Abigail and Nabal.
A totally mismatched couple! How they ended up together in the first place is not told to us but there are different ways to tell a story and the bible chooses to begin where David makes his appearance.
David has been on the run for a while now and he makes a stop at the Desert of Maon. Fugitives, David and his men seek temporary shelter on Nabal's property. Nabal is an extremely wealthy man. David sends an appeal for food and other necessities but Nabal's response is typical of the arrogant man that he is. In his own words...
"Who is this David? Who is this son of Jesse? Many servants are breaking away from their masters these days. 11 Why should I take my bread and water, and the meat I have slaughtered for my shearers, and give it to men coming from who knows where?" - I Sam 25: 10 (NIV)
Interesting.
[Having shaken off the shackles of serving the institutional church, i find i am one of those without valid membership to any recognised fellowship. Which means i am dangerously independent having no accountability to those appointed its leaders. Since i have no spiritual covering, spiritual malfunction is imminent. Its nothing personal. That's how it works. If you don't subscribe to the system, it can't support you. Church membership does have its privileges.]
Back to the story. Nabal sends David's men packing but the servants quickly alert Nabal's wife to the possible consequences of his rash decision. Abigail wastes no time. She packs the necessary rations and saddles her donkey. She manages to intercept David's party on their way to massacre the entire household of Nabal.
She falls to the ground and begs David's forgiveness.
Her words betray a wisdom her husband does not possess.
[Allow me to paraphrase]
"Please don't pay any attention to my husband. Nabal means 'a fool' and the man has certainly lived up to his name. May God avenge you from all your enemies so you need never fight the battle to vindicate yourself. Your willingness to fight God's battles has earned you His eternal favour and granted your family lasting posterity. It doesn't matter that your life hangs in the balance because God is watching your back. Your enemies have already been served the death warrant. It's just a matter of time before you become king. But if you choose to take matters into your own hands now, you risk jeopardizing your excellent track record. While you will be fully justified in your actions, it will continue to weigh heavily on your conscience long after this trial has passed."
The woman's as smart as she's beautiful.
Abigail averts a tragedy and in the process saves David's reputation too.
David is full of praise for her and assures her that he will take her advice. Abigail then returns home to find a very drunken Nabal hosting a huge party. So she says nothing. The next morning, when he's sobered up, she tells him what she's done. His heart turns to stone and ten days later God strikes him dead.
David hears the news and asks Abigail to be his wife. She says yes (clever woman!) to David and marries him.
What is the moral of this story?
There are 3 conspicuous characters in this tale.
Nabal means 'fool', although I'm sure he didn't realise how well his name suited him. I Cor. 1:20 says, God counts the wisdom of this world as foolishness. Sadly, it has crept into the church (disguised as good governance) and much teaching has been influenced by renowned management gurus and leadership coaches. To the point it is hard to discern what is God’s and what is not.
Abigail (whose name means 'cause of joy') had learnt to rise above her adverse circumstances. Although she was married to Nabal, she was his wife only by name. Indeed, she was his 'better half' and refused to be a party to his unscrupulous dealings. She knew God and recognized that David was His true servant. She did not blindly defend her husband but acknowledged that David and his men had been unjustly treated. She used her influence to right the wrong to the end that David and his men received due honor.
My disillusionment with the religious institution is understandable but there are thousands who, while they serve the system do not identify with it. Their faith and conduct are exemplary and often their timely intercession has averted God's judgement on the 'Nabals' of the religious system giving them space to repent. I salute them.
I pray that Abigail has the courage to boldly confess Christ before those who would rather die defending the religion of legalism and works. Her confession will break its power to dominate and enslave her so that she is free to be joined to the One who is full of grace and truth.
For those who identify with David - once the king's favourite but now his sworn enemy; perhaps you too have been rejected by the system you served so well, but do not despair. Jesus too was regarded as an outcast by the religious order of his day. Be patient. God will exonerate you in time. He is faithful and will allow no sin to go unpunished. If you act according to the dictates of the flesh, it will hinder the working of the Holy Spirit who is cultivating Christ' character in you.
David represents the Christ. The failure of the system will make many widows but Christ will make honest women of them because Jesus is our true bridegroom! And just like Abigail, our new found freedom in Christ will release us to run with God's holy purpose. God's kingdom will be firmly established in justicec and righteousness and Christ will be the Head of His Church once more.
A totally mismatched couple! How they ended up together in the first place is not told to us but there are different ways to tell a story and the bible chooses to begin where David makes his appearance.
David has been on the run for a while now and he makes a stop at the Desert of Maon. Fugitives, David and his men seek temporary shelter on Nabal's property. Nabal is an extremely wealthy man. David sends an appeal for food and other necessities but Nabal's response is typical of the arrogant man that he is. In his own words...
"Who is this David? Who is this son of Jesse? Many servants are breaking away from their masters these days. 11 Why should I take my bread and water, and the meat I have slaughtered for my shearers, and give it to men coming from who knows where?" - I Sam 25: 10 (NIV)
Interesting.
[Having shaken off the shackles of serving the institutional church, i find i am one of those without valid membership to any recognised fellowship. Which means i am dangerously independent having no accountability to those appointed its leaders. Since i have no spiritual covering, spiritual malfunction is imminent. Its nothing personal. That's how it works. If you don't subscribe to the system, it can't support you. Church membership does have its privileges.]
Back to the story. Nabal sends David's men packing but the servants quickly alert Nabal's wife to the possible consequences of his rash decision. Abigail wastes no time. She packs the necessary rations and saddles her donkey. She manages to intercept David's party on their way to massacre the entire household of Nabal.
She falls to the ground and begs David's forgiveness.
Her words betray a wisdom her husband does not possess.
[Allow me to paraphrase]
"Please don't pay any attention to my husband. Nabal means 'a fool' and the man has certainly lived up to his name. May God avenge you from all your enemies so you need never fight the battle to vindicate yourself. Your willingness to fight God's battles has earned you His eternal favour and granted your family lasting posterity. It doesn't matter that your life hangs in the balance because God is watching your back. Your enemies have already been served the death warrant. It's just a matter of time before you become king. But if you choose to take matters into your own hands now, you risk jeopardizing your excellent track record. While you will be fully justified in your actions, it will continue to weigh heavily on your conscience long after this trial has passed."
The woman's as smart as she's beautiful.
Abigail averts a tragedy and in the process saves David's reputation too.
David is full of praise for her and assures her that he will take her advice. Abigail then returns home to find a very drunken Nabal hosting a huge party. So she says nothing. The next morning, when he's sobered up, she tells him what she's done. His heart turns to stone and ten days later God strikes him dead.
David hears the news and asks Abigail to be his wife. She says yes (clever woman!) to David and marries him.
What is the moral of this story?
There are 3 conspicuous characters in this tale.
Nabal means 'fool', although I'm sure he didn't realise how well his name suited him. I Cor. 1:20 says, God counts the wisdom of this world as foolishness. Sadly, it has crept into the church (disguised as good governance) and much teaching has been influenced by renowned management gurus and leadership coaches. To the point it is hard to discern what is God’s and what is not.
Abigail (whose name means 'cause of joy') had learnt to rise above her adverse circumstances. Although she was married to Nabal, she was his wife only by name. Indeed, she was his 'better half' and refused to be a party to his unscrupulous dealings. She knew God and recognized that David was His true servant. She did not blindly defend her husband but acknowledged that David and his men had been unjustly treated. She used her influence to right the wrong to the end that David and his men received due honor.
My disillusionment with the religious institution is understandable but there are thousands who, while they serve the system do not identify with it. Their faith and conduct are exemplary and often their timely intercession has averted God's judgement on the 'Nabals' of the religious system giving them space to repent. I salute them.
I pray that Abigail has the courage to boldly confess Christ before those who would rather die defending the religion of legalism and works. Her confession will break its power to dominate and enslave her so that she is free to be joined to the One who is full of grace and truth.
For those who identify with David - once the king's favourite but now his sworn enemy; perhaps you too have been rejected by the system you served so well, but do not despair. Jesus too was regarded as an outcast by the religious order of his day. Be patient. God will exonerate you in time. He is faithful and will allow no sin to go unpunished. If you act according to the dictates of the flesh, it will hinder the working of the Holy Spirit who is cultivating Christ' character in you.
David represents the Christ. The failure of the system will make many widows but Christ will make honest women of them because Jesus is our true bridegroom! And just like Abigail, our new found freedom in Christ will release us to run with God's holy purpose. God's kingdom will be firmly established in justicec and righteousness and Christ will be the Head of His Church once more.
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