Pam Padgett ... teacher
When David and his men were in the wilderness of Paran, he heard that
a man of great possessions named Nabal was in Carmel shearing his
sheep. David sent some of his men to tell Nabal how they had protected
Nabal's shepherds and to ask provisions of Nabal. But Nabal refused ...
1 Samuel 25:10 And Nabal answered David's servants, and said,
Who is David? and who is the son of Jesse? there be many servants now a
days that break away every man from his master. 11 Shall I then take my
bread, and my water, and my flesh that I have killed for my shearers,
and give it unto men, whom I know not whence they be?
When David heard what Nabal had said, he called four hundred of his
men to get their swords and David led them to destroy Nabal and all his
men ...
1 Samuel 25:21 Now David had said, Surely in vain have I kept
all that this fellow hath in the wilderness, so that nothing was missed
of all that pertained unto him: and he hath requited me evil for good.
22 So and more also do God unto the enemies of David, if I leave of all
that pertain to him by the morning light any that pisseth against the
wall.
But Abigail, Nabal's wife, was a woman of good understanding. When she was told what Nabal had done, she quickly prepared food and went out to meet David ...
1 Samuel 25:23 And when Abigail saw David, she hasted, and
lighted off the ass, and fell before David on her face, and bowed
herself to the ground, 24 And fell at his feet, and said, Upon me, my
lord, upon me let this iniquity be: and let thine handmaid, I pray thee,
speak in thine audience, and hear the words of thine handmaid. 25 Let
not my lord, I pray thee, regard this man of Belial, even Nabal: for as
his name is, so is he; Nabal is his name, and folly is with him: but I
thine handmaid saw not the young men of my lord, whom thou didst send.
26 Now therefore, my lord, as the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth,
seeing the Lord hath withholden thee from coming to shed blood, and from
avenging thyself with thine own hand, now let thine enemies, and they
that seek evil to my lord, be as Nabal. 27 And now this blessing which
thine handmaid hath brought unto my lord, let it even be given unto the
young men that follow my lord. 28 I pray thee, forgive the trespass of
thine handmaid: for the Lord will certainly make my lord a sure house;
because my lord fighteth the battles of the Lord, and evil hath not been
found in thee all thy days. 29 Yet a man is risen to pursue thee, and
to seek thy soul: but the soul of my lord shall be bound in the bundle
of life with the Lord thy God; and the souls of thine enemies, them
shall he sling out, as out of the middle of a sling. 30 And it shall
come to pass, when the Lord shall have done to my lord according to all
the good that he hath spoken concerning thee, and shall have appointed
thee ruler over Israel; 31 That this shall be no grief unto thee, nor
offence of heart unto my lord, either that thou hast shed blood
causeless, or that my lord hath avenged himself: but when the Lord shall
have dealt well with my lord, then remember thine handmaid.
David recognized that God had sent Abigail to keep him from avenging himself on Nabal.
Although David and his men were ready to destroy Nabal and his men,
David submitted himself to the will of God. Instead of proceeding with
avenging himself, David received the food Abigail brought and told
her to return to her house in peace ...
1 Samuel 25:32 And David said to Abigail, Blessed be the Lord
God of Israel, which sent thee this day to meet me: 33 And blessed be
thy advice, and blessed be thou, which hast kept me this day from coming
to shed blood, and from avenging myself with mine own hand. 34 For in
very deed, as the Lord God of Israel liveth, which hath kept me back
from hurting thee, except thou hadst hasted and come to meet me, surely
there had not been left unto Nabal by the morning light any that pisseth
against the wall. 35 So David received of her hand that which she had
brought him, and said unto her, Go up in peace to thine house; see, I
have hearkened to thy voice, and have accepted thy person.
Although God kept David from killing Nabal, God smote Nabal causing him to die about ten days later ....
1 Samuel 25:37 But it came to pass in the morning, when the
wine was gone out of Nabal, and his wife had told him these things, that
his heart died within him, and he became as a stone. 38 And it came to
pass about ten days after, that the Lord smote Nabal, that he died. 39
And when David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, Blessed be the Lord,
that hath pleaded the cause of my reproach from the hand of Nabal, and
hath kept his servant from evil: for the Lord hath returned the
wickedness of Nabal upon his own head. ...
David submitted himself to God. When God sent Abigail to keep David
from destroying Nabal and his men, David didn't persist in avenging
himself. Instead, David yielded to the will of God. And God dealt with
Nabal as HE willed.
Like David, we also need to be willing to adjust our ways when we are
shown by God to go a different way, submitting ourselves to God.