Abigail
1 Samuel 25:2-44, 1 Samuel 27:3, 1 Samuel 30:3-5, 1 Samuel 30:18, 2 Samuel 2:2-3, 2 Samuel 3:2, 1 Chronicles 3:1-2
AB ih gale: "father of joy"
During her life, Abigail was a woman beset by trials, ignorance and aggravation. Unfortunately, people still use her story to impose these same trials on women today. Her bravery, courage and leadership skills have been twisted or even negated to imposes ungodly restrictions on Godly women. Let's look at exactly what the Bible says about Abigail, and notice some of the things it doesn't say.
1 Samuel 25:1-3:
There was a man in Maon, whose property was in Carmel. The man was very rich; he had three thousand sheep and a thousand goats. He was shearing his sheep in Carmel. Now the name of the man was Nabal, and the name of his wife Abigail. The woman was clever and beautiful, but the man was surly and mean; he was a Calebite.
The Bible introduces us to Abigail and her husband. Hebrew readers have a clue to this story in the first section that English readers lack (unless we read footnotes). Nabal sounds very like the the Hebrew word "fool". Word plays occur repeatedly in the Bible, this particular word play works much like the name "pilgrim" in Pilgrim's Progress--the name given describes an characteristic of the character/person. So, at this point we know several things: Nabal is rich, with three thousand sheep and a thousand goats; Nabal is a fool. He is mean and surly. In contrast, Abigail, his wife, is beautiful and clever. This information foreshadows events in the story.
1 Samuel 25:4-8:
David heard in the wilderness that Nabal was shearing his sheep. So David sent ten young men; and David said to the young men, 'Go up to Carmel, and go to Nabal, and greet him in my name. Thus you shall salute him: 'Peace be to you, and peace be to your house, and peace be to all that you have. I hear that you have shearers; now your shepherds have been with us, and we did them no harm, and they missed nothing, all the time they were in Carmel. Ask your young men, and they will tell you. Therefore let my young men find favor in your sight; for we have come on a feast day. Please give whatever you have at hand to your servants and to your son David.'
Here we learn that David essentially demands Nabal's hospitality. David has the right to do so, as he has helped Nabal's shepherds in the past. David is known to Nabal, not only through public acclaim (David was a famous man by this point), but through personal contact with Nabal's people. More, honor within the tribal society demanded Nabal honor the debt of hospitality owed by him on behalf of his shepherds.
At the same time, however, David is making demands, much like a gangster in a 1930s movie. The Bible does not indicate Nabal sought David's assistance with the sheep, nor does it say David actually aided the shepherds. The men were essentially offered "protection" by David. Now that it was time to harvest the wool, however, David wanted a share.
1 Samuel 25:-9-11:
When David's young men came, they said all this to Nabal in the name of David; and then they waited. But Nabal answered David's servants, 'Who is David? Who is the son of Jesse? There are many servants today who are breaking away from their masters. Shall I take my bread and my water and the meat that I have butchered for my shearers, and give it to men who come from I do not know where?'
Nabal lives up to his name. Not only does he foolishly deny the debt of honor he owes-denying even that he knows David's name, but adds insult by emphasising David's rebellion against Saul. David was one of the servants "who are breaking away from their masters". Keep in mind, David isn't on a Sunday outing, he travels with an army of men who have worked as mercenaries-six hundred battle hardened warriors. In essence, Nabal has gotten smart with a "Soldier of Fortune" poster-boy.
David's men return with Nabal's answer.
1 Samuel 25:13:
David said to his men, 'Every man strap on his sword!' And every one of them strapped on his sword; David also strapped on his sword; and about four hundred men went up after David, while two hundred remained with the baggage.
"Load 'em up and move 'em out," David declares. These men ride armed for combat against Nabal--a self important sheepherder! At the same time, though, David's actions are extreme and out of proportion. Hospitality should have been given, yes, but David did not have the right to demand or take by force.
1 Samuel 25:14-17:
But one of the young men told Abigail, Nabal's wife, 'David sent messengers out of the wilderness to salute our master; and he shouted insults at them. Yet the men were very good to us, and we suffered no harm, and we never missed anything when we were in the fields, as long as we were with them; they were a wall to us both by night and by day, all the while we were with them keeping the sheep. Now therefore know this and consider what you should do; for evil has been decided against our master and against all his house; he is so ill-natured that no one can speak to him.'
Here we encounter something interesting: the servant comes to Abigail, not to gossip about his master, but with the expectation of her action. He says, "know this and consider what you should do." He does not go to his "ill-natured" master, instead he seeks out his mistress. The Bible does not correct or in anyway admonish him for "breaking the chain of command" that many churches stress.
1 Samuel 25:18-19:
Then Abigail hurried and took two hundred loaves, two skins of wine, five sheep ready dressed, five measures of parched grain, one hundred clusters of raisins, and two hundred cakes of figs. She loaded them on donkeys and said to her young men, 'Go on ahead of me; I am coming after you.' But she did not tell her husband Nabal.
Abigail quickly considers what she should do, and puts her plan into practice. She gathers the makings of the feast David had requested, prepares for travel and takes off to meet David....all without telling Nabal. For those of us having been taught that wives are to "obey" their husbands, this presents an interesting biblical precedent. Abigail has: 1) Considered the problem, 2) determined a course of action directly opposed to her husband's wishes, 3) implemented that plan, 4) failed to seek her husband's permission--in fact, she hasn't told him anything. If what we have been taught accurately reflects the Word of God, Abigail will be corrected by the Lord--let's see what happens...
1 Samuel 25:20-22:
As she rode on the donkey and came down under cover of the mountain, David and his men came down toward her; and she met them. Now David had said, 'Surely it was in vain that I protected all that this fellow has in the wilderness, so that nothing was missed of all that belonged to him; but he has returned me evil for good. God do so to David and more also, if by morning I leave so much as one male of all who belong to him.'
Abigail has set off, and meets David. He is not a happy camper. He swears he will destroy every male "belonging" to Nabal. This doesn't mean only slaves, but includes every male member of Nabal's extended household.
1 Samuel 25:-23-26
When Abigail saw David, she hurried and alighted from the donkey, and fell before David on her face, bowing to the ground. She fell at his feet and said, 'Upon me alone, my lord, be the guilt; please let your servant speak in your ears, and hear the words of your servant. My lord, do not take seriously this ill-natured fellow, Nabal; for as his name is, so is he; Nabal is his name, and folly is with him; but I, your servant, did not see the young men of my lord, whom you sent.'
In riding a donkey to greet David, Abigail displays a measure of her wealth. Donkeys at this time were animals for the elite. Abigail abases herself before David. She assumes the responsibility for Nabal's actions, and even goes so far as to publicly criticize Nabal. I read an analysis of this story once that indicated Abigail never criticized Nabal to his face, therefore her words to David could not be seen as criticism. Perhaps. However, in tribal societies, insults given in public bore far more damage than those given in private. In tribal cultures loss of face carried a great deal of stigma. For Abigail to have publicly labeled her husband a fool posed a serious threat to Nabal's standing and reputation. Then she goes further and hints she was supposed to be in charge of the matters anyway, saying "I did not see the young men of my lord, whom you sent." What difference would her having seen them, if she did not have the authority to act?
1 Samuel 25:26:
'Now then, my lord, as the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, since the Lord has restrained you from bloodguilt and from taking vengeance with your own hand, now let your enemies and those who seek to do evil to my lord be like Nabal.'"
David will face allegations of bloodguilt several times in his life. Abigail has reminded him, in a very nice way, that if he followed through in his intent he not, Nabal, would be the guilty party. David does not have a right under the law to retaliate in this way. If he does, he will be guilty before God.
1 Samuel 25:27-30:
'And now let this present that your servant has brought to my lord be given to the young men who follow my lord. Please forgive the trespass of your servant; for the Lord will certainly make my lord a sure house, because my lord is fighting the battles of the Lord; and evil shall not be found in you so long as you live. If anyone should rise up to pursue you and to seek your life, the life of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of the living under the care of the Lord your God; but the lives of your enemies he shall sling out as from the hollow of a sling. When the Lord has done to my lord according to all the good that he has spoken concerning you, and has appointed you prince over Israel, my lord shall have no cause of grief, or pangs of conscience, for having shed blood without cause or for having saved himself. And when the Lord has dealt well with my lord, then remember your servant.'
Clever Abigail went on to demonstrate spiritual understanding. She didn't defend Nabal, but reminded David of the spiritual consequences of his actions. If David killed Nabal, David would have the burden. More she offered a prayer/prophecy that David's enemies would be like Nabal-fools. She reminded David that he pursued God's plans, and fought for God Himself. David walked in the protection of the Lord, while his enemies would be defeated. Why should he tamper with such a destiny by stooping to murder? (Too bad Abigail didn't remind him again when it came to Uriel.)
