What to Feed an Angry Man, Part 1

Today from Chuck Swindoll's choice as well as a habit. Anger is probably a part of you that you don't like, and needless to say, neither does anyone else is a learned reaction to frustration in which you behave in ways that you would rather not.

You do not have to possess that serves no purpose that has anything to do with being a happy, fulfilled person. Human nature hasn't changed one bit. People are people and our personal flaws tend to transcend generations of time will today on Insight for living. Chuck Swindoll invites us to observe David that one of the lowest moments in his life when he fell into a fit of rage through his awkward response to conflict, we learn volumes about our own pitfalls and how to overcome Chuck title. Today's message what to feed an angry man ever had to deal with someone who's lost his temper.

I mean, that person is really gone over the edge of what you do, how you handle that in our study of David's life.

We have come to first Samuel 25 where our friend David encounters the foolishness and the wrath of a man whose name was Nabel Nabel. Remember that name were not for the coolheaded wisdom of Nabel's wife whose name was Abigail. Well the consequences for David might have been catastrophic. I chosen to read portions of this narrative from the message, so you may want just listen or if you want to follow along all begin. First Samuel chapter 25, beginning at verse two. From the message.

There was a certain man in my own who carried on his business in the region of Carmel. He was very prosperous 3000 sheep and a thousand goats and it was sheep shearing time in Carmel. The man's name was Nabel meaningful a kilobyte and his wife's name was Abigail woman was intelligent and good-looking. The man bruise each and mean David out of the backcountry heard that Nabel was sharing his sheep and sent 10 of his young man off with these instructions go to Carmel and approach Nabel greeted him in my name, peace, life and peace to you PC your household peace to everyone here.

I heard that it's sheep shearing time. Here's the point when your shepherds were camped near us.

We didn't take advantage of them. They didn't lose of thing all the time they were with us in Carmel. Ask your young men will tell you what I am asking is that you be generous with my men share the feast give whatever your heart tells you to your servants, and to me, David. Your son David young man went and delivered his message Word for Word to Nabel. They ball tore into them. Who is this David, who is this son of Jesse, the country is full of runaway servants these days. You think I'm going to take good bread and wine and meat freshly butchered for my sheep shearers and give it to man. I've never laid eyes on.

Who knows where they come from David's man got out of there and went back and told David what he had said. David said strap on your swords. They all strapped on their swords, David and his men and set out for hundred of them 200 stayed behind to guard the camp. Meanwhile, one of the young shepherds told Abigail Nabel's wife what had happened. David sent messengers from the backcountry to salute our master, but he tore into them with insults.

Yet these men treated us very well. They took nothing from us and didn't take advantage of us all the time we were in the fields.

They formed a wall around us protecting us day and night all the time we were out tending the sheep do something quickly because big trouble is ahead for our master and all of us. Nobody can talk to him, he's impossible a real brute Abigail flew into action.

She took 200 loaves of bread two skins of wine, five sheep dressed out and ready for cooking a bushel of roasted grain, 100 raisin cakes and 200 feet cakes and she had it all loaded on some donkeys. Then she said to her young servants.

Go ahead and pave the way for me I'm right behind you, but she said nothing to her husband Nabel. She was riding a donkey descending into a ravine. David and his men were descending from the other end so they met there on the road.

David had just said that sure was a waste guarding everything this man had out in the wild so that nothing he had was lost and now he rewards me with insults a real slap in the face.

May God do his worst to me. If Nabel and every Kerr in his misbegotten brood art dead meat by morning. As soon as Abigail saw David she got off her donkey and fell on her knees at his feet. Her face to the ground in homage saying my master let me take the blame. Let me speak to you listen to what I have to say. Don't dwell on what that brute Nabel did. He acts out the meaning of his name. Nabel fool foolishness loses from him.

In verse 30 when God completes all the goodness he has promised my master and set you up as Prince over Israel. My master will not have this deadweight in his heart, the guilt of an avenging murder and when God has worked things for good for my master, remember me.

And David said, blessed be God, the God of Israel, he sent you to meet me. Blessed be your good sense.

Bless you for keeping me from murder and taking charge of looking out for me a close call as God lives, the God of Israel, who kept me from hurting you if you had not come as quickly as you did stopping me in my tracks by morning, there would have been nothing left of Nabel, but did then. David accepted the gift she brought him and said return home and peace have heard what you said and I'll do site for designed to help you dig deeper into today's topic go to insight.org and now Chuck Swindoll's message titled what to feed an angry man. Most debilitating problems that we wrestle with is the problem of anger part of the reason it is debilitating, paralyzing is that it is so unpredictable, almost happens before we know it, and when it does happen, it comes out in so many different faces sometime insistent irritation and its blurting out of us of the statement are a word you wish you hadn't said later on. Occasionally it comes out in such force that hostile actions are done sometimes settled with simply thoughts of severe plans to hurt someone, occasionally even the swing of a fist, as we've seen lately and some of the professional world of athletics is the sudden burst in two hours later the fellow wishes like crazy. Hadn't done it. The reason it's debilitating is that it's so public anger.

Before long, goes public, it's on display. You just cannot hide it is there forever by the sea course the answer is self-control. But it's one thing to say it is another thing entirely to do it. Perhaps you justified your anger by saying things like, it's only human, or if I don't express it and I'll store it up and have an ulcer. Listen. Anger is probably a part of you that you don't like, and needless to say, neither does anyone else. Anger is not quote only human." You do not have to possess it, and it serves no purpose that has anything to do with being a happy, fulfilled person. Anger is a choice as well as a habit is a learned reaction to frustration in which you behave in ways that you would rather not. In fact, severe anger is a form of insanity. You are insane when you are out of control of your behavior. Therefore, when you are angry and out of control. You are temporarily insane and that doesn't sound like a biblical character, but you may be surprised to know that that describes the great man quoted more often in the New Testament than any other Old Testament character, the man whose biography is the longest of any Old Testament biography.

His name is David remarkable man who has modeled patients for years under the spear of Saul who in first Samuel chapter 25 blows it and loses control and frankly, for a period of time is temporarily insane. If it were not for a woman who he had probably never met David would've been guilty of murder and first-degree premeditated type look at the passage with me, will you let's get some background because you wouldn't grasp the problem if you didn't know how things work in those days those days. It didn't. They didn't work in machine shops and electronics equipment, places most people that were working out in the field were working with sheep.

They were involved as shepherds. They kept the flocks of sheep and the herds of goats that were owned by rich sheep and goat owners. In fact, you will discover in this passage that the basic problem was one of labor, you'll discover that the basic conflict had to do with an employer employee relationship, you'll find in this passage David, the employee doesn't go on strike, but he makes plans to kill his boss. Basically that's what happens when you lay it on the background of it is like this.

David is just come out of the cave. In chapter 22 call the cave of a doll on ES train 600 man to be guerrilla fighters.

The official fighting of Israel was done by the Israeli soldiers under Saul. They fought the Philistines in full regalia. The full battle array. But David was behind-the-scenes fighting the wild tribes in the wilderness (he protected these shepherds from the attack of wild tribes and it was a common custom at the time that the sheep were sheared. The owner of the sheep would pull out a portion of the money the prophet that he made and he would give it to the one who had provoked protected his shepherds during the long period of time in which the shepherds were in the field needing protection, now it's, like tipping the waitress there is no written law saying you gotta do it. But if you're a grateful person after a good meal.

You tipped the waitress least you should, and in those days the owner would provide a remuneration to the one who protected his shepherds in this case, the man didn't do it out. So much for David and his men.

The situation with the sheep has to do with the fact that now they have come to seek sharing time. See verse four. David heard in the wilderness that may ball that's the boss was sharing his sheep.

So it's payday. It stands to reason that affidavit is not a faithful job that his men be provided with a remuneration for doing their work. Problem is, may ball is a stingy man. He will pay up. Let's get acquainted with him for a few minutes when we meet the main characters with you select a one-act play that unfolds in several scenes.

First, the main character see in verse two there was a man in my own whose business was in Carmel right away that tells he's probably got some box.

In fact, it says a little later the man was very rich. The Hebrew word is heavy, which means loaded may ball had a lot of money and a lot of sheep have a lot of goats. In fact, it says he has 3000 sheep in a thousand goats. He's a man of affluence. He's got it made.

Furthermore, verse three tells us his name was may ball by the way, it means fool is like to have that name foo methyl wasn't a person who was silly and mischievous. A fool was a person who said there is no God. He lived his life as though there were no God. Furthermore, verse three tells us that the man was harsh in the last part of the verse. The man was harsh word means hard, stubborn, belligerent. Furthermore, it says he was evil in his dealings. That means he was dishonest he was demanding, deceptive, unfair, now you might you might think that this fellow had a wife just like himself. But as a matter fact he had just the opposite kind of a woman on the way. That is occasionally the way it is. For some reason opposites attract, and that was never more true than in the case of this man look at his wife. You fall in love with her before were through with the story is a remarkable gal.

Verse three says that his wife's name was Abigail and it says that she had two characteristics that stood out number one. She was intelligent, literally it means she had good understanding she was wise. Her decisions made good sense she was governed not by her emotions, but by good logical thinking.

She was a keen thinking, intelligent woman. Furthermore, she was beautiful in appearance.

Literally it says she was. She had a beautiful form Gemini shape.

She was, she wasn't painful to look at. She was good-looking and she was intelligent and need rare blend on my dad marvelous woman who had both intelligence and beauty don't come to any conclusions. I just tell you it's a rare plan. Furthermore, there's 1/3 character by the name of David. He's mentioned in verse four. He's the guy that's been training his men to do this sort of self-appointed voluntary police work in the fields of the Koran out there in the wilderness near Carmel. Okay, in case you wondered David's men were really doing the job. Look at verse 15. This is a report that ultimately came back to the to the wife of this foolish man will get to it.

A little later but want to see right now.

The men were very good to us. The man is a reference to David's men in the field. They were good to us. We were not insulted nor did we miss anything as long as we went about with them so they weren't thieves didn't take what wasn't theirs while they were in the field. They were a wall to us by night and by day so they were faithful man. They had set up a regular regiment so they would be on the job, morning, noon and night 24 hours a day, all the time we were with them tending the sheep. That's quite a report crackerjack troops who had done their job faithfully just like you with the office are just like you in the shop or wherever your employed. This might very well fit your situation you're doing your job as best you can but unfortunately you might have an employer or something like may ball less. Notice how this thing began to unfold. There are some natural conflicts.

The first conflict is implied in verse three. It's a husband-wife conflict. The man's name was may ball his wife's name was Abigail. We look at them.

A moment ago. They are different in temperament. They are different install of life. They are different in behavior.

They are different in attitude they are different in philosophy to more different people ever got married… In those days didn't choose their husbands and wives, mom and dad did the choosing.

Sound like a drag, doesn't it. Sometime it worked out beautifully as in the case of Isaac's wife, Rebecca.

Sometime it backfired humanly speaking, and they've all and Abigail were declared husband and wife, you better believe there were conflicts.

What I want you here tonight is what the passage says not what you want to hear or what I want to tell you I want you to notice how this woman handled that conflict with the belligerent, stubborn, hard, deceptive, dishonest husband because she was in a dilemma at a very unique moment in her life and she could've gone one way or another. It's interesting how she chose to go. Now the next conflict is the employer employee beginning in verse five when it was sheep shearing time. David sent 10 young men. David said to the young man go up to Carmel visit may ball agreement. My name thus you shall say have a long life peace meeting you piecemeal your house please meet all that you have shalom shalom shalom. The greeting of greatness, great hearted. David says shalom may ball that your tribe may your flocks submit your profit increase. Enjoy the goodness of life, very gracious greeting from this this guy on the field so they were they were told what to say.

Verse seven.

Now I have heard that you have shearers. Your shepherds have been with us. We have not insulted them, nor have we have they missed anything. All the days they were in Carmel. Ask your young men will tell you therefore let my young men find favor in your eyes, for we have, on a festive day. Please give whatever you find it handy. Your servants, and to your son David select when the when the bellboy takes your baggage up to the 10th floor and you stammer the door and he opens it and sets it in the does this is saying if you accept my services. I like to and he won't leave just landed on his hand before he'll lead you away. You get to sometime.

It was a was an ordinary gracious custom for the boss to remunerate in some way services. Nothing written is a how much, but it was a gracious, it's interesting. David didn't go he didn't intimidate me didn't pull rank. He didn't presume on anybody just sent 10 men and said gather up what he brings the needle be a load of lambs.

Maybe it will be money whatever will take $0.20 we've only begun to hear this remarkable story about David's offer to enable as the story unfolds will see the David's good intentions backfired. You are listening to Insight for living Chuck Swindoll titled today's message what to feed an angry man. Please stick around because will hear a closing comment from Chuck in just a moment to learn more about this ministry. Be sure to visit us online@insightworld.org. Let me remind you that Chuck wrote a biography on the life of King David. It's called David a man of passion and destiny in the early days, David was known for his integrity and courage. But later in life. David made some regrettable mistakes. Even so, God maintained his affection for David.

It's a beautiful story of forgiveness and redemption and woman throughout David's remarkable life are timeless lessons useful for anyone who's willing to apply them.

This is the overarching theme that's woven throughout Chuck's biography on David.

It's a great choice for summer time reading to purchase a copy of Chuck's biography on David give us a call if you're listening in the United States, call 800-772-8888 or go online to Insight.org/offer. Here's Chuck. Thanks, Bill Branson goes without saying that were living in chaotic times the headlines are filled with alarming news about inflation rates innocent families threatened by rogue nations and the unsettling aftermath of a global pandemic. Amidst these distractions.

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