September 15, 2021
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Reading along with us in 1 Samuel? Here’s today’s reading:
1 Samuel 25 (NIV)
David, Nabal and Abigail
1 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 Paran.
2 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. 3His name was Nabal and his wife’s name was Abigail. She was an intelligent and beautiful woman, but her husband was surly and mean in his dealings—he was a Calebite.........Continue Reading
You have to wonder how an intelligent and beautiful woman like Abigail could get entangled with a fool like Nabal. As far as I know, “surly and mean” never got anyone anywhere. God made certain that was the case for Nabal. Abigail treated David and his men the way they deserved to be treated. David praises the Lord for sending Abigail “…for keeping me from bloodshed this day…”
I had the same thoughts Steve!
The Lord is my protector and my provider. And when I mess up he has given me a interceder named Cindy. What a blessing a great wife is
Abigail was a calming and patient peacemaker in this chapter between quick tempered men. Sad that her husband, Nabal did not seem to appreciate the wife he had but David saw the value in a woman like her as a wife.
Happy to see Abigail free of Nabal as he did not seem like much fun to live with !!
1 Samuel 25
1 Samuel 25
How many times have women been a calming influence on men? Probably too many times to count. But what a case in point here! Nabal is called a Calebite, and if it means what I think it does, he is a poor reflection of Caleb, the one along with Joshua who encouraged the people to enter the promised land. How far future generations can fall from the heights of a patriarch/matriarch! But both men are acting in inappropriate ways. And it takes a gracious and wise woman to intervene and avoid bloodshed. She certainly argues her case well and reminds David of what he will become and how once there that he doesn’t want blood on his hands. So in a few words she validates him and challenges him. It’s not a bad pattern for any of us to take when entering a tense situation.
And in the end it is God who takes care of Nabal. What an affirmation of vengeance is mine saith the Lord, I will repay. And David is so taken by this one interaction with Abigail that he takes her as his wife. God certainly does not condone having multiple wives, but you can’t help but be glad for Abigail being free from that fool and his surly ways….
God uses Abigail to intervene and save David from his desire for revenge and Nabal from his foolishness….and then God “saves” Abigail from a life of misery with this horrible man.