Abigail & Nabal

I am fascinated by the story of Abigail & Nabal.

Their story can be found in 1 Samuel 25:1-42.  Basically, Abigail is married to a man, Nabal, who is a drunk and a fool.  1 Samuel 25:3 says this:  "The man's name was Nabal, and his wife Abigail, was a sensible and beautiful woman.  But Nabal, a descendant of Caleb, was mean and dishonest in all his dealings."    One day, David sent one of his men to ask Nabal for any food and drink he may have to spare.  He figured that Nabal would be more than happy to give it to them because he and his men had looked after Nabal's shepherd's and flock at some point in the past.  Well, I guess David thought wrong!  Nabal refused to send them anything calling them outlaws and run away servants.  His response made David very angry, so he gathered 400 of his men and told them to get their swords, they were going after Nabal.

In comes Abigail... One of Nabal's servants went to Abigail and told her everything that was going on, ending with "You'd better think fast, for there is going to be trouble for our master and his whole family..." 1 Samuel 25:17.  Now, if I were Abigail, I would have marched right out to my husband and most likely told him in all kinds of ways that he was a complete fool for acting the way he did.  But she didn't, the Bible says she quickly packed up a lot of food and wine on a donkey and she and her servants when out to find David.  It specifically says, "She didn't tell her husband what she was doing" 1 Samuel 25:19.  She knew her entire household was in danger and that confronting her husband would waste time and probably do no good.

Abigail had the wisdom to know she could not be her husband's Holy Spirit and the strength to try to right his wrongs.  Most importantly, I think she put her trust in the right person... God, not Nabal.  She went out alone to face David and his army of 400 men!

When she saw David approaching, she got off her donkey and bowed down before him.  She told David that she took all the blame for what her husband had done and begged him to hear her out.  She told him not to listen to her husband Nabal - that his name meant "fool" and that's what he was.  She goes on to tell him that she didn't see the servants he sent and asks him to accept all the goods she has brought.  Then, SHE asks for his forgiveness, if anything she has done has offended him!  Her wisdom allows her to reason with David in a way that I can only dream of doing at this point.  She reminds him of his calling and encourages him not to sin.

"The Lord will surely reward you with a lasting dynasty, for you are fighting the Lord's battles.  And you have not done wrong throughout your entire life...When the Lord has done all He has promised and has made you leader of Israel, don't let this be a blemish on your record."  1 Samuel 25: 28, 30  (NLT)

 In response to her pleas, David praises God for sending her out to meet him and blesses her for stopping him from "carrying out vengance" with his own hands.  He goes on to tell her that if she hadn't come to meet him, not one of Nabal's men would be alive the next morning.

There are so many things I can learn from Abigail! But right now, there is one thing that God has been showing me I have to learn:  I have made my husband an idol...not in the worshipping way, but I tend to depend on him more than I depend on God.  I have spent the majority of our 12 year marriage reacting to my husband first and relying on God second.  To see that in black and white is truly humbling.  It brings tears to my eyes to realize what I've been doing and how hard it will be to keep from doing it in the future.  It is freeing though, living in a constant state of reaction is extremely tiring - mentally, physically, and spiritually.

Instead of constantly reacting to and trying to "fix" my husband, I am going to give him to God, and I mean complete surrender, right now.  I pray that God will give me the wisdom to recognize when I start to head back to old ways and the discernment to hear Him direct me in a new direction.  Right now, I'm in the process of examining my heart and uncovering attitudes and feelings that need to go...

Here's a verse I'm memorizing for encouragement:

"Plant the good seeds of righteousness, and you will harvest a crop of my love.  Plow up the hard ground of your hearts, for now is the time to seek the Lord, that He may come and shower righteousness upon you."  Hosea 10:12 (NLT)