The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in 1 Samuel 25:27,
"And let this gift, which your servant [Abigail] has brought to my lord [David], be given to the men who follow you."
The gift Abigail speaks of is the load of supplies she brought out to David and his men. It included two hundred loaves of bread, two skins of wine, five sheep already butchered up, sixty pounds of grain, a hundred cakes of raisins and two hundred cakes of figs.
However, the real gift was Abigail herself. In her coming to David bearing the supplies for David and his men, she provided him an escape from an impossible situation. It is my perspective that God himself provided David a way out of what appeared to be an insurmountable dilemma through her. As David said to Abigail, "Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, who has sent you today to meet me."
David and his band of six hundred warriors had moved down to an area where a wealthy man, Nabal, had livestock. While in the area, David and his men provided stability there by protecting the folks and their belongings. As Nabal's servants told Abigail, Nabal's wife, "these men were very good to us. They did not mistreat us, and the whole time we were out in the fields near them nothing was missing. Night and day they were a wall around us the whole time we were herding our sheep near them." Verses 15-16.
Now that it was harvest time, David sought out Nabal to provide his men with much needed provisions. There was nothing inappropriate about David looking to Nabal for compensation for what he and his men provided Nabal, but Nabal's response was, "Who is this David? Who is this son of Jesse? Many servants are breaking away from their masters these days. Why should I take my bread and water, and the meat I have slaughtered for my shearers, and give it to men coming from who knows where?" Verses 10-11. This was a horrible disrespect and an affront to David and his men... not bordering on, but a fully contemptuous act.
A part of the strength David enjoyed was the acknowledgement of his superiority as a warrior. This is the man that destroyed the giant Goliath. This is the man that defeated Philistines while the king dithered (as an example see 1 Samuel 23:1-6.) This is the man that will be king and Nabal and Abigail knew it.
For David to be mistreated by a fool like Nabal, after he and his men provided protection for his servants and livestock, placed David in an awkward position, both with the people living in the area, as well as with his own men. Were a man, as Nabal, known to be "surly and mean" disrespect David and get away with it, it would have severe consequences for David. Couple this with David's proclivity to bloodshed and to avenging himself, to slaughter Nabal's family would result in him gaining a reputation as a mean and wicked man himself.
However, the Lord is always there... "No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it." David's temptation was to slaughter Nabal and his household, but God's gift, his provision of "a way out" was Abigail. She provided David, not just supplies, but also a way to overcome Nabal's affront without having to resort to bloodshed and the loss of his good name. She brought the supplies her husband, Nabal, should have provided in the first place.
"And let this gift, which your servant [Abigail] has brought to my lord [David], be given to the men who follow you."
The gift Abigail speaks of is the load of supplies she brought out to David and his men. It included two hundred loaves of bread, two skins of wine, five sheep already butchered up, sixty pounds of grain, a hundred cakes of raisins and two hundred cakes of figs.
However, the real gift was Abigail herself. In her coming to David bearing the supplies for David and his men, she provided him an escape from an impossible situation. It is my perspective that God himself provided David a way out of what appeared to be an insurmountable dilemma through her. As David said to Abigail, "Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, who has sent you today to meet me."
David and his band of six hundred warriors had moved down to an area where a wealthy man, Nabal, had livestock. While in the area, David and his men provided stability there by protecting the folks and their belongings. As Nabal's servants told Abigail, Nabal's wife, "these men were very good to us. They did not mistreat us, and the whole time we were out in the fields near them nothing was missing. Night and day they were a wall around us the whole time we were herding our sheep near them." Verses 15-16.
Now that it was harvest time, David sought out Nabal to provide his men with much needed provisions. There was nothing inappropriate about David looking to Nabal for compensation for what he and his men provided Nabal, but Nabal's response was, "Who is this David? Who is this son of Jesse? Many servants are breaking away from their masters these days. Why should I take my bread and water, and the meat I have slaughtered for my shearers, and give it to men coming from who knows where?" Verses 10-11. This was a horrible disrespect and an affront to David and his men... not bordering on, but a fully contemptuous act.
A part of the strength David enjoyed was the acknowledgement of his superiority as a warrior. This is the man that destroyed the giant Goliath. This is the man that defeated Philistines while the king dithered (as an example see 1 Samuel 23:1-6.) This is the man that will be king and Nabal and Abigail knew it.
For David to be mistreated by a fool like Nabal, after he and his men provided protection for his servants and livestock, placed David in an awkward position, both with the people living in the area, as well as with his own men. Were a man, as Nabal, known to be "surly and mean" disrespect David and get away with it, it would have severe consequences for David. Couple this with David's proclivity to bloodshed and to avenging himself, to slaughter Nabal's family would result in him gaining a reputation as a mean and wicked man himself.
However, the Lord is always there... "No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it." David's temptation was to slaughter Nabal and his household, but God's gift, his provision of "a way out" was Abigail. She provided David, not just supplies, but also a way to overcome Nabal's affront without having to resort to bloodshed and the loss of his good name. She brought the supplies her husband, Nabal, should have provided in the first place.
What is your challenge today? What gift is God sending your way so you can stand up under it? Our God is faithful and always provides "a way out."
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.
Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.
Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com
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