiding him, he would never have wound up on a Philistine hillside falling on his own sword!
3. Saul played the fool by ignoring this source of godly counsel in his life, and instead listening to ungodly counsel. We play the fool when we do the same thing.
4. Illus. of Wallace T.
• Having physical problems.
• His physician told him to quit eating fatty foods, start exercising, take care of himself.
• “What are you going to do?” “I’m going to find another doctor!”
• Sometimes, like my friend did, we avoid those who are going to tell us something we don’t want to hear. Don’t we? We don’t want to be around those who are going to call our actions sin, whoa re going to hold accountable for our actions, who are going to challenge us to lead more godly lives.
5. See Psalms 1. At least one lesson the Psalmist teaches us is this: Be sure you seek counsel from the godly and not the ungodly! How can you tell? Have they led anyone to Christ lately? Do they use their spiritual gifts in ministry to the saved and in mission to the lost? What kind of things come out of their mouths? Does being around them make you closer to Jesus?
6. We play the fool when we neglect godly counsel.
II. We play the fool when we disobey God in the small matters
1. You will find a surprising fact when you look at the life of Saul. His disobedience started out small and progressively grew.
• Chapter 13. He attacked the Philistines without stopping to check with God. When his army deserted him, he offered a sacrifice that he wasn’t qualified to make, not being a Levite.
• Chapter 15. God gives him specific instructions to destroy the Amalekites. He disobeys a direct order from God.
• Chapters 15-26, Saul repeatedly tries to commit murder by killing David.
• Chapter 28. Saul now begins to consult a witch who claims to be able to resurrect the spirits of the dead. This is an abomination to Jehovah God!
2. Do you see the pattern? Saul’s disobedience in small matters led to disobedience in medium sized matters which led to disobedience in huge matters!
3. We often think, “This is such a minor issue. What difference will it make if I disobey God in this little bitty thing?” We are playing the fool if we have that attitude, because disobedience never stays small for long.
4. Illus. of snowballs
• Found picture not too long ago.
• Rolled a small snowball. Took quite a bit of effort to roll it into a medium sized snowball. After that it took on a life of its own, rolling down the hill, growing and growing and growing.
• Disobedience is like that. The first little snowball of disobedience is hard to form, but once we have done so it can easily become a medium sized area of disobedience. If we are not careful, it takes on a life of its own, until we are capable of acting as an ambassador of hell itself and at the same time telling ourselves, “there is nothing wrong with what I’m doing.”
5. May I ask you a serious question? Are willfully disobeying God in some area or your life today? Financial- friendships- secret (tiny) sin? When I used the word obedience, the Holy Spirit brought that area to your mind, didn’t He? Don’t wait until your snowball of disobedience is the size of a house to try and deal with it. Stop it today, while it grows any larger- before you lose your credibility, before you harm your family, before you get so far from God’s best for your life that you can’t breath for the regret chocking you. Deal with it today!
6. We play the fool when we disobey God in small things.
III. We play the fool when we allow negative emotions to take over our lives
1. After the slaying of Goliath, Saul sets David over his army. Returning home one day after a particularly successful battle, 18:6-8. Anger = charah, to burn. He began to burn with anger, and anger became paranoia (what else is there but the kingdom?), and paranoia settled into bitterness, and bitterness was at the root of every ungodly decision Saul made about David.
2. And so in chapter 26, after godly David had once again spared ungodly Saul’s life, Saul had a moment of poignant clarity where he realized he had allowed jealousy and anger make him play the fool.
3. Illus. of Lowell’s tumor
• Had some physical symptoms.
• Put off going to see about them. X-ray showed a mass, needle biopsy said it was cancer.
• By time he decided to have surgery, tentacles has grown out and wrapped themselves around other things outside the lung.
• Jealousy a cancer. If we don’t deal with it when it small and manageable, it will grow and take over our lives. Our actions will be dominated by bitterness and anger, but not by God or His blessed Spirit or His Word.
4. See Proverbs 14: 17, 29
5. Tell the truth: Has the cancer of jealousy, anger, or bitterness taken hold of your life? It will make you play the fool!
6. We play the fool when we allow jealousy and bitterness to take over our lives.
Conclusion:
1. Are you playing the fool?
2. Don’t play the fool by neglecting godly counsel- surround yourself with people who are godly and who love Jesus with all their heart.
3. Don’t play the fool by disobeying God in the small matters of life.
4. Don’t play the fool by allowing negative emotions to take root in your heart/
