Abigail

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 “Now therefore know and consider what thou wilt do…” (1 Samuel 25:17)

I’ve been thinking about Abigail a lot lately, and decided that I would like to share with you my observations about what kind of a woman she was.  She faced a crisis, and she faced it alone. This is her story as told to us in the Bible.

Abigail was married to a man named Nabal. Nabal was a very rich man with lots of herds of animals and herdsmen and servants. Saul was still king of the nation of Israel, and David had fled into the mountains where 600 men (and their households!) had joined him. It so happened that some of David’s men had been near where Nabal’s shepherds were keeping their flocks, and so David’s men had helped protect the flocks (and the shepherds too!) from wild animals and marauders. Later, David heard that Nabal was hosting a feast, so David sent some young men to ask Nabal to send them some food, since they had helped protect his property (and were part of the reason that Nabal was able to have a celebration).

Nabal acted like he didn’t know who David or his young men were, going so far as to say that David might just be a runaway slave. So he very snobbily said no to David’s humble request. David’s messengers brought back his answer to David, and David immediately decided to take 400 men and go kill Nabal, his family, his servants, and anything that belonged to Nabal. One of Nabal’s young men overheard what Nabal had said to David’s young men, and somehow he knew (or guessed) what David was about to do. He went straight to Abigail and told her what had happened. He ended by saying to her, “Now therefore know and consider what thou wilt do, for evil is determined against our master, and against all his household: for he is such a son of Belial, that a man cannot speak to him.”

And now I would like to look carefully at the details of how Abigail reacted to this crisis in her life. She responded to this crisis in a very headstrong, decisive kind of way— and it’s a good thing she did, or the outcome would have been very different. Her husband was a very foolish and wicked man, and she would have already known and experienced this before this event took place.

1. The young man talking to Abigail expected her to do something about the facts that:

• Her husband had responded angrily to David’s messengers who had asked for food.
• Evil was determined against her husband and all of his household.

This particular young man was comfortable talking to Abigail.  He would rather speak to her than to her husband—because it was impossible to speak to her husband.  He was confident that telling Abigail what had happened, was going to help solve the (very big) problem.  He expected her to do something about it. Now therefore know and consider what thou wilt do.

1. Abigail did act, as the young man expected that she would.

• She “made haste.”  She acted quickly.  Time could not be wasted.  She could not hesitate.  She had to be decisive.

• She had servants.

• We will assume that the servants helped with her gigantic task.  She gathered:
  • 200 loaves (of bread)
  • 2 bottles of wine
  • 5 entire sheep, cooked and ready to eat
  • 5 measures of corn
  • 100 raisin clusters
  • 200 fig cakes

1. She (and her servants) loaded the food onto animals to transport it to David. She didn’t invite him and his men to a feast—she was bringing the feast to them!
2. She sent the servants ahead. Then I suppose she finished making herself presentable after working up a sweat. But maybe the food-laden animals were slower even with their headstart, because it appears that Abigail met David and his men first before the food arrived.
3. As soon as Abigail saw David, she got off of her animal as fast as she could and bowed down to him. She fell at his feet and basically begged for mercy.
4. She took the blame for what her husband had done—for how very rude he had been! So rude that he had put his entire household in danger of being killed! She said, “upon me let this iniquity be” and “forgive me” –yet she was completely innocent!
5. She admitted that her husband was as foolish as his name. She didn’t cover up for his bad behaviour, nor did she excuse it. She agreed that he had done wrong – she called it “iniquity.”
6. Not only did she call out his foolishness, she said he was wicked (“son of Belial”)
7. She spoke prophetic words to David about his being king in the future.
8. She didn’t want David to do something he would regret. She was doing all in her power and saying all she could, to get David to come to a place of forgiveness rather than vengeance.
9. David credited God for sending Abigail to him.

• He blessed God.

• He blessed her advice.

• He blessed Abigail.

• He credited her quickness to act for keeping him from killing everyone in Abigail’s household: “except thou hadst hasted and come to meet me…

• David accepted her gifts of food.

• He agreed with all she had asked—and sent her back home.

1. Abigail went home and still didn’t tell her husband what she had done. She had left without telling him where she was going—and without asking for his permission. She had acted completely on her own authority.

• She waited until the morning of the next day to tell her husband all that had happened, after he was no longer drunk.

• The shock of it sent him into a coma, and in 10 days he died.

1. When David heard that Abigail’s husband was dead, he blessed the Lord for keeping David from killing him, and for giving Nabal what he deserved.
2. And… David sent messengers to Abigail to say to her: “David sent us, to take you back to be his wife.”
   She answered with a statement of humbleness—saying she would be glad just to wash David’s servant’s feet.
3. Then, for the second time, she hasted. Apparently this lady does not dilly dally.  She got on her animal, along with 5 of her lady servants on their animals, and trotted over to become David’s wife.

I hope that this true story has been an encouragement to you.  I hope that when you face a crisis in your life that you are able to face it with the courage and decisiveness that Abigail used.  Some people may criticize you and say that you were too bold—but you will know that sometimes boldness is exactly what is needed.

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