Sunday School Lesson

1. 1 Samuel 25:1-44
Protected
God sometimes must protect us from ourselves.
August 14, 2016
First Baptist Church
Jackson, Mississippi
USA

2. What’s the number one thing?
http://www.thesocialleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/number-1.jpg

3. The Glory of God!
https://idisciple.blob.core.windows.net/idm/Let-the-Glory-of-God-Dwell-Upon-You.png

4. 1 Corinthians 10:31
31 So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do
all to the glory of God.
http://iggc.penang-assemblies.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/glory-of-god-clouds.jpg

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

6. Special Lesson on August 28, 2016
Parkinson’s First Hero: KING DAVID
Facing the Facts
Dr. Randy Voyles
(His latest book)

7. Lesson Introduction
•David’s life was a portrait of successes and failures.
•“a man after God’s own heart” (1 Samuel 13:14, Acts
13:22).
•David had absolute faith in God, loved God’s law, was
truly thankful, was truly repentant.
•David was impulsive, had an entitlement attitude, and
had a weakness for women.

8. Lesson Outline
1. Read and review 1 Samuel 25:1-44.
2. Discuss how God used a brave woman (Abigail) to
talk sense into a man (David) seeking revenge.
•Character flaws that led David to act impulsively.
•The Entitlement Mentality – not a new problem.
•What does scripture say about this behavior?
•Jesus had something to say about this.

9. David’s dysfunctional childhood (Speculation?)
•He was the youngest of 8 sons of Jesse (Head of
Sanhedrin & Israelite leader).
•Jesse was the grandson of Boaz and Ruth (Moabite).
•Mother was Nitzevet according to the Talmud.
•Nitzevet tricked Jesse (husband) into getting pregnant.
•David was not a welcomed child into the family.
•David treated as an outcast by father and brothers.

10. Background to 1 Samuel 25
•David is in hiding as King Saul pursues killing him.
•David had an opportunity to kill Saul but did not
because he trusted God.
•David and 600 of his men are in a stronghold hiding
with limited food and resources.
•David’s wife (Saul’s daughter) is at home with her
father during this time.

11. 1 Samuel 25:1a ESV
1a Now Samuel died. And all Israel assembled and
mourned for him, and they buried him in his house at
Ramah.
•Samuel died at age 88 (1102 BC-1014 BC).
•David and Saul both probably attended the funeral.
•House burial – “in the garden of his home”.
•Remains supposedly moved to Constantinople by
Emperor Arcadius in early 5th century.

12. 1 Samuel 25:1b-3 ESV
1b Then David rose and went down to the wilderness of
Paran. 2 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. 3 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.

13. Wilderness of Paran

14. Wilderness of Paran

15. Introduction to Characters in 1 Samuel 25
•Nabal – rich owner of sheep and goats in Maon who
was harsh and badly behaved (surly and mean in his
dealings; harsh and evil in his dealings) and a Calebite
(Israelite-Tribe of Judah and one of the spies in
Number 13:3-6).
•Abigail – Nabal’s wife who was discerning and
beautiful (intelligent and beautiful; good
understanding and beautiful appearance).

16. 1 Samuel 25:4-6 ESV
4 David heard in the wilderness that Nabal was shearing
his sheep. 5 So David sent ten young men. And David
said to the young men, "Go up to Carmel, and go to
Nabal and greet him in my name. 6 And thus you shall
greet him: 'Peace be to you, and peace be to your
house, and peace be to all that you have.

17. 1 Samuel 25:7-8 ESV
7 I hear that you have shearers. Now your shepherds
have been with us, and we did them no harm, and they
missed nothing all the time they were in Carmel. 8 Ask
your young men, and they will tell you. Therefore let
my young men find favor in your eyes, for we come on
a feast day. Please give whatever you have at hand to
your servants and to your son David.’”

18. 1 Samuel 25:9-11 ESV
9 When David's young men came, they said all this to
Nabal in the name of David, and then they waited.
10 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. 11 Shall
I take my bread and my water and my meat that I have
killed for my shearers and give it to men who come
from I do not know where?"

19. 1 Samuel 25:12-13 ESV
12 So David's young men turned away and came back
and told him all this. 13 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.

20. 1 Samuel 25:14-15 ESV
14 But one of the young men told Abigail, Nabal's wife,
"Behold, David sent messengers out of the wilderness
to greet our master, and he railed at them. 15 Yet the
men were very good to us, and we suffered no harm,
and we did not miss anything when we were in the
fields, as long as we went with them.

21. 1 Samuel 25:16-17 ESV
16 They were a wall to us both by night and by day, all
the while we were with them keeping the sheep.
17 Now therefore know this and consider what you
should do, for harm is determined against our master
and against all his house, and he is such a worthless
man that one cannot speak to him."

22. 1 Samuel 25:18-19 ESV
18 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. 19 And she said to her
young men, "Go on before me; behold, I come after
you." But she did not tell her husband Nabal.

23. 1 Samuel 25:20-22 ESV
20 And as she rode on the donkey and came down
under cover of the mountain, behold, David and his
men came down toward her, and she met them. 21 Now
David had said, "Surely in vain have I guarded all that
this fellow has in the wilderness, so that nothing was
missed of all that belonged to him, and he has returned
me evil for good. 22 God do so to the enemies of David
and more also, if by morning I leave so much as one
male of all who belong to him."

24. Assumptions by David
•“This man owes me because I have not stolen from
him!”
•“I asked nicely, but Nabal was rude to my men and
insulted my name!”
•“You cannot treat me this way!”
•“Nabal should know who I am!” (Future King of Israel)

25. Facts of the story
•Nabal did not owe David anything because he had not
hired them for protection.
•Nabal was greedy and unhospitable to a fellow
Israelite in need.
•Nabal treated everyone this way.
•David was so insulted that his impulsive anger became
vengeful rage.

26. 1 Samuel 25:23-25 ESV
23 When Abigail saw David, she hurried and got down
from the donkey and fell before David on her face and
bowed to the ground. 24 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. 25 Let not my lord regard this worthless fellow,
Nabal, for as his name is, so is he. Nabal is his name,
and folly is with him. But I your servant did not see the
young men of my lord, whom you sent.

27. 1 Samuel 25:26-27 ESV
26 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. 27 And now let this present that
your servant has brought to my lord be given to the
young men who follow my lord.

28. 1 Samuel 25:28-29 ESV
28 Please forgive the trespass of your servant. For the
Lord will certainly make my lord a sure house, because
my lord is fighting the battles of the Lord, and evil shall
not be found in you so long as you live. 29 If men rise up
to pursue you and to seek your life, the life of my lord
shall be bound in the bundle of the living in the care of
the Lord your God. And the lives of your enemies he
shall sling out as from the hollow of a sling.

29. 1 Samuel 25:30-31 ESV
30 And when the Lord has done to my lord according to
all the good that he has spoken concerning you and has
appointed you prince over Israel, 31 my lord shall have
no cause of grief or pangs of conscience for having
shed blood without cause or for my lord working
salvation himself. And when the Lord has dealt well
with my lord, then remember your servant."

30. 1 Samuel 25:32-33 ESV
32 And David said to Abigail, "Blessed be the Lord, the
God of Israel, who sent you this day to meet me!
33 Blessed be your discretion, and blessed be you, who
have kept me this day from bloodguilt and from
working salvation with my own hand!

31. 1 Samuel 25:34-35 ESV
34 For as surely as the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, who
has restrained me from hurting you, unless you had
hurried and come to meet me, truly by morning there
had not been left to Nabal so much as one male."
35 Then David received from her hand what she had
brought him. And he said to her, "Go up in peace to
your house. See, I have obeyed your voice, and I have
granted your petition.”

32. 1 Samuel 25:36-38 ESV
36 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. 37 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. 38 And about ten
days later the Lord struck Nabal, and he died.

33. 1 Samuel 25:39-40 ESV
39 When David heard that Nabal was dead, he said,
"Blessed be the Lord who has avenged the insult I
received at the hand of Nabal, and has kept back his
servant from wrongdoing. The Lord has returned the
evil of Nabal on his own head." Then David sent and
spoke to Abigail, to take her as his wife. 40 When the
servants of David came to Abigail at Carmel, they said
to her, "David has sent us to you to take you to him as
his wife."

34. 1 Samuel 25:41-42 ESV
41 And she rose and bowed with her face to the ground
and said, "Behold, your handmaid is a servant to wash
the feet of the servants of my lord." 42 And Abigail
hurried and rose and mounted a donkey, and her five
young women attended her. She followed the
messengers of David and became his wife.

35. 1 Samuel 25:43-44 ESV
43 David also took Ahinoam of Jezreel, and both of them
became his wives. 44 Saul had given Michal his
daughter, David's wife, to Palti the son of Laish, who
was of Gallim.

36. The Many Wives of David (Political Polygamy)
1. Michal
2. Abigail
3. Ahinoam of Jezreel
4. Eglah
5. Maacah
6. Abital
7. Haggoth
8. Bathsheba (David’s entitlement mentality in action)
9. Others

37. Application of David’s Behavior to Today’s
Culture
Ecclesiastes 1:9
9 What has been is what will be,
and what has been done is what will be done,
and there is nothing new under the sun.
• People are still the same – human nature has not
changed
• Fallen Human Nature Attitude – “It’s still all about me!”

38. The Entitlement Mentality
•We were reared to believe or came to believe that
“we’re special”, “we’re unique” and “we’re # 1!”.
•A malignant (hurtful, mean) form of self-love.
•The belief that we are the center of the universe, and
if it doesn’t meet our needs and desires, all hell will
break loose.

39. How do we develop an entitlement mentality?
•Failing to learn as children and young adults that we
are not more special than others, and other people
don’t merely exist to serve our needs and wants.
•Dr. John Rosemond – People with the highest self-
esteem scores are usually in prison!
•It is in our fallen nature to feel entitled.

41. Spectrum of Entitlement Symptoms:
You might have an entitlement mentality if…
1. You impose unrealistic demands on others.
2. You feel sorry for yourself if things don’t work out
the way you wanted (self-pity).
3. People call you “egotistical”, “bully”,
“manipulative”.
4. You believe you deserve happiness and go to great
lengths often at the expense of others.
5. You punish people when they don’t do what you
want – passively or aggressively.

42. You might have an entitlement mentality if…
6. In order to succeed in life, you believe in going to
any lengths.
7. You constantly see other people as competition or
threats.
8. You have a double standard for yourself & others.
9. You tend to take more than give in friendships and
relationships (Takers not Givers).

43. You might have an entitlement mentality if…
10. You tend to look out for yourself, your needs and
desires, more than anyone else’s.
11. You have a hard time negotiating or compromising.
12. You have a deep seated conviction that you have.
priority and should come first, even at the expense
of others (Break in line, will not wait.).
13. You think you are more important than others.

44. You might have an entitlement mentality if…
14. You crave admiration and adoration.
15. You like to assert your superiority over other
people.

45. The extreme is Narcissistic Personality
Disorder
• You behave in socially distressing ways.
•Your ability to function in relationships, work and life
is limited.
•This is more than just confidence because it crosses
the border of healthy confidence in that you value
yourself more than others value you.

46. What does Scripture say about an entitlement
mentality?
Philippians 2:3-4 ESV
3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility
count others more significant than yourselves. 4 Let each of you
look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of
others.
Galatians 5:14-15 ESV
14 For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: "You shall love your
neighbor as yourself." 15 But if you bite and devour one another,
watch out that you are not consumed by one another.

47. What does Scripture say about an entitlement
mentality?
Colossians 3:12-14
12 Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved,
compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness,
and patience, 13 bearing with one another and, if one
has a complaint against another, forgiving each other;
as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.
14 And above all these put on love, which binds
everything together in perfect harmony.

48. What does Scripture say about an entitlement
mentality?
Ephesians 4:29-32 ESV
29 Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only
such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it
may give grace to those who hear. 30 And do not grieve the
Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of
redemption. 31 Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and
clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all
malice. 32 Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving
one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

49. Jesus explains the attitude toward others for
His followers
Matthew 20:26–28 ESV
26 But whoever would be great among you must be your
servant, 27 and whoever would be first among you must be
your slave, 28 even as the Son of Man came not to be served
but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Luke 6:31, 36 ESV
31 And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to
them.
36 Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.

50. Steps to overcoming an entitlement attitude
1. Pray for the Holy Spirit to show you – Self
Awareness.
2. Memorize helpful scriptures.
3. Trust God and put Him at the center of your life.
4. Concentrate on putting others first.
5. Manage your anger.
6. Seek Professional Counselors.

51. Closing Thought:
Psalm 25:8-10 ESV (By David)
8 Good and upright is the Lord;
therefore he instructs sinners in the way.
9 He leads the humble in what is right,
and teaches the humble his way.
10 All the paths of the Lord are steadfast love and
faithfulness,
for those who keep his covenant and his testimonies.

52. Next Sunday – August 21, 2016
1 Samuel 26 – Respect
Bill Boteler
August 28 – Dr. Randy Voyles
King David & Parkinson’s Disease

53. The Plan of Hope & Salvation
John 3:16 (ESV)
16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that
whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal
life.”
John 14:6 (ESV)
6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life.
No one comes to the Father except through me.”

54. The Plan of Hope & Salvation
Romans 3:23 (ESV)
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
Romans 6:23a (ESV)
23a For the wages of sin is death,
• Death in this life (the first death) is 100%.
• Even Jesus, the only one who doesn’t deserve death, died in this life
to pay the penalty for our sins.
• The death referred to in Romans 6:23a is the second death
explained in Revelation 21:8.

55. The Plan of Hope & Salvation
Revelation 21:8 (ESV)
8 “But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for
murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars,
their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur,
which is the second death.”
Romans 5:8 (ESV)
8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners,
Christ died for us.

56. The Plan of Hope & Salvation
Romans 6:23b (ESV)
23b but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Revelation 21:7 (ESV)
7 “The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his
God and he will be my son.”
Romans 10:9-10 explains to us how to be conquers.

57. The Plan of Hope & Salvation
Romans 10:9-10 (ESV)
9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord
and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead,
you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is
justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.
Romans 10:13 (ESV)
13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be
saved.”

58. The Plan of Hope & Salvation
If you have questions or would like to know more, Please,
contact First Baptist Church Jackson at 601-949-1900 or
http://firstbaptistjackson.org/contact/