1 Samuel 25
-Samuel passes away at the beginning of this chapter with
all of Israel gathering together to mourn for and bury him in his hometown of
Ramah. Samuel had been the spiritual leader of this nation as it transitioned
from the period of the judges to the kingdom. For David, he arose and went to
the wilderness of Paran. This was at the northern edge of Paran, which went all
the way southward into the Arabian Pennisula, but had vast pasturelands that
stretched up as far as the Judean areas of Israel. It was a place suited for
men of means, like Nabal, that we learn of in this next crucial episode in the
fugitive state of David’s life. Nabal was in Maon, where David was hanging out
during this season of his life, and he had business in Carmel. The text says he
owned 3,000 sheep and 1,000 goats making him a very wealthy man during this
time in history. His wife was a beautiful, virtuous, and intelligent woman by the
name of Abigail. The setting of the story begins with Nabal shearing his sheep
in Carmel. Because Nabal’s men had been with David’s men under their protection
as they sheared their sheep without any insult or thievery, David sent ten young
men up to Carmel to visit Nabal and greet him in an act of respect and honor.
David relayed to them to speak blessing for Nabal in long life with peace to
him, his house, and all that he had. He simply asked for a part in the festive
day that had been prepared and planned to give whatever Nabal might find at
hand to give with a generous heart. The messengers of David went and delivered
this word, and then they waited patiently and expectantly for a response (1
Samuel 25:1-9). They had been on the run without much it could be assumed. They
had treated all people fairly without incident. They hoped for a reprieve at
this time for some levity in the situation.
-However, Nabal, being a selfish and arrogant man, replied
harshly to their request. He demeaned the leader and men who had given his men
safety and good will in his response, “Who is David? And who are the sons of
Jesse? There are many servants today who are each breaking away from his
master. Shall I then take my bread and my water and my meat that I have
slaughtered for my shearers, and give it to men whose origin I do not know?”
Upon hearing this, David’s men retraced their steps and went back to tell their
leader what Nabal had disparagingly uttered. David angrily commanded them at
this point to gird their swords. David also girded his sword, and about 400 men
went up behind him while the other 200 stayed back with the baggage at their
camp. Gratefully, one of Nabal’s servants told Abigail how her husband had
scorned the messengers of David even though they had been very good to them. They
had never insulted them, stolen anything, and protected them well as they
tended their sheep both day and night. This servant told Abigail to really
consider what she should do, for he knew evil would be plotted against their master,
Nabal, and all his household since he was such a worthless man that no one
could rationalize with in speaking (1 Samuel 25:10-17).
-Then Abigail hurried in haste to bring two hundred loaves
of bread, two jugs of wine, five sheep already prepared, five measures of
roasted grain, one hundred clusters of raisins, and two hundred fig cakes on donkeys
to go to David’s men for negotiations. She told her young men to go before her,
but not to tell Nabal what she was doing. She met David and his men as she was
riding her donkey down a hidden part of the mountain. David told her frankly, “Surely
in vain I have guarded all that this man has
in the wilderness, so that nothing was missed of all that belonged to him; and
he has returned me evil for good.” He then earnestly threatened to kill all the
males who belonged to Nabal as now enemies of his. When Abigail saw David, she
humbly and hurriedly dismounted her donkey and fell on her face before him bowing
herself to the ground. She took the blame on herself sacrificially asking David
to simply hear her out as a maidservant. She beseeched him NOT to pay attention
to this worthless man, Nabal (nabal-
foolish). His name was indicative of who he really was and his folly was with
him she pleaded. Abigail maintained that she, herself, never saw the young men
whom David had sent implying that if she had, things would have been different
and that they would have been treated respectfully. She commended them as a
means of prevention that they had restrained from bloodshed as servants of the
LORD. She recognized that kind words would be effective in resolving this
situation. Then she denounced the enemies of any, including potentially Saul,
that sought evil against David comparing them to the foolishness of Nabal. Then
she presented them with the gifts of provision asking forgiveness. She
prophesied in that she exclaimed that David, her lord (which she repeats often
in this dialog), would certainly have an enduring house as he was fighting the
battles of the LORD. She complimented him saying that evil would not be found
in him all of his days. In other words, Abigail called David a righteous man.
She basically guaranteed him victory in every conflict, and that he would
survive and thrive as he put down his enemies one by one. She knew he would be
ruler over God’s people in Israel, and that shedding unnecessary blood would be
a stain on his reputation. David saw all of the wisdom and kindness in this
intelligent and well-worded woman. He blessed the God of Israel for sending her
to him in such a manner. He acknowledged her impeccable discernment, and he
blessed her as a person for keeping him from this act which he was about to
participate in. He decided rightly not to avenge himself by his own hand. This
would have been evil in the sight of the LORD. David received the gifts of
provision in the end and all was good. He told her to go up to her house in
peace for he had listened to her request and granted it (1 Samuel 25:18-35).
-Now Abigail came back home to Nabal, who was drunk by now
with merriment as he enjoyed his festivities, and she did not dare to speak to
him in that state for the night. But in the morning, when the wine had gone out
of this foolish man, Abigail told him these things which had occurred with David.
This made Nabal’s heart die within him according to the text. He became as a
stone, comatose. About ten days later, the LORD, Himself, struck Nabal and he
died (1 Samuel 25:36-38).
-When David heard the news of Nabal’s destruction, he
blessed the LORD, who pleaded his noble cause and bore his reproach. He also
exalted the LORD for holding back his hand from evil doing as God’s servant.
Entranced with Abigail’s beauty and character, he now sent a proposal to this
widow to take her as his wife. Abigail accepted the offer humbly bowing with
her face to the ground, and then she washed David’s servants’ feet as a
maidservant herself. This is reminiscent of Jesus’ heart in washing His
disciples’ feet at the last supper (John 13:3-9). Afterwards, Abigail rose
quickly and rode on her donkey with her five maidens who attended her and
followed the messengers back to David to became his wife. Now the text displays
some growing concerns in David’s moral character as he had also taken Ahinoam
of Jezreel as a wife. Meanwhile, King Saul had reneged on his daughter Michal’s
marriage to David and given her to Palti, the son of Laish, who was from Gallim
(1 Samuel 25:39-44). And so the saga continued.
-*Application* Vengeance is the LORD’s (Romans 12:19). When
we react in anger without considering the consequences to our character and
future, we make a huge mistake. Take time to consider our actions when someone
does us wrong. Listen to wise advice and then make a God honoring, discerning
decision. We must let the LORD fight our battles. Easy lesson to learn,
sometimes hard to apply. Forgiveness is the key here, which means that we must
extend grace and humility.
Verse to Memorize:
1 Samuel 25:28
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