1 SAMUEL 25:1-42
INTRODUCTION
Background
The story of Abigail follows the heels
of the death of Samuel, the judge and prophet of God, who brought Israel back
to God, and who ordained Saul and David as the first and second kings of Israel
respectively. The death of Samuel might have come as a fatal blow to David, who
was now a fugitive running away from the jealous pursuit of King Saul. You are
familiar with the story of King Saul and David. After David had risked his own
life for Saul and saved the nation of Israel from shame and defeat, Saul turned
against David because of his rebellion against God and his jealousy of David.
About 600 men of war knew that David was destined for greatness, and so they
became his bodyguards and fighting army to protect David from harm and perhaps
premature death. It is in this period of wandering and hiding from the evil
pursuit of Saul that the story of Abigail unfolds.
I.
THE FAMILY LINE OF ABIGAIL
There are only two women named Abigail in the entire
Bible. The other Abigail was David’s half sister, who became the wife of Jether
also known as Ithara. Her story is found in both (2 Samuel 17:25; and 1
Chronicles 2:16-17). However, we will not concern ourselves with the other
Abigail, the half sister of David, but the Abigail who became David’s wife.
The Bible does not provide any clue as
to the parentage or genealogy of Abigail. Nothing is said of her mother and
father. Abigail was married to Nabal of Maon, a wealthy rancher. The name Abigail
means, Father of Joy, or Cause of Joy, or My father [is] joy.
Three people play prominent roles in
this narrative. They are Nabal, Abigail, and David. Nabal’s name means, “A fool.” You wonder how and why a woman
of beauty and wisdom ended up married to a fool. Nabal is described as “the man churlish and evil in his doings” (1
Samuel 25:3). In other words, Nabal was a rich man but arrogant and mean-
spirited. There is no wonder he is called Nabal, a fool. Not only was he rude,
but also harsh, brutal, avaricious, and selfish. Nabal was a self-centered man,
who thought only of his possessions. He was also a drunken wretch,
unmanageable, stubborn, and ill tempered.
Nabal was likewise an unbeliever, who
bowed his knee to the god of this world and not to the God of his fathers. As a
staunched follower of King Saul, he shared the rejected king’s jealousy of
David. Added to his brutal disposition and evil doings was that of stupidity,
as his name suggested. Ladies and gentlemen, be careful of the name you choose
for your child. As Nabal’s name is, so is he; Nabal is his name, and folly is
with him (v. 25). Nabal was a fool by name and a fool by nature.
Let us look into the person of Abigail
before dealing with the narrative. Abigail is “a woman of good understanding,
and of beautiful countenance.” In her, winsomeness and wisdom are present. She
has beauty as well as wisdom. Today, many women are trying to cultivate beauty
on the outside and neglect wisdom. While I think that there is nothing wrong in
correcting a physical abnormality with plastic or cosmetic surgery, it is wrong
to do a radical surgery to alter your entire physical appearance to become
someone else. Young people do not try to use cosmetic surgery to change your
face to become like Brittany Spears. The Lord created you as a unique person,
and He wants you to be you. God does not want you to become a carbon copy of
Brittany Spears. You can change your physical appearance with cosmetic surgery
as much as you want, but you cannot change your heart. Men look at the outward
appearance, but God looks at the heart. While you are not to ignore or neglect
your outward beauty, God wants you to focus more on your inward beauty. The
inward beauty is what makes Abigail stands out as the beautiful and wise woman
of all time in the Bible. Do not make the women of Hollywood your models,
because a lovely face sometimes hides an empty mind and heart. That is why some
of them commit suicide. Many of the Hollywood stars have everything that money
can buy, and yet they are empty on the inside.
However, with Abigail, loveliness and
intelligence go hand in hand, with her intelligence emphasizing her physical
attractiveness. A beautiful woman with a beautiful mind as Abigail has is
surely one of God’s masterpieces. Added to her charm and wisdom was that of
piety. Abigail was a godly woman. She knew God, and although she lived in such
an unhappy home, she remained a saint.
II.
THE REQUEST OF DAVID TO NABAL VV. 4-9
Having often helped Nabal’s herdsmen
out, being in need of food for his little army, David sent a kind request to
Nabal for help. In his ill-humored and rude manner, Nabal bluntly refused to
give David a crumb for his hungry army. It is only a fool who would act the way
Nabal did. First, David instructed his men to extend a blessing to Nabal and
his household, wishing the man “long
life” and “good health.”
Ironically, Nabal would be denied both because of his mistreatment of the one
who sent the blessing (vv. 37-38). Second, David’s men were to remind/inform
Nabal that during the time they protected the wealthy man’s servants and
flocks, David’s forces did not mistreat them, and nothing theirs was missing
(v. 7). Third, David’s men were to make a request for an unspecified but
appropriate gift to be given in return for the protection provided and a
gesture of support and goodwill during this “good
day.” Nabal was to give David’s messengers whatever he could lay his hands
on. David was not asking for much.
III.
THE RESPONSE OF NABAL TO DAVID VV. 9-13
Nabal’s response to David’s request is consistent with
his mean and arrogant nature. Rather than supporting David, a member of his own
tribe, Nabal rebuffed or snubbed him. He rejected the significance of “this son
of Jesse” (v. 10) and implied that David and his troops were nothing more than
a band of rogue slaves who had broken “away from their masters.” Nabal implied
that David and his men were individuals who had abandoned those they were
supposed to protect. As such, he felt no obligation to take the food, water,
and meat he had set aside for his own slaves and give them to men coming from
who knows where (v. 11). In verse 11, by the use of first personal pronouns, it
becomes apparent Nabal’s sinful self-centeredness in this affair. Not only is
Nabal self-centered; he is also full of pride; but pride comes before
destruction. Here Nabal is acting just like the devil “I,” “My,” and “Mine.”
When David’s men turned around and
went back to Paran, they brought the contemptuous words that Nabal had spoken
to David. David’s response was instant and heated: “Put on your swords!”
Mustering two-thirds of his troops, David led them up to get revenge on Nabal.
Now Nabal is a marked man and who can stop David from carrying out the death of
Nabal. Nabal’s unbridled tongue has put him in deep trouble.
IV.
THE READY INTERVENTION OF ABIGAIL VV. 14-31
Abigail’s encounter with David is one
of the most remarkable female-initiated encounters between a man and a woman in
the Bible.
One of the workers of Nabal brought
word to Abigail concerning the way her husband had treated the men of David
with contempt. Abigail listened with undivided attention. The worker, who
evidently had confidence in his mistress’ sagacity, reminded her that David and
his men had been like a wall of protection to Nabal’s herdsmen. The worker
added that David’s men had come to the house in peace, asking for that to which
they were justly entitled. You and I can be assured that Abigail possessed an
innate dignity and had won the admiration, respect, and faithfulness of the
workers in her household.
Abigail, a woman of wisdom and wit,
knew in her heart of heart that her drunken husband’s rude behavior towards the
messengers of David might have incensed David and revenge was looming in the
horizon. The servant of Nabal who came to Abigail urged her to consider
carefully the substance of his report and act appropriately. Losing no time,
Abigail put a plan together and acted swiftly. Gathering a quantity of food and
wine, sufficient she thought for David’s immediate need (v. 18). The text does
not say, but I think that Abigail, who was a godly woman, might have sought
wisdom from God concerning the gravity of the problem her drunken and
insensitive husband had brought upon the household. Abigail sent her servants
ahead of her and followed them on her own donkey into a mountain ravine, where
David and his army descended to meet them. What a momentous meeting that turned
out to be. With discreet and tactfulness Abigail averted David’s just anger
over Nabal’s insult to his messengers, by placing at David’s feet food for his
hungry men. It is true that a hungry man is an angry man; sometimes a hungry
woman too is an angry woman.
In this meeting, Abigail demonstrates
a breath of wisdom that is incomparable. First, she fell at the feet of David,
as an inferior before a superior, and agreed with David in his condemnation of
her brutal and foolish husband. Abigail humbled herself before David and his
men. Ladies, please learn from Abigail’s example. When your husband is at fault
in a matter do not go and argue or defend him. Abigail did not attempt to check
David’s turbulent feelings by argument, but won him with wise and kind words.
“A soft answer turns away wrath” (Prov.15:1). Abigail interceded and apologized
for her husband’s folly. Abigail’s beautiful appeal from her beautiful lips
captivated the heart of David. As his own harp had appeased Saul, the
sweet-toned voice of Abigail exorcised the demons of revenge and woke the angel
that was slumbering in David’s bosom.
You can never gauge the effects of
your words and actions upon others. The intervention of Abigail just in time
teaches us that when we have wisdom to impart, faith to share, and help to
offer, we must not hesitate to take any risk that may be involved. Abigail
poured oil on troubled waters, and when she humbly approached with a large
peace offering; her calmness soothed David’s anger and gave her the position of
advantage.
Not only
did Abigail come to intercede and apologize on behalf of her husband, she also prophesied
over David. The statement that Abigail made in (vv. 28-31) could have been
given to her only by divine revelation. This shows that Abigail was a godly
woman, who walked intimately with her God. Her intercession, apology, and
prophecy disarmed David from seeking revenge.
V.
DAVID’S REPLY TO ABIGAIL VV. 32-35
David replied to Abigail in a
three-fold beatitude, which began with the word “blessed.” First, David declared, “the LORD, the God of Israel blessed” (v. 32) for putting it in
Abigail’s heart to come to David. Then, David declared Abigail’s perceptiveness
(v. 33), which was so evident within her words, to be blessed. Finally, David
declared Abigail herself to be blessed (v. 33) since she prevented David from
bloodshed and avenging himself with his own hands. Having provided Abigail with
a blessing, “David accepted from her hand
what she had brought him” (v. 35). David gave Abigail a verbal reassurance
and commitment to turn his armed force back and encouraged her to “go home in
peace.”
VI.
ABIGAIL’S RETURN TO HER HUSBAND VV. 36-42
Nabal, the rich fool who did not know
what was at stake was feasting and getting drunk again. When Abigail saw what
was going on, she did not say anything to her husband. Ladies, learn this
lesson from Abigail. If your husband gets drunk, angry, or in a cantankerous
mood that is not the right time to share important news with him. Let him calm
down and be sober before you get his attention. Abigail waited patiently until
the next morning when her husband Nabal was sober before she told him what
David and his men were up to. This was Nabal’s descent into judgment. When he
heard the words from Abigail’s lips his heart, mind, and emotions died inside
of him. In other words, his heart failed; he had a heart failure and he became
like a stone. In more contemporary medical terms, “Nabal may have experienced a
stroke that resulted in a coma.” Whatever the case, “ten days later Nabal died”
(v. 38). However, the Bible does not attribute Nabal’s death to an unfortunate
medical problem: “The LORD struck Nabal.” His death was a direct result of
God’s judgment on Nabal. David’s oath was fulfilled (1 Sam. 25:22). A similar
case is found in Acts 12:23. Can I share some insight with you? Have you
studied the lives of King Saul and Nabal as they relate to David? King Saul and
Nabal both were socially powerful individuals who were members of wealthy
families. Both had benefited from David’s actions, yet both acted hostilely
against David; both had female clan members who married David and acted to help
him avoid a personal catastrophe; David spared the lives of both Saul and
Nabal. However, both died under God’s judgment. This is where the divine
promise “Do not touch God’s anointed” came true. This is exactly what the
Apostle Paul expresses in Romans 12:19. David did not rejoice in Nabal’s death.
Rather, he thanked the Lord for restraining him from shedding the blood of
Nabal (v. 39).
The Lord vindicated David and punished
Nabal. David was so impressed with Abigail that he asked her to become his wife.
Abigail was a woman of beauty, wisdom, patience, piety, humility, and faith.
She was a woman of faith because when she consented to marry David, he was a
fugitive and wanderer. However, Abigail was a wealthy woman, who had several
maidservants. Could it be that it was Abigail’s wealth that later rubbed on
David? Abigail had a baby boy with David whose name was Chileab/Daniel (2 Sam.
3:3; 1 Chron. 3:1). It was not by accident that Abigail and David named the son
Daniel, which means “God is [my] Judge.”
Today, some single ladies want to
marry a self-made man instead of marrying someone they would begin to build
their lives together. Therefore, they marry wealthy men who do not know Christ
and their lives are devoid of joy and peace. Abigail saved David’s life from
bloodshed, which could have caused him the throne. I believe Abigail saved
David many times from anger and impatient decisions. I also believe that
Abigail became one of David’s wise and godly counselors. Ladies, God can use
your beauty, wisdom, patience, godliness, humility, faith, and even your wealth
to accomplish His divine purposes if only you would yield your life to Him and
His word.
Happy Mother's Day.
