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David - Revenge Belongs to God
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Perhaps the greatest test of the spiritual condition of our hearts comes when we are criticized or when we have been wronged. I once heard a friend say that if we had the right attitude, then criticism wouldn't bother us. That attitude - recognize that if people knew the whole truth about us, then the truth would probably be a lots worse than the criticism. The Apostle Paul said, "I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out" (Rom. 7:18 NIV).
Paul's greatness lay in the fact that he was transparent and open about his weaknesses. He knew that he was capable of any kind of evil. He struggled, but was honest about his struggle with the desires of the flesh. That attitude of humility allowed him to achieve spiritual greatness. It enabled him to "crucify his flesh" and live in the power of the Spirit of God.
There are two heart attitudes that will suck the joy and victory out of a person's Christian life. They will ultimately destroy any sense of spirituality within us. They're some of the most destructive feelings that any of us can ever experience. And what are they - pride and bitterness. These two sins have brought the strongest men and women to utter failure.
David struggled with both of these sins. He acted in a very Christlike manner in dealing with Saul. His men encouraged him to kill Saul in the cave. David toyed with the idea, but resisted the temptation. Instead, he treated Saul with respect. But not long afterwards, David responded in a different manner to Nabal. David wasn't treated by Nabal with the respect that David thought he deserved. So, out of anger, bitterness, and pride, he set out to kill Nabal. In anger David told his men, "Put on your swords!" (1 Sam. 25:13).
Those men obeyed David's command and "they put on their swords, and David put on his. About four hundred men went up with David, while two hundred stayed with the supplies" (1Samuel 25:13 NIV). Nabal was saved because his wife pled with David for his life. There are two great lessons to learn from what transpired.
First, we must walk in the Spirit every day. We can't live on yesterday's victories. The flesh will raise its ugly head every morning, and every day we must crucify the flesh. It doesn't matter how many victories we've experienced in the past, or even if we've known victory in a certain area of our lives. Every day we will have to fight new battles with the flesh and even revisit some old battlefields. Satan will make sure of that.
David had already won a great victory over anger, jealousy and pride in relationship to Saul. He restrained himself in the cave instead of killing Saul. Yet, pride and anger gushed forth when Nabal treated him without respect. One day victory. The next day defeat. David rode the roller coaster of inconsistent living. How many of us have done the same thing? We must never forget that we have the flesh to deal with today. And tomorrow, we'll have to deal with it again.
But there was one more critical message for us in the story of David and Nabal. Abigail pled with David not to kill her husband. Her pleading reminds us of the Holy Spirit's pleading with us when we are tempted to sin. Abigail was passionate, respectful, and kind in imploring David not to kill her husband. David listened and responded, "David said to Abigail, "Praise be to the LORD, the God of Israel, who has sent you today to meet me. May you be blessed for your good judgment and for keeping me from bloodshed this day and from avenging myself with my own hands" (1 Sam. 25:32-33 NIV).
The Holy Spirit will providentially make a way of escape for us when we are tempted. He will gently and forcefully speak to our hearts. He will send people across our paths; circumstances in our way; and make provision for our ability to avoid the sin. If we sin, it's only because of our stubbornness. We must be quick to recognize the Holy Spirit's pleading, and then obey His voice. Only then will we experience victory.
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