Latest / Teachings On This Day On FerventWord / On Oct 06, 2021: 1 Samuel 25 Reduce Your Future Regrets
Transcript
- Titled the Message Reduce Your Future Regrets and I want to encourage us to consider this evening reducing those things that we'll look back on in the future. The later times in our lives and we'll look back and think, man, I wish I hadn't done that and I'm sure we all have regrets thus far, however. Far along we are in this journey of life. We we do have regrets. We do have things that we wish we would have done differently. We've learned some lessons the hard way, and if we had the opportunity, we'd go back and change things. We do things differently given the same circumstances now. Now as we look at David, he is right in the middle of a situation where if he continues on the path that he's on, there is going to be some major regrets later on regarding the actions that he's about to take. The situation is that David and his men have spent this time in this area around the property of a man named Nabal. And as they were spending this time in the area, of course they're hiding out from Sol, and you know, keeping away from the the attacks of solve that that are coming against them, but they're also protecting Nabal and his shepherds from thieves from the invading philistines. We saw in chapter 23. Right, the philistines were invading the city of Kela. And so those kinds of. Raids were happening continually, that the enemies would come in and attack the citizens of Israel, and so David and his men, just by the fact that they were there, provided this protection. And as one of the servants will describe here, in the chapter that they were as a wall before them, they were a safe and secure wall to the shepherds. In the sheep during their time in this area around Naples, prop. Well, this event that happens here in Chapter 25 happens around the time when they're shearing the sheep, and at this time there would be a huge feast that would go along with the sheep shearing. It would be a huge feast, celebrating the abundant provision of the Lord in the the wool and. The the sheep that were provided and so nabel is described here as having several thousand sheep. He's a very wealthy man. There's a huge feast. That's happening and you can kind of get. A glimpse at how big this feast is. Is as you look at verse 18. If you'll back up for a few moments and look at verse 18 here for Samuel 25 it says then Abigail made haste and took 200 loaves of bread, 2 skins of wine, 5 sheep already dressed, 5 seas of roasted grain, and 100 clusters of raisins and 200 cakes of figs and loaded them. On donkeys, so right there in the moment after David goes and requests some provisions from nibble. Nibble says no but Abigail when she hears about it, she throws together a quick meal. So and the the quick meal consists of first of all 200 loaves of bread. Now, when's the last time you had a party or some type of celebration that required you to have a spare 200 loaves of bread on hand, right? Like if you think about that like you could maybe think about it more properly. 200 packs of tortillas extra right? Like when's the last time you've had that much extra food? She said it says that she had five sheep already dressed, so when's the last time you threw a celebration, you had a party, you know you had some kind of Fiesta or something where you had five sheep. All prepared, cooked ready to go that were extra. You know in addition to the rest of the food that was being served, and so you can see just by the provisions here that she's able. To just throw. Together quickly to throw on a donkey and take to David that this was a huge celebration, a huge feast. And so David as he. Sends his servants to go to Navel and say, hey, you know we provided a service to you. And he's not trying to shake them down, right? He's not like the mafia, like, hey, you would be ashamed if your sheep you don't happen to die like he's just saying, look, we were there and we protected you guys. We we we served you in that way and you're celebrating right now. Look if there's anything that you would find in your hand to bless us with to help us in return for the service that we provided. Hey, we would be blessed to receive that from you. Now what Nabal does though is he instead shows great disrespect and insults David in verse 10 and 11. You can read through that he he says, who is David? Who is the son of Jesse? Now the fact that he mentions the son of Jesse. Tells us that he knows who David is. He's not saying who is David because he just doesn't know him. He's saying David's mavid, who cares about David? You know, David he, he doesn't. He's not worthy of being known. He's not worthy of paying attention to. He basically calls David here a runaway slave. He says he's just a guy. Who's run away? Lots of servants run away. Why should I pay any attention to David? And the servants then come back to David. With this word, they come back to David with this message that nibble had shared, and this insult that nibble had given to David. And it really. Hits David the wrong way. And he mounts up to attack, he says guy. Guys put on your swords and the whole Army now 400 guys put on their swords. They mount up for battle and they are on their way. As we jump into the passage here in verse 23 they are on the way to go and just completely destroy nabol his family everything that's there. They're just going to go and slaughter them. And so, as I mentioned David here, if he was left to his own course, he would go on to regret his actions on this day. But there's this woman in the account, Abigail, the wife of nib. And she is a wise woman who sees what's happening. She hears about it after the fact. As far as the request from Nabol. But as soon as she hears about it, she jumps into action. She prepares these provisions and she rides out to meet David all by herself. She rides out to meet this army that's coming against them to try to. To pacify David to intervene in the situation to prevent him from doing something that he will regret, Pastor David Guzik says David's anger was justified and his rights were violated, but David responded wrongly, because vengeance and retribution belonged only to God. He has the facts straight. But not his heart. It's interesting he has the facts straight. He he understands correctly Nabol intended to insult him, to treat him that way, to disrespect him in return for the goodness that David had shown to him. But personal vengeance and retribution that was not David's place to take that to. Tried to make that happen on his own. It was justified. David Guzik says for him to be angry, but that didn't mean he got to have the opportunity to take matters into his own hands. And if he did, if he carried out this plan. He would regret this day for many years to come. And so again tonight as we look at this account, I want to encourage us to reduce our future regrets that we like. David, have situations that happen in our life where word comes back to us. We hear something someone. Says something it stirs us. It hits us the wrong way and we mount up for something that we will regret. For many years to come, and so there's three things to look at as we walk our way through these verses and consider how to reduce these future regrets. In our own life. The first thing we find is found in verses 28 through 31. Here's point number one tonight, take heed. To your strengths. If you want to reduce your future regrets. If you want to reduce now try to picture yourself how many every years you know ahead that that you want to go ahead without trying to date anybody or call anybody old right? Some of you have less time ahead to visualize, as as others, right? But think ahead towards the end of your life. Think ahead towards 20 years from now. 10 years from now and think about the things that you want to be contemplating. Think about the things that you want on your mind and on your heart. Think about the the state and the condition you want to be. Then and and how much of that do you. Want to be filled? With regret and think, of course we we don't want those kinds of regrets. But what do we do to reduce that to remove those? Of course, there's going to be regrets because we all fall short, right? We all have this sinful nature that we battle. We still deal with sins. We still make mistakes. But there's also regrets that we will have that we don't have to have that we can take steps now to reduce to minimize and so one of the things is the first thing to consider tonight is to take heed to your strengths to keep to your strengths. Now this idea this wording comes. From first Corinthians chapter 10. Where Paul tells us talking about the things written in the Old Testament, the scriptures that we're reading now, as well as the time of Israel and the wilderness. He says these things happen to them as examples. They were written for our admonition upon whom the ends of the ages have come. Therefore, let him who thinks he stands take heed. Lest he fall. But him who thinks he stands wherever you think you're strong, Paul says that's a place to take note of so that you can take heed. Oftentimes we're very focused on our weaknesses and we're working hard on our weaknesses. We're trying to reduce regrets in regards to our weaknesses, but we also need to remember we need to focus on and be careful with our strengths. Let's read through these verses. Verses 28. 331 here of First Samuel chapter 25. It says this is Abigail speaking. She says please forgive the trespass of your maidservant, for the Lord will certainly make for my Lord and enduring house because my Lord fights the battles of the Lord and Evil is not found in you throughout your days. Yet a man has risen to pursue you and seek your life. But the life of my Lord shall be bound in the bundle of the living with the Lord your God and the lives of your enemies. He shall sling out as from the pockets of a sling. And it shall come to pass, when the Lord has done for my Lord, according to all the good that he has spoken concerning you, and has appointed you ruler over Israel, that this will be no grief to you, nor offensive heart to my Lord. Either that you may have shed blood without cause or that my Lord has avenged himself. But when the Lord has dealt well with my Lord, then remember your maid servant. Abigail she meets David. She brings forth a really great convincing intervention speech. She really speaks on behalf. Of the Lord. And connects with David and really brings him great clarity in the situation. That he is facing. One of the things that I found interesting, so without kind of getting into and tracking down all of the details about Abigail and that that speech that that's something that you could spend some time on and consider if the Lord calls you to serve that kind of role in somebody life. There's some great and valuable truths there, but what continue to ponder around in my heart? Is verse 29 where in this speech Abigail makes reference to Saul trying to kill David? She says yet a man has risen to pursue you and seek your life. But the life of my Lord shall be bound in the bundle of the. Living with the Lord your God. Talking about David and God calling his life, his plans for David, she makes reference to this reality of someone who has risen up to pursue David life. This Saul, the King of Israel, has come repeatedly trying to kill David and David. Is fleeing for his life here in the wilderness and continuously on the run, day after day. Sol is trying to track him down and put him to death. And so he's been doing really well in this defense in this scramble to get away from Saul. He's dodge Spears. He's escapes, you know, just barely out of the grasp of of Saul and his armies and and over and over again. David has really maintained good character and a good example. For us In fact, in Chapter 24 of First Samuel. We have an interesting account where David has an opportunity to put Saul to death, but there is this situation that unfolds where Saul is right there and and David is within reach. He's able to just take out, sought to end his problems immediately to just. Put an end to it and stop this whole onslaught against him that Saul has mounted. And his guys are with him and he has to hold them back. He persuades it no do not. We cannot touch the Lord's anointed. We cannot just, you know, take what we want and make it happen in our own efforts. We need to let the Lord do this. For Samuel, Chapter 24 is remarkable. As you look at the self restraint of David. There the one who has caused so much harm in his life. And he has the opportunity to bring a little bit of judgment, a little bit of repayment for that Harmon, and to make salt pay for it. But he withholds, he refuses. Then if you jump forward to first Samuel Chapter 26. As we move on on the reading this week, we'll head into this chapter tomorrow. And we see a almost identical situation happen where David finds himself in a place where he is right there with Saul. Able to just end Saul with one stroke while he sleeps. He if he wanted to he he would be able to just execute salt right then and there. And again, his men are like, hey, give me an opportunity. Give me a chance to say the word it'll I'll just do one strike he won't feel it he won't even wake up it'll just be over this whole thing will be over and then you can be king. And so you have chapter 24 where David has this opportunity and he refuses to lay a hand on Saul. And then you have chapter 26. Where again he has this opportunity and he refuses to lay a hand on Saul, and we have in here a great strength of David, a great model and example for us in this refusing to resolve this on his own, to Leah hand against the authority that God has appointed over him. He's not going to just do what he wants, he's going to be submitted to the. Lord and wait. For the Lord to work out this situation. But sandwiched in between these two pillars of examples of strength Is another similar situation. Where David is not so admirable in his response. And it's really interesting to consider that contrast. Chapter 24. Here's this great enemy who has been out to get you for a long time. Chapter 26 again, this enemy that's been out to get you again and again, even after he promised last time that he would stop trying to get you. Now he's out to get you again, but but David withholds himself restrains himself. It's a great strength in his life, but in contrast to. That right here in the. Middle sandwiched between these two pillars of strength. Is this one fool? That just rubs David the wrong way. Gets him upset. And he is now immediately ready. The things that he would not do in Chapter 24, the things that he would not do in Chapter 26. Now he has no problem saying, guys get your swords. Let's go take out some people. Let's go wipe out this family. Let's go destroy this man and all. That he has. David, here is what you might call triggered right? He is. Emotional he's upset. He's insulted, he's offended and he is ready. To bring some real punishment to Knable and his family. Pastor Alan Redpath said this story tells me that however long I may have been on the Christian path. However, often I may have overcome 1 temptation or another however many times I have defeated sin in one area. It can strike in another and crush me. In a moment. This this account reminds us to take heed. Not just to our weaknesses, not just to those areas where we know we struggle and we know we have issues. But but also. To take heed to our strengths again, as Paul said in First Corinthians chapter 10, whoever thinks he stands take heed lest he fall that many times in our lives. We were stumbled not by our failures and our weaknesses. But some of our biggest regrets will come from areas that we would have considered strengths. Areas that we would have considered to be like we we we had that covered we we had that taken care of, and perhaps we had battled in it before, but overall that was a strength of our life. Many times those strengths. Make for huge blind spots in our lives and leave us vulnerable to this kind of situation. And so here David, he responds. Emotionally offended upset, although nibble did things that were far less than what solid did to him. Nibbles treatment of David was wrong, but it was far less than what I saw had done to David, but David's reaction was a overreaction. To what nibble had done? One factor that perhaps plays into this is verse one, here at First Samuel, Chapter 25. It says there in verse one then Samuel died and the Israelites gathered together and lamented for him and buried him at his home. The the backdrop, the setting. The stage for this situation is the death of the Prophet Samuel, and perhaps. Is responding this way because partially he's. Dealing with emotions of loss. He's dealing with emotions of the hopelessness. Perhaps without Samuel, he's he's had this significant event happen in his life. He's emotional about it already, and then this offense comes. And maybe it just really set him up. To react in a way that was not an accurate representation of the Lord's heart, right? David is the man after God's own Heart, but here he's not reflecting the heart of God. He's reflecting his own heart. He's upset, he's offended. Perhaps he was emotional to start with, and so it just made the pain the the insult even worse. And so he says, guys, let's go take out these people. He is strong in this area of not taking vengeance in his own hands, not taking revenge. As demonstrated in 24 and 26 for Samuel but but here hit at just the right time. Actually a weakness. And so take heed. To your strengths. What areas of your life are strong? You might think of certain characteristics that you have. You might think of, you know certain habits or patterns or behaviors that you've developed. You might think of certain environments and you're like, hey, my home is strong. My my workplace activity, my honoring the Lord there in that context. That's that's strong or this area of my. Life is it's. Strong I I've got that covered my my devotional life. It's strong got that covered no problem. I'm good. But many times those strange strengths can become blind spots for us. And so we need to take you. We need to be careful we need to be careful not to rely upon our own strength, but to continue to submit ourselves to the Lord even in the areas. That we think we're strong, we're convinced, and we know we've demonstrated strength in the past. But that doesn't mean that we. Will not and cannot be weak. In just a few moments. If David would have carried out this plan verse 31 Abigail said this will be no grief to you. If you turn back now. If you receive what I'm saying to you this this David is going to be a disaster and it's going to grieve your heart leader. It's going to offend your heart if you if you don't change course. To heed to your strengths. Reduce your future regrets. By not just praying about your weaknesses considering your weaknesses, but present your strengths to the Lord and invite the Lord to show you. Perhaps there's some blind spots. Perhaps there's some areas that you need to be on guard and paying attention to even in those areas where you have proven yourself to be strong while continuing on. Verses 32 through 35 second step. Second thing to help us reduce our future regrets. And that is receive correction from people. Receive correction from people verse 32 through verse 35 says this. Then David said to Abigail, bless. It is the Lord God of Israel who sent you this date to meet. Me and bless it is your advice and bless it. Are you because you have kept me this day from coming to bloodshed and from avenging myself with my own hand? For indeed as the Lord God of Israel lives, who has kept me back from hurting you, unless you had hurried and come to meet me. Surely by morning light, no mails would have been left to enable. So David received from her from her hand what she had brought him and said to her, go up in peace to your house. See, I have heeded your voice. And respected your person. Here we see David as. He meets Abigail receives her correction. She goes out to intervene and it's a successful intervention. She brings David to this awareness. This understanding that the perspective that God has on the situation and David here is kind of overwhelmed with relief and joy in the moment you could see in verse 32 and 33 he's like blessing, blessing, blessing, and like. He's just like whoa, like yes, like there's. There's joy here, there's relief. As it comes to his understanding. What almost happened? David here hears from the Lord. Through Abigail's words. And he receives it. He accepts it. He recognizes this is God speaking to me, correcting me and putting a stop to the course that I'm on now. It's not a stop and a forced away, right? David had the opportunity here to respond in repentance or not to receive the correction or reject it. But this is one of the remarkable things about David that he responds. When he's corrected, I would suggest this is one of the. Aspects that makes David a man after God's own heart. Many times. Of course, we think about that phrase, the man after God's own Heart in the idea of like it's a person who already has the heart of God. But really, it could reflect the man who pursues the heart of God and and when we are pursuing the heart of God. It's it's a seeking after God's heart. It's a seeking after God's ways and. What God wants but but. That also includes and involves this. Humility to receive correction to change course. When it's revealed the things that we're doing. The course that I'm on is not God's course. Now you can contrast that with Saul. Every time God confronted Saul with an issue with us in, he had excuses. He had reasons that he you know was trying to explain away there was there was no changing course for Saul when he was corrected by the Lord. But here when David is corrected. He changed his course. He receives it. You can see that the correction was fully received in verse 35. David received from her hand when she had brought him and said to her, go up in peace to your house. See, I have heated your voice and respected your person like great visual. Illustration here of repentance. Repentance is the stopping of the sinful activity and then replacing it with the righteous activity. And David was on his way to slaughter to bring war. And now he says you go home in peace. It's the complete opposite. That's what repentance looks like. He was headed out to war, but he sends her away in peace. Has this ever happened to you? You receive correction in the sense that you are presented with the wrong that you're doing. But but in our pride sometimes we consider it. Like we're saving faith to continue the course even though we know it's wrong. Like we're confronted with the sin, we're confronted with the issue we we recognize now, but. But changing course. Is much too difficult, much too hard, much too painful, much too embarrassing. And so we stick to the course. Rather than repenting. It's a course that we will regret. We we need. To be in a position where we will receive correction from the Lord. Correction from the Lord will come sometimes from the Lord directly. And there can be those occasions where we'd be willing to receive correction from the Lord if the Lord would. Speak to us directly. But sometimes God also likes to use Abigail's. Or Richard's or Marios or Zeldas. Sometimes God likes to use those people around us to bring correction, and you know, sometimes. We can really wrestle with the vessel, right? Don't shoot the messenger, but boy, we want to shoot the messenger, because like I would receive that correction from anybody else. But why not marry more? You can't lecture me and correct me on my cleanliness like I've seen Mario, right? He can't correct me on making fun of people in the middle of a church service. I've heard Mario teach and he does that and so how can he correct me on that, right? But regardless of the person, regardless of their history, regardless of you know those things that might hold us back. Sometimes we. Can use that as a deflection, right? We're we're picking apart the person we're picking apart the the vessel that God has chosen to bring forth his word and. And we're not evaluating the word, but we're evaluating the person. So that we don't have to receive the correction. That God wants to bring to us. Confession and repentance is what's needed. When God brings us correction, whatever method he brings, if he brings an Angel right into your room and has the Angel delivered you a message of correction, or if he brings a person into your room and has the person delivered you a message of correction, or if it's the Lord speaking to you by his spirit. As you're spending time in. The word however, God. Brings forth the correction. The right response is confession and repentance. Notice David confesses here in verse 34. He says indeed as the Lord God of Israel lives who had kept me back from hurting you. Unless you had hurried and come to meet me, surely by morning light, no males would have been left to navel. Here you have confession. David is absolutely real. He's not trying to like cover his tracks. He's not trying to like backpedal. Oh, you know we were just putting on our swords to be threatening like we didn't actually intend it. We weren't gonna hurt you. You like he's not trying to pretend. That he was on a different. Course than he was actually on. David here is confessing look we had our swords on because we were going to go slaughter everybody in your family Abigail, you just saved the lives of all of your servants. Of all the the people and the shepherds watching your sheep, you just saved the lives of all of those people 'cause we were going to execute them. We were going to cut them to pieces. We were going to kill them. Like this is the reality. This is the truth. As terrible. As it was, it's confession. He's being real about where he was at now. You read verse 34 it and like I don't remember seeing that coloring page. In Sunday school. David out to kill, you know, Niebyl and his family. Can you picture David behaving that way? It's not typically what we would picture in David, even as we picture David as a warrior, right? Like like you're not picturing him slitting people's throats and running people through and and killing this family. Like, think about all the innocent people that would have died because of 1 fools insult to David. But David was ready for it. He was, he was right there. He would have carried out this plan. And that's where. He was at. But as he? Receives this correction, he confesses he recognizes. This this is what? I was really wrong. It was really bad. He's not trying to water down. And like I. Was just gonna threaten you know it looks scary but we were, you know it's all bark no bite. He know he's very real like this. I was really yeah. My heart was wicked in this point. This this was, that's confession. He's being real. The commentator V. Long Phillips says he acknowledges that it was Yahweh himself who sent her and protected her from harm at David's hand. David makes no effort to hide the fact that he was bent on vengeance. When she intercepted him, he confesses I was really out to get you and your family. But the Lord spoke to me through you. Not hiding the vengeance that was in his heart receive correction from people here, David becomes again a good model for us. Although at the beginning of the chapter is he mounts up to take vengeance on his insulter. Here as he is confronted with the sin. He repents, he confesses. He turns and changes. It's a good example for us. Receive correction from people, but here in this account Abigail is the one who brings the correction. And I don't know how you play this out in your head, but you know probably you picture someone gentle soft voice. Now David, you know that that Abigail brings forth this correction. But what if your character? Is not as wise as Abigail or as tactful or as gentle as Abigail? I would think that we probably almost always feel that's the case, right? Like David got Abigail to correct. Him, but how come I get? Nabol trying to correct me like I get the fool trying to correct me. Think about Balaam and his donkey, right? He he was. Supposed to. Recognized that God was bringing correction even. Though it was through a dumb animal. Receive correction. From your donkey. Or from your knable or from your Abigail, whatever form it comes, if you want to reduce your future regrets. Let God speak to you. Through those people around you, let God speak to you and confront the reality of your heart as as wicked and terrible at it as it is. Sometimes we don't want to admit it because it's so dark. Sometimes we're in David State where it's like I was going to, you know, take you out and your whole family. That that can be the condition of our heart that can be the the wickedness and the yukina's of our heart. And sometimes we don't want to face that, but but what we need to do is receive. The correction and confess it. And a turn and go the opposite way, just like David did receive correction, let people speak into your life. In this way, let them bring correction regardless of your assessment of them, whether they be more like nabal or more like Abigail, proverbs chapter. 15 says the ear that hears the rebukes of life will abide among the wise. He who disdains instruction despises his own soul, but he who heeds rebuke. Gets understanding. When we disdain instruction, we hate ourselves. We hurt ourselves. We bring upon ourselves, regrets that we will later regret regret. I guess regrets you'll later regret right yeah, things that you'll regret leader when you refuse the instruction that God seeks to bring to you. But if you hear the rebuke, if you receive it, you'll abide among the wise thinking through. This caused me to picture that encounter between Peter. And Paul. Remembering Galatians as he describes, I withstood Peter to his feet in front of everybody. And imagine the temptation of Peter. In front of everybody saying like listen dude, I walked with Jesus, right? You persecuted the church, you hated the church. What do you think you can give? Me any kind of instruction? How about you? Listen to me. I'm the one who is with Jesus Paul. You have no business telling me what to do right like, oh, that temptation must have been huge. For Peter, I would guess. Now, Paul doesn't tell us Peter's response. Peter doesn't tell us of this account, so we can't know for sure, but. It seems that Peter received the correction. He accepted it. It was the truth. It was the reality. He needed to be corrected. If Peter needs to be corrected as an apostle, you and I we need to learn to receive correction. If you want to cut down on those future regrets. Learn to receive correction. Ask God to help you receive the correction that you need. That we would turn. Face the reality of our hearts. And be set on the right course. Well, finally. As we consider reducing our future regrets. Point #3 keep characters close to you. Verses 36 through 42 gives us this. Let's read through it and then we'll consider these verses. Verse 36. 'cause now Abigail went to nibble and there he was holding a feast in his house like the Feast of the King and Abel. 's heart was Mary within him, for he was very drunk. Therefore she told him nothing little or much until morning light. So it was in the morning when the wine had gone from neighbor and his wife had told him these things. That his heart. He died within him. And he became like a stone. Then it happened after about 10 days that the Lord struck Nabol and he died. So when David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, bless it be the Lord. Who has pleaded the cause of my reproach from the hand of nibble, and has kept his servant from evil? For the Lord has returned the wickedness of nibble on his own head, and David sent and proposed to Abigail to take her as his wife. When the servants of David had come to Abigail at Carmel, they spoke to her, saying David sent us to you to ask you to become his wife. Then she arose about her face to the Earth, and said, here is your maidservant, a servant, to wash the feet of the servants of my law. Right? So Abigail rose in haste and rode on a donkey attended by five of her meetings, and she followed the messengers of David and became his wife. Again, there's a lot here that we could discuss about this encounter and Abigail and now them becoming husband and wife and David having previously been married to Michelle and then, uh, Hinnom is also mentioned here in Chapter 25 as David's wife, and so there's a little bit of wrestling that we could do about. The polygamy that's here, and whether it was right to marry her and all that right, I'm not going to deal with that. Let's you wrestle with that on your own. You can do that on your own time. What I find noteworthy here with David is that this woman who corrected him so profoundly who stopped him in that moment that he would have done great evil. This woman, who had been used by the Lord to profoundly impact and change the course of his life. To see him in his worst state, write and and address that state. He says Abigail. I want you close to me. I want you in my. Life to a greater degree. I want you to have more access to me to be able to bring forth correction and words from the Lord. I I want you to be a part of things that to help me stay on track and stay seeking the Lord. David here proposes to her now she may have hinted at her openness to this back in verse 31. When she is speaking to David, she says when the Lord has dealt well with my Lord, then remember your maidservant. So when you finally get the Kingdom and you're finally on the throne and everything is going great with you, Remember Me, you know, do good on my behalf and pay attention to me. Think about me, and so perhaps you know there was a little bit of a spark there. Perhaps there was a little bit of interest. We don't know, but. But here David brings her to himself. He draws her nearer to him and I think it speaks to us speaks to us regardless of all the other things that we could wrestle with in the passage it gives us this model. This example of those, those who are willing to correct us, those who are used by the Lord. To speak into our life in this way. There is a great temptation to push those people away. The people who have seen us in our worst places. It can be a great temptation for us to to keep those people we don't want to be reminded. We don't want them to, you know, feel like they have some authority or have some future. Say like we we are. We tend to be guarded. In regards to those who have corrected us in this way. Doing so will put us in a. Place where we. Will regret many things in the future. Because we lack that correction that we need will lack that rebuke that that insight and that opportunity for someone to speak into our life. And so instead of pushing people away that have corrected us and and. Rebuke us and bring us to a right understanding, and I've seen. US at our worst. I would suggest let's bring them close like I need in my life. People who are willing to hear from the Lord. And speak to. Me about the evil in my heart. That that's a reality for all of us. If David can go from this strength of Chapter 24 to this crazy weakness in Chapter 25, and he's just ready to kill a whole bunch of innocent people over an insult. Wow like that. You can see in David that great need for this kind of correction for this kind of rebuke. We're not different we need. To not just be open to the idea of maybe at some point one day I might have to. Be corrected, but. But to bring people close to bring people in. That we might be corrected that we would, in a sense, invite. Correction, Now that's not saying we should invite everybody to be NIT picky about every detail of our lives. Hey, just as I'm kind of like OK, God didn't see fit to address the polygamy here. So yeah, we're not going to address it like you can wrestle with it if you want to, but God didn't send a messenger to David and say, you know, put a. Stop to this. You know when it came to that part of the ceremony? God stands up and says, I object, you know to this wedding like. It's up to him what he. Determines is needing of correction in our lives, and so you know we're not to be like scribes and Pharisees of trying to choke on every detail. But at the same time we need to have around us and to kind of gather around. US people that. Are willing to hear from the Lord and speak to us about the worst things of us the the worst things that we deal with the. Biggest weaknesses that we have. Proverbs chapter 18. Verse one says a man who isolates himself seeks his own desire. He rages against all wise judgment. When we isolate ourselves. We end up consumed with ourselves. We seek our own desire. We're only focused on us. We're not focused on the things of the Lord. We're not focused on the things that God has for us, and we Rage Against wise judgment. We Rage Against those who would bring correction and help us to get back on course when we isolate ourselves, we push everybody away. We keep ourselves in a condition and dust. Where we will experience many future regrets, we're going to do things that later on. Oh man Lloyd, if only I could. Go back and change that. If only I could go back Amen, there's there's times that there's aspects of our life that, like there's there's you wouldn't there'd be no price that would be too high to pay if it would mean that. You could go. Back and reverse. That decision you made reverse that action that you took and not take it to begin with and and resolve that regret you know permanently. Oh man, it would be so amazing if you could do that, but. You can't. You make your choices, you live your life. You take your actions. And if we're not careful. If we don't take heed. If we don't learn from examples like David. We will heap up for ourselves future regrets. Things that will grieve our hearts. Things that will weigh heavy upon us. And hurt as we reflect back and as we think about. Those things that we did. How we allowed that evil? To run our life to shape the course of our actions, reduce your future regrets. You do that by taking heed dear strengths. What areas are you strong? What areas are victories for you? That's great and rejoice and you celebrate in those. But don't let those become areas where you let your guard down, and you think I've got this covered now, I've battled this. I've got victory. Continue to seek the. Lord, and rely upon the Lord even. In those strengths. Like Paul said, you know, hey, I have all of this going for me. I am the the Hebrew of Hebrews and all of that, but but it means nothing to me. I don't. I don't rely upon my flesh. I don't rely. Upon my efforts are my strength. Continually going back to the only way I'm strong even in my strengths. Is if I'm dependent upon the Lord and relying upon the Lord? Secondly, receive correction from people. It's hard, it's painful. None of us like to be corrected. None of us want that. But we need it so desperately because just as there was this great evil in David's heart, there is great evil in our hearts. The heart is. Deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. I need people in my life. You need people in your life. That can correct us. That can bring that rebuke. And I need to be in a place where I receive it where I'm soft and able even in the course now. Now think about this just kind of picturing David Wright. To come to the point where he is ready to March on this family and slaughter them. But then to be able to receive correction in that moment, right? Like he's in a fit of fury, he is outraged. He is so upset and so offended and so emotional over all of this. And yet somehow? He's able to receive correction and a lot can be said for how Abigail approached the situation. But at the same time, one of the things that's remarkable that stands out about David is any time the Lord corrects him and confronts him with sin. He responds. He immediately Turns changes confesses and repents. That's not something that we can just manufacture in our hearts. But as we note this in David, it's something we need to ask God to help us achieve. Help us to get to this place where we receive correction from people and then finally. When those people make themselves known and bring correction to you, don't push them away. Keep them close. Bring them around you. So that you can continue to receive. From the Lord. That that you have those people in your life that are willing. You know there's some people who don't have anybody in their life willing to correct them because it's too dangerous of a. Situation it's too dangerous of a thing, but. On our part, we need to be willing to say, look you don't ever need to fear correcting me. You don't ever need to fear bringing the truth to me. You don't ever need to fear bringing me face to face with my sin, but you don't need to fear that. I I recognize that is the condition of my heart. I want you close so that you. Can bring those things to light that you can help me see those blind spots. Those areas of issues in my life. And if I don't let you in if I. Don't bring you close. Like I'm going to be on a bad course, I'm going to make some bad decisions. I'm going to take some. Actions that I regret. I want to reduce my future regrets. So I'm going to take you. To my. Strengths I'm going to receive correction even if it's from Mario and I'm going to keep Mario close so he can keep on correcting me for many years to come. Let's pray, Lord, we thank you for your word. Even though we don't like to think about correction or these things. Lord, we also don't want to think about. All of the regrets that we will have. If we don't allow. You to redirect us to change our course to bring us face to face with. The wickedness of our own hearts many times. And so Lord, we need you to bring us to a place that we're willing and able to receive the correction that we desperately need. You want to make us more like you and so Lord, even as we sang a few moments ago, Lord, would you take our hearts and form it? Take our minds and transform them, Lord, take our will and conform it. More like you. I'm going to be recognized, we understand. That means you're going to correct us. You're going to use Abigails and nibbles and donkeys and whatever method you see fit. When we give you that authority, we give you that freedom. However you want to direct us, correct us and bring us to a place of repentance. Lord, we invite you to do that. We don't want to live. Full of regrets. Because we refuse to listen to you. Help us God to be open and receptive to all that you have to say. We pray this in Jesus name.