Introduction

Good morning, dear family of faith. I am so blessed to be standing here before you today, as we gather together in the house of the Lord. We are here today, not by chance, but by divine appointment. The Lord has brought us together to share in His Word, to grow in our understanding, and to be transformed by His truth.

I am reminded of the words of the great preacher Charles Spurgeon who once said, "Visit many good books, but live in the Bible." Indeed, the Bible is not just a book we read, but it is the book we live in. It is our guide, our comfort, our source of wisdom, and the light on our path.

Today, we will be living in the book of 1 Samuel, specifically chapter 18, verses 5 to 30. Allow me to read it for us: "So David went out wherever Saul sent him, and behaved wisely. And Saul set him over the men of war, and he was accepted in the sight of all the people and also in the sight of Saul’s servants. Now it had happened as they were coming home, when David was returning from the slaughter of the Philistine, that the women had come out of all the cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet King Saul, with tambourines, with joy, and with musical instruments. So the women sang as they danced, and said: 'Saul has slain his thousands, And David his ten thousands.' Then Saul was very angry, and the saying displeased him; and he said, 'They have ascribed to David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed only thousands. Now what more can he have but the kingdom?' So Saul eyed David from that day forward. And it happened on the next day that the distressing spirit from God came upon Saul, and he prophesied inside the house. So David played music with his hand, as at other times; but there was a spear in Saul’s hand. And Saul cast the spear, for he said, 'I will pin David to the wall!' But David escaped his presence twice. Saul was afraid of David, because the Lord was with him, but had departed from Saul. Therefore Saul removed him from his presence, and made him his captain over a thousand; and he went out and came in before the people. And David behaved wisely in all his ways, and the Lord was with him. Therefore, when Saul saw that he behaved very wisely, he was afraid of him. But all Israel and Judah loved David, because he went out and came in before them. Then Saul said to David, 'Here is my older daughter Merab; I will give her to you as a wife. Only be valiant for me, and fight the Lord’s battles.' For Saul thought, 'Let my hand not be against him, but let the hand of the Philistines be against him.' So David said to Saul, 'Who am I, and what is my life or my father’s family in Israel, that I should be son-in-law to the king?' But it happened at the time when Merab, Saul’s daughter, should have been given to David, that she was given to Adriel the Meholathite as a wife. Now Michal, Saul’s daughter, loved David. And they told Saul, and the thing pleased him. So Saul said, 'I will give her to him, that she may be a snare to him, and that the hand of the Philistines may be against him.' Therefore Saul said to David a second time, 'You shall be my son-in-law today.' And Saul commanded his servants, 'Communicate with David secretly, and say, 'Look, the king has delight in you, and all his servants love you. Now therefore, become the king’s son-in-law.' So Saul’s servants spoke those words in the hearing of David. And David said, 'Does it seem to you a light thing to be a king’s son-in-law, seeing I am a poor and lightly esteemed man?' And the servants of Saul told him, saying, 'In this manner David spoke.' Then Saul said, 'Thus you shall say to David: 'The king does not desire any dowry but one hundred foreskins of the Philistines, to take vengeance on the king’s enemies.' But Saul thought to make David fall by the hand of the Philistines. So when his servants told David these words, it pleased David well to become the king’s son-in-law. Now the days had not expired; therefore David arose and went, he and his men, and killed two hundred men of the Philistines. And David brought their foreskins, and they gave them in full count to the king, that he might become the king’s son-in-law. Then Saul gave him Michal his daughter as a wife. Thus Saul saw and knew that the Lord was with David, and that Michal, Saul’s daughter, loved him; and Saul was still more afraid of David. So Saul became David’s enemy continually. Then the princes of the Philistines went out to war. And so it was, whenever they went out, that David behaved more wisely than all the servants of Saul, so that his name became highly esteemed."

Jeopardizing Joy in Others' Success

In the passage we've just read, we see a clear picture of Saul's reaction to David's success. Saul, the king of Israel, was unable to find joy in David's victories. Instead, he was filled with anger and jealousy. This is a common human reaction, isn't it? We often find it difficult to celebrate the success of others, especially when we feel that their success somehow diminishes our own.

The first thing we notice in this passage is Saul's inability to celebrate David's success. David had just returned from a victorious battle, and the women of Israel were singing and dancing in celebration. They sang, "Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands." Instead of joining in the celebration, Saul became angry. He felt threatened by David's success. He felt that David's victory somehow made him look less successful.

This is a common reaction, isn't it? We often feel threatened by the success of others. We feel that their success somehow diminishes our own. We compare ourselves to them and feel inadequate. Instead of celebrating their success, we become jealous. We may even try to undermine their success in order to make ourselves look better.

This is not the way God wants us to react to the success of others. God wants us to celebrate the success of others. He wants us to rejoice with those who rejoice. He wants us to encourage and support each other, not tear each other down.

We next notice in this passage is Saul's fear of David. Saul was afraid of David because the Lord was with him. Saul knew that the Lord had departed from him and was now with David. Instead of turning to the Lord in repentance, Saul allowed his fear to drive him to try to kill David.

Fear is a powerful emotion. It can drive us to do things we would never normally do. It can cause us to act in ways that are not in line with God's will. When we allow fear to control us, we often make poor decisions. We may even harm others in an attempt to protect ourselves.

God does not want us to live in fear. He wants us to trust in Him. He wants us to rely on Him for our security and success. When we trust in God, we have no reason to fear the success of others. We can celebrate their success because we know that our success comes from God, not from our own efforts.

The third thing we notice in this passage is Saul's manipulation of David. Saul tried to use his daughter Michal as a trap to kill David. He promised to give Michal to David as a wife if David would fight the Lord's battles for him. Saul's intention was not to honor David, but to have him killed by the Philistines.

Manipulation is a form of control. It is a way of trying to get what we want by controlling others. It is not a godly behavior. God wants us to treat others with respect and love. He wants us to be honest and straightforward in our dealings with others. When we manipulate others, we are not trusting in God. We are trying to control the situation ourselves. We are not allowing God to work in His own way and in His own time.

The fourth thing we notice in this passage is Saul's continual hostility towards David. Despite David's loyalty and service to Saul, Saul became David's enemy. He was continually afraid of David and sought to kill him.

Hostility towards others is not a godly behavior. God wants us to love our enemies, not hate them. He wants us to pray for those who persecute us, not seek to harm them. He wants us to bless those who curse us, not curse them in return. When we harbor hostility towards others, we are not living in line with God's will. We are allowing our own anger and bitterness to control us. We are not allowing God's love to flow through us.

Juxtaposing Success and Jealousy

As we continue to look at this passage, we see a stark contrast between David's success and Saul's jealousy ... View this full PRO sermon free with PRO