Samuel dies and David meets Abigail

1 Samuel Chapter 25

Samuel died and all of Israel gathered for his funeral and buried him at Ramah. Then David moved to the wilderness of Maon where there was a wealthy man who owned property near Carmel. He had three thousand sheep and a thousand goats and it was sheep shearing time. The man's name was Nabal, a descendant of Caleb, and his wife Abigail, a sensible and beautiful woman. But Nabal was mean and dishonest in his dealings.

David sent ten of his men to Carmel with a message for Nabal, that they had never harmed any of his shepherds or stolen from them. So would Nabel be kind enough to give his men provisions. But Nabal sneered and asked, "Who is this fellow David? Who does this son of Jesse think he is? Lots of servants run away from their masters." And he refused to give David's men bread, water and meat.

David was angry and took four hundred men back to confront Nabal. Meanwhile one of Nabal's servants went to Abigail and told her of the confrontation and that David's men were good to the servants and never stole from them. He told Abigail she needed to think fast to avoid trouble for Nabal and for the whole family. Abigail lost no time and gathered two hundred loaves of bread, two skins of wine, five dressed sheep, a bushel of roasted grain, one hundred raisin cakes and two hundred fig cakes. She packed them on donkeys and told her servants to go ahead and she would follow, but she didn't tell her husband what she was doing. Soon she saw David and his men coming toward her and he was complaining about the treatment he had gotten from Nabal. So she got off her donkey and bowed low before David and accepted the blame for the treatment he had gotten. She told him that Nabal was an ill-tempered man, but since the Lord lived and David himself lived, and since David had not taken vengeance into his hands, she presented her gifts to his men. She also asked for David's forgiveness for any offense and told him the Lord would reward him with a lasting dynasty. She further said that David was always secure in the Lord and his enemies would disappear like stones in his sling and she asked that David remember her when the Lord had done great things for him.

David praised the Lord for Abigail and blessed her for keeping him from murdering and taking vengeance on Nabal.And he thanked her for the gifts and sent her back home in peace. But when she arrived home, she found Nabal had thrown a big party and was drunk, so she didn't tell him about the meeting with David until the next day. When she told him in the morning, he had a stroke, was paralyzed and in ten days the Lord struck him dead. David heard this news and praised the Lord for paying back Nabal and keeping himself from vengeance. Then David sent word to Abigail to come be his wife. She responded, "Yes, I am even willing to become a slave to David's servants!" And quickly she went to David to be his wife. David also married Ahinoam from Jezreel. Meanwhile Saul gave his daughter Michal, David's wife, to a man from Gallim named Palti, son of Laish.

BIBLE NOTES SHOW: Upon Samuel's death, Israel would be without a spiritual leader until David became king. Many sympathize with Nabal not feeding David's army. But the times were different then, and simple hospitality for travelers was common and Nabal was very rich and could afford food gifts. David had protected Nabal's servants with his vigilance, surely asking for food in return was not a handout.
Without David listening to Abigail, he surely would have been guilty of taking vengeance on Nabal.

HOW DOES THIS CHAPTER RELATE TO US TODAY? Thank heavens David listened to Abigail. This goes to show that no matter how right we think we are, we must always be careful to stop and listen to others. The extra time can save us pain and trouble in the long run. Hasn't this happened to you? You charge ahead with hurt feelings or feeling wronged and are dead set on vengeance. How much better it would be if you stopped to think things through. Vengeance could cost you a job, a relationship, friendships and self esteem. And for what? To make another person look bad. Think how much better you would feel to turn the other cheek and be the bigger man /woman.

Abigail was a beautiful woman. She dismounted from her donkey and bowed low. David had a good view of her. He probably noticed her beauty and figure and also in talking she revealed her intelligence and practical side. She in turn probably took great notice of the future king, his good looks and good heart. She knew that David had the Lord on his side. The Bible states that the Lord struck her husband dead, probably as punishment for his sins.

Yours in Christ,
Mary


Prayer Requests are needed for:
HEALTH: Gabe, Wanda, Janice Long’s parents, and Arlene’s nephew David. Update on Lori (who suffered a terrible accident)and her family . Lori sheds her back brace soon and can drive. She thanks God for healing her. Please continue to pray for her during recovery. Pray for my neighbor Al who is nearing the end of his life. Barb who went in for back surgery and had a heart attack and stroke, is now able to speak and is working on rehab for paralysis. Pray for Robert Sargent with lung cancer and Marthaline Sargent with serious health issues. Update on Stella: A photo of her shows a chubby, alert baby who is breathing on her own. Her eyesight problems seem to be no longer a problem. But she must learn to eat and drink normally. She continues to have a long road, so prayers are still needed. Update on Mark: He has some paralysis on one side from the stroke, his eyesight has been impaired too. But he has gone home and his wife cares for him. Soon he will begin therapy. Continue to pray for his healing. Pray also for my aged friend Elaine who underwent surgery and is home healing slowly. Update on Craig: he ended up having a stent put in and is back to work. Keep him and his family on your list for prayers. Pray for Carolyn’s friend Margaret and her husband who were in a car accident. As elderly drivers they may face a life change which may cost them their independence. Let’s all raise our voices to God to hear our prayers.
SPIRITUAL UPLIFTING: Gail, Mary
RESTORATION OF FAITH: Al, John
LOVE AND SUPPORT: Claire, Hunter
SUPPORT: Haiti, Chile, those who need jobs, those who are about to lose or have lost their homes. Pray too, for our country’s leaders and our military people who die each day for our freedom.