2 A certain man in Maon, who had property there at Carmel, was very wealthy. He had a thousand goats and three thousand sheep, which he was shearing in Carmel. 3 His name was Nabal and his wife’s name was Abigail. She was an intelligent and beautiful woman, but her husband was surly and mean in his dealings—he was a Calebite.
4 While David was in the wilderness, he heard that Nabal was shearing sheep. 5 So he sent ten young men and said to them, “Go up to Nabal at Carmel and greet him in my name. 6 Say to him: Long life to you! Good health to you and your household! And good health to all that is yours!
7 “‘Now I hear that it is sheep-shearing time. When your shepherds were with us, we did not mistreat them, and the whole time they were at Carmel nothing of theirs was missing. 8 Ask your own servants and they will tell you. Therefore, be favorable toward my men, since we come at a festive time. Please give your servants and your son David whatever you can find for them.’”
9 When David’s men arrived, they gave Nabal this message in David’s name. Then they waited.
10 Nabal answered David’s servants, “Who is this David? Who is this son of Jesse? Many servants are breaking away from their masters these days. 11 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?”
12 David’s men turned around and went back. When they arrived, they reported every word. 13 David said to his men, “Each of you strap on your sword!” So, they did, and David strapped his on as well. About four hundred men went up with David, while two hundred stayed with the supplies.
14 One of the servants told Abigail, Nabal’s wife, “David sent messengers from the wilderness to give our master his greetings, but he hurled insults at them. 15 Yet 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. 16 Night and day they were a wall around us the whole time we were herding our sheep near them. 17 Now think it over and see what you can do, because disaster is hanging over our master and his whole household. He is such a wicked man that no one can talk to him.”
18 Abigail acted quickly. She took two hundred loaves of bread, two skins of wine, five dressed sheep, five sheaths of roasted grain, a hundred cakes of raisins and two hundred cakes of pressed figs and loaded them on donkeys. 19 Then she told her servants, “Go on ahead; I’ll follow you.” But she did not tell her husband Nabal.
20 As she came riding her donkey into a mountain ravine, there were David and his men descending toward her, and she met them. 21 David had just said, “It’s been useless—all my watching over this fellow’s property in the wilderness so that nothing of his was missing. He has paid me back evil for good. 22 May God deal with David, be it ever so severely, if by morning I leave alive one male of all who belong to him!”
This lesson begins with the clash of two great egos. Nabal not only rejects David’s offer of assistance, but he also hurls insults back at David. Of course, David prepares to teach Nabal and his household a lesson and likely destroy them. Now enter Abigail. She is described as intelligent and beautiful. Abigail sees her role as the peacemaker.
Matthew 5:9 states “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” Abigail brings peace to this very volatile situation. The story goes on to say that after Abigail told her husband Nabal what she had done, Nabal was stricken by the Lord and died. David heard of this and sent his servants to Abigail asking her to become his wife, although she was
not to be his first or even most favored wife. Not necessarily the best outcome for Abigail. However, her intelligence was key in bringing peace to a very tense situation.
Our world is short of peacemakers. Whether political or social issues cause disagreement, we find great divides among people. How can we become peacemakers in this world of hostility?
Dear Lord, We know that you bless peacemakers. Our world is short of peacemakers to defuse the hostile disagreements around us. Help us to find ways to be peacemakers as best we can. Amen
Barry Dougherty
barryd72@aol.com
Prayer concern - seeking understanding of others and discerning ways to be civil with each other when we don’t see eye to eye.
Additional readings - 1 Corinthians 6: 1-11 and Psalm 57: 1-3
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Living Lord Lutheran Church
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