Considering the Bible

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 25:18-22

Then Abigail made haste and took two hundred loaves and two skins of wine and five sheep already prepared and five seahs of parched grain and a hundred clusters of raisins and two hundred cakes of figs, and laid them on donkeys.
19 And she said to her young men, “Go on before me; behold, I come after you.” But she did not tell her husband Nabal.
20 And as she rode on the donkey and came down under cover of the mountain, behold, David and his men came down toward her, and she met them.
21 Now David had said, “Surely in vain have I guarded all that this fellow has in the wilderness, so that nothing was missed of all that belonged to him, and he has returned me evil for good.
22 God do so to the enemies of David and more also, if by morning I leave so much as one male of all who belong to him.”

Abigail exercised wisdom quickly. She had the means and the methods required. Not only did she have access to bunches of food on hand, food that was available at a moments notice, but it seems Nabal’s inventory was such that this removal of these mass quantities of food didn’t set off any alarm for Nabal.

Now of course those who may have been assigned to the accounting of Nabal’s assets may have understood the situation, and covered for Abigail, but this only speaks of the wisdom of the servants in combination with respect towards Abigail.

Either Nabal had so much stockpiled food that this large removal didn’t impact his balance sheet appreciably, or there was a coverup, in order to protect Nabal, and his entire house. After all, the servants understood that harm was coming to get them!

1 Samuel 25:17 Now therefore know this and consider what you should do, for harm is determined against our master and against all his house, and he is such a worthless man that one cannot speak to him.”

Abigail jumped on this situation, short circuiting the obvious request from Nabal, for she knew her husband, that he would not allow any asset to leave his inventory.

Abigail was in rescue mode. David was in retaliation mode. He was looking for blood.

Even before Abigail approached him, David seemed to be reiterating the wrong that Nabal had inflicted on him. I suppose for David,it was an unwritten agreement, or a socially accepted manner of helping those who needed help, that would result in some type of reward, even creating an obligation.

Of course, a man of Nabal’s stature was able to ignore obligations without any serious social impact. So what if people looked at him with a glare. He was filthy rich! And still breathing.

But maybe not for long, for though the socially accepted manner of renumeration was rejected, David seemed a fall back response was to wreak havoc and inflict vengeance on Nabal. He seemed to go dark fast, thinking Nabal’s response warranted extreme blood letting violence. After all, it could be argued, this is simply justice working itself out!

That is a problem!

Revenge is off limits to God’s people, and just yesterday I wrote a short post on it. Kind of providential, but if you are interested, please check out Let Me Tell You a Story – Revenge and Justice. Revenge and justice only relate to one another when the justice is based on our own fickle law system that favors our condition and provides no mercy to any one else.

David was in the wrong in this instance, and he seemed to be revelling in it.

But not to worry – some woman on a donkey was coming to straighten him out in a most unexpected manner.

Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.

Come join us at Considering the Bible

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 25:14-17

14 But one of the young men told Abigail, Nabal’s wife, “Behold, David sent messengers out of the wilderness to greet our master, and he railed at them.
15 Yet the men were very good to us, and we suffered no harm, and we did not miss anything when we were in the fields, as long as we went with them.
16 They were a wall to us both by night and by day, all the while we were with them keeping the sheep.
17 Now therefore know this and consider what you should do, for harm is determined against our master and against all his house, and he is such a worthless man that one cannot speak to him.”

So what is going on in this short passage? The Word, through this young man, recounts what has occurred to a woman named Abigail. It seems to be a repetition of the previous story.

I think there may be a lesson for us in this repitition of the story. Hopefully I will communicate it properly.

A bit of Background

Remember there are three characters in this chapter, and David, one of those characters is spoken of in glowing terms to this lady named Abigail. David, unbeknownst to him in his current rage, is described as protective, caring, giving and supportive of those who needed protection. Protection that has suddenly soured, becoming Nabal’s greatest enemy. And a single solitary young man took it upon himself to speak to Abigail, for it seems Nabal was not an approachable man. This I believe is a message for us all, in that approachability is somehow couched in this passage and may prove to to be a useful consideration for us today.

Let’s consider each of these characters in their approachability.

David

First let’s consider David. Though it was the last passage that we saw him approached with the soldier regarding Nabal, we see he has not reacted well. He blew up and saddled up with swords a clanging. Although not a common reaction for David, at this time in his life, a wise man does not react out of emotion. Does not the Word challenge us to be guided by peace, the very peace of Christ?

Colossians 3:15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.

With that said, I am an emotional fellow, and find this to be a challenge in my life, but as with David in this passage, have flown of the handle in a reaction that has not produced the righteousness of God

James 1:20 for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.

Nabal

What can I say about Nabal? I have the sense the only reason anyone approached him was out of duty. It is interesting that when David’s men approached Nabal regarding thier request, the Word states

..they said all this to Nabal in the name of David, and then they waited. – 1 Samuel 25:9

They waited. Of course this may be the common response of a group of men to show respect, yet as I consider Nabal’s general character, it may be that they waited for an emotional explosion, which appears to have happened. Personal defamation of David spewed from Nabal’s mouth, and David’s men received the insults to take back to their chief.

Abigail

And then there is Abigail. Not much is said of her in this passage other than the fact that a young man, of Nabal’s servants (?) approached her and spoke some pretty bad news. The passage doesn’t speak of her interrupting the messenger or of her anger rising, or of her dismissing the information. She, in the silence, seems to be a patient, kind and approachable lady. She was so approachable that the young man felt he had the freedom to speak his mind regarding her husband Nabal, calling him a “worthless man” and one that cannot be spoken to.

Kind of amazing that Abigail had this reputation of openness and approachability. Her non-response regarding her husband in the next passage speaks volumes to her character, for if she had anything against him, this would be the perfect time to enter a whine party!

Approachability. It is all about how we handle our emotions when the worst of news comes to us. Do we think of ourselves only, possibly taking out our disappointment, frustration or anger on the messenger, or do we consider those around us, and especially God, finding ways to express the peace of God to those who need to see Jesus?

Approachability. Would you consider yourself approachable? It seems Jesus was approachable, even to those who would eventually murder Him. He would accept them into His presence no matter.

Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.

Come join us at Considering the Bible

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 25:10-13

10 And Nabal answered David’s servants, “Who is David? Who is the son of Jesse? There are many servants these days who are breaking away from their masters.
11 Shall I take my bread and my water and my meat that I have killed for my shearers and give it to men who come from I do not know where?”
12 So David’s young men turned away and came back and told him all this.
13 And David said to his men, “Every man strap on his sword!” And every man of them strapped on his sword. David also strapped on his sword. And about four hundred men went up after David, while two hundred remained with the baggage.

A quick reminder of the three characters in chapter 25 that we are considering. Nabal is presented to us as a man who is rich in possessions, harsh in character and of bad behavior. When verse three in the previous passage speaks of bad behavior, the Hebrew word used there is often translated as evil, or wicked. Make no mistake, Nabal is not simply bad, he is a wicked, grevious hurtful man. This surely was very common knowledge for the populace in the region, for a wealthy man’s reputation usually proceeds him. David most likely had some knowledge of this man’s reputation and hoping for the best, approached him via ten of his soldiers, requesting a gift during harvest time. Abigail, Nabal’s wife, is in the wings, not yet knowing the circumstances that would catapult her from riches to royalty.

Last we got together, David’s men were waiting for a response from Nabal, and he doesn’t disappoint, for he comes out swinging. Instead of accepting the easily verifiable gift of protection that David and his men provided, Nabal comes out attacking David himself.

What a brilliant move on Nabal’s part, for he dodged his responsibility of recognizing David’s service to him, and thereby accepting a responsibility of providing a gift. No – immediately he started by attacking David. He attacked David, his family and his allegiance to the King.

Have you known one who is always on the attack? One who is critical of any action you take, no matter the motivation or benefits to others? Do you know someone who might attack you though you have only loved them, provided a service to them, given them some type of gift?

It seems so incredible, that someone would attack the person who is providing them a blessing. It just isn’t fair. I bless you. You are to bless me back. That’s the deal. It is a social norm, at least in the land I live in.

Nabal did not accept that social norm. His norm was “Eat or be eaten”, and he seemed to live it every day. I give to get, but if you give me somethin, I will take it and reject you. It is all about gaining and keeping!

Notice in verse 11, where Nabal admits to providing for his shearers, but he does so only to receive a benefit he is experiencing. He gives to get. But any benefit that he has already received, as in a protection provided in the past, is not to be entertained, for it directly impacts his profit margin.

How short sighted for a business man to be of such character. What is worse, how vile for a man who is associated with the nation of God to act so thankless, to attack instead of defend one who blessed him.

As mentioned above, the social norm is to be return good for good. Nabal rejected this norm for the sake of his selfish wicked life. He returned bad for good. The lowest type of reaction to our fellow man.

There is One who has returned good for bad, has broken the social norm, and rejected the vile mans ways, providing a life for us to mimic, giving us the strength, if we seek it, to provide good for bad.

May I remind my reader of when the Lord spoke of the social norm in Matthew 5:43, stating the norm as…. ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.

He went a bit further though. If you know someone who has attacked you verbally, (or even physically), defamed your character, cheated you, damaged your property or reputation, we are directed to return good for bad.

But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 

As mentioned a post or two back, this chapter does not reflect well on David, for though he was incredibly “saintful” (is that a word?) in his dealings with Saul, he falls down miserably in relation to Nabal.

Strap on your weapons men – we got some killing to do! Note that he doesn’t simply take the ten men who returned wit the report, he takes 400 men to Nabal’s location, ready to spill blood!

I often think of David and Bathsheba as a low point in David’s walk with the Lord. The Word clearly states the Lord was disappointed in David during that period. For this time of testing, David is to meet with a very unexpected person on the rush to do the killing. A person who through discernment and wisdom, was used of God to restrain David from this evil reaction to Nabal.

Truly good to see that God is active in our lives, even as we ventured off to seek sin. He is a merciful God, and it is for us to always be willing to listen to those we may not expect, to keep our ears open for God’s wishes.

Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.

Come join us at Considering the Bible

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 25:2-9
2 And there was a man in Maon whose business was in Carmel. The man was very rich; he had three thousand sheep and a thousand goats. He was shearing his sheep in Carmel.
3 Now the name of the man was Nabal, and the name of his wife Abigail. The woman was discerning and beautiful, but the man was harsh and badly behaved; he was a Calebite.
4 David heard in the wilderness that Nabal was shearing his sheep.
5 So David sent ten young men. And David said to the young men, “Go up to Carmel, and go to Nabal and greet him in my name.
6 And thus you shall greet him: ‘Peace be to you, and peace be to your house, and peace be to all that you have.
7 I hear that you have shearers. Now your shepherds have been with us, and we did them no harm, and they missed nothing all the time they were in Carmel.
8 Ask your young men, and they will tell you. Therefore let my young men find favor in your eyes, for we come on a feast day. Please give whatever you have at hand to your servants and to your son David.’”
9 When David’s young men came, they said all this to Nabal in the name of David, and then they waited.

We are introduced to Nabal and his fair wife Abigail in this passage, a couple of the most unlikely pairing. While Nabal comes off as harsh, stiff-necked, and rude, Abigail is described as beautiful, and more importantly discerning. Of course, in the days of arranged marriages, this union may have been more to the benefit of the parents than the bride, but that is shear conjecture.

Let’s take a few minutes and consider Nabel. First off, he was filthy rich, literally owning thousands of sheep and goats. He had it all, and was living the high life. Rich in physical goods. Rich in things. Rich accomplishments. Rich rich rich.

His story reminds me of a story in the New Testament, a parable the Lord spoke, where a rich man tore down his barns to build bigger barns.

Luke 12:16-18 “The land of a rich man produced plentifully, and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ And he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods.

Nabal, at this time of the year, was experiencing the same sense of wealth and self sufficiency that the rich man in the parable was enjoying. Eventually, God would speak to Nabal in the same manner as He does the rich man in the parable, but I am getting ahead of myself. Back to the passage for the day.

Nabal was shearing his sheep, a time of harvesting for a rancher like Nabal, a time of potential thanksgiving and rejoicing, of hopefully sharing and giving to others out of an abundance. This time of abundance provided Nabal a huge opportunity to be a blessing to others. To be gracious to those less fortunate.

It seems David was less fortunate, for he approached Nabal in the form of ten servants, requesting a charity, based on his own charity to Nabal in the past. It seems David, in the past had spent time protecting Nabal’s sheep (and shepherds) as a charity, for it does not appear that there had been any formal agreement between the two men. As the future king of Israel, David seems to have taken on the spirit of protection over those of Israel, and during this time, the Philistines were consistently finding opportunity to make raids into the country side.

Just a few chapters earlier, David rescued Keilah from the Philistines in chapter 23, and later in the same chapter, Saul had to break off his pursuit of David to return home due to the Philistines attacking his property.

It seems it was common for the Philistines to cause skirmishes along the southern border at this time, and the region including Maon and Camel, where Nabal and Abigail lived, was a prime location for the Philistines to consider. I cannot find a specific time where the flocks of Nabal were under any direct threat from an enemy, but that might be there very point. David and his men kept them safe.

David sent a formal delegation of his men to Nabal, representing themselves in a humble manner, reminding Nabal of their voluntary service of protection, and requesting a kind response out of Nabal’s abundance. An act of thankfulness to those who provided a shield for Nabal’s servants and sheep.

I am sure most of my readers recall how Nabal reacted, and we shall get to that next post, but for this passage, let’s consider the thankful spirit that Nabal could have provided but didn’t.

Is it not right to live in a thankful spirit to God, for the many blessings He has provided? Relating to this passage, specifically for the protection we may not realize is provided to us. David’s men came to Nabal to inform him of protection. I get the sense this may have been the first time Nabal knew of this added benefit for his shepherds and sheep in the wilderness.

No matter the situation you may find yourself in today, we have an opportunity to be thankful, to be gracious to others, to be a blessing. Nabal was “harsh and badly behaved”, and his life, like the rich man in the parable above, is impacted negatively, not only in our opinion of him, but also in the length of life.

Be a blessing to others today. Take a moment today to reflect on all the blessings God has provided to you. Consider God’s active protection from your enemies, protection that is beyond your experience, or understanding, for there is much going on about us that we do not see. But the Lord is there, encircling your family, your business, your church, your life.

For it is true that God is good all the time.

Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.

Come join us at Considering the Bible