1 Samuel 25:14-22
14 Now one of the young men told Abigail, Nabal’s wife, saying, “Behold, David sent messengers from the wilderness to greet our master, and he spoke to them in anger.
15 Yet the men were very good to us, and we were not harmed, nor did anything go missing as long as we went with them, while we were in the fields.
16 They were a wall to us both by night and by day, all the time we were with them tending the sheep.
17 Now then, be aware and consider what you should do, because harm is plotted against our master and against all his household; and he is such a worthless man that no one can speak to him.”
18 Then Abigail hurried and took two hundred loaves of bread and two jugs of wine, and five sheep already prepared and five measures of roasted grain, and a hundred cakes of raisins and two hundred cakes of figs, and she loaded them on donkeys.
19 Then she said to her young men, “Go on ahead of me; behold, I am coming after you.” But she did not tell her husband Nabal.
20 And it happened as she was riding on her donkey and coming down by the hidden part of the mountain, that behold, David and his men were coming down toward her; so she met them.
21 Now David had said, “It is certainly for nothing that I have guarded everything that this man has in the wilderness, so that nothing has gone missing of all that belonged to him! For he has returned me evil for good.
22 May God do so to the enemies of David, and more so, if by morning I leave alive as much as one male of any who belong to him.”
Abigail’s Decision
Advice of a young man
It seems there was a wise servant under Nabal. At least one of the young men in today’s passage had wisdom. (1) This young man reported to Nabal’s wife Abigail that David and his men had been protecting them. (2) Yet, Nabal had insulted David. If things continued this way, the entire household would be destroyed. (3) Next, the young man made a remarkable statement: “He is such a worthless man that no one can speak to him.” This is an unusually bold statement for a servant to make about his master. Nabal, however, was that foolish. Furthermore, this young man felt that Abigail would agree with him.
Abigail’s actions
Abigail quickly understood what had happened and immediately took action. She acted without informing her husband Nabal. She prepared six gifts: (1) 200 loaves of bread, (2) two jugs of wine, (3) five cooked sheep, (4) five seahs (approx. 10 gallons) of roasted grain, (5) 100 cakes of raisins, and (6) 200 cakes of figs. She loaded them on donkeys and sent them ahead with her servants. Eventually, David and Abigail meet. At that moment, David was intent on annihilating every member of Nabal’s household, down to the last child. If one perceives David as a saint without flaws or failures, this passage might be confusing. David is typically characterized by patience and a generous spirit. However, here, he is so enraged by a few insulting words that he loses control of his emotions. David’s intention to destroy Nabal’s household mirrors Saul’s massacre of the town of Nob (1 Sam. 22:19). This clearly represents the sinful part of David. Every human being, no matter how great, has some kind of flaws. Let’s look at David as he truly was. At the same time, let’s acknowledge that only Jesus Christ, who came as the son of David, is the Savior without any sin. Our trust lies solely in the Lord Jesus.
Today's prayer
Father God of Jesus Christ, those who rely on humans will surely be disappointed. I place my trust only in Lord Jesus. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen.