1 Samuel 25:1 – 31 “When Samuel died, all Israel gathered to mourn for him; and they buried him at his home in Ramah. Then David set out and went down to the Wilderness of Paran (Maon).
Now there was a man in Maon whose business was in Carmel; he was a very wealthy man with a thousand goats and three thousand sheep, which he was shearing in Carmel. His name was Nabal, and his wife’s name was Abigail. She was an intelligent and beautiful woman, but her husband, a Calebite, was harsh and evil in his dealings.
While David was in the wilderness, he heard that Nabal was shearing sheep. So, David sent ten young men and instructed them, “Go up to Nabal at Carmel. Greet him in my name and say to him, ‘Long life to you, and peace to you and your house and to all that belongs to you. Now I hear that it is time for shearing. When your shepherds were with us, we did not harass them, and nothing of theirs was missing the whole time they were in Carmel. Ask your young men, and they will tell you. So let my young men find favor with you, for we have come on the day of a feast. Please give whatever you can afford to your servants and to your son David.’” When David’s young men arrived, they relayed all these words to Nabal on behalf of David. Then they waited.
But Nabal asked them, “Who is David? Who is this son of Jesse? Many servants these days are breaking away from their masters. Why should I take my bread and water and the meat I have slaughtered for my shearers, and give them to these men whose origin I do not know?”
So, David’s men turned around and went back, and they relayed to him all these words. And David said to his men, “Put on your swords!” So, David and all his men put on their swords, and about four hundred men followed David, while two hundred stayed with the supplies.
Meanwhile, one of Nabal’s young men informed Nabal’s wife Abigail, “Look, David sent messengers from the wilderness to greet our master, but he scolded them. Yet these men were very good to us. When we were in the field, we were not harassed, and nothing of ours went missing the whole time we lived among them. They were a wall around us, both day and night, the whole time we were herding our sheep near them. Now consider carefully what you must do, because disaster looms over our master and all his household. For he is such a scoundrel that nobody can speak to him!”
Then Abigail hurried and took two hundred loaves of bread, two skins of wine, five butchered sheep, five seahs of roasted grain, (33 dry quarts or 36.5 liters), a hundred clusters of raisins, and two hundred cakes of figs. She loaded them on donkeys and said to her young men, “Go ahead of me. I will be right behind you.” But she did not tell her husband Nabal.
As Abigail came riding her donkey into a mountain ravine, she saw David and his men coming down toward her, and she met them.
Now David had just finished saying, “In vain I have protected all that belonged to this man in the wilderness. Nothing that belongs to him has gone missing, yet he has paid me back evil for good. May God punish David, and ever so severely, if I let one of his men survive until morning.”
When Abigail saw David, she quickly got off the donkey, fell facedown, and bowed before him. She fell at his feet and said, “My lord, may the blame be on me alone, but please let your servant speak to you; hear the words of your servant. My lord should pay no attention to this worthless man Nabal, for he lives up to his name: His name means Fool, and folly accompanies him. I, your servant, did not see my lord’s young men whom you sent.
Now, my lord, as surely as the LORD lives and you yourself live, the LORD has held you back from coming to bloodshed and avenging yourself with your own hand. May your enemies and those who seek harm for my lord be like Nabal.
Now let this gift your servant has brought to my lord be given to the young men who follow you. Please forgive your servant’s offense, for the LORD will surely make a lasting dynasty for my lord, because he fights the LORD’s battles. May no evil be found in you as long as you live.
And should someone pursue you and seek your life, then the life of my lord will be bound securely by the LORD your God in the bundle of the living. But He shall fling away the lives of your enemies like stones from a sling.
When the LORD has done for my lord all the good He promised and has appointed you ruler over Israel, then my lord will have no remorse or guilt of conscience over needless bloodshed and revenge. And when the LORD has dealt well with my lord, may you remember your maidservant.”
Samuel was dead. One of the finest prophets and one of the most earnest prayer warriors Israel had ever seen since Moses was no more. David particularly must have felt the loss, since Samuel had anointed him and then had encouraged him on several occasions. In some respects, Samuel had served as a father figure for David. No matter how bad things had gotten, David had always been secure in the knowledge that Samuel was still there in Ramah, interceding for him. Now all of that relationship was lost.
While hiding from Saul in the wilderness, David and his men were running short on supplies, so David sent messengers to Nabal. Nabal was a very rich man with 1,000 goats and 3,000 sheep, and it was shearing time. Nabal had planned a meal for those coming to shear his animals. Normally, such an occasion would be a community celebration with neighbors who had come to help sharing in a feast. But Nabal was one of those guys with a calculator for a brain; he had planned for exactly the number of shearers he expected to have and not for any additional people whatsoever. When David sent messengers with a modest appeal, Nabal exploded in rage. Notice that David’s men did not make any specific requests; they simply asked for whatever Nabal felt he could afford. Traditionally, most men would have responded generously, giving as a sign of their wealth and importance, but not Nabal.
David’s appeal was quite reasonable. According to Nabal’s men, David and his men had protected them all the time they were out on the pastures with the animals. David knew what it was like to be out there by himself, defending his sheep and goats from marauding animals and raiders; that was why his men and he had protected Nabal’s workers. But when Nabal reacted to David’s polite request by exploding in a rage, David became fed up and was ready to take by force what Nabal had refused to give graciously.
The true heroine of this piece was Nabal’s wife Abigail. It’s possible that Nabal may have had several wives, with Abigail being the chief; on the other hand, Nabal was so stingy that he may have settled for just one wife as a matter of economy. At any rate, Abigail obviously had the sympathies of the workers in the household, and they ran to her in alarm. Once fully informed, Abigail quickly grasped the dangers of the situation and immediately took action. Loading a large number of provisions onto several donkeys, she sent her young men with the donkeys ahead of her and she followed on her own animal, meeting David and his men on the way.
Abigail’s speech was remarkable for its humility. First, Abigail prostrated herself at David’s feet in a position of extreme supplication. Second, Abigail apologized, taking the blame on herself for not having seen David’s messengers so that she could respond appropriately. Abigail did tell David that her husband Nabal was a fool; however, she also advised David to pay no attention to Nabal since his folly accompanied him. Abigail again begged David to forgive her and to leave the innocent members of Nabal’s household alone so that when David became king, he would have nothing with which to reproach himself. Finally, Abigail also asked David to remember her when he became king. Abigail’s humility counteracted Nabal’s greed and arrogance.
APPLICATION: Have you ever extended yourself for someone else, only to have that person scorn your efforts? David and his men could have ignored Nabal’s shepherds or even have taken some of the sheep and the goats for themselves, but they protected them without asking for any repayment. Even when David sent messengers to Nabal, he sent a very polite message, one that should have met with a generous response. David sent ten young men as a sign of respect for Nabal and also to enable them to bring back any donations Nabal might make. But Nabal lived down to the meaning of his name, “Fool,” speaking as arrogantly and obnoxiously as possible. Ingratitude hurts! And the more you have done for someone else, the more painful it is when they scorn your efforts. David was ready to wipe out Nabal and his entire household; however, Abigail saved them by her humility.
Abigail succeeded in saving her household because she acted in the opposite spirit to that which Nabal had demonstrated. Satan was trying to use Nabal to tempt David to shed the innocent blood of Nabal’s household, but Abigail was actually speaking for God when she bowed before David and then predicted David’s success as king. Both David and Abigail gained spiritual victories that day.
When we are attacked in any fashion, it is very tempting to strike back as hard and as fast as possible. But if we allow God to guide us, we will be able to act as Abigail did. Jesus told his disciples in Matthew 5:43 – 44 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you..”
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Thank You that You will help us so that when we are attacked, we don’t have to respond in kind but may respond in a loving manner. Lord, help all who read this devotional to know Your Love. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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