A Wise Woman

Returning to the study of 1 Samuel. We’ve been following the exploits of David as he flees from Saul. Saul wants David’s life. God is working in the wilderness to prevent that from happening. Picking up in 1 Samuel 25, we get a break from David’s ongoing struggles with Saul. It’s an interesting side story that shows us some of David’s characteristics (not necessarily positive) and the character of a woman who talks David out of doing something that could diminish David’s future reign.

So, David and his men (some commentators project 600 men by this time), are moving from one place in the desert to another keeping on the run from Saul. While they are out there, David’s friend and mentor Samuel dies. Samuel, who Saul probably still consulted from time to time, was a buffer of sorts between Saul’s irrational obsession to kill David and David who is not seeking to harm Saul in any way. As a result, David moves his men even further out into the wilderness. Lacking for provisions, David sends a few of his men to a very rich man near Carmel to ask for some provisions. This man’s name was Nabal (which means “fool” which will be shown to exemplify his character). The man refuses in a very rude and insulting way and David’s men return with the message.

David became incensed and told his men to ready themselves to go and slaughter every man in Nabal’s household. Here’s where we get to the wise woman. Nabal’s wife heard about the incident from one of the young men. Her name is Abigail (meaning “joy of her father). Abigail tells her men to assemble a large amount of food and animals without Nabal knowing about it. Abigail tells the men to take it to David and she would be following them shortly. Again, she did all this without tell Nabal (who was busy partying with the sheep shearers who were shearing his sheep).

Abigail, according to her word, got on a donkey and went out to meet David. She found him and his heavily armed men coming down towards her. She “hurried and dismounted from her donkey, and fell on her face before David and bowed herself to the ground. Then she proceeds to ask David to let her speak, reminds David that he has not taken revenge into his own hands before, asks David to accept the gifts she has brought, reminds David that he is destined to fight the battles of the Lord (not merely avenge himself), and reminds David that God will arrange for him to be ruler over all of Israel.

David recognizes Abigail’s wisdom and withholds his might from harming Nabal. God did avenge this affront to David within a matter of days. Nabal dies after what looks like could have been a severe stroke. Then David marries Abigail.

Were it not for the wise actions of Abigail, it is possible that David would have carried out his plan and murdered all the men in Nabal’s camp. How would the people of Israel have viewed David if he had done so? Would David remain a king after God’s own heart or would he have forfeited God’s blessing on him? We don’t know how things would’ve turned out, but things would have been different.