December 29, 2009 (I Samuel 25-27, Psalm 56, 120, 140-142)

I Samuel 25 tells the story of Nabal (whose name means 'fool'). He was a wealthy man that was mean and dishonest in all his dealings. His wife's name was Abigail, and she was sensible and beautiful. David and his men lived on the outskirts of Nabal's property and treated his shepherds kindly, never stealing from them and acting as a 'wall of protection' to them. So at sheep shearing time, he sent a few of his men to Nabal to see if they could join in at the celebration and share in their provisions. Nabal basically was ticked off at the request and said there was no way he was sharing his goods with a 'band of outlaws'. So word got back to David and he took 400 men with him to kill Nabal.

Well, word got to Abigail about what happened:
¹⁴ Meanwhile, one of Nabal’s servants went to Abigail and told her, “David sent messengers from the wilderness to greet our master, but he screamed insults at them. ¹⁵ These men have been very good to us, and we never suffered any harm from them. Nothing was stolen from us the whole time they were with us. ¹⁶ In fact, day and night they were like a wall of protection to us and the sheep. ¹⁷ You need to know this and figure out what to do, for there is going to be trouble for our master and his whole family. He’s so ill-tempered that no one can even talk to him!”

I get the feeling this wasn't the first time Abigail bailed her husband out. So here's what she did:
¹⁸ Abigail wasted no time. She quickly gathered 200 loaves of bread, two wineskins full of wine, five sheep that had been slaughtered, nearly a bushel of roasted grain, 100 clusters of raisins, and 200 fig cakes. She packed them on donkeys ¹⁹ and said to her servants, “Go on ahead. I will follow you shortly.” But she didn’t tell her husband Nabal what she was doing.

I like God's timing in this next section. David had just been saying......
²⁰ As she was riding her donkey into a mountain ravine, she saw David and his men coming toward her. ²¹ David had just been saying, “A lot of good it did to help this fellow. We protected his flocks in the wilderness, and nothing he owned was lost or stolen. But he has repaid me evil for good. ²² May God strike me and kill me if even one man of his household is still alive tomorrow morning!”

What about the David that let God settle accounts? What about the David that entrusted himself to God's care and let God avenge his adversaries? I think this shows that even godly people can have temporary lapses of judgement. And this next section shows how God is able to protect His people from acting on those lapses of judgement by divine intervention. Abigail shows by what she says that she had heard that David would be the next king as part of God's plan. It shows she had been listening to the 'prophets', to the 'men of God'. I'm speculating here, but I would have to say Nabal hadn't.

²³ When Abigail saw David, she quickly got off her donkey and bowed low before him. ²⁴ She fell at his feet and said, “I accept all blame in this matter, my lord. Please listen to what I have to say. ²⁵ I know Nabal is a wicked and ill-tempered man; please don’t pay any attention to him. He is a fool, just as his name suggests. But I never even saw the young men you sent.

²⁶ “Now, my lord, as surely as the Lord lives and you yourself live, since the Lord has kept you from murdering and taking vengeance into your own hands, let all your enemies and those who try to harm you be as cursed as Nabal is. ²⁷ And here is a present that I, your servant, have brought to you and your young men. ²⁸ Please forgive me if I have offended you in any way. 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. ²⁹ “Even when you are chased by those who seek to kill you, your life is safe in the care of the Lord your God, secure in his treasure pouch! But the lives of your enemies will disappear like stones shot from a sling! ³⁰ When the Lord has done all he promised and has made you leader of Israel, ³¹ don’t let this be a blemish on your record. Then your conscience won’t have to bear the staggering burden of needless bloodshed and vengeance. And when the Lord has done these great things for you, please remember me, your servant!”

There were a lot of great promises in that section. I love the word picture of being safe and secure in God's treasure pouch! I think of Cooper's red 'treasure box' and how his treasures are safe and secure in there. How he checks them. How he would take that box with him on our trips to make sure it was always with him and under his care. How much more are we secure in God's treasure box.

The rest of this chapter tells of how David realized she was sent by God to keep him from doing something foolish. Abigail went home to find her husband drunk at a big party he had thrown, so she wisely waited until the next day to talk to him.

^{I Samuel 25:37} In the morning when Nabal was sober, his wife told him what had happened. As a result he had a stroke,and he lay paralyzed on his bed like a stone. ³⁸ About ten days later, the Lord struck him, and he died.

God took care of Nabal (and not in a good way!). Again, we see that God is able to avenge those who are against us, in His way and in His timing. And it didn't take long for Him to act.

When David found this out, he asked Abigail to be his wife. In her humility, she said she would even be willing to become a slave, washing the feet of his servants. I think part of her wisdom came from her humility.

This next Psalm was written by David regarding his experience in the cave, which was really yesterdays reading. Even though I'm blessed in that I don't feel alone, or feel as if no one cares a bit what happens to me, I still really like the sections I put in bold. I know what it's like to feel 'overwhelmed', and I know it's during those times I need to pray and entrust myself into His keeping. Today, I'm going to envision myself in God's 'treasure pouch'.

Psalm 142
¹ I cry out to the Lord;
I plead for the Lord’s mercy.
² I pour out my complaints before him
and tell him all my troubles.
³ When I am overwhelmed,
you alone know the way I should turn.
Wherever I go,
my enemies have set traps for me.
⁴ I look for someone to come and help me,
but no one gives me a passing thought!
No one will help me;
no one cares a bit what happens to me.
⁵ Then I pray to you, O Lord.
I say, “You are my place of refuge.
You are all I really want in life.
⁶ Hear my cry,
for I am very low.
Rescue me from my persecutors,
for they are too strong for me.
⁷ Bring me out of prison
so I can thank you.
The godly will crowd around me,
for you are good to me.”