David has been hiding where ever he could to keep Saul from finding him. He's already had many close encounters with him. During this time, something sad happened.
I Samuel 25:1- And Samuel died; and all the Israelites were gathered together, and lamented him, and buried him in his house at Ramah. And David arose, and went down to the wilderness of Paran.
The prophet who had anointed both Saul and David died. He had judged Israel almost his whole life, and was the last of the judges.
David was now hiding in Carmel.
I Samuel 25:2-8- And there was a man in Maon, whose possessions were in Carmel; and the man was very great, and he had three thousand sheep, and a thousand goats: and he was shearing his sheep in Carmel. Now the name of the man was Nabal; and the name of his wife Abigail: and she was a woman of good understanding, and of a beautiful countenance: but the man was churlish and evil in his doings; and he was of the house of Caleb. And David heard in the wilderness that Nabal did shear his sheep. And David sent out ten young men, and David said unto the young men, Get you up to Carmel, and go to Nabal, and greet him in my name: And thus shall ye say to him that liveth in prosperity, Peace be both to thee, and peace be to thine house, and peace be unto all that thou hast. And now I have heard that thou hast shearers: now thy shepherds which were with us, we hurt them not, neither was there ought missing unto them, all the while they were in Carmel. Ask thy young men, and they will shew thee. Wherefore let the young men find favour in thine eyes: for we come in a good day: give, I pray thee, whatsoever cometh to thine hand unto thy servants, and to thy son David.
David was among the servants of Nabal. The Bible tells us two things about Nabal. The first was that he was an evil man. The second is that he was married to a good woman. The Bible doesn't tell us how this evil man and this good woman came to be married. But, it will show us how God will bless a woman who does right.
David sent his men to talk to Nabal and ask him for some food.
I Samuel 25:9-12- And when David's young men came, they spake to Nabal according to all those words in the name of David, and ceased. And Nabal answered David's servants, and said, Who is David? and who is the son of Jesse? there be many servants now a days that break away every man from his master. Shall I then take my bread, and my water, and my flesh that I have killed for my shearers, and give it unto men, whom I know not whence they be? So David's young men turned their way, and went again, and came and told him all those sayings.
David's men asked Nabal for food, but Nabal didn't want to help. He said that David was a run away slave, and he wasn't going to help him.
I Samuel 25:13- And David said unto his men, Gird ye on every man his sword. And they girded on every man his sword; and David also girded on his sword: and there went up after David about four hundred men; and two hundred abode by the stuff.
Oh, boy! David was mad! He told his soldiers to get ready for battle.
I Samuel 25:14-17- But one of the young men told Abigail, Nabal's wife, saying, Behold, David sent messengers out of the wilderness to salute our master; and he railed on them. But the men were very good unto us, and we were not hurt, neither missed we any thing, as long as we were conversant with them, when we were in the fields: They were a wall unto us both by night and day, all the while we were with them keeping the sheep. 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.
One of the servants of Nabal had heard what happened. He knew that David was a good man. He also knew that David's men kept them safe while they were out in the fields. He went to Abigail, Nabal's wife, and told her what had happened. He also told her that David would probably be coming.
What do you think this wise woman would do?
I Samuel 25:18-20- Then Abigail made haste, and took two hundred loaves, and two bottles of wine, and five sheep ready dressed, and five measures of parched corn, and an hundred clusters of raisins, and two hundred cakes of figs, and laid them on asses. And she said unto her servants, Go on before me; behold, I come after you. But she told not her husband Nabal. And it was so, as she rode on the ass, that she came down by the covert of the hill, and, behold, David and his men came down against her; and she met them.
Abigail hurried up and gathered up some food for David and his men. She got it all together and she and her servants went to meet David with their present.
David was on his way with his army. He was very angry, and he planned on killing everyone.
I Samuel 25:21-22- Now David had said, Surely in vain have I kept all that this fellow hath in the wilderness, so that nothing was missed of all that pertained unto him: and he hath requited me evil for good. So and more also do God unto the enemies of David, if I leave of all that pertain to him by the morning light any that pisseth against the wall.
Oh, David was angry, all right! He was ready to wipe them all out. Abigail met him just in time.
I Samuel 15:23-25, 27-28, 30-31- And when Abigail saw David, she hasted, and lighted off the ass, and fell before David on her face, and bowed herself to the ground, And fell at his feet, and said, Upon me, my lord, upon me let this iniquity be: and let thine handmaid, I pray thee, speak in thine audience, and hear the words of thine handmaid. Let not my lord, I pray thee, regard this man of Belial, even Nabal: for as his name is, so is he; Nabal is his name, and folly is with him: but I thine handmaid saw not the young men of my lord, whom thou didst send. And now this blessing which thine handmaid hath brought unto my lord, let it even be given unto the young men that follow my lord. I pray thee, forgive the trespass of thine handmaid: for the LORD will certainly make my lord a sure house; because my lord fighteth the battles of the LORD, and evil hath not been found in thee all thy days. And it shall come to pass, when the LORD shall have done to my lord according to all the good that he hath spoken concerning thee, and shall have appointed thee ruler over Israel; That this shall be no grief unto thee, nor offence of heart unto my lord, either that thou hast shed blood causeless, or that my lord hath avenged himself: but when the LORD shall have dealt well with my lord, then remember thine handmaid.
Abigail showed David the present that she had brought. She told David that her husband was a wicked man and that she didn't know that David had asked for food. She reminded David that he would one day be king, and that he didn't want to be grieved that he had killed an entire family because of his anger.
David's anger had been calmed by her sincere apology and her present.
I Samuel 25:32-33, 35- And David said to Abigail, Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, which sent thee this day to meet me: And blessed be thy advice, and blessed be thou, which hast kept me this day from coming to shed blood, and from avenging myself with mine own hand. So David received of her hand that which she had brought him, and said unto her, Go up in peace to thine house; see, I have hearkened to thy voice, and have accepted thy person.
David thanked her for her gift, and for keeping him from killing innocent people. He accepted the present and returned to his hiding place.
But, what about Abigail? What would Nabal do when he found out that she had taken food to David after he had said "no"?
I Samuel 25:36-38- And Abigail came to Nabal; and, behold, he held a feast in his house, like the feast of a king; and Nabal's heart was merry within him, for he was very drunken: wherefore she told him nothing, less or more, until the morning light. But it came to pass in the morning, when the wine was gone out of Nabal, and his wife had told him these things, that his heart died within him, and he became as a stone. And it came to pass about ten days after, that the LORD smote Nabal, that he died.
Abigail didn't try to deceive her husband. She didn't tell him what she had done when he was drunk and wouldn't remember it in the morning. She was going to do what was right no matter the consequences.
When Nabal woke up in the morning, sober, she told him what she had done. God was not only going to protect Abigail for doing right, he was also going to bless her.
God killed Nabal for his sins.
I Samuel 25:39-40, 42- And when David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, Blessed be the LORD, that hath pleaded the cause of my reproach from the hand of Nabal, and hath kept his servant from evil: for the LORD hath returned the wickedness of Nabal upon his own head. And David sent and communed with Abigail, to take her to him to wife. And when the servants of David were come to Abigail to Carmel, they spake unto her, saying, David sent us unto thee, to take thee to him to wife. And Abigail hasted, and arose, and rode upon an ass, with five damsels of hers that went after her; and she went after the messengers of David, and became his wife.
Not only did God kill Nabal, but he gave Abigail a wonderful new husband. She got to marry David, the man after God's own heart.
When we put God first, and do what He asks of us, He will bless us far greater than we could ever imagine!
