Reaction, Restraint, And Retreat

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When anger flares, opportunity knocks, and fear whispers an easy out, which voice wins? We follow David through three defining pivots—reaction to insult, restraint under pressure, and retreat into a counterfeit refuge—and uncover how God meets us at each turn. The story begins with Nabal’s contempt and Abigail’s brave, wise intervention that cools David’s rage, then moves into a midnight scene where David spares Saul again, choosing a clean conscience over a quick crown. Finally, the tone shifts as David crosses into Philistine territory, stops asking God, and starts surviving by instinct. It’s honest, uncomfortable, and deeply human.

Along the way, we connect Scripture to real life with a candid look at how our inputs shape our inner world. If this journey through 1 Samuel 25–27 helps you spot your own reaction, restraint, or retreat season, share it with someone who needs the same clarity and hope. Subscribe for weekly devotionals, leave a kind review to help others find the show.

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Episode Transcript

SPEAKER_00 (00:00):
Hello, hello.
You're listening to the JesseMorgan Devotions for the
Christian Heart Podcast, episode76.
This week's devotional is titledReaction, Restraint, and
Retreat.
The three Rs.
Let's go.
Hi, I'm Jesse Morgan.
I used to just share home decorand renovation tips on social
media, but now I'm sharingsomething even closer to my

(00:21):
heart.
My journey in love for JesusChrist, my savior.
Welcome to the Jesse MorganDevotions for the Christian Hawk
Podcast.
This is a weekly devotional Istarted back in May 2024, but
the inspiration for it came muchearlier.
It was rooted in a faith journeythat began when my daughter was
born four months early in 2023.
Through that challenging time,God worked in ways that truly

(00:43):
amazed me.
On this podcast, I sharepersonal stories of faith woven
together with Scripture to showjust how incredible God's word
can be in our everyday lives.
My hope is that through thesestories, you'll be encouraged,
uplifted, and reminded of God'slove and presence, no matter
what you're going through.
So I invite you to spend lessthan 15 minutes with me each

(01:05):
week as we reflect on thesedevotionals together.
Let's all pray within.
Episode 76, key passages.
Uh, 1 Samuel 25 through 27.
Hello, and welcome back to thepodcast.
And we are picking up where weleft off.
We're still learning and doingDavid.

(01:26):
So um let's continue the ride.
So last week we really focusedon mercy over revenge.
And this week feels like Davidon the Run Part Three, which is
about revenge again, but thistime it's mixed with something
and other things, so it's alittle bit deeper.
So these chapters we're divinginto, like I said, is chapters

(01:49):
25 through 27 in 1 Samuel.
And it can be summed up honestlyin about three words reaction,
restrain, and retreat, the threeR's.
These words really carry theheart of what God is gonna show
us this week, I feel.
So hopefully you're you areblessed as much as I was just

(02:12):
writing this script.
So the first one we're gonnafocus in on is reaction, 1
Samuel 25.
So in this chapter, David isstill on the run.
You think after all thathappened in chapter 24, if you
remember from last week'spodcast, Saul spared David's
life.
Or take that back, actually theopposite.

(02:33):
David spared Saul's life so thatit looked like Saul was finally
gonna like move on and not, youknow, try to pursue David
anymore, right?
Uh, no, that didn't happen.
David still doesn't know wherehe stands with Saul.
So David is still living out inthe wilderness with about 600
men, it says in verse 13 ofchapter 25.

(02:55):
So while in the wilderness,David and his men have been
protecting the shepherds whobelong to a wealthy man named
Nabal.
So David sends messengers askingfor food and supplies from
Nabal.
It see, it honestly is areasonable request after
offering their protection.
But Nabal responds withdisrespect.

(03:17):
He says to David in verse 10through 11 of chapter 25, he
says, Who is David?
Who is the son of Jesse?
Why should I take my bread andwater and give it to men coming
from who knows where?
And then David, the man afterGod's own heart, let me just say
that, snapped.
You ever seen that show snapped?

(03:38):
It's like he snapped.
He was ready to kill everysingle male in Nabal's
household.
He was ready to burn it down.
He was so livid about thatrejection.
But Nabal's wife, Abigail, hearswhat her what her husband had
done.
So she gathers the best of thebest, crops and everything, and

(03:58):
she takes action and she goes tosee David.
And this happened around uhchapter 25, verse 18 through 20,
and it and it says that shebowed down to David and said,
Please pay no attention, mylord, to the wicked man Nabal.
He is just like his name, hisname means fool.

(04:19):
And then she pleads in verse 28,please forgive your servant's
presumption.
The Lord your God will certainlymake a lasting dynasty, dynasty
for my Lord.
And after those words, David wasmoved by her wisdom and
humility.
And he says in verse 32 through33, Praise be to the Lord, the

(04:41):
God of Israel, who has sent youtoday to meet me.
May you be blessed for your goodjudgment and for keeping me from
bloodshed this day and fromavenging myself with my own
hands.
God and then later on, Godhandles Nabal Himself.
It says in verse um 38 thatabout ten days later the Lord

(05:03):
struck Nabal and he died.
And then after that, it's a thisis an interesting twist.
David marries Abigail.
So chapter 25 is all aboutreaction and how God steps in to
stop us from doing the wrongthing in a heated moment.

(05:24):
God can use anything to get yourattention to steer you back into
the right direction.
And it took Abigail to do thatfor David.
I mean, if Abigail was not usedby God, he would have gone in
there and killed everybody inNabal's house.
And it wouldn't have been rightto do that and to take that into

(05:44):
your own hands.
But God used Abigail, and Godcan use anybody, anything to get
you to get back on the righttrack sometimes.
Because we all do it.
We snap, we lose it, we getupset, and God will use
something so simple to calm youdown and get you back right.
So that concludes our reactionsection.

(06:06):
So on to uh 1 Samuel 26, whichI'm labeling this chapter
restrain.
So now as we move into restrain,it honestly blows my mind that
we're back at this again.
It feels like a repeat of 24 alittle bit, but King Saul is
still chasing David.
After all the tears andblessings from chapter 24, Saul

(06:30):
slips back into pursuing David.
So David sneaks into Saul's campone night because he sees his
men camping out looking for him,of course.
But David sneaks into the campwith one of his men and finds
the king sleeping with his spearstuck in the ground beside his
head.

(06:51):
And of course, David's you knowguy whispers to whispers to him
and says, and verse uh verseeight chapter 26, it says, Today
God has delivered your enemyinto your hands.
Now let me pin him to the groundwith one thrust of the spear.
Uh but David stops, stops him,and David says, Don't destroy

(07:14):
him.
Who can lay a hand on the Lord'sanointed and be guiltless?
Instead, David takes Saul'sspear and water jug and leaves.
From a distance, David calls outto Saul, showing him the spear
and rug.
I mean, the spear and jug, proofthat David could have ended

(07:34):
Saul's life right then andthere.
And the and King Saul respondsby saying in verse 25, You will
do great things and surelytriumphant.
David chooses restraint here.
He refuses to take control ofsomething that belongs to God.
And that's just a reminder toall of you that self-control is

(07:58):
also a sign of spiritualmaturity, and that maturity is
in motion.
And just and just because youcan do something doesn't mean
you should do it.
Think about that.
So now on to 1 Samuel 27, whichI'm labeling this chapter

(08:21):
retreat.
So David's story takes a majorshift in this chapter, honestly.
And it's a side of David wedon't always see and we don't
really talk about at times.
And after all the running,hiding, crying, and chaos, I
just really feel like at thispoint in this chapter, David has
hit a breaking point.
He's emotionally exhausted, mostlikely.

(08:42):
He's spiritually drained, hispatience is very thin.
We saw that in chapter 20, uh20, 26 and 25.
Um, and fear is starting to takeover a bit for David.
And David says to himself, andin uh 1 Samuel 27, 1, he says,
One of these days I will bedestroyed by the hand of Saul.

(09:05):
The best thing I can do isescape to the land of the
Philistines.
And that right there, back itup.
The best thing I can do is whatDavid is saying.
Not the best thing God told meto do, not the best thing the
Lord instructed me to do.
No, he said, the best thing Ican do.

(09:26):
So David goes to the king ofGath, which is in the Philistine
territory, and he allows Davidand his 600 men a piece of land
to live in.
And so they lived there forabout 14 months.

(09:47):
And boy, it it has changedDavid, most likely.
I I it's it's unbelievable thischapter because it just doesn't
feel like the person we've we'vebeen learning about beforehand.
So as I said, he's now he'sliving in this town within
Philistine territory.
Him and his people have beenthere for 14 months.

(10:08):
And like I said, it has reallychanged him.
So check this out.
David, the same David who usedto ask God before making any
move, starts raiding nearbyregions and lying to the king of
Gath about it.
He's telling the king that he'sattacking Israelite towns, but
really he's attacking Israel'senemies and killing everyone.

(10:31):
So there's no witnesses and noone can expose him for what he's
doing.
This is not the David we're usedto, right?
Because what's missing in thisentire chapter of chapter 27,
think about it for a minute.
Um, I see some stuff that'smissing.
Uh, David seeking the Lord, uh,that's missing.

(10:51):
David praying, that's missing,David asking, that's missing,
and David listening, that'smissing too.
There is no inquired of the Lordin 1 Samuel 27.
There is only David, tired,afraid, and operating out of

(11:12):
instinct instead of faith.
And this is what happens whenfaith gets heavy, I feel.
I think all of us as Christians,we've gone through this.
You lose patience, you stopwaiting, you stop praying, and
before you know it, you'reretreating, not towards God, but
towards the world.
So David retreated intoPhilistine territory, a place of

(11:35):
pagan worship, idol, idol gods,witchcraft, violence.
And let me just put it painly.
Uh let me just put it plainly.
Like I said earlier, I'm gonnasay it again.
David went to the world forprotection.
Going to the world forprotection is probably the
biggest mistake you can do.
And aren't we all guilty ofdoing that?

(11:56):
Right?
We run to fear, we run to copingmechanisms, we run to
distractions, we run to thingsthat cannot even give us peace.
Those are all the things thatthe world tries to provide and
tries to, you know, make youthink that that's all you need.
And in the end, that's not true.

(12:18):
That's not all you need.
You need the Lord.
And I tell you, this whole storyreally gives me chills.
Um, and I I have a really cutelittle relatable personal story
that I want to share now thathopefully it can give you even
more context of it of this.
Um, and you know, really blessesyou.
So here it goes.

(12:38):
Now don't laugh.
I am a huge Dateline fan.
I like massive, I love massivemysteries, like twists and
turns.
I'm I'm big into it, okay?
And I love a good mystery, Ilove good best investigation and
watching it with mysister-in-law Janine, that's
probably one of my favoritethings to do.

(12:59):
Love you, sis.
But life gets busy.
So instead of sitting down andwatching episodes, I started
listening to the Datelinepodcast.
It's basically a show, but onpodcasts, nothing special.
And once you listen to one truecrime story, the algorithm
basically assumes that that'slike your whole personality for
a while.
So now I've got missing personspodcasts, kidnapping podcasts,

(13:23):
cold cold cases, murderinvestigations, all of it
flooding my feed.
And every day, every errand,every quiet moment, I was on, I
was listening to a podcast.
And at first it seemed harmless,just background noise, just
entertainment.
But over time it started shapingme.

(13:44):
I became paranoid, I didn't wantto go out after dark.
I would second guess running toTarget at 7:30 p.m.
I felt anxious and nothing hadeven happened to me.
Why?
Because of what I wassurrounding myself with, because
of what I was feeding my mind.
And just like David didn'trealize how much Philistine

(14:06):
culture was affecting him, Ididn't realize how much
fear-driven content wasaffecting me.
And just like David found restand ziklag, but it was a
dangerous kind of rest, if youreally think about it.
I found comfort in true crimes,but it was a dangerous kind of
comfort too.

(14:27):
And one day it just really cameto me, and you know, the Lord
laid it on my spirit that thesepodcasts that I was listening
to, this isn't helping me, thisisn't protecting me, this isn't
making me wise, this is shapingme more than scripture.
And the sad thing was, or thesad thing is for me in my

(14:48):
situation, I had retreated, notto safety in the Lord, but to
fear.
And David did the same thing.
You know, these three chaptersshow three seasons in David's
walk with God and our walk withGod.
And like I said before, reactionis the first one.

(15:11):
When emotion takes over, but Godsends an Abigail moment to stop
us.
The next one, restraint.
When God calls us to trust histiming, even when opportunity is
right there.
And the last one is retreat.
When we retreat to fear, toworldly things other than God,

(15:35):
we're not gonna get where weneed to be.
So David was still anointedthough, even when he was going
through his his restrain era,his ish his restraint era, his
reaction era, his retreat era.

(15:56):
David was still anointed when hewas going through it.
And remember that you, me, we'reall anointed too in the Lord.
Despite our mistakes, despitewhat we do every day.
Let's pray.
Lord, thank you for reminding usthat you're patient with us.

(16:17):
Even when we react in anger,when we hold back in pain, or
when we retreat in fear.
Thank you, Lord, for theAbigails you've sent, those
voices and moments that keep usfrom making decisions outside of
your will.
When our faith feels heavy,Lord, teach us to rest in you,
not in the world.

(16:38):
And Lord, bring us back when wewander, strengthen us when we
weary.
Father, we love you and wepraise you in Jesus' name.
Amen.
Love you guys till next time.
Well, that wraps up this week'sepisode.
My prayer is that thesedevotions bring you a little
closer to God each day.
If you felt encouraged, don'tkeep it to yourself.

(17:01):
Share this episode with a friendor loved one who could use the
same reminder.
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For more, check the show notesor connect with me on Instagram
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Until next time, this is JesseMorgan praying off.