1st Samuel 25
(v.1) Samuel, a great man of God, dies. He started at a young age and served God and Israel admirably. But, he was human, and we see that he didn't do such a great job with his sons, much like his tutor, Eli. Because of Samuel's rebellious sons, the people demanded a king instead of God. But on the whole, as with all of us who have stumbled and failed at times through life, Samuel did well, and the nation of Israel rightly mourned his passing.
(v.3) Here we meet a man called Nabal. His name, Nabal, in Hebrew means "fool" so he decided to act out his name! Oddly enough, Nabal was a descendant of Caleb, the mighty man of valor along with Joshua, who wasn't afraid of the giants in the land!
(v.13) After Nabal insults David and his men, we see the human side of David here. David showed great restraint and faith in God when he didn't kill Saul in the cave. Yet, here he lets his emotions get the better of him, and wants to kill Nabal.
(v.14) Abigail in hebrew means "Joy of the Father" and she shows us all what wisdom and humility means. Her compassion and respect to David overcomes him, and he decides not to kill Nabal. Abigail reminds me of Prov 15:1 and 25:11 where kind and loving words tame anger.
Abigail is a good model for all of us...in that we are often associated with fools. Some may be at work, our family, or our friends act foolishly. But Abigail let the LORD handle those things, and she showed kindness and respect to David.
Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all sins. ~ Prov 10:12
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