25:1 Samuel had been a prophet to Israel; he had been the voice of God to the nation.

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1 1 Samuel 25 25:1 Samuel had been a prophet to Israel; he had been the voice of God to the nation. He was the prophet who had anointed David as King. He had informed Saul about his failure to exterminate the Amalekites, and that God was raising up another king. He had been a tremendous man of God, but now he was dead. Spurgeon- God buries His workmen, but His work lives. We have only this life with which we may serve God upon this earth. Psalm 90:12 So teach us to number our days, That we may gain a heart of wisdom. 25:2, 3 Nabal- fool. Not stupid, but senseless, disgraceful, folly, profane actions. He was a rich man, and knew how to make money. But he as harsh and evil, greedy and unreasonable. Abigail- my father is joy; the joy of my father. She was wise and beautiful. Nabal was shearing his sheep. This was like the harvest time for a farmer. It was a time when his efforts were being rewarded, and was a time of great joy. It was a time of feasting and generosity and kindness to friends. It was a time of recognizing God s provision in your life, and being thankful. 25:4-8 David and his men had provided a great blessing for Nabal and his men and flocks. 1. They had protected Nabal, his men, and the flocks and herds from the marauding Philistines. 2. David is still on the run from Saul, and so he and his men are looking for an appropriate recompense for their blessed actions towards Nabal. 3. David hasn t provided a Mafia type protection for Nabal; he has simply been a good neighbor. 4. Notice how David approaches Nabal. a. V. 4 He hears that Nabal is shearing his sheep. This is a time of joy, sharing, feasting, inviting friends to dinner, thankfulness, etc. David is going to ask for help, and for an appropriate consideration in light of the blessing that he has been to Nabal. He chooses the right time to do it. He waits for the right time. b. V. 5 He sends the young men. This is a humble way of approaching Nabal. David is a widely known man of war. His presence could have intimidated Nabal. Instead, he sends some young men to make this request. c. V. 6 He wishes Nabal peace with all that Nabal has. d. V. 7, 8a He reminds Nabal of the blessing that he had been to Nabal, and to all of Nabal s employees. He encourages Nabal to verify this truth by asking his employees. e. V. 8b He reminds Nabal that it is a feast day, a day on which it is appropriate to bless others with your provision.

2 f. V. 8c David asks for a blessing of some food. He doesn t demand a certain amount, but leaves that up to the generosity of Nabal. 5. NOTE- David does deserve this blessing. It is b/c of his efforts that Nabal continues to be a rich man. It was a very appropriate request that David is making, and he has a very legitimate need. NOTE- Remember that David provided this blessing while he himself was being pursued, and probably often going without enough food for his men. 2 25:9 David s men share this request, and then they stand there and wait for Nabal to reply. 25:10-12 Nabal insults David in the following ways- 1. He pretends that David is a nobody. All of Israel knew David, but Nabal treats him as a nobody. 2. He insinuates that David is an unfaithful servant to Saul, and that he has run away from is duty and his service to Saul. This is not only not true, but it is a terrible insult and the exact opposite of the truth. David had been very faithful to Saul. 3. This obviously infuriated David. It was not only untrue, but it undermined his character and integrity. 4. He claims that the items are his. He doesn t recognize God s hand of provision; therefore, he is unwilling to share. In this, he is sinning against God. 25:13 David is a man after God s heart, but he is not a perfect man. The mercy he has just shown to Saul is forgotten, and for the moment, he has the mind of a murderer. David is now taking things into his own hands. He was merciful with Saul. Perhaps b/c of who and what Saul was. King, superior, etc. He is murderous with Nabal. Nabal is a fool. He is lower than David. He should respect David. Perhaps David feels justified in these actions against Nabal b/c of what kind of man Nabal is. Nabal has repaid David s kindness with insults and selfishness. David s character and integrity have been questioned and tarnished. Perhaps David feels that Nabal needs to be taught a lesson. David has every human reason to be angry like this. We have all felt the same way. We try so hard to be a blessing, even when we are going through a hard time, and struggling because of other situations. We seek to bless, we are patient, we are not greedy, we put our well being on the line. And then when we hope for some kind of blessing in return, we are mocked, insulted, and refused. None of us can blame David for having these feelings.

3 But David is not justified before God to take this action. 3 NOTE- What happened to the David that had such self control with Saul? Why has David so quickly turned into a man of murderous hate? Redpath- The victories which I win- by the grace of God and by the power of the blood of the Lord Jesus- cannot impart strength for me for the future. No spiritual triumph in my life can give me power to resist the devil next time he comes. We all must rely upon God s grace for each day, as it comes. 2 Timothy 2:1 You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. Turn to 1 Corinthians 10: :14-16 The young men testify to the blessing that David and his men were. This further speaks of why David would have been so angry. Not only was his integrity questioned, but all of his efforts were unappreciated. 25:17 The young men exhort Abigail to respond to this emergency. The young men once again testify to the foolish man that Nabal is. He is unapproachable and unreasonable. 25:16 The amount of food on hand speaks of the kinds of riches that Nabal possessed. She is showing herself to be a wise woman, and prudent in her ways. 25:19, 20 Abigail is used greatly of God in this event. She shows the wisdom and the heart of God in many ways. V. 20 She was proactive in initiating reconciliation and confessions of wrongdoing. She took the initiative that her husband left undone, and she went out to meet David, and didn t wait until he arrived to see Nabal s face. 25:21 One of the lies of the Devil is that our right actions before God will go unrewarded. David had done well to protect Nabal and his men and sheep. At this point, David is disappointed that his good actions haven t been met with corresponding good action from Nabal. He thinks that godly living has been a waste. Hebrews 11:6 6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. If we think our godly efforts have been a waste, then we are doubting God s promise to reward us in His way and in His time.

4 4 25:22 David is so blinded at this moment that he spiritualizes this sinful action that he is taking. TLB- May God deal with me severely if even one man of his household is still alive tomorrow morning. David is so blinded in his anger and sense of injustice that he decides that not only should Nabal be punished, but all the innocent men with him. NOTE- When we have tried to do he right thing We have sought to bless others, and put forth great effort And then the time comes when we are looking for something in return Not only is our kindness not reciprocated, but we are unappreciated and treated with contempt. It is at those times that we can feel justified in taking revenge, in righting the wrong, in eliminating the person from our life. But in our blindness, we fail to see the Lord, and we go much further in revenge than God ever would. David is now ready to kill Nabal and every man in his household. 25:23, 24 As Abigail seeks to right this wrong, she comes humbly. She doesn t come demanding. She calls David lord, master. She asks permission to speak. She refers to herself as David s maidservant. In all this human drama, please keep in mind the sovereignty of God in saving David from committing a terrible sin. David is intent on killing every man in the household of Nabal. So who does God send? A woman. God is very interested in stopping David from committing this terrible sin. If one of the men would have come to David, he would have been killed. The horrible sin would have begun. Even if David stopped after one man, this would be a terrible mark on his name, his conscience, his future as King. 25:25 Abigail is asking David to consider the source of this injustice. We do well to do the same. Consider the source. We also do well to consider the spiritual condition of the person who is a Nabal to us.

5 That won t always work though, b/c some of the people who are unjust to us are intelligent, talented people. They are nothing close to being a fool. But there is a bigger picture Don t allow a Nabal to turn us into murderers, taking revenge. NOTE- Abigail is seeking to give David proper perspective on this wrong that was done to him. 5 Also, she assures David that she didn t know about this. If she did, this would not have happened. This is her way of telling David that Nabal was wrong, and that David did indeed deserve blessings from Nabal. Agreeing with the wrong done to someone doesn t allow for them to take revenge for that wrong. 25:26 Abigail brings further perspective to David. She impresses upon David that God has kept him from committing this terrible sin. David was about to commit a massacre. Abigail is encouraging David to leave the situation alone. Whatever is going to happen to Nabal, let that happen to all of David s enemies. The main point is this: Let God deal with it. 25:27 She makes things right regarding the provisions for David and his men. 25:28 Abigail does what we should all do for each other. She does what the Holy Spirit seeks to do with us. She turns David away from the temporal injustice, and refocuses him on eternal truths. She reminds David of who he has been called to be, and who he is before God. She reminds David that it is God who will build a life for David. David doesn t need to avenge himself; His life is in the hands of God. His present & future belong to God. She is reminding David that he had not yet sinned throughout his days. This would be a terrible mark upon his name. He would go on to become King. But the people might not rust him, b/c he might kill you if you get him angry. 25:29 Abigail makes reference to Saul, who was seeking to kill David. This lets David know that Abigail understands what is going on in his life.

6 Abigail understands the hardships that David has and is going through. She can understand his anger against Nabal. 6 This is the heart of God. He understands the situations of our lives. He sees the injustice, and the sins committed against us. He sees when we have tried so diligently to do the right thing. Revelation 2:2-5 2 I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars; 3 and you have persevered and have patience, and have labored for My name s sake and have not become weary. 4 Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love. God knew all about David s efforts, and his innocence up to this point. But David was leaving his first love and pursuing love of self. God loved David so much that he sent an Abigail to steer him away from this sin. To give him perspective, and to remind him of God s wonderful promises for David. NOTE- Remember- Abigail means the father s joy. Abigail is there to bring David back to the Father s joy. He sees when our efforts are not only ignored by people, but we are unappreciated, and our motives and character is attacked. 1 Peter 2: For what credit is it if, when you are beaten for your faults, you take it patiently? But when you do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God. 21 For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps:2 2 Who committed no sin, Nor was deceit found in His mouth ; 23 who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously; 24 who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness by whose stripes you were healed. 25 For you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls. 25:30, 31 Abigail is telling David that after God has kept His promises to David, that David won t have to live with this horrible regret. 1. He almost shed blood w/o a cause, in that he was willing to kill the innocent men with Nabal. 2. David is going to allow the Lord to deal with Nabal. 3. Abigail asks to be remembered by David.

7 25:32-35 David recognizes that this visit by Abigail is from the Lord. Notice the humility in David. He is persuaded by a woman. He clearly admits what he almost did. 7 God wants to keep his children from sinning. He sends the Holy Spirit to speaks to us, and to bring us back to the joy of the Father. God seeks to interrupt us on our way to sinning. He will use people, a radio show, an event, a song, a thought. The Holy Spirit will remind us of who we are in Christ. He will remind us of God s plans, promises, and provision for us. He will seek to show us the foolishness of taking injustice into our own hands. He will remind us that He will make all things right. 25:36-38 God took care of Nabal. David would have none of Nabal s blood on his hands. He would not be blamed for this. It was the Lord s doing. 25:39 David says two things: 1. God has taken care of Nabal s wickedness. 2. God has kept David from sinning 3. NOTE- If David would have slaughtered Nabal and his men, he would have given Saul a just public cause to hunt him down. He was saved from this. NOTE- We need God to keep us from sinning, don t we? David failed in that murder was in his heart. But he didn t fail in going through with it. He listened to the voice of God through Abigail, and was saved from committing this awful sin. David later proposes to Abigail. 25:40-44 David is not taking a second wife in Abigail; Saul had taken Michal away, given her to another man to spite David (he gets her back in 2 Samuel 3:13-16) b. Abigail's great wisdom and boldness did not make her bossy towards David; notice she keeps her great humility in his presence c. Though Abigail was David's "second first wife," he certainly had several wives; the Bible records this fact, along with the fact that David's family life was pretty messed up