I Samuel 25

To read this text CLICK HERE

I Samuel 25:23-27, 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: “Pardon your servant, my lord, and let me speak to you; hear what your servant has to say. Please pay no attention, my lord, to that wicked man Nabal. He is just like his name—his name means Fool, and folly goes with him. And as for me, your servant, I did not see the men my lord sent.  And now, my lord, as surely as the Lord your God lives and as you live, since the Lord has kept you from bloodshed and from avenging yourself with your own hands, may your enemies and all who are intent on harming my lord be like Nabal.  And let this gift, which your servant has brought to my lord, be given to the men who follow you.

It was sheep-shearing time, a time for festivities and rejoicing because of the profits that are generated by the wool.  David and his men, over the course of their battles with the Philistines, had ensured the safety of many shepherds and their flocks, including that of a man named Nabal.  Nabal was very wealthy and must have owned many sheep.  At the time of the shearing, David sent some men to Nabal, asking for some kind of gift in exchange for keeping his flocks safe.  Nabal responded in a very ugly and aggressive manner.  Scripture calls him an evil man.

But Nabal’s wife was much smarter and kinder than he.  Her name was Abigail.  One of Nabal’s hired men informed Abigail of the situation and she promptly took matters into her own hands.  She knew that her husband’s selfish actions would bring harm on the entire household.  At that very moment, David had gathered his men and was planning an attack on Nabal and all he owned.  In verses 21-22, we see David speak some incredibly bitter and vengeful words; it truly seems out of character for him.  Maybe the overwhelming stress and injustice of the circumstances with Saul had built up within him; this may have simply been the straw that broke the camel’s back.  But God intervened.

While on his angry trek to Nabal’s house, he comes across Abigail.  She had brought huge quantities of food and wine as a gift for David and his men.  She gets off her donkey and lowers herself to the ground in front of David.  Then, she begins the longest speech of any woman in the entire Old Testament.  In her speech, she does three things: she intercedes on behalf of her husband, she prophesies that David will overtake his enemies and create a dynasty for the House of David, and she prevents David from breaking Torah and bringing any kind of judgment on himself (David should not be the one to take revenge on Nabal but God). 

Abigail’s actions certainly saved many lives and much heartache for David.  Of course, what she did was highly unusual and went against her culture’s social expectations for women.  But over and over again in Scripture, we see God use unexpected people to achieve his purposes.  God doesn’t call the equipped, but instead equips the called. 

Let’s pray…Lord Jesus, We thank you for the way you intervene in our lives.  We ask that you continue to guide and lead us, help us hear your voice as Abigail did, and do what you call us to do even when it is hard.  We love you.  More of you, Jesus, and less of me.  In Your Name, Amen.