GETTING EVEN - ISN’T EVEN
1 SAMUEL 24:1-13
INTRODUCTION:
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Revenge: It may be one of life’s most subtle temptation. All of us probably at one time or another have wanted to get even for being mistreated. Maybe it was because an employer promised you something and never came through. Maybe a mate walked out on you when you needed him or her the most. Maybe it was a parent who failed you or someone in the Church who hurt you or has not appreciated your efforts. And now you are waiting for the chance to get even or your seething inside because you are holding a grudge. I suspect in an audience this size that there are several of you right now that are struggling with revenge. And your ability or inability to handle this temptation will speak volumes about your character and if you are a Christian, it’s a good measure as to how far you’ve grown in your Christian walk.
Most of our culture today doesn’t recognize it as revenge. It is called "my rights." Or in our more educated moments we call it "justified retaliation." We’ve got a moral obligation to rectify this situation and it is the American way- "I don’t get mad - I just get even." But whatever we call it, God calls it revenge. And His feelings toward personal vengeance are anything but ambivalent. God very clearly commands us through the Bible that if there is to be any "getting even", we are to leave for Him to do. Why is God so adamant about resisting this temptation? Because He knows what it does to us and others. He knows the resentment that poisons us and the pain we inflict upon others by getting even is never in anyone’s best interest.
But how do we resist? Especially when the feelings are so strong within us? Well, in our passage today this subtle temptation even reaches into a life as exemplary as David’s. And from his excellent example of submitting to God’s will, instead of taking revenge, we can see at least 3 principles to put into practice.
I. REALIZE THE NATURAL TEMPTATION: Vss:1-4
First, let’s realize that it is a natural temptation to want to get back at someone who mistreats us. David was wronged by his superior, King Saul. Even though David had been a devoted servant, Saul became so intensely jealous of him, that he plotted to kill him. At first he just put him in the front lines of the battle. He gave David the most difficult assignments hoping that he would become a casualty of war. But when David continually came home as the conquering hero, Saul became so outraged that once he actually threw a spear at his young musician in an attempt to kill him. David side stepped the spear and just excused Saul on the basis of his mental illness. But Saul would not give up and he sends an army of soldiers out after David to do him in once and for all. And David becomes a fugitive, he’s on the run for the next 8 years.
Now, if there was ever someone who you would think would not be mistreated it was David. He had been anointed by God’s own prophet Samuel to be King. He had courageously displayed his faith in fighting Goliath, he had humbly submitted to his temporary position as court musician, why would God allow him to be so abused? I think each of us needs to realize that God has never promised that devotion to God is some magical potion that will exempt us from suffering. Jesus, the Son of God, said in Jn. 6:33 "While you are in this world you will have trouble." We live in a fallen and sinful world and trouble will come. So David, a man after God’s own heart, is hunted down like an animal by Saul’s troops.
Just think how angry and how resentful David must have felt. Everything that had been precious to him had been stripped away because of Saul. He is no longer able to freely be with his family, in the 25th chapter we see that Michal, Saul’s daughter that he had given to David as his wife for killing Goliath, has been given to another man; his prominent place in the palace, his friendship with Saul’s son Jonathan, everything is gone. He had nothing to lean on except God. Now, in chapter 22 we learn that while David is at a stronghold that God sends several people out to minister to him. First came his family and then a bunch of outcasts. 22:2 says, "Then everyone who was in trouble, in debt, or bitter about life joined him, and he became their commander."(GW) And a total of 600 men, these mavericks, joined David out in the wilderness and David took these nobodies and formed them into an elite guerrilla fighting group. In fact, some of these became his cabinet when he took the throne.
Well, when Saul heard that David had a group of 600 men, he along with 3000 soldiers went out to destroy him. One day when Saul’s huge army closed in on David and his men they hid in the deep recesses of a cave. Quietly, they stayed in the darkness of the cave and lo, and behold, who should come into the cave, all alone but King Saul himself. Now, the Bible is not a book of just high, lofty, theological ideas. The Bible deals with real life and so it very simply and plainly tells us why Saul went into that cave. This picture is wrong, Saul didn’t go in for a nap. But I understand why the artist drew it that way because he couldn’t paint the real reason: Saul went into the cave to answer nature’s call. Vs:3 - “At the place where the road passes some sheepfolds, Saul went into a cave to relieve himself.” It would be only natural for him to seek out this place of privacy but what a wrong cave to choose. Because it just happened to be the cave where David and his men were hiding. Ever been in a restaurant or other public place and without thinking start to go into or actually go into the wrong bathroom? Pretty embarrassing! It’s bad enough to be seen in the wrong place but to be seen by your enemy without seeing them, is real trouble. I don’t have to paint a picture for you do I? Saul is about as vulnerable as you can get.
And David gets some worldly advice that on the surface sounded spiritual. Here’s what David’s men whisper in the darkness of the cave -vs 4- “Now’s your opportunity! Today is the day the LORD was talking about when he said, ‘I will certainly put Saul into your power, to do with as you wish.’” When they saw Saul and realized that he didn’t see them, their human natures went into overdrive. And they encouraged David to take revenge, saying it must be God’s timing. Only one problem - God never said that! And you’ll find people who will say, "Well, God must be opening the door, you better go through it,’ or "The Lord’s providing this opportunity.." And God gets blamed for things sometimes that He has nothing to do with. Here’s an important principle to remember: No door opens from God if it goes against His revealed will in the Bible. The timing of a situation or whether a door is open or not, has nothing to do with God’s providence if the action you must take to go through that door or seize that opportunity is against His revealed will in His written Word! Don’t make the mistake of rationalizing your behavior simply because it may seem like excellent timing. Satan’s pretty good at timing things just right too. The Bible is God’s roadmap to the best life here and eternal life hereafter. Don’t selfishly pursue something that the Bible says not too and just because it seems to work out think that you have God’s blessing. What these men were attributing to God, God never said. In fact in the Mosaic law that David was subject to, God said the very opposite. Lev.19:18 says, "Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself."(NIV) David should’ve said, "Hey, guys what you’re saying can’t be true because that’s contrary to God’s law- it says, "Don’t take revenge." And we need to realize that it is a very natural temptation to want to get even with someone who mistreats us just like David and his men wanted to get even with Saul.
I love the story told of a truck driver sitting in a restaurant minding his own business when a motorcycle gang came in and began to harass the trucker. One hoodlum in particular, got right up in his face and said, "You think you’re a big man when you’re in that 18 wheeler. But you get out of that truck and your nothing but a wimp.” The trucker just ignored him and kept on eating. Finally after some more verbal abuse that the trucker disregarded the gang member took his orange juice and poured it all over his food and said, "How do you like that?" The trucker just pushed himself back from the table went over to the cash register, paid and walked out. And the hood looked at the waitress and said, "He’s nothing. Once he gets out of that truck he’s not much of a man is he?" And the waitress who was looking out the window said, "No, and he’s not much of a truck driver either, he just ran over 6 motorcycles on the way out of here."
You see, we kind of like that. That appeals to our carnal nature. When we get cut down we like to find some clever way to cut back. But God says, "Resist that impulse. Don’t take revenge or hold a grudge." And maybe if we can anticipate the feelings of revenge, recognize the natural temptation, we will be better able to handle it.
II. REFUSE TO FIGHT IN LIKE MANNER: - Vss: 5-11
But note what David does. Here’s the man who is trying to murder him, given right into his hands. But David refuses to fight in like manner, he doesn’t run his sword through the King. But he tiptoes up to where Saul is and taking Saul’s robe, which may have been laid over a rock, he cuts a piece off. He resists the urge to kill Saul.
Now, it is interesting to note, that when he gets back to his men he is conscience stricken about cutting off the piece of robe. Phillip Keller in his book David has a chapter entitled, "The Ruined Robe" and he says, "Even though he resisted the temptation to sever Saul’s head....he still could not resist this small taste of revenge. For to cut off a piece from the royal robe was an act of utter contempt for the one who wore it. This was an expression of the utmost disdain and disrespect... though he had not murdered the tyrant in cold blood, he had in fact shown that he had murdered him in his heart." Apparently with this act there flashed upon David an acute awareness of his awful attitude toward Saul. David takes a moment to evaluate his right action, not killing Saul - vs - his wrong attitude - he still took a bit of revenge. That is why he says in vs:6- “The Lord knows I shouldn’t have done it.. It is a serious thing to attack the Lord’s anointed one, for the Lord himself has chosen him.” In other words, “I’m not the king yet, Saul is still the Lord’s leader. So, what right do I have to raise my hand against him?”
I think there is a great lesson for us here. How many of us would say, "What did he do that was so wrong? After all he could of killed him. So he showed some disrespect. Is that so bad in light of what Saul would of done to him? I mean, it was just a little bit of his robe, he could of done a whole lot worse." And that’s the way we rationalize, isn’t it? "The company is so big, it made millions of dollars last year. Who cares about a little stationary?" "The government collects too much taxes as it is. So what if I don’t report all of my income? It’s such a little thing.” The insurance companies are making millions, so what if I report this loss as $100 more that it actually cost?”" We need to be more like David, not just doing the right action but having the right attitude too.
And David got back with his men and they started giving "high fives" to each other and began to quietly celebrate but David was sullen. And all of a sudden he whispers, "Wait a minute! I was wrong to show such disrespect to the Lord’s appointed leader." Those of you that have been in the military were taught to salute, but you understand that you salute the rank, not the man. The man wearing the stripes might be an absolute jerk. But you saluted the rank out of your respect for authority. And David was saying, "No matter how awful Saul has been, I shouldn’t of been disrespectful to the Lord’s King." And oh, how we need to learn the lesson that wrong has no size! And strive to be obedient even in the smallest of things. So, David runs out of the cave and confronts Saul with the fact that even though Saul is out to murder him, when he had the opportunity to kill the King, he didn’t. Vss: 9-10- “Then he shouted to Saul, ‘Why do you listen to the people who say I am trying to harm you? ” Now, David is not parading his righteousness here, He is just confronting Saul with the truth. Saul has been misinformed and David is giving him some evidence of the truth. And here is another important principle: There are occasions that demand loving confrontation. I believe that most of the time we need to ignore the wrong and simply forgive it and go on. But if it is going to continually eat away at us causing resentment or if it is going hurt the Church or do damage to someone else than it needs to be dwelt with... in love.
But the most important principle here is not to give in to revenge. We are not to have the attitude of "Do it unto others before they do it unto you." We are not to fight in like manner. In 2 Cor.10:3 Paul says, “We do live in the world, but we do not fight in the same way the world fights. We fight with weapons that are different from those the world uses.”(NCV) You know, God doesn’t give us this command to resist revenge because He wants us to be cowards or because the person doesn’t deserve punishment. Jesus’ teaching of "turning the other cheek" and forgiveness is because God knows what is best for us! You see, we need to admit that when we get even we really don’t win. Getting even isn’t ever even. We really only hurt ourselves. It festers within & poisons our spirits when we hold grudges or take revenge. We become no better than those who hurt us. Rick Warren said, “If you don’t release those who hurt you, you will begin to resemble them." We only hurt ourselves when we take matters into our own hands. We lose God’s peace and sink to the depths of the hurter instead of becoming a healer. Sir Francis Bacon said, "In taking revenge a man isn’t even with his enemy he is only as low as they. But in passing over it he becomes superior, for it is a prince’s part to pardon."
III. REMEMBER GOD’S ULTIMATE JUDGEMENT: - Vss:12-15
So, help in overcoming this powerful urge can be ours if we will: (1) Realize that this temptation can come to all of us and thus not be surprised by it. (2) Understand that it’s not best to fight in a like manner, using worldly weapons, & (3)remembering that God hasn’t abandoned us, that God’s ultimate justice will prevail.
Rom. 12:19 - "Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ says the Lord."(NIV) Jesus didn’t teach that you just sit back and let everybody run over you and there is no hope for justice. The message of Jesus is: You sit back and you take it sometimes because you know that in the end that God is just and He will extract revenge, if there is no repentance. That’s what David was able to do. He waited in the wilderness for 8 years! And then there came that day when the 15th verse comes true and God takes care of Saul. And there is great irony in Saul’s death. Saul is in battle and he is wounded critically. Even facing death his main concern was to preserve his image. He offers no prayer of repentance, no plea for help and so he attempts suicide with his sword. But to his chagrin, we learn in the 1 Sam. 2, Saul doesn’t die right away. As he is in his death throes he turns to a stranger who has suddenly appeared and asks him to "stand over him and kill him." Do you remember our first sermon in this series? We discovered that Saul’s final act of disobedience to God, that ensured his loss of the throne, was his failure to completely destroy the nation of the Amalekites. Guess what nationality this stranger is that gladly destroys him? That’s right, he’s an Amalekite. The very enemy that God had ordered Saul to destroy now destroys him. The events of his black career had come full circle. And so David takes over the throne, the truth is known, he is vindicated and he becomes Israel’s greatest King.
But waiting on the Lord is such a hard thing to do when we’re the one mistreated, isn’t it? Here’s a 3rd important principle: The secret of handling mistreatment, is keeping your eye on the goal. Our goal should be the same as David’s and that is first of all, to please God. In order to do that it may mean swallowing our pride or putting up with unjust treatment. But keep your mind on the goal and remember God has the last word. Our motto needs to be: “Don’t lash out.. leave it to the Lord.”
Allow me to close by relating a true story. Ruth Axsom is a dear friend of ours, she was our preschool teacher at the church where I ministered in Florida, in fact she and her husband Larry visited here a couple of months ago. She relates this true story of her father that I think it illustrates so well what we’ve been discussing this morning.
Ruth’s father, Robert Eason was 8 years old when he lost his father, John Eason. It is hard to lose your father at any time but Robert not only had to do without his Dad at a very young age he had to live with the fact that his Dad was murdered. What makes it even worse was that the murderer was his Uncle Bob. Apparently this Uncle always had a bad temper and one day there was an argument between Robert’s Dad, John, and his Uncle Bob and this uncle pulled out a gun and shot and killed John Eason. There was a trial and Uncle Bob was sentenced to 3 years in prison and he was to financially care for Robert and the family. But due to some legal technicalities, Uncle Bob never served a day in jail and he never paid one cent to help support the family. As you can imagine Robert had much bitterness toward his uncle.
About 5 years after the murder, Robert’s mother remarried a fine man named George and they lived on their farm which adjoined Uncle Bob’s. One Day Robert and his step-father gathered their axes and saws to fix the fence that ran around their property. When they came to the edge of the land that ran next to Uncle Bob’s they had to stop and repair a portion of the fence. All of a sudden Uncle Bob came storming out of his house accusing George of placing the new fence on his property. In the next few moments Robert, now 13, would face the most difficult decision of his young life. Uncle Bob came right up to where they were working and then bent over to show George where his property line was. Robert had an axe in his hand. It must of seemed like time stood still. There was his father’s murderer right beneath him and he had in his hands the ability to once and for all give him the punishment he deserved. All the hatred welled up within that young soul and in silence he lifted up the axe far above his head. Just an instant before he was to let that sharp axe head come crashing down into his Uncle Bob’s body, George stepped in and grabbed his arm. Robert Eason to this day says there is no doubt but that he would of killed his uncle if it hadn’t been for his step-dad. Uncle Bob apparently heard the commotion and looked up with a start. Realizing what had just happened he stood wide-eyed looking at Robert. George quickly told him to go back into the house and sobered by the turn of events, he did. Robert’s step-dad then took the time to talk to him about revenge and hate and he said something that Robert Eason quotes to Ruth to this day. His step-dad said, "Robert, you’ve got to let it go. He’ll be punished enough, the Lord will take care of it but not if you take it out of His hands." That lifted a weight from 13 year old Robert that day as he left justice in God’s hands, it helped him overcome his bitterness toward his uncle.
What ever happened to Uncle Bob? Many years later while sleeping in his bed a rat got in the house, bit him while he slept and that wound grew infected and brought to an end the life of the murderer of Robert’s father. And Ruth’s Dad, who now lives in Indianapolis says, without a doubt that his step-father stopped him that day, from making the greatest mistake of his life and helped him realize that the Lord has the ultimate justice. That needs to be our attitude toward revenge and that as David’s. Realizing that vengeance is a natural temptation but refusing to fight in a like manner, keeping our mind on the goal and trusting in God’s ultimate justice and saying, “May the LORD judge which of us is right and punish the guilty one. He is our advocate.. He will rescue us!”
(All scriptures are from the New Living Translation unless otherwise noted.)
