Teach us to pray-5

We left David last week seemingly bent on revenge. His self-righteous anger seems out of place for a ‘man after God’s own heart’!

1 Samuel 25:14  But one of the young men told Abigail, Nabal's wife, saying, "Behold, David sent messengers from the wilderness to greet our master, and he scorned them. 25:15  "Yet the men were very good to us, and we were not insulted, nor did we miss anything as long as we went about with them, while we were in the fields. 25:16  "They were a wall to us both by night and by day, all the time we were with them tending the sheep. 

First, this young man confirmed to Abigail that David was good to them and had indeed watched over them and perhaps saved them from others who may have harmed them.

25:17  "Now therefore, know and consider what you should do, for evil is plotted against our master and against all his household; and he is such a worthless man that no one can speak to him." 

The question is how did this young man know there was evil coming down on them? He was Nabal’s servant not David’s servant. But, most everyone knew of the character of Nabal and no one spoke highly of him. It does raise the question on how did he arrange to get a wife like Abigail?

25:18  Then Abigail hurried and took two hundred loaves of bread and two jugs of wine and five sheep already prepared and five measures of roasted grain and a hundred clusters of raisins and two hundred cakes of figs, and loaded them on donkeys. 25:19  She said to her young men, "Go on before me; behold, I am coming after you." But she did not tell her husband Nabal. 

She knew what to do and acted quickly. She did not have much time to waste. David was coming with murder on his mind with many men of war. Nabal’s servants were not soldiers and in a sense defenseless from David’s soon coming attack. David and his 400 men of war were coming to destroy Nabal and every male with him.

25:20  It came about as she was riding on her donkey and coming down by the hidden part of the mountain, that behold, David and his men were coming down toward her; so she met them. 25:21  Now David had said, "Surely in vain I have guarded all that this man has in the wilderness, so that nothing was missed of all that belonged to him; and he has returned me evil for good. 25:22  "May God do so to the enemies of David, and more also, if by morning I leave as much as one male of any who belong to him." 

Now we know the extent of David’s anger. First, he considered Nabal’s rebuke of his request as evil and worthy of death! Not just Nabal’s death but all of his ‘innocent’ servants as well. What could have caused all of this terrible response?

25:23  When Abigail saw David, she hurried and dismounted from her donkey, and fell on her face before David and bowed herself to the ground. 25:24  She fell at his feet and said, "On me alone, my lord, be the blame. And please let your maidservant speak to you, and listen to the words of your maidservant. 25:25  "Please do not let my lord pay attention to this worthless man, Nabal, for as his name is, so is he. Nabal is his name and folly is with him; but I your maidservant did not see the young men of my lord whom you sent. 

She came and bowed to him. She accepted blame rather than accuse Nabal for all that had transpired. David certainly would not kill her! But, she now interceded for Nabal and David. David was ready to perform a mass killing that would have plagued him the rest of his life.

25:26  "Now therefore, my lord, as the LORD lives, and as your soul lives, since the LORD has restrained you from shedding blood, and from avenging yourself by your own hand, now then let your enemies and those who seek evil against my lord, be as Nabal. 

She immediately came to the true source of the problem. David was intent on avenging himself from Nabal’s callous rebuke of his request through his servants.

25:27  "Now let this gift which your maidservant has brought to my lord be given to the young men who accompany my lord. 25:28  "Please forgive the transgression of your maidservant; for the LORD will certainly make for my lord an enduring house, because my lord is fighting the battles of the LORD, and evil will not be found in you all your days. 25:29  "Should anyone rise up to pursue you and to seek your life, then the life of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of the living with the LORD your God; but the lives of your enemies He will sling out as from the hollow of a sling. 

She was actually referring to Scripture. The battle is the Lord’s. David will have the throne forever. He must not do evil, he is God’s servant and must do good. But, it does prove that even godly men need restraint against the flesh. God sent David both Nathan and Abagail to warn him and restore him to reliance on God.

25:30  "And when the LORD does for my lord according to all the good that He has spoken concerning you, and appoints you ruler over Israel, 25:31  this will not cause grief or a troubled heart to my lord, both by having shed blood without cause and by my lord having avenged himself. When the LORD deals well with my lord, then remember your maidservant." 

Remorse is a terrible burden to bear. We may all have remorse for sins we have committed, most likely before we were saved. Killing many innocent men with an army would be one of those burdens that could both haunt David and be used against him when he is king.

25:32  Then David said to Abigail, "Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, who sent you this day to meet me,  25:33  and blessed be your discernment, and blessed be you, who have kept me this day from bloodshed and from avenging myself by my own hand.  25:34  "Nevertheless, as the LORD God of Israel lives, who has restrained me from harming you, unless you had come quickly to meet me, surely there would not have been left to Nabal until the morning light as much as one male." 

David recognized that the Lord sent Abagail to restrain him from evil. The timing was remarkable as well. David was on his way when Abagail intercepted him. Vengeance is mine says the Lord. We should all remember that as well. Revenge is not a godly response that should be on our lips or minds. Her gently rebuke humbled David.

25:35  So David received from her hand what she had brought him and said to her, "Go up to your house in peace. See, I have listened to you and granted your request." 

David listened. David understood. David agreed. David was thankful. David received her and her gift with grace and her humble chastisement saved him from a life of guilt.

David did not ask God if he should go to Nabal and kill everyone. So God sent him Abagail. The exact details and timing prove that God is always in control. Let us learn from this lesson.

More next Saturday.