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Lessons
For The 21st Century From OT Saints And Sinners
The Woman Who Saved Her Husband’s Neck
1 Samuel 25:1-42
Introduction: Hidden Treasures
A
man discovers a priceless masterpiece hidden behind a painting
he paid $10 for at an estate sale. A woman looks inside her
great-grandfather’s violin and reads the name of its maker—Antonia
Stradivari. A boy opens a box of old, dusty toys his mother
is about to throw out, and he sees tucked in the corner a
baseball card. He takes it to his dad who reads with wide
eyes: Mickey Mantle-Rookie.
People
dream about discovering hidden treasures like these. But what
if the people who found these treasures didn’t care about
them? What if the man rolled up the priceless painting and
tossed it in the garage? What if the woman nailed the Stradivarius
to the wall as decoration? What if the boy found a clothespin
and attached the baseball card to the spokes of his bike.
Thinking
about such carelessness causes us to cringe. Well, it did
happen, in a way, in our OT story today. The treasure isn’t
an object, however; it’s a woman named Abigail. She is a stunning
gem of integrity and virtue. The problem is that she is married
to a brutish husband named Nabal, who devalues her even though
she bravely saves his life. We are going to see that her story
does have a happy ending because of some surprising turn of
events. If you know the story, you understand what I’m saying.
If you don’t, hopefully I have piqued your curiosity. Let’s
meet the main characters in this intriguing drama.
Meet The Main Characters
As
the curtain rises for the opening act we meet the three main
characters: the leading man, the villain and the heroine.
David is the handsome leading man and the first to take center
stage.
David — The Handsome Leading Man
Now
Samuel died, and all Israel assembled and mourned for him;
and they buried him at his home in Ramah. Then David
moved down into the Desert of Maon.
1 Samuel 25:1 NIV
We
need to have a feel for the historical setting to understand
the story. It was Samuel who had anointed David as the next
king of Israel. King Saul developed a major case of jealousy,
forcing David to run for his life. In the previous chapter
David has spared the king’s life in the desert of En Gedi.
Saul had literally been delivered into his hands, but David
refuses to take the life of God’s anointed king. Saul recognizes
how noble David has been. He knows he should be dead. As a
result, Saul calls off the manhunt for a time. David and his
army of 600 men are now roaming the desert trying to scratch
out a living.
Rather
than resorting to the normal course of becoming armed desperadoes,
David and his men become a roving security force, protecting
the local shepherds and their flocks of sheep. It was customary
for the landowners to provide pay for the volunteer forces
who kept them and their sheep safe. Only the most hardhearted
and tightfisted miser would refuse to pay—someone like Nabal,
the villain in our drama.
Nabal —The Loathsome Villain
A
certain man in Maon, who had property there at Carmel, was
very wealthy. He had a thousand goats and three thousand sheep,
which he was shearing in Carmel.
1 Samuel 25:2 NIV
The
rich man’s name is Nabal. His name means “fool” in Hebrew.
It is an altogether fitting name not so much because he is
an ignorant dolt but because he is vulgar, surly and belligerent.
His selfish, stingy heart spews prejudice and stubborn pride.
He holds in his clutches his wife, and our heroine, Abigail.
Abigail — The Courageous Heroine
His
name was Nabal and his wife's name was Abigail. She was an
intelligent and beautiful woman, but her husband, a Calebite,
was surly and mean in his dealings.
1 Samuel 25:3 NIV
The
contrast between the two is stark. She is intelligent and
beautiful. She far outshines her harsh and foolish husband.
We would say that she had married far below herself. How did
two so obviously mismatched people end up married? The marriage
was probably arranged by their parents when they were children.
That was the custom of the day and usually it worked well.
At other times, however, it’s disastrous. This marriage clearly
falls under the heading of disaster.
In
our story, this amazing woman retains her dignity in spite
of her husband’s foolish and belligerent behavior. In the
process, she really shines!
Following The Plot
Absorbed
in his day-to-day survival scramble, David is unaware of Abigail.
That’s about to change because of an unusual set of circumstances
that brings them together.
A
Request For Remuneration
For
months David and his men have been voluntarily watching over
Nabal’s sheep and shepherds. David hears that the sheep are
now being sheared so the wool can be sent to market. It was
that time in the year when the payday finally arrived. They
decide it’s time to collect for their services. David sends
ten young men to politely remind Nabal of his obligations.
The message isn’t pushy. In fact, it’s really quite gracious.
So
he sent ten young men and said to them, "Go up to Nabal
at Carmel and greet him in my name. Say to him: 'Long life
to you! Good health to you and your household! And good health
to all that is yours!
“‘Now
I hear that it is sheep-shearing time. When your shepherds
were with us, we did not mistreat them, and the whole time
they were at Carmel nothing of theirs was missing. Ask your
own servants and they will tell you. Therefore be favorable
toward my young men, since we come at a festive time. Please
give your servants and your son David whatever you can find
for them.'"
When
David's men arrived, they gave Nabal this message in David's
name. Then they waited.
1
Samuel 25:5-9 NIV
They
waited, but they certainly didn’t get the answer they expected.
You can almost hear the smirk in his voice…
“Who
is this fellow David?” Nabal sneered to the young men. “Who
does this son of Jesse think he is? There are lots of servants
these days who run away from their masters. Should I take
my bread and my water and my meat that I’ve slaughtered for
my shearers and give it to a band of outlaws who come from
who knows where?”
1 Samuel 25:10-11 NLT
Nabal
thinks nothing of profanely snubbing the Lord’s anointed.
The ten men return to David empty-handed and wondering how
David will react. They don’t have to wonder for long.
A
Plan For Retaliation
Feeling
the sting of Nabal’s figurative, backhanded slap across his
face, David, who had refused to take vengeance against Saul,
now rashly calls for a swift and bloody reprisal. He commands
four hundred men to put on their swords as he straps on his,
too.
Meanwhile,
back at the ranch… (as every good story goes) Abigail finds
out from an unnamed servant about her husband’s foolish rejection
of David’s request.
One
of the servants told Nabal's wife Abigail: "David sent
messengers from the desert to give our master his greetings,
but he hurled insults at them. Yet these men were very good
to us. They did not mistreat us, and the whole time we were
out in the fields near them nothing was missing. Night and
day they were a wall around us all the time we were herding
our sheep near them. Now think it over and see what you can
do, because disaster is hanging over our master and his whole
household. He is such a wicked man that no one can talk to
him."
1 Samuel 25:14-17 NIV
She
doesn’t have long to think it over but that’s not a problem
because she is already working out a plan. We do need to pause
just a moment to consider what a remarkable woman she is.
She could have been tempted to think, “My, but God does work
in mysterious ways. Let’s hope my husband’s early demise is
swift and painless—well, mostly painless.” She sees the entire
scope of consequences if she decides not to intervene. She
sees that not only will her husband be called to account but
that David’s reputation as soon-to-be-king also needs protecting.
Without consulting with Nabal she puts her plan into action.
An
Act Of Intercession
The
first thing she does is to quickly create a feast for David
and his men. She puts together
·
200
loaves of bread
·
2
skins of wine
·
5
dressed sheep
·
1
bushel of roasted grain
·
100
clusters of raisins
·
200
fig cakes
She
then courageously rides off to intercept them in the hills.
Locating them, she tactfully intercedes as the peacemaker.
When
Abigail saw David, she quickly got off her donkey and bowed
down before David with her face to the ground. She fell at
his feet and said: "My lord, let the blame be on me alone.
Please let your servant speak to you; hear what your servant
has to say. May my lord pay no attention to that wicked man
Nabal. He is just like his name—his name is Fool, and folly
goes with him. But as for me, your servant, I did not see
the men my master sent.
"Now
since the LORD has kept you, my master, from bloodshed and
from avenging yourself with your own hands, as surely as the
LORD lives and as you live, may your enemies and all who intend
to harm my master be like Nabal. And let this gift, which
your servant has brought to my master, be given to the men
who follow you. Please forgive your servant's offense, for
the LORD will certainly make a lasting dynasty for my master,
because he fights the LORD's battles. Let no wrongdoing be
found in you as long as you live.
1 Samuel 25:23-28 NIV
The
first thing you see is that she is good—really good. With
remarkable diplomacy she soothes the anger boiling in David,
she takes the blame for Nabal’s offense and she asks for forgiveness.
With each step in the process, David softens.
Finally,
in her closing appeal, Abigail expresses her devotion to God
by stating her desire to see God’s will accomplished in David’s
life.
When
the LORD has done for my master every good thing he promised
concerning him and has appointed him leader over Israel, my
master will not have on his conscience the staggering burden
of needless bloodshed or of having avenged himself. And when
the LORD has brought my master success, remember your servant.
1 Samuel 25:30-31 NIV
Finished,
she waits for David’s response. Does he shift uneasily in
place as thinks about his hotheaded vow to kill Nabal? Does
he wish now that he had never made that vow? It seems he must because, in keeping with godly
humility, David submits to what he knows is the truth.
David
said to Abigail, "Praise be to the LORD, the God of Israel,
who has sent you today to meet me. May you be blessed for
your good judgment and for keeping me from bloodshed this
day and from avenging myself with my own hands. Otherwise,
as surely as the LORD, the God of Israel, lives, who has kept
me from harming you, if you had not come quickly to meet me,
not one male belonging to Nabal would have been left alive
by daybreak." Then David accepted from her hand what
she had brought him and said, "Go home in peace. I have
heard your words and granted your request." 1
Samuel 25:32-35
Mission
accomplished! Her work is done and she turns for home. Lest
we forget, for Abigail home means returning to Nabal.
A
Surprising Conclusion
Tired
and emotionally spent, Abigail walks in the door and into
the arms of her grateful husband who thanks her profusely
for sparing him an appointment with death. That’s not even
close to what happened. It may be what should have happened,
but Nabal continues to live up (would it be better to say
live down?) to his name. She stumbles upon an absolutely appalling
scene.
When
Abigail arrived home, she found that Nabal was throwing a
big party and was celebrating like a king. He was very drunk,
so she didn’t tell him anything about her meeting with David
until dawn the next day.
1 Samuel 25:36
NLT
She
approaches her hung-over husband the next morning and tells
him of all that happened the previous day. As he listens the
Bible says that his heart—which had for so long been hard
toward God and his wife—failed him and became like a stone.
Some of the translations say he had a heart attack and lapsed
into a coma. Others present it as a stroke. Whatever the problem
was, he died ten days later.
That
brings us to the fairy-tale ending. Last week we saw with
Achan’s sin and his punishment that Bible stories don’t always
have fairy-tale endings. In fact, more often than not, they
don’t. This one does. David rejoices that he was protected
from retaliating against Nabal. God obviously had the matter
under control. Then, David sends a proposal for Abigail to
come and be his wife. Abigail quickly accepted the proposal
and found the romantic ending that her grace and courage deserved.
Lessons To Be Learned
Who would have thought that such romance could
be found on the pages of the Old Testament? Abigail’s story
warms us, but it also warns us and teaches some valuable lessons.
Let’s take one lesson from each of our main characters.
The
Lesson From David
From
David we learn that rash reactions never pay off. The Bible
says,
Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that
to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say, “I
will take revenge; I will pay them back,” says the Lord.
Romans 12:19 NLT
Disagreements
and attacks are part of life. They are going to happen. When
you are the one who is hurt the natural reaction is to strike
back and to strike back hard. The lesson for us is: We are
wise to cool our thoughts of retaliation and trust the Lord
to handle the Nabals of our lives.
The
Lesson From Nabal
From
Nabal we learn that insensitive
husbands always leave unknown heartaches in their wake.
Nabal scorned David—a man to whom he owed a great debt. He
was oblivious to the danger his attitude caused for his family.
He was insensitive to Abigail’s need for affirmation.
If
you see in yourself even a hint of Nabal, stop being a fool
and wake-up. Break that habit of turning a deaf ear or always
having something that is more important to do. If you don’t,
you will leave a legacy of heartaches behind. If you do, you
may get to write the romantic ending to your own story.
The
Lesson From Abigail
From
Abigail we learn that wise
wives seldom miss the best use of timing and tact. When
she sensed danger, Abigail acted swiftly. When she saw murder
in David’s eyes, her words were kind and calm. Even when she
returned home, she remained silent and waited for the right
time to confront Nabal with the truth of what his actions
had almost caused. Learn from her example so that when the
opportunity comes you will be able to explain what is on your
heart.
Conclusion
The
beauty of this story is the reminder that sometimes fairy
tales do come true. The Lord will give us the desires of our
hearts. He wants to do that. Let me close with this promise
to claim and hope to cling to.
Delight
yourself in the LORD
and he will give you
the desires of your heart.
Commit
your way to the LORD;
trust in him and he will
do this:
He
will make your righteousness shine like the dawn,
the justice of your cause
like the noonday sun.
Psalm 37:4-6 NIV
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