David and Abigail

As many who have followed me for a bit, I have fallen into the Psalms, and I can’t get up! (As if I would want to.) The Psalms are a majestic collection of poetry, of heart felt human experiences that constantly challenge me in my own frail attempt to follow the true King. As many of the Psalms are written by David, my study on the Psalms has spurred me on to looking at the life of David, is the main contributor to this book, and to follow the victories and tragedies of the shepherd King of Israel.

Many times in the narrative, we will see the Lord Jesus, imperfectly, yet a reflection of His spirit in a man with weaknesses.

1 Samuel 25:23-31

23 When Abigail saw David, she hurried and got down from the donkey and fell before David on her face and bowed to the ground.
24 She fell at his feet and said, “On me alone, my lord, be the guilt. Please let your servant speak in your ears, and hear the words of your servant.
25 Let not my lord regard this worthless fellow, Nabal, for as his name is, so is he. Nabal is his name, and folly is with him. But I your servant did not see the young men of my lord, whom you sent.
26 Now then, my lord, as the LORD lives, and as your soul lives, because the LORD has restrained you from bloodguilt and from saving with your own hand, now then let your enemies and those who seek to do evil to my lord be as Nabal.
27 And now let this present that your servant has brought to my lord be given to the young men who follow my lord.
28 Please forgive the trespass of your servant. For the LORD will certainly make my lord a sure house, because my lord is fighting the battles of the LORD, and evil shall not be found in you so long as you live.
29 If men rise up to pursue you and to seek your life, the life of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of the living in the care of the LORD your God. And the lives of your enemies he shall sling out as from the hollow of a sling.
30 And when the LORD has done to my lord according to all the good that he has spoken concerning you and has appointed you prince over Israel,
31 my lord shall have no cause of grief or pangs of conscience for having shed blood without cause or for my lord working salvation himself. And when the LORD has dealt well with my lord, then remember your servant.”

Abigail absolutely shines in this passage.

Sacrificial

Consider her sacrificial act. She willingly take the place of the wicked, assuming the guilt of Nabal’s actions, even requesting all the guilt to fall only on her, her very willingness to intervene between a fool and judgement is so Christlike it would be foolish to ignore this picture of our Lord.

Humble

Consider her humility in approaching David, and her regarding her own husband as a fool, making a point of describing his foolishness as being so thorough that even his name describes him perfectly. To be called Nabal in the Hebrew tongue is to be called Fool, for it is the same word!

Courageous

She knew David was on the hunt for blood. Consider her bravery in approaching a man set on vengence! David was a man of renown throughout the nation, known for his ability to kill tens of thousands. He was a soldier par excellence!

Consider that David was on the hunt for all the men (vs 22) in Nabal’s household. Strictly speaking, Abigails physical life was never on the line. Though we are not sure this was Abigail’s understanding, her stepping out to confront this deadly problem was definitely not common for a lady to undertake.

Servant

Consider her stance as a servant. Her reference to being David’s servant in verse 24 (2x), 25, 27, 28, and finally in verse 31, speaks of her recognizing her place before the future king. Though she is the wife of a mega rich man, (though he be a fool), it is quite amazing of a woman of means, willing to submit to a future king and provide gifts to an army coming to kill the household!

Repentant

Though Abigail did not take part in the rejection of David’s men, we find in verse 28 that she did beg for forgiveness as if she herself performed the rejection!

This general truth is often seen in those who seek the favor of God. Consider Daniel, at the end of the captivity, when he prayed to God confessing the sins of the nation of Israel, as if he had committed the sins himself!

Abigail took on a position few take, and that is of assuming guilt of others and asking for mercy!

A savior

Abigail was a type of savior for David, for she recognized that if David came to shed blood, it would be a stain on His kingdom, and provide “grief or pangs of conscience” for the killing. She stepped forward to interrupt David’s foolish behavior. Yes, the actions may have been somewhat self preserving for Abigail, and she performed this act to save Nabal and all his house, but she also recognized that David was a victim in this scenario.

He was acting out of anger, and this would not work the righteousness of God into his life. As she is speaking of this truth, she let slip a phrase that is amazing.

vs 31 …my lord shall have no cause of grief or pangs of conscience for having shed blood without cause or for my lord working salvation himself.

Did you catch it? David was working a salvation for himself. How well spoken is this lady! Might she have also said that he was merely seeking revenge? For that is what David was venturing to perform. He made a judgement on a situation based on a perceived (or actual) injustice, then unilaterally determined a punishment based on his feelings. The final step in this process of revenge was to take action on his judgement and execute the justice!

She came to David with a sacrificial, humble, courageous, repentant spirit, taking the position of a servant, and became a type of a Savior for David.

She was one impressive woman! Wonder if her spirit impacted David in any way?

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