Plot Twist: Don’t Sin to Win
1 Samuel 24, 25, & 26
Pastor Andrew Boone
Sunday, August 20, 2023
When Saul returned from following the Philistines, he was told, “Behold, David is in the wilderness of Engedi.” Then Saul took three thousand chosen men out of all Israel and went to seek David and his men in front of the Wildgoats’ Rocks. —1 Samuel 24:1-2
And he came to the sheepfolds by the way, where there was a cave, and Saul went in to relieve himself. Now David and his men were sitting in the innermost parts of the cave. —1 Samuel 24:3
And the men of David said to him, “Here is the day of which the Lord said to you, ‘Behold, I will give your enemy into your hand, and you shall do to him as it shall seem good to you.’” Then David arose and stealthily cut off a corner of Saul’s robe. And afterward David’s heart struck him, because he had cut off a corner of Saul’s robe. He said to his men, “The Lord forbid that I should do this thing to my lord, the Lord’s anointed, to put out my hand against him, seeing he is the Lord’s anointed.” —1 Samuel 24:4-6
Small sin is not a suitable replacement for big sin.
DON’T SIN TO WIN.
Now Samuel died. And all Israel assembled and mourned for him, and they buried him in his house at Ramah. —1 Samuel 25:1
Run your spiritual race well, all the way to the finish line.
And there was a man in Maon whose business was in Carmel. The man was very rich; he had three thousand sheep and a thousand goats. He was shearing his sheep in Carmel. Now the name of the man was Nabal, and the name of his wife Abigail. The woman was discerning and beautiful, but the man was harsh and badly behaved; he was a Calebite. —1 Samuel 25:2-3
…Now David and his men were in the wilderness of Maon, in the Arabah to the south of Jeshimon. —1 Samuel 23:24
And Nabal answered David’s servants, “Who is David? Who is the son of Jesse? There are many servants these days who are breaking away from their masters. —1 Samuel 25:10
So David’s young men turned away and came back and told him all this. And David said to his men, “Every man strap on his sword!” And every man of them strapped on his sword. David also strapped on his sword. And about four hundred men went up after David, while two hundred remained with the baggage. —1 Samuel 25:12-13
Nabal’s insult does not justify David’s sinful response.
Then Abigail made haste and took two hundred loaves and two skins of wine and five sheep already prepared and five seahs of parched grain and a hundred clusters of raisins and two hundred cakes of figs, and laid them on donkeys. —1 Samuel 25:18
When Abigail saw David, she hurried and got down from the donkey and fell before David on her face and bowed to the ground. She fell at his feet and said, “On me alone, my lord, be the guilt. Please let your servant speak in your ears, and hear the words of your servant. —1 Samuel 25:23-24
Now then, my lord, as the Lord lives, and as your soul lives, because the Lord has restrained you from bloodguilt and from saving with your own hand, now then let your enemies and those who seek to do evil to my lord be as Nabal. —1 Samuel 25:26
“…because the Lord has restrained you from bloodguilt and from saving with your own hand…” -Abigail
David was again trusting the wrong sword.
And David said to Abigail, “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who sent you this day to meet me! Blessed be your discretion, and blessed be you, who have kept me this day from bloodguilt and from working salvation with my own hand! —1 Samuel 25:32-33
And Abigail came to Nabal, and behold, he was holding a feast in his house, like the feast of a king. And Nabal’s heart was merry within him, for he was very drunk. So she told him nothing at all until the morning light. In the morning, when the wine had gone out of Nabal, his wife told him these things, and his heart died within him, and he became as a stone. And about ten days later the Lord struck Nabal, and he died. —1 Samuel 25:36-38
Then the Ziphites came to Saul at Gibeah, saying, “Is not David hiding himself on the hill of Hachilah, which is on the east of Jeshimon?” So Saul arose and went down to the wilderness of Ziph with three thousand chosen men of Israel to seek David in the wilderness of Ziph. —1 Samuel 26:1-2
And David said, “As the Lord lives, the Lord will strike him, or his day will come to die, or he will go down into battle and perish. The Lord forbid that I should put out my hand against the Lord’s anointed. But take now the spear that is at his head and the jar of water, and let us go.” —1 Samuel 26:10-11
The Lord rewards every man for his righteousness and his faithfulness, for the Lord gave you into my hand today, and I would not put out my hand against the Lord’s anointed. Behold, as your life was precious this day in my sight, so may my life be precious in the sight of the Lord, and may he deliver me out of all tribulation.” —1 Samuel 26:23-24
So David took the spear and the jar of water from Saul’s head, and they went away. No man saw it or knew it, nor did any awake, for they were all asleep, because a deep sleep from the Lord had fallen upon them. —1 Samuel 26:12
God will work in ways we can’t even imagine whe we trust Him fully.
Big Idea: Don’t sin to win.
Discussion Questions
The goal of these questions is to foster meaningful discussion and to encourage participants to reflect on God’s Word with the goal of leading to heart transformation. Feel free to modify or expand upon these questions based on the dynamics and needs of your Small Group.
Read 1 Samuel 24
The ‘wisdom’ of the others with David would have led him to sin against the command of the Lord. Getting wise counsel from other believers is good and right (Proverbs 12:15), but with what must that wisdom always align? Does God ever let us pass blame for a sin we have committed? What prevents David from killing Saul even though all the worldly circumstances point to God giving Saul over to David?
David does not kill Saul (a big sin), but he does cut off a portion of his robe (a less egregious sin). Have you been tempted to commit a larger sin but rationalize with yourself and compromise on a smaller sin instead? Is a small sin an acceptable replacement for a big sin? What can we do in instances like this to completely refrain from sinful behavior or thought?
At the heart of David’s refusal to kill Saul is the recognition that the Lord installed Saul, and it will be the Lord who removes him. Even though the leadership is corrupt, he is going to honor him and his position. The Apostle Paul shares similar sentiments in Romans 13:1-7. How do you process this concept with the backdrop that not all leadership is godly? Are you able to honor the position and respect the person even when you don’t align with them?
We learn from David what it looks like to absorb and forgive instead of retaliate. Has anyone ever forgiven you in a significant way? Have you ever forgiven someone? Explain. How would you encourage someone who struggles with this to forgive? What is some practical advice you would use to help them? David had the opportunity to take revenge on Saul but chose not to. How can we apply this principle of forgiveness in our own lives when someone wrongs us? What challenges do we face in letting go of anger and choosing forgiveness?
Read 1 Samuel 25
David is humbly approached by Abigail, and because of her words and actions, he stops his march toward bloodguilt. Have you ever received correction from a godly person? What is your heart disposition when you are receiving correction? How have you experienced positive growth because of another’s correction? Do you view it as a blessing when a godly person corrects you?
If you were to see someone blundering into sin, would you tactfully alert them to their error? What are some general principles we should follow when engaging a person in such a conversation? How comfortable would you be bringing someone’s sin to their attention? Have you had experience doing this before? What can you share from your experience to help others grow in this area?
In order to know if someone is walking into sin, you have to know what sin is. How would you rate your familiarity with what the Bible has to say about sin? How often are you Engaging the Scriptures on your own? How well is your comprehension? Are there new methods for ingesting Scripture that you could try to help you with comprehension and recall?
Read 1 Samuel 26
God provides for David’s success by causing a deep sleep to fall over the men in Saul’s camp. When have you experienced God’s provision in your life? Where has God unexpectedly shown up?
David has had multiple opportunities to take matters into his own hands but chooses to trust God’s timing instead. What are some things we can be doing now to prepare us for moments when we might be tempted to sin to win by taking the easy way out?