King David His Times and Our Life

33 The rush of resentment 1Samuel 25.33 There is an emotion that usually turns to sin within seconds. It is a sin that destroys individuals, families, churches, workplaces and whole countries. It is not one of the so called seven deadly sins. Nor is the emotion listed as one of the six basic emotions of life. But it is up there with the big ones. 1Samuel 25:10 But Nabal answered David's servants, "Who is David? Who is the son of Jesse? There are many servants today who are breaking away from their masters. The emotion that turns to sin is called resentment. The Bible calls it Bitterness. The psychologist Mark Sichel said: - “The inability to overcome resentment probably constitutes the single most devastating impediment to repairing a disintegrating intimate connection, family rift, or severed friendship.” He understated it. David was faced with two trigger points that initiate resentment. The first injustice - he had looked after Nabal's workers and kept them safe, yet there was nothing in return. Secondly he had been insulted. Nabal called him a runaway slave. David was not the sort to let the grass grow under his feet. His resentment was only going to last an hour or so. There was no cooling off period with David. He was dealing with it immediately. Just not in the right way. Most let it fester for years and it affects their life later. Some are abused and bullied when young and they take it out on others as they grow older. So reproducing a whole cycle of bitterness and resentment all over again. Because they did not deal with their resentment when it happened. We might categorise David's emotion initially as resentment, that lead to anger then hatred and then to vengeance. Can we use the word “resentment” when it is a feeling that is just an hour or two old? One definition is: - "Resentment refers to the mental process of repetitively replaying a feeling, and the events leading up to it, that goads or angers us." Yet we can say to someone, “I resent that comment you have made about me.” Which is an immediate response to a negative comment about ourselves. It has been suggested that resentment can only be held against a superior. Yet these feelings of being badly done by, or being defamed, causing a resentful feeling within us can be caused by people from all walks of life. David's ill feeling toward Nabal was overcome by Abigail's generosity to him and his men and her obeisance to him. There is a better way to overcome our feelings of resentment. It will not always be possible to be compensated for hurt feelings. The Damage of Bitterness. It was said that one of the causes of the rise of Hitler and Nazism in Germany was the underlying resentment against the treaty of Versailles after World War 1. If resentment can cause the world to go to war then it can cause devastation in families, workplaces, churches and individuals. Nelson Mandela put it like this: “Resentment is like drinking poison and then hoping it will kill your enemies.” Ezekiel speaks of Edom holding a grudge for many years. Ezekiel 35.5 "Because you cherished an ancient enmity," NRSV. This is something that can last for centuries within the folklore of a country. The Hebrew words for bitter or bitterness such as "mara" have connection with the taste of the herbs or wormwood as well as gall and snake venom. When we come to the New Testament, the Greek "pikros" for bitterness has a different angle on it, as well as bitter it has the idea of being sharp or pointed. We often need help to overcome resentment. The writer to the Hebrews saw that resentment was a dangerous emotion and that it would affected more than the one person with it. Hebrews 12:15 "Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled." It is a situation that could need others to help you through it. It is the work of a pastor or an overseer as well as the victim of ill treatment. It is not the attitude to say, "They have a problem leave them to it." We must help people through a feeling of bitterness or resentment. The grace of God must be applied in liberal quantities. Abigail was able to correct an injustice and "grovel" at David's feet. The vast majority of cases will not be corrected like that, and people will often have to live with the cause of their bitterness. The grace of God is sufficient to see us through. "My grace is sufficient." In Hebrews 12.15 the word translated "fail" means to be left behind, see Hebrews 4.1. God wants us to be sure that we are not straggling at the back. Resentment is not initially a sinful emotion, but it becomes one when it affects our actions and thoughts resulting from it. Sarcasm toward others or violence can result from failing to deal with it. It could be the number one killer of a life of blessing. It nearly destroyed David, someone saw that he was going to have a problem to deal with it and the came to his aid, and so saved many lives. The writer of Hebrews gave us the way to overcome. Hebrews 12.3 "Think of what Jesus went through; how he put up with so much hatred from sinners! So do not let yourselves become discouraged and give up." GNB The AV says “consider him.” The Greek word means to think over and over again. One look at all that Jesus went through will not do it. We forget too quickly.