Part 11 (1/2)
Arrogance, greed, and selfishness had conspired to rob Nabal of any good sense he might once have possessed. Thinking himself a great man when he was only a small one, he lost everything. Abigail was Nabal's opposite, a woman whose humility, faith, generosity, intelligence, and honesty made her wise. Rather than putting others at risk by an ungoverned tongue, her gracious words saved lives.
When David heard the news of Nabal's death, he sent word to Abigail, asking her to be his wife. This time it was Abigail's choice whether or not to marry. She accepted, becoming David's third wife and eventually mother to his second son, Kileab.
Unlike Michal, who had been a mere p.a.w.n on a chessboard, Abigail was a woman who rose above her circ.u.mstances to change the course of events. Though Scripture doesn't offer details regarding her daily life, it is logical to suppose she was a good wife to Nabal. Even her entreaty to David was the act of a good wife. Perhaps her marriage was the catalyst for her character, helping her to cultivate contrasting virtues to Nabal's vices. Regardless, through her quickwitted action, she spared her husband's life and goods. It was G.o.d, not Abigail or David, who paid Nabal back for his arrogance and greed.
Tuesday HER LIFE AND TIMES.
FOOD.
Two hundred loaves of bread, two skins of wine, five dressed sheep, a bushel of roasted grain, a hundred cakes of raisins, and two hundred cakes of pressed figs-what a feast! Abigail put together a marvelous meal for David and his men.
Even though famine was not unknown in the area, Palestine had the reputation of being a ”land of milk and honey.” The most basic food of the land was bread. The bread of biblical times was coa.r.s.e, dark, and rich. Field workers often brought two small hollow loaves of bread with them, one they filled with olives and the other with cheese. Abigail's offering of two hundred loaves of such bread formed a bountiful beginning to the meal for David and his men.
Wine was the common drink in this hot land. Juices fermented quickly in bags of animal skins. Often wine was mixed with water to provide a refres.h.i.+ng drink with meals. Wine also was used as a disinfectant (Luke 10:34) and as a medicine (1 Timothy 5:23).
Next Abigail took five ”dressed sheep.” No, this didn't mean the sheep wore clothes appropriate for the trip; it meant they were killed and skinned and ready to be cooked. Because the sheep were dressed, David's men merely had to build a fire and cook parts of the sheep to eat. Sheep, both young and old, formed a major part of the Israelites' meat diet, as did calves, goats, and different types of birds. Hunters also brought in venison, antelope, and other wild animals, and fishermen provided many types of fish for eating, something the Israelites complained about missing while they were wandering in the desert.
The bushel of roasted grain was a food that could be eaten anywhere, anytime. Since David and his men were often pursued, such food would have been a helpful addition to their diet. Such roasted grain along with a bit of wine often formed a quick lunch for field laborers (Ruth 2:14).
Now for dessert-or at least something sweet. Abigail gathered one hundred cakes of raisins and two hundred cakes of pressed figs. Palestine swelled with the produce from the vine and fig tree, so much so that the tree came to be known as a metaphor for safe, abundant living: ”During Solomon's lifetime Judah and Israel, from Dan to Beersheba, lived in safety, each man under his own vine and fig tree” (1 Kings 4:25). Fresh fruit of many different kinds was available year round, but the first fresh figs of the year were considered a special delicacy. Dried figs and raisins also made excellent food for the traveler, perfect for David and his men.
The women in Israelite households (some things never change!) customarily prepared the meals. They usually prepared food in a mixed form; that is, small pieces of meat, vegetables, rice, grain, and sometimes fruits were mixed together to form the meal rather than being kept separate, as is common today. The Israelite diet could be almost as varied-depending on the season and the individual's wealth-as many of today's people have come to expect and enjoy.
New Testament writers used food as a metaphor for spiritual nourishment. Paul talks about the milk, rather than solid food, required by new Christians (1 Corinthians 3:2), and the writer to the Hebrews writes of those Chris tians whose spiritual growth is so slow that they still require milk rather than solid food (Hebrews 5:11 - 14). Jesus reminded his disciples that ”life is more than food” (Luke 12:23-26), and that we shouldn't worry so much about it.
Wednesday HER LEGACY IN SCRIPTURE.
Read 1 Samuel 25:2 - 42.
1. What do you imagine it was like for Abigail to be married to Nabal on a day-to-day basis?
2. How would you have dealt with a husband like Nabal? What kind of person would you have become?
3. How did Abigail deal with an arrogant man (Nabal) and an angry man (David)?
4. How do you react when someone in authority over you makes a bad choice? If the choice affects you, what should you do?
5. How would you like to grow in the way you relate to men?
Thursday HER PROMISE.
Abigail was a courageous woman, who made the best out of a difficult situation. She knew the cultural principles at work here: Nabal-out ofjust plain good hospitality and out of grat.i.tude for the protection David's men had provided - should have given David's men what they asked for. Yet when David sought vengeance, Abigail interceded, realizing that vengeance wasn't something that was up to David-or her-to give.
Years of living with Nabal did not seem to have made Abigail bitter, nor had the years caused her to look for ways to get back at him and seek revenge. The Lord honored Abigail for her consistency, her generosity, and her willingness to continue on the right path, no matter how difficult. In the same way, G.o.d continues to honor those who are faithful even when faithfulness brings difficulty and hards.h.i.+p and pain. He doesn't promise to always deliver, as he delivered Abigail, but he does promise to go with us.
Promises in Scripture Hear, O Lord, and be merciful to me; O Lord, be my help.”
You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing to you and not be silent.
0 Lord my G.o.d, I will give you thanks forever.
-Psalm 30:10 - 12 Do not withhold your mercy from me, O Lord; may your love and your truth always protect me.
-Psalm 40:11 So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your G.o.d.
I will strengthen you and help you; 1 will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
-Isaiah 41:10 Friday HER LEGACY OF PRAYER.
David said to Abigail, ”Praise be to the Lord, the G.o.d of Israel, who has sent you today to meet me. May you be blessed for your good judgment and for keeping me from bloodshed this day and from avenging myself with my own hands.”
- i Samuel 25:32 - 33 Reflect On: 1 Samuel 25:2 - 42.
Praise G.o.d: For calling you to be a peacemaker in your family, neighborhood, and world.
Offer Thanks: That G.o.d knows every challenge facing your marriage.
Confess: Any bitterness you may have harbored about your marriage.
Ask G.o.d: To use your relations.h.i.+p with your husband to strengthen your character and increase your faith.
Lift Your Heart If you haven't yet made a commitment to pray daily for your husband, do so today. Set aside a few minutes to surrender your marriage to G.o.d, specifically asking him to bless your spouse. Try to refrain from focusing on your laundry list of complaints and instead pray for the needs you know your husband has. Ask G.o.d to shape your marriage relations.h.i.+p and use it for his purposes. Relinquish any desire you may have to control your husband; instead, ask G.o.d to work in his life.
Father, I ask you to bless my husband in every facet of his life-his health, his work, his relations.h.i.+p with our children, our relations.h.i.+p together and his relations.h.i.+p to you.
Let nothing and no one, including myself hinder your work in his life.
The Woman of Endor.
Her Character: Compa.s.sionate to Saul on the eve of his death, she exercised power by acting as a medium.
Her Sorrow: To have delivered a hopeless message to Israel's king.
Key Scripture: 1 Samuel 28:3 - 25 Monday HER STORY.
It was a night for frightening apparitions. Squinting through the open doorway, the woman stiffened, retreating a step. A face loomed before her, floating on its own like a full white moon in the outer darkness. Before she could close the door, she felt fingers gripping her wrist.
”Please,” the voice insisted, ”consult a spirit for me, and bring up for me the one I name.”
The large man pushed through the door, followed by two more men. She could smell his fear as he swept past her and sat down on the couch.
”Surely you know what Saul has done. He has cut off the mediums and spiritists from the land. Why have you set a trap for my life to bring about my death?” she replied.
”As surely as the Lord lives, you will not be punished for this,” he swore.
”Whom shall I bring up for you?”