1 Samuel 25

1 Samuel 25:1

6. Nabal’s Folly (Chap. 25)25:1-9 The death of Samuel brought to a close the period of the judges. The nation had now become a monarchy. David’s descendants would occupy Israel’s throne forever, Christ being the fulfillment of the promise. The deep respect in which Samuel was held is indicated by the grief that swept across the nation when he died. After the prophet’s death, David . . . went down to the Wilderness of Paran, in the southern part of Judah, perhaps to get further away from Saul and his murderous schemes. The Carmel mentioned in verse 2 was not the Mount Carmel which is in the north, but a town near Maon. Nabal was shearing his sheep there, and David, according to custom, sent some young men to ask for a gift in return for the protection he had provided for Nabal’s flocks. 25:10-13 But Nabal answered David’s servants in such a selfish and rude manner that David became enraged and started toward Carmel with about four hundred men to punish Nabal and his household. 25:14-22 Nabal’s beautiful and discerning wife, Abigail, learned of the danger that her husband’s ill-advised behavior had brought upon them. She quickly gathered a large supply of foodstuffs and went out to meet David. As David approached Carmel, he was rehearsing to himself the good he had shown Nabal and the contempt Nabal had shown him. 25:23-31 When Abigail met David, she prostrated herself at his feet and delivered a masterful and successful plea. She first admitted that her husband was true to his name (Nabal means fool or cad). When David’s men had come earlier, she had not known about it. As she asked for forgiveness, she reminded him that the LORD had restrained him from . . . bloodshed and that God would punish his enemieseven Nabal. She had real spiritual insight into who David was, the anointed of the Lord, and praised him sincerely for fighting the battles of the LORD. How much better it would be when he became king if he did not have to look back on a time when he had stretched out his own hand and avenged himself instead of leaving his enemies to the vengeance of the Lord! 25:32-35 David was deeply impressed by these words of diplomacy and thanked her for preventing him from destroying Nabal. The Lord knows how to bring the right people into our lives to direct us and warn us. We should be thankful that He does. Abigail’s advice was effective; her generous gift was accepted. David left Nabal with the Lord. God wasn’t long in acting. Some might argue that Abigail violated God’s order by not consulting her husband and by usurping authority over him. Yet the Bible does not suggest that she acted wrongly. On the contrary, she probably saved Nabal and his household from destruction by her emergency action. 25:36-44 When Abigail returned home, Nabal . . . was very drunk. She waited until the next day to tell him what had happened. When he heard the news, he was probably seized with paralysis, a stroke, or a heart attack. Ten days later he died, leaving behind all the possessions he had selfishly hoarded to himself. Hearing of Nabal’s death, David soon sent a proposal of marriage to Abigail, which she accepted with great humility. David had also acquired another wife, Ahinoam, since he had gone into hiding. Meanwhile, Michal, his first wife, had been given to another man. In this story we see afresh that whoever exalts himself will be humbled (Nabal was killed by God), and she who humbles herself will be exalted (Abigail became the wife of the king) (Luk_14:11).