Before we turn Abigail into a saint, however, we do need to remember she acted in her own best interest. The last sentence emphasizes this. Notice that she wanted David to remember her once things were resolved in his favor.
David castigated Abigail for being a rebellious woman who refused to honor her husband's authority and stuck her noise in men's business when she should have been home mopping the floor....right? Well, no.
1 Samuel 25:32-35:
David said to Abigail, 'Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who sent you to meet me today! Blessed be your good sense, and blessed be you, who have kept me today from bloodguilt and from avenging myself by my own hand! For as surely as the Lord the God of Israel lives, who has restrained me from hurting you, unless you had hurried and come to meet me, truly by morning there would not have been left to Nabal so much as one male.' Then David received from her hand what she had brought him; he said to her, 'Go up to your house in peace; see, I have heeded your voice, and I have granted your petition.'
In fact, David didn't chastise Abigail. He praised the Lord for her, then proclaimed her good sense. He applauded her spiritual knowledge in preventing him from sin--more he told her she had saved every man in her extended household. Unlike what we are often told, David listened and "heeds" a woman.
1 Samuel 25:36:
Abigail came to Nabal; he was holding a feast in his house, like the feast of a king. Nabal's heart was merry within him, for he was very drunk; so she told him nothing at all until the morning light.
Finally Abigail went to Nabal, but he was drunk. I stopped at this sentence because I've read that Abigail's taking charge was only OK because her husband was a drunkard. This interpretation simply isn't supported by the Word. Until this verse only one mention has been made of any form of alcohol-the wine Abigail took to David. We might assume (a stretch by any measure) that Nabal was a drunkard, but certainly that cannot be a rationalization of the story; for if it were the Bible would have told us well before Abigail went to David or come out and said it point blank. The Word simply does not say this--instead it tells us that Abigail was clever and beautiful, and Nabal is cruel and foolish. More if this were the case the servant would have explained Nabal's drunken state, not how ill-natured his master was.
1 Samuel 25:37-38:
In the morning, when the wine had gone out of Nabal, his wife told him these things, and his heart died within him; he became like a stone. About ten days later the Lord struck Nabal, and he died.
After all of this, God punished Nabal, not Abigail. But what does he punish him for?
1 Samuel 25:39
When David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, 'Blessed be the Lord who has judged the case of Nabal's insult to me, and has kept back his servant from evil; the Lord has returned the evildoing of Nabal upon his own head.'
Often I have read teachings that say Nabal was punished for his mistreatment of Abigail, therefore women can rest assured that God will punish their husbands if the husbands do something wrong to them. For instance, if a man beats his wife, she should just wait until the Lord stops him, as he stopped Nabal. If a husband creates barriers between a woman and her ministry she should just yield, because if God wanted things to change He'd correct the husband. Well, its true God chastises us, but we aren't to wait for someone else to change before we act....and if we use this story as the basis of such a teaching we are in for a long wait. David says God punished Nabal because of the insult given David not Abigail. "Huh??," you say. Read the verses above again "Blessed be the Lord who has judged the case of Nabal's insult to me"
Still, what did God do about Abigail's blatantly disrespectful and rebellious behavior?
1 Samuel 25:39-42:
Then David sent and wooed Abigail, to make her his wife. When David's servants came to Abigail at Carmel, they said to her, 'David has sent us to you to take you to him as his wife.' She rose and bowed down, with her face to the ground, and said, 'Your servant is a slave to wash the feet of the servants of my lord.' Abigail got up hurriedly and rode away on a donkey; her five maids attended her. She went after the messengers of David and became his wife. David also married Ahinoam of Jezreel; both of them became his wives.
Wow, she got to be wife to the future king of Israel. Imagine her shock, here her husband just died-probably a relief, but the Bible doesn't say. The warrior she's just had a run in with sends for her. She falls to the ground in self abasement--then gets a marriage proposal. Seems like the Lord was rewarding His servant. But Abigail's adventures aren't over yet.
1 Samuel 27:3:
David stayed with Achish at Gath, he and his troops, every man with his household, and David with his two wives, Ahinoam of Jezreel , and Abigail of Carmel, Nabal's widow.
1 Samuel 30:3-5:
When David and his men came to the city, they found it burned down, and their wives and sons and daughters taken captive. Then David and the people who were with him raised their voices and wept, until they had no more strength to weep. David's two wives also had been taken captive, Ahinoam of Jezreel , and Abigail the widow of Nabal of Carmel.
Abigail joins David's household and begins traveling with the group. Then while David and his warriors are off, the city is attacked. The buildings burned. Women and children kidnapped, taken captive. David returns to desolation; he and his people cry-out in distress until they can weep no more.The people are so angry they talk about stoning David, but when David turns to the Lord, God promises David will be able to rescue the captives.
1 Samuel 30:2-3:
David recovered all that the Amalekites had taken; and David rescued his two wives.
That David rescues his wives is repeated.
1 Samuel 30:18:
David recovered all that the Amalekites had taken; and David rescued his two wives.
2 Samuel 2:2-3:
So David went up there, along with his two wives, Ahinoam of Jezreel , and Abigail the widow of Nabal of Carmel. David brought up the men who were with him, every one with his household; and they settled in the towns of Hebron.
2 Samuel 3:2:
His second, Chileab, of Abigail the widow of Nabal of Carmel; the third, Absalom son of Maacah, daughter of King Talmai of Geshur.
1 Chronicles 3:1-2:
These are the sons of David who were born to him in Hebron: the firstborn Amnon, by Ahinoam the Jezreelite ; the second Daniel, by Abigail the Carmelite; the third Absalom, son of Maacah , daughter of King Talmai of Geshur; the fourth Adonijah, son of Haggith .
