ABIGAIL a wife of noble character
She saved the day and won the heart of the future king! We may never be princesses, but in our homes, why not emulate the resourcefulness of an Abigail?
The man scowled as he lowered his massive frame onto a cushion. He had spent the previous night celebrating the close of the season with the city of Maon elite, hosting a party fit for a king.
At last, he had recovered, and Abigail could tell him the news. The
incident had almost cost them lives, but Abigail’s diplomacy had saved their
household. Nabal was an arrogant fool, and over the years, she’d learned to preempt
his foolishness.
Samuel, the prophet, had died, and all Israel
mourned for him. Saul reigned, but everyone knew the departed prophet had
anointed David, the young son of Jesse, as Judah’s future king. Jealousy and
insanity drove Saul to hate the handsome young shepherd cum warrior and to wish
him dead. David and his band of four hundred faithful men fled and roamed the
countryside as vigilantes and shepherds to the rich landowners who remunerated
them with food.
David’s men helped Nabal’s shepherds gather the vast flocks of sheep and
goats. If an animal broke free, David’s men pursued the stray and returned it,
protecting the flocks and herds from poachers and wild beasts. When the muster
ended, David sent ten men to Nabal, bearing kind greetings, and to ask for their
payment. But Nabal snapped at them.
“Who is David? Many men break away
from their masters. I won’t waste my resources on someone I know nothing
about.”
Had he heard rumors from Saul’s men and
misjudged David rather than listen to firsthand reports from his own servants? A
selfish miser, he ignored the cost to anyone but himself.
When David
heard of his reaction, he fumed and swore to kill every man in Nabal’s
household. His servants rushed to Abigail and warned her, begging her to help.
“Now think what you can do. No one can make him
see reason because he’s such a wicked man.”
Abigail sprang into action, collecting two
hundred bread loaves, two skins of wine, five prepared sheep, one hundred and
thirty-five kilos of roasted grain and two hundred cakes of pressed figs and
loaded them on donkeys. She rode into the wilderness, led the procession to
find David and appease his wrath with her bountiful provisions.
She found him and bowed low in his presence.
“My lord, pardon your servant and let me speak.
Please ignore that wicked man, Nabal. He’s a fool. God has restrained you from bloodshed
and preserved my household, because God will create a lasting dynasty through
you. You are a warrior for the Lord God, and the Lord will preserve your life
from your pursuers. Besides, when you are king, you don’t need the burden of needless
bloodshed on your conscience.”
David praised the Lord for her warning and
charity and blessed her. He received her bountiful supply for his men and sent
her home in peace, but when she told Nabal about David’s aborted massacre, he collapsed,
and ten days later he died.
Abigail was beautiful, and she had captivated
David. When the news of Nabal’s death reached his ears, he asked Abigail to
marry him. She agreed, bringing Nabal’s property as her dowry to the alliance.
Although David was a fugitive, Abigail believed he would ascend the throne and,
by faith, she became David’s wife.
Solomon described God’s model of the perfect
wife in Proverbs 31.
Abigail fits the description, and it’s possible
Solomon knew her in David’s court, although there must have been others like
her.
She brings him good, not harm. Proverbs 31:12.
As soon as Abigail realized the threat to her
husband and household, she responded with practical, wise action.
She provides food for her family and portions
for her servant girls. Proverbs 31:15
Since Nabal was wealthy, he was the head of a
large estate. When Abigail needed abundant supplies to appease David, they were
available. Abigail oversaw an efficient household, and she understood David’s
needs for his men whilst possessing the means to give it.
Her arms are strong for her tasks. Proverbs
31:17.
Abigail needed energy, strength, and confidence
to organize the gift. She loaded the donkeys, led the procession, and rode into
the desert, a fearless, feminine leader in a wild, male dominated country.
She opens her arms to the poor. Proverbs 31:20.
Abigail hadn’t known her husband had refused to
help David until the servants told her. Her chief concern was to save lives,
but the quantity she supplied David, and his men, was not a token gift. Rather,
it was generous and suitable.
She speaks with wisdom, and faithful
instruction is on her tongue. Proverbs 31:26.
Abigail’s humility to David calmed him. She
claimed responsibility for her Nabal’s miserly attitude. As a woman of deep
faith in God, she affirmed David’s anointing as the future king, because she
knew God would preserve his life. She warned David to avoid unnecessary
bloodshed while affirming his faith, and he listened because her solid reasoning
would assuage his anger and his benefit for his future.
She does not eat the bread of idleness. Proverbs
31:27.
This intelligent lady kept her finger on the
pulse. While her thoughtless husband partied, she worked and gained the respect
of her household.
Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears the
Lord is to be praised. Proverbs 31:30.
Abigail
was beautiful and intelligent, but her chief attraction was her deep faith,
which made her wise and reliable.
She adorned herself with good deeds,
appropriate for women who profess to worship God. 1 Timothy 2:9.
Give her the reward she has earned
and let her works bring praise at the city gate. Proverbs 31:31.
As the wife of the future king, Abigail looked
forward to a bright future. She had suffered the abuse of a churlish husband
with grace and had already earned the respect of her community.
Every wife carries the responsibilities of her
household and her marriage. When her husband is a wise and caring, he shares
her load and supports her. Do we strive to create an organized, loving home
where our husband and children feel loved and secure? Do we raise our children
to honor the Lord and respect their parents?
But how
does a wife manage a rude, mean, and stingy husband? Or a man who cares more
for his work than for his home? If she portrays a humble spirit, and lives to
please the Lord, he provides strength and wisdom to bless and support her family.
A wife must speak the truth and seek help if she feels unsafe, but she should exercise
discretion. Slandering our husbands is not an option.
There is never an excuse for domestic violence
or adultery. If a husband violates his marriage, abuses his wife, or threatens
his children, she needs to seek refuge and leave. Her chief weapon is prayer
and dependence on the Lord, who through the Bible guides and supports her in her
trials and sorrow. She should seek wise counsel and support while she prays for
her husband, even if he does not change his behavior. It is the Holy Spirit who
changes and convicts. We can’t change anyone.
If her
faith wavers under the pressure, she may look to Jesus. Remember the compassion
he showed to the woman at the well, to his mother and to Mary of Bethany? He
can show you the same love and support.
Abigail’s name means ‘her father’s joy.’ If
there is anything Christian woman wants to be, it is her Heavenly Father’s joy.
‘The father of a righteous man has great joy.’
Proverbs 23:24. I am sure God loves his daughters the same as his sons. When we
honor and love him, heaven rejoices. We are the daughters of the king and as
members of the church, Christ’s bride.
Abigail
received her just reward for her faith. David became her husband and king.
Jesus is our Lord, Saviour, brother, and our King. God’s grace and sovereignty
resonate in Abigail’s story, since she is a woman of beauty, intelligence, wisdom,
and faith.
© Janet
Crawshaw 2023.
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