Saul's Jealousy

0:00You're invited to join Reformation Bible College for the 2027 Winter Conference on January 14th and 15th. Gather with like-minded Christians, the faculty of RBC, and guest teachers as we consider the cross of Jesus Christ and its significance for our lives today. You can register and save using the early bird rate at ReformationBibleCollege.org slash cross. Saul stood forward and took David by the hand and stood at the front of the multitude and said, Hail David, our mighty conqueror, take a bow, David. Aren't we all proud of this young- no, that's not what he did. What was his reaction to this public celebration? At this point in the life of David, our hearts sink. We feel sorry for the young shepherd boy because we know that things in his life are about to get worse.

1:01Welcome to renewing your mind on this Friday. We're glad that you've joined us and hope you've been encouraged by our studies this week. Today is the final day we'll be looking at the life of David, which means it's also the final day you can receive lifetime downloadable access to this entire 15-message series in the Ligonier app, along with a special edition renewing your mind journal. We'll send you these resources today when you donate at renewingyourmind.org. You can also give by calling us at 800-435-4343. Now here's Dr. Sproul with today's message. I doubt if there have been many examples of people who have become a phenomenon of American culture the way Elvis Presley did. I have to admit that I was alive and can remember vividly his first appearance on Toast of the Town, the Ed Sullivan program, and what a raging sensation he was.

2:08Over night, the so-called meteoric rise took place. He was catapulted into the public eye, and I remember also in the weeks and months that followed that the press trailed Elvis Presley all around and myriads of articles were written about him in the magazines and in the newspapers, chronicling that he would go out and buy a pink Cadillac and then a potter blue Cadillac, and he had six or seven of these cars of fleet of them. All of the pundits were saying that Presley was a flash in the pan and that he was going to regret this sudden catapulting into an extravagant style of life. But in another sense, Elvis Presley lived the American dream because he achieved fame and fortune virtually overnight. It's a Cinderella kind of story.

3:17But so often in our fantasies, our dreams of fame and fortune, we overlook the stark naked reality that such experiences more often than not are catastrophic to a person's life. There is an enormous price that people have to pay for instant fame. And perhaps no one in biblical history exhibits that truth more clearly and more deeply than David. You can imagine after he killed Goliath how rapidly his fame spread not only through Israel, but through the whole mid-Eastern region of his day. He was an overnight sensation, instant status and fame accompanied him.

4:24But at the same time as David experienced this radical change in his life from the quiet, domestic life of a shepherd where he could enjoy his solitude, his time of reflection and meditation before the living God, now that all changes. And he becomes visible to everyone around him. And what happened to David is what happens to many people who achieve instant fame. The first thing that happened to him of great significance was that he became a target of jealousy. That of course came principally from the king whose troops were defended by David. Let's look at the text in 1 Samuel chapter 18. Before we get to the reaction of Saul to David's overnight fame,

5:33let's look at what is introduced in the beginning of the chapter in verse 1. Now when he had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David. Saul took him that day and would not let him go home to his father's house anymore. And then Jonathan and David made a covenant because he loved him as his own soul. And Jonathan took off the robe that was on him and gave it to David with his armor even to his sword and his bow and his belt. What is introduced here at the beginning of this chapter is a relationship between two men, a relationship of bonding that serves as the supreme biblical model of loyal friendship. If anybody in the world had reason to be jealous

6:38of David, it was Jonathan. If anybody in the world had reason to be afraid of David, it was Jonathan. Why? Jonathan was the crown prince of the kingdom of Israel. He was the heir apparent to the throne of Saul. David could have been seen immediately through the eyes of Jonathan as a potential threat and rival to all of Jonathan's own aspirations. But instead of a response, a fear, or of envy, or of jealousy, the response of Jonathan was one of love. His soul was knit to that of David.

7:38Later on, we will see that Jonathan realizes early on that he himself will not receive the throne of Israel and that instead David will ascend in his place. And even when that takes place, Jonathan shows not one ounce of envy or bitterness or threatening. But if anything takes place, the bond between these two men grows even deeper. And in a very real sense, Jonathan risked his life. As we will see later, out of his love for David. But that was the response of the son of Saul. It was not Saul's response. Initially, Saul was excited about this victory. David had got him out of a jam. He was looking embarrassed before all of his troops and before the whole nation at the

8:43taunts of Goliath. And now David had rescued him. And now Saul inquires as to the family of David and asked David to leave his home and come and live at the palace of the king. But that relationship turns sour in a hurry. And what causes it? If we come back to the text and look at chapter 18, we look at verse 5 where we read, and so David went out, wherever Saul sent him, and behaved wisely. And Saul sent 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. But it happened as they were coming home. When David was returning from the slaughter of the Philistine, that the women had come out of all of the cities of Israel, singing and dancing to meet King Saul with tambourines, with joy, and with

9:49musical instruments. What do we do in the United States when there's an extraordinary feat of heroism or accomplishment? We welcome our heroes in New York City with a ticker-tap parade. We get a convertible and we get the hero and sit him up in the back seat of the convertible. Everybody can see him and he drives down the street and he's waving and the people are throwing flowers and confetti and ticker-type and all the rest as they praise and laud the hero. That's not something unique to America. That's human. And in all cultures, heroes are given a hero's welcome. But in this triumphal procession, the person who stood at the head of the procession was Saul. He was the leader, he was the king, it was his army that had just been victorious through the

10:51heroics of David to be sure. But nevertheless, Saul now is basking in glory. And the people are coming out to greet him and the women are flocking in the public square, singing and dancing and celebrating with music. And they sang this song. Saul has slain his thousands and David, his ten thousands. Now you understand there should have been enough glory to go around. Saul was being honored in this song. This was not a jive at Saul. There was public recognition that Saul was a hero. He had slain his thousands. However, there was one who had done

11:59ten times better. David has slain his tens of thousands. And so the text goes on to say that Saul stood forward and took David by the hand and stood at the front of the multitude and said, Hail David, our mighty conqueror, take a bow, David. Aren't we all proud of this? No, that's not what he did. What was his reaction to this public celebration? Verse 6 says this, then Saul was very angry and the saying displeased him. And he said they have a scribe to David, ten thousands. And to me they have a scribe only thousands. As if that were nothing. Now what more can he have but the kingdom? So that Saul eyed David from that day forward. Sometimes in the

13:10Bible like we have in a good novel, we have the literary device of foreshadowing. And there is the foreshadowing in this text that is at the same time for boating. We are told that Saul from that day on began to eye David. This lad bears watching. Why? What have David done? All that David had done so far. Was to obey every command of Saul. David had risked his life out of loyalty to his God, loyalty to his people and loyalty to his king. But beloved, the king was jealous. Let me just pause right here for a second and ask you the question, have you ever been jealous of anyone?

14:12Have you ever experienced other peoples being jealous of you? Do you have any idea how utterly destructive that peculiar human emotion can be? How many reputations have been destroyed? How many friendships have been violated? How many wars have been fought? That were driven by this perverse attitude of jealousy? Jealousy is so damaging that one form of it actually is elevated to the status of one of the ten commandments. The tenth commandment prohibits the coveting of another person's property. And covetousness is a mouth form of jealousy. Jealousy is covetousness run amok.

15:17It creates a rage of hatred, unjust hatred of one person for another. We even have an expression in the American culture, color him green, that a person becomes green with envy. And so it was with Saul, his jealousy, new no bounds, and coupled with jealousy almost always is that twin emotion here. I could add to that list, hatred. Spiteful hatred, the kind of hatred that wishes ill upon arrival. The New Testament says that we are to rejoice with those that rejoice and to be a base with those who abase and that we are to celebrate every member of our body's prosperity or success.

16:22But instead there are those who despise it. Now the fear that is in the heart of Saul is if David is so famous, if David is so popular that they're singing that he has killed his tens of thousands. What else can this kid get? He has all the fame, he has all the adulation. The only thing left for him that he doesn't have yet is the kingdom. My kingdom. And Saul determines from that day driven by his rage, driven by his jealousy, driven by his fear that that shall never take place. And it happened on the very next day. We're told in verse 10 that the distressing spirit from God came upon Saul and he prophesied in the house. And 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,

17:24I will pin David to the wall. But twice David escaped his presence. And notice in verse 12, the depths of the degeneration of the king. Now Saul was afraid of David because the Lord was with him. Why in the world would anybody be afraid of somebody if they knew God was with him? Unless they knew that they themselves were at enmity with God. I read that as if that were a complete sense that Saul was afraid of David because he knew that God was with him, but there's a comma there. It's not simply because he knew that God was with David, but what comes after the comma? But that God had departed from Saul.

18:27So now you can see that jealousy is escalating to the highest possible proportion. Now he's jealous not only of the favor of the people that rests upon David, but he's jealous of the favor of God. He realized my friends that jealousy ultimately is a grievous sin against God. Because all of the fortune and prosperity or gifts that we receive in this world, we receive from the hand of God's benevolent providence. And when I am jealous of another person, what I am saying bottom line is God, it is not fair that you should allow this person to have that possession or that office or that success or that achievement and you have not given it unto me. So that every time we are jealous, we show hatred to our fellow persons.

19:36But above all, we express our anger with God. So how does Saul deal with this? Saul had promised that anyone who killed the champion Goliath that he would receive his daughter in marriage. And he tried to give one daughter to David and that didn't work. And then Michael, we read in verse 20, Saul's daughter loved David. And they told Saul and the thing pleased him. Now, what does that mean? Here comes the report to Saul. Saul, I know you were supposed to give your first daughter to David and you didn't do it. You fudged on that one. But you still have Michael here. And we can still keep your word. And let's give Michael to David as his wife because she loves him. And this pleases Saul. Why? Because Saul says, oh, I've always wanted my daughter, Michael, to marry a hero like David. Or oh, isn't this wonderful? Now David, the champion, can become my son-in-law.

20:41No, no, no, no. Here's what pleased him. He's scheming already on how he can get rid of David. And so he comes to David and he said, I'll let you have my daughter, Michael, as your bride. And you won't have to pay a dowry of money. I know you're a poor shepherd boy. You don't have anything saved up. But we have to have some kind of dowry. And I'll tell you what the dowry is. I want the four skins of the Philistines taken in battle. And so Saul says, give me 104 skins of the Philistines and take vengeance on the king's enemy. Why did he do that? The scriptures tell us in verse 26, but Saul thought to make David fall by the hand of the Philistines. He wasn't trying to honor David. He was trying to destroy him. What price, fame and fortune? To be suddenly thrust as a target for the jealousy of raging men,

21:52that was the lot of David. I want us to look into our own souls and see how much jealousy resides there. It's an easy thing to deny. But it is so common. It is so normal and natural for human beings to be eaten away inside by an ungodly spirit of jealousy. The jealousy is never befitting in the life of the Christian. And the only way I can know to combat that effectively in our own lives, to transcend that human penchant and tendency towards jealousy, is that every time we feel the slightest twinge of jealousy, we need to make that be a light bulb,

22:58go off in our minds, a jolt to our memory systems, and remember at that moment that this is a sin against God. It is an assault against his kindly providence. If I am jealous for what somebody else has, or for what somebody else enjoys, that I lack, my jealousy signals immediately my displeasure with the very government of God, who gives and who takes away. And so I need to be reminded of that, the first instant of feeling of jealousy comes. I have heard it said that the root of nearly every violation of the Ten Commandments is jealousy

24:00or covetousness. So our see has given us a helpful reminder, hasn't he? When we complain about our circumstances or how unfair it is that we don't have things other people seem to be in enjoying, we're actually complaining about God's governance of our lives. Thank you for joining us this week, as we took a brief look at one of Dr. Sproul's favorite Old Testament heroes in the Bible. The life of David's series includes 10 more messages that we weren't able to get to this week. So if you'd like to continue your studies, we'll give you lifetime downloadable access to this entire series when you donate today. And don't forget that today is your final opportunity to receive a renewing your mind journal. Just go to renewingyourmind.org to make a donation and we'll send you this item along with the digital teaching series. You can also give by calling us at 800-435-4343. Suffering has a way of jarring us, doesn't it? Especially when we're confronted with trials we

25:00didn't see coming. How should Christians respond when this happens? Join us next week as we explore messages from Dr. Sproul's series, surprised by suffering. Here's a preview. That any pain could ever be without purpose. If God is, then there is no such thing as meaningless suffering. I don't know what the individual suffering means or why a particular person is called to suffer in a particular way at a particular time. I don't know. I cannot read the mind of God,

26:05the secret counsel of God, but I do know something about the character of God. And I know that he is sovereign. Join us next week here on renewing your mind.