LIFE OF DAVID: A JEALOUS EYE
1 SAMUEL 18:1-13
STORY 1 (Genesis 4:1-10)
There once was a man named Adam and a woman named Eve. In fact, they were the first people created by God. Genesis chapter 4 tells us that Adam and Eve had children. She gave birth to a son and named him Cain. She gave birth to another son and named him Abel. Verse 2 of Genesis 4 explains to us that these boys were very different from one another. Cain was a farmer. Abel worked with the flocks. Cain brought an offering to the Lord as did Abel, but Cain’s offering was not accepted by God. Verse 7 says, "If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it." God told Cain that sin was crouching at his door. God told Cain that he must master the temptation to sin. He did not. Cain led his brother Abel out into a field and killed him. He killed him and even lied to God about it.
STORY 2 (Genesis 29-30)
There is another story in the Bible about a man named Jacob. Jacob sets out to find a wife and arrives at the house of Laban. Laban has two daughters: Leah and Rachel. Jacob meets Rachel first and falls deeply in love with her. Genesis 29:18 tells us that Jacob struck a bargain with Laban for Rachel. Jacob would work for Laban for seven years. Verse 20, the mushiest verse in the Bible tells of their love, "So Jacob served seven years to get Rachel, but they seemed like only a few days to him because of his love for her." Somehow Laban tricks Jacob into marrying Leah who is the older of the two. He stated it was the custom to give the older daughter in marriage before the younger. Jacob married Rachel as well in return for seven more years of labor (29:30). Leah was quite a fertile woman and gave birth to four sons right away. Rachel is beside herself that she is not bearing children for Jacob. She even says to Jacob in 30:1, "Give me children, or I’ll die!" Basically, through the rivalry between Leah and Rachel and their respective handmaidens, Jacob has twelve sons and one daughter and a very unhappy home life.
STORY 3... Thomas Lindberg (http://www.sermonillustrations.com/a-z/j/jealousy.htm)
There is an old story about two shopkeepers were bitter rivals. Their stores were directly across the street from each other, and they would spend each day keeping track of each other’s business. If one got a customer, he would smile in triumph at his rival. One night an angel appeared to one of the shopkeepers in a dream and said, "I will give you anything you ask, but whatever you receive, your competitor will receive twice as much. Would you be rich? You can be very rich, but he will be twice as wealthy. Do you wish to live a long and healthy life? You can, but his life will be longer and healthier. What is your desire?" The man frowned, thought for a moment, and then said, "Here is my request: Strike me blind in one eye!"
STORY 4 (Genesis 37:1-11)
Jacob has another story about him a few chapters later in Genesis that is also interesting. Genesis 37 tells the story of Joseph. Genesis 37:3 says, "Now Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other sons, because he had been born to him in his old age; and he made a richly ornamented robe for him." The other brothers were not pleased when they saw Joseph prancing around in his new robe. The brothers hated him because Jacob played favorotes. The brothers could not speak a kind word to him because they knew Jacob loved Joseph more than them (Genesis 37:4). Eventually, the brothers fake Joseph’s death and sell him into slavery.
STORY 5 Moody’s Anecdotes (http://www.sermonillustrations.com/a-z/j/jealousy.htm)
There is a fable of an eagle which could out fly another, and the other didn’t like it. The latter saw a sportsman one day, and said to him: "I wish you would bring down that eagle." The sportsman replied that he would if he only had some feathers to put into the arrow. So the eagle pulled one out of his wing. The arrow was shot, but didn’t quite reach the rival eagle; it was flying too high. The envious eagle pulled out more feathers, and kept pulling them out until he lost so many that he couldn’t fly, and then the sportsman turned around and killed him
What do all of these stories have in common? What do these stories all have in common? What they have in common is the same thing they have in common with 1 Samuel 18:1-13... which is our passage for today. Let’s read.
READ 1 SAMUEL 18:1-13
I. THE FRIENDSHIP OF JONATHAN & SUCCESS OF DAVID
We find in 1 Samuel 18 that David is becoming quite the success story. Defeating Goliath was only the beginning (1 Samuel 17). David gains an important friend in the royal household. Jonathan, son of King Saul, befriends David and they become fast friends. Jonathan becomes his advocate and ally in the royal court. The picture we get are two young men who become very good friends. Genesis 44:30 describes this same closeness between Jacob and Joseph, "So now, if the boy is not with us when I go back to your servant my father and if my father, whose life is closely bound up with the boy’s life."
Saul likes having someone around who brings about success. I think Saul also believed in keeping your friends close and your enemies closer. God was certainly with this young man. Saul was sending David out on military missions and Jonathan supplied him with weapons. David had success after success.
II. THE JEALOUS EYE OF SAUL
Verses 6 and 7 record for us the problem that develops between Saul and David. The soldiers were returning home and news of Goliath’s defeat reaches everyone. This is big news! After 40 days of challenges, Goliath is dead and Israel wins! The women of the towns were celebrating and singing of the victory. Saul did not like what he heard. Saul, the king, should have been the leader of the victory, but he was not. David was and the women sang of the victory of David.
I want you to notice verse 9 because it ties together all the stories I have told you this morning and presents the entire point of this passage from 1 Samuel 18. Saul was what? Saul was jealous of David. I want you to notice the process that Saul went through to arrive at jealousy. It is most likely the same path that we all take on the road to jealousy.
Step 1: Sin of Self-Centeredness = Saul should have been the one to defeat Goliath and not sent a child
Step 2: Anger = Saul was angry that David got more hype than him
Step 3: Galled = percieved injury on the part of Saul from David, though it did not exist
Step 4: Jealousy
I would also like you to see in verse 10 that Saul tried to kill David. His jealousy escalated to murder. Saul missed spearing David twice. I also want you to see that Saul had no hope of dealing with this because the Lord had left him. The Lord had left him because he was constantly disobeying and choosing to go his own way.
CONCLUSION
The steps that Saul took to arrive at jealousy can be steps that we take as well!
Step 1: Sin of Self-Centeredness = We think of ourselves and our abilties above all others
Step 2: Anger = We are angry that someone challenges us or questions us
Step 3: Galled = percieved injury on the part of you from someone else, even though it is untrue
Step 4: Jealousy
Romans 13:12-14 says, "The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature."
