Harbor Presbyterian Church - Uptown

Blessing a City in Conflict

Facing Setbacks

1Samuel 18:1-30 

INTRODUCTION

Setbacks…  The dictionary defines a setback as “An unanticipated or sudden check in progress; a change from better to worse.” 

How do you handle setbacks in your life?  Setbacks are frequent an unavoidable at work, in ministry, and in relationships. 

This text describes two people who handle their setbacks differently:  Saul and David.  As we see them, we are going to learn how we should handle setbacks in our life.  We’re going to see this in three points: 

I.   Saul Spiraling Down

II.   David Stopping Short

III. David Up the Gospel Way 

1. Saul Spiraling Down (v6-16)

Follow the story:  V6—While they are returning home, the women came out celebrating, to meet king Saul.  V7—Their song was misunderstood by Saul.  Not “but,” they said “and.”  He misunderstood the women’s song.  We know this for several reasons: 

First, v6—They came to meet King Saul with songs of joy.  They aren’t going to insult him or exalt David over their king. 

Second, all that David did would be ascribed to Saul, the one who was king over David.   

Third, this was Hebrew poetry.  A centuries-old stylistic figure, in which a number used in the first half-verse is changed by one (or a zero is added) in the second.  It’s not trying to set the two in competition, it’s a literary technique to say, “A whole lot!” 

Micah 6:7   ⁷ Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?"

This is lavish praise on both Saul and David using the largest single numbers available in Hebrew language.   

But Saul can’t hear them for what they are saying, his emotions get the better of him—and his emotions give us pause.  Because how often does this happen to us? 

Emotions

Anger—How dare they make David greater than me

Insecurity—David is taking over

Jealousy—of David’s accomplishments

Fear—I might lose my kingship.  This is driving him. 

Danger of Isolation

V8—“They have ascribed”… the text indicates that he’s talking to himself.  He speaks about the women, not to them.  His fear and insecurity drove him inward.

He can’t join in their joy, and he can’t ask them what they mean.   

Jan Fokkelman said this, “What would have happened if he had had the courage to do so?  The women would naturally have sworn from the bottom of their hearts that they had in no way intended to extol David at the king’s expense!  Saul could than have taken a deep breath and allowed the pain of his catastrophic interpretation to pass.  But his fear and insecurity do not allow him to enter into a dialogue.  Saul does not give the women the chance to reveal their intentions and good faith as yet and to cure him of the darkness within by comforting assurances.  The result is that he is left alone, tormented and embittered in the black thoughts, after an apparent encounter with his subjects—an encounter that I imagine Saul endured by publicly maintaining the façade of the cheerful conqueror.  His thoughts contract into despair and the next morning the result is there:   jealousy drives him to attempted murder.”   

The downward spiral:  Sometimes it starts out in just one area—there is one thing that gets you all the time.  If you leave this unchecked, if you don’t deal with this, it will grow and control other areas of your life too.  Pretty soon, you are doing things you never thought you would. 

Saul—v11—he tries to kill David with the spear 

V25—he lies to trick and trap David.  He offers him his daughter, but sends David on a death mission hoping that he’ll be killed in battle by the Philistines.   

There have been times in my life when I feel like I’ve come to my senses and thought, “How in the world did I end up here?  What am I doing?”  I look around and I just can’t believe that my life spiraled this far away from God. 

Is that where you are today?  We’re going to see times where Saul seems to wake up to himself, but each time, instead of coming back to God, he gives in to his negative emotions—anger, jealousy, and fear— and he spirals down once again.  If you’re here, you need to come to Jesus to be released from enslaving emotions. 

The tragedy is that Saul thinks giving into his emotions will make him happy.   

THE IPOD GPS CLOTH.

2. David Stopping Short

Saul sets his sights on David.  This is what happens.  Often people who persecute others, who make other people suffer, are lashing out because they are caught in this viscous cycle of Saul.  There are times when they will attack the people who are succeeding where they are failing. 

If you can try to understand why people might be against you, it can help you to love them in return.   

David faces a reality that isn’t perfect.  This is a wake up call for David.  The conflict against Goliath was understandable—they were at war with the Philistines. But here David sees that conflict is also going to come from within.  From his own king! 

This shows the myth of the Upward trending life.  People who suggest that the Christian life is one where everything will work out in this life just have their head in the sand.  

Normal life has setbacks.  It’s important to know this.  This picture of David’s life from the inside is so important because for most people who saw David’s life from the outside, they would probably have thought that everything in David’s life was going well, that David had no struggles.  Even today, we think this about other people.  We see other people doing well, and we get frustrated because we assume their lives are perfect and without suffering and we wish our lives were like that.  You need to know that no one’s life goes perfectly well.  Everyone suffers-including David. 

So how does David face this?  Attempted murder from the king.  The king putting him into places where he’s in military danger.  Bribery for marriage to his daughter in an effort to be killed by the Philistines.  How does he handle it? 

3. David Up the Gospel Way

Your happiness, your life will depend on one thing:  what you see.  David could have spent his time focusing and lamenting on how things weren’t turning out the way they were supposed to.  Clearly this wasn’t in the cards—he was supposed to show up and take over. 

But he doesn’t need to do this because if he looks around, he can clearly tell that though things aren’t going exactly according to plan, this is clearly part of God’s plan. 

What do you focus on?  We need to develop the skill of seeing what God is doing in the midst of our setbacks.   

Popularity—the people all love him.  God’s assurance. 

Marriage to Michal—Saul’s daughter.  It’s like God is saying—even though the king is against you, his son is for you.  You are now part of his line—so you have a right to the throne.  Just open your eyes, I’ve got you exactly where I want you.  You can be assured of that. 

God is with David—relationship.  Protection you can see:  spear, battles against the Philistines.   

Protection you can’t see:  Saul’s trap.   

MY PAPER OF DEATH AND RESURRECTION 

CONCLUSION:

How do you know he’s there in your setbacks?  God says, Hebrews 13:5-6  "I will never leave you nor forsake you."  ⁶ So we can confidently say, "The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?"  

Romans 8:28   ²⁸ And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. 

But how do you know?  It seems like it’s during setbacks that we doubt these promises the most.  If God was really with us, wouldn’t things turn out better?  Wouldn’t we be free from struggles? 

Precisely at the moments in your life when you are most tempted to think that God has abandoned you because how could your life turn out this way if he were still with you?  Precisely at those moments you need a real relationship with Jesus.   

If you want to know how personal your relationship with Jesus can be, you need to look at Jonathan.   

These aren’t just bare promises.  They are personal.  Jesus’ love for you is personal.  You can see Jesus in your setbacks drawing near because he has experienced them himself.  But Jesus is also pictured in Jonathan.  He is committed to you.  His soul is knitted to yours.  He shares his clothing with you—the robes of his own perfect life.  And he shares his armor and weapons with you—the armor of God—that makes you strong enough to endure suffering and respond with love, grace, and mercy to others.     

¹the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul.   

⁴ And Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was on him and gave it to David, and his armor, and even his sword and his bow and his belt.   

Dale Ralph Davis said, “The clothes signify the person and his position—hence Jonathan renounces his position as crown prince and transfers, as far as his own will goes, the right of succession to David.” 

Jesus gave himself and his position to us.  He was stripped on the cross, and he clothes us with his perfect life, so that God sees us as perfect as he is.  Isa 61:10—you clothed me with robes of righteousness, with garments of salvation. 

Jesus gives us his own armor, the breastplate of righteousness (Eph 6).  And he gives us   

³ Then Jonathan made a covenant with David, because he loved him as his own soul. 

Jesus loves us and guarantees his love with a covenant that isn’t just words, but Jesus’ covenant is sealed with his own blood.  He gave his life—this is what proves that his love for you is greater than his own love for life.