When David Almost Became Saul

WHEN DAVID ALMOST BECAME SAUL

1 Samuel 25:13-31

INTRODUCTION

A. HUMOR

1. A boy refused to take a bath. His mother insisted. He still objected. His mother asked, “Why do you think you shouldn’t?”

2. He replied, “My Sunday school teacher said we shouldn’t do anything in private we wouldn’t do in public!”

3. I think we’d all agree with the general idea: we shouldn’t do anything in private we wouldn’t do in public. No secret sins. Tonight, we’re going to see how David almost veered off into serious sin. Read with me:

B. TEXT

21 David had just said, “It’s been useless—all my watching over this fellow’s [Nabal] property in the wilderness so that nothing of his was missing. He has paid me back evil for good. 22 May God deal with David, be it ever so severely, if by morning I leave alive one male of all who belong to him!” 13 David said to his men, “Each of you strap on your sword!” So they did, and David strapped his on as well. About four hundred men went up with David...[Abigail said] 28 “Please forgive your servant’s presumption. The Lord your God will certainly make a lasting dynasty for my lord, because you fight the Lord’s battles, and no wrongdoing will be found in you as long as you live. 30 When the Lord has fulfilled for my lord every good thing he promised concerning him and has appointed him ruler over Israel, 31 my lord will not have on his conscience the staggering burden of needless bloodshed or of having avenged himself.” 1 Sam. 25:13,21-22,28-31

C. THESIS

1. SUMMARY: David had allowed the same spirit of revenge that was on Saul to influence him into murdering all the men of Nabal’s house. God sent Abigail to save him from ruining his character. May God give us such friends! who will help save us from doing wrong!

2. We see in this that sometimes we become like those who offend us – like our parents, etc. We’ll see that God sends people into our lives to thwart us from tarnishing our reputation by wrongdoing.

3. The title of this message is “When David Almost Became Saul.”

I. HOW WE BECOME LIKE OUR PARENTS

A. THE TEENAGER’S NIGHTMARE

1. How many of you remember when you were a teenager – that you thought your parents were old-fashioned, stick-in-the-muds from the Stone Age? If you were like me, you often promised yourself you would NEVER be like your parents!

2. Many kids make big efforts to break from their parent’s lifestyle – they a). MOVE away, b). CUT TIES with parents, c). adopt an OPPOSITE LIFESTYLE, d). convert to a DIFFERENT RELIGION or abandon it altogether, e). do things they know will AGGRAVATE their parents (shave their heads, get tattoos, go wild, do drugs, etc.). All this to make the point: “I’m NOT going to be like my parents!”

B. BECOMING LIKE YOUR PARENTS IS INESCAPABLE

1. Psychological studies now prove, “If you are over 33 years old, it’s likely that you have started to behave like your parents.” As the Star-Trek Borg Collective always say, “RESISTANCE IS FUTILE!”

2. One young woman was packing for the holidays to go see her family. She started cleaning her apartment. Her boyfriend said, “Why don’t you clean it when you get back?” And she said, “I don’t want to come home to a dirty house.” She was stunned to realize that’s EXACTLY what her mother would’ve said!

3. WHY DOES THIS HAPPEN? Because 50-58% of our personality traits are hereditary – that is, they’re programmed into our DNA! Things like obsessive traits: double-checking the doors, or making sure the lights are all turned out, or that the gas is turned off.

4. A study carried out in the United Kingdom revealed that when women reach the age of 33, they begin to behave more like their mothers, adopting habits, tastes and attitudes very similar to theirs. For men, it’s 34. https://psychology-spot.com/why-do-we-resemble-our-parents-behave-speak/

C. HUMOROUS EXAMPLES OF IMPRINTING

1. SONG BIRD. Parker Hilton said when he’s walking through a grocery store or eating in a restaurant and he hears a song playing in the background – he’ll interrupt the conversation to belt out the words of the song – just like his Dad did! (He was often embarrassed by his Dad doing this.)

2. HE BECAME THE “MOM” OF THE GROUP. Keith Reid-Cleveland realized he’d inherited his Mom’s very unique personality. At college he became the designated dad (or mom?) of his group of friends; always checking on everybody and making sure they “made it home,” just like his Mom did.

3. “THAT LAUGH.” Alyssa Fikse realized that she and her dad had the same laugh. She even developed his wheezy, silent shake. LUCKILY, she also got her mom’s love of reading. No one could talk books or history with her quite like her mom.