The Voice of Reason

Order of Service

• Call to Worship — Isaiah 12:1-6
• Hymn — To God Be the Glory
• Prayer of Invocation
• Confession of Faith — Athanasian Creed
• Scripture Reading — Acts 12:1-19
• Hymn — And Can It Be
• Pastoral Prayer
• Offering
• Hymn — Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah
• Sermon
• Hymn — Softly and Tenderly
• Benediction — Hebrews 13:20-21

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Sermon Title: The Voice of Reason

Scripture: 1 Samuel 25

I. The Voice of Godly Reason Has Its Eye on God's Goodness

A. Abigail and Nabal are introduced as contrasting figures

1. Nabal (meaning "fool" or "ill-behaved") is harsh, self-interested, and identified entirely with his possessions
2. Abigail (meaning "my father is joyous") is discerning, beautiful, and an instrument of God's goodness
3. The Hebrew word tov (good) is woven throughout the chapter, reinforcing the theme of goodness versus evil

B. David's reactionary self-interested indignation mirrors Nabal's

1. David performs a genuine good deed in protecting Nabal's flocks, but expects recognition in return
2. When Nabal repays good with evil, David straps on his sword in vengeful rage — a stark contrast to his restraint toward Saul in 1 Samuel 24
3. Jesus says to his disciples in Matthew 7:11, "If you who are evil know how to give good gifts" — only God is good

C. Abigail redirects David's eyes from his own supposed goodness to the goodness of God

1. Her appeal focuses not on David's merit but on God's promises concerning David
2. A voice of godly reason corrects the illusion that our goodness earns entitlement to a response

II. The Voice of Godly Reason Has Its Eye on God's Honor

A. Abigail's appeal for peace does not set aside truth

1. She plainly acknowledges Nabal's worthlessness and that he will face God's judgment
2. She affirms God's promises that David will be prince over Israel — she stands on the truth as she appeals for peace
3. This mirrors David's appeal to Saul in 1 Samuel 24, where David upheld the truth of Saul's guilt even while seeking peace

B. A false, postmodern ecumenicalism scraps hard truths in the name of peace

1. The modern church often equates reasonableness with discarding divisive doctrine
2. This is not biblical reason — it is relativism; true peace cannot be built on the abandonment of truth

C. True peace and reason are grounded in the honor of God through the gospel of Christ

1. David's restraint toward Saul in chapter 24 was rooted in the truth that Saul was the Lord's anointed
2. Abigail's restraint of David is rooted in the truth that David is the Lord's anointed
3. If David sheds innocent blood, he dishonors the Lord who has anointed and consecrated him as king
4. The church as the pillar of truth (1 Timothy 3:15) guards God's honor by protecting and proclaiming the gospel of Christ

III. The Voice of Godly Reason Has Its Eye on God's Salvation

A. Abigail knows God will save David from his external enemies

1. The Lord strikes Nabal dead approximately ten days later (1 Samuel 25:38)
2. Saul's destruction will follow at the end of 1 Samuel

B. More urgently, Abigail sees that God must save David from an enemy within — a sin-burdened conscience

1. In 1 Samuel 25:26, she says the Lord has restrained David from blood guilt and from taking vengeance with his own hand
2. In 1 Samuel 25:31, she warns that David would carry grief and pangs of conscience for shedding blood without cause
3. David later understands this acutely — in Psalm 51:14 he cries, "Deliver me from blood guiltiness, O God of my salvation"

C. No earthly victory resolves the enemy of a guilty conscience before a holy God

1. All external enemies could perish, and a person still remains conquered by sin and guilt
2. The sum of godly reason is Jesus Christ — God's goodness, God's honor, and God's salvation all find their yes and amen in him
3. The only remedy for a sin-burdened conscience is the blood of Christ; run to him to be cleansed