1Sa 25:18 Then Abigail made haste and took two hundred loaves and two skins of wine and five sheep already prepared and five seahs of parched grain and a hundred clusters of raisins and two hundred cakes of figs, and laid them on donkeys.
How
a woman who was very beautiful and discerning came to be married to a
man who was harsh and badly behaved, or as his name signifies a
'fool', magnificently escapes me. It is often true in love that there
is more irrationality
than sense. But
a man with much money and power, even though a fool is at times
providently blessed with a beautiful and discerning wife. Or
we can say that such
a
union was perhaps
due to family ties, namely wealth marrying into wealth, or
the rich man
having so much fortune was able to tempt her
father into giving her away with him becoming rich in the
transaction. Such
was the sorry
lot for
Abigail,
that the man to whom her father dispensed
her too, was not one who was trained in the school of wisdom, nor
in sobriety, although
he owned
much worldly
shrewdness
to make
him
the successful
man that he was.
Abigail
is introduced to us to contrast her with the bankrupt
character
of her husband. She was very beautiful and discerning. This is also
to say that she was a woman of great principle, and
God-fearing as we would later discover in her plea to David to
forsake his anger towards
her household.
Abigail is the archetype that we are presented with in the book of
proverbs on the happy wife. She is the excellent wife. The frame more
precious than jewel and one who rises while it is yet night to
provide food for her household. In Abigail's case, she provides
delivery from death. What a godly woman, what a rarity, kind and
sublime in every way, and as we shall later see, also full of humility
as that to which we are all exalted to follow.
Proverbs
14:1 communicates that the wisest of women builds her house, but
folly with her own hands tears it down. This almost became true with
Abigail due to Nabal's foolishness, but Abigail's quick decisiveness
remedied the situation. Her husband's own hands almost destroyed
every living thing in their household by arousing David's anger when
foolishly Nabal returned evil for good. He
belittled David and railed at his messengers when they had only done
good towards him. Thus,
David
strapped on his sword like every zealous man overtaken with anger and
sought to utterly wipe out Nabal and all his household from
the face of the earth.
Abigail
caught wind of this coming disaster by being informed by one of the
young men in their household. This young man told Abigail because he
knew what we already knew,
namely that Abigail was a wise and discerning wife. If anyone can
salvage the situation, the young man must have thought then it must
be Abigail. Circumstances always tug
out the best and worst in a soul, or we can say that situations which
happens upon us often serves to display what lies deep in our heart.
And what lay deep in Abigail's soul was prudence, yes, wisdom which
must have been cultivated during her years of marriage despite being
married to a fool. Wealth
had not injured her wisdom. She
did not condescend to her husband's ways but maintain that vital
principle of discipline in the areas of discernment and wisdom.
She
at last constructed
a plan of deliverance
and the manner in which she executes it ought to cause us to arise
and praise the God in whom all her faith depended. Notice
that the text says that she took haste. This was no hour to linger
and engage in womanly trifles or sit inactive waiting for man to
deliver. Nay, she was a woman of substance and took the action of
salvation into her own evely
hands. She prepared an offering to appease David and the portion she
commanded was that of great liberality. All
these things she kept from her foolish husband.
O this
is another trait to be adored, let every woman who loves the Lord be
generous in their given. Let
them keep away wise decisions from foolish men for they will be
scorned at last if revealed. Speak to them in parables if needs be like
our Lord Jesus did
to the stiffened of his generation that had no ears to ear.
After
commanding her young men to go, she assured them that, after, she
would come also and meet with David. And in meeting with David there
is much caveat
the women from this generation can peruse. She saw David and
immediately fell at his feet and said words which were utterly
destitute of any selfishness. Even though the guilt is entirely to be
put upon the hard neck of her husband, yet she took it on herself and
entreated David to grant her a listening ear. She rightly confesses
that her husband was a fool. This
is not to cast a mean eye upon her husband as
to forsake that instruction for wives to respect their husbands, but
it
is
to speak the plain truth, namely that her husband is a fool and that
folly is with him. Perhaps some might say that she went too far in saying
that her husband was a worthless fellow but I shall let you judge in
the bosom of your own hearts.
Christ often spoke the truth about the conditions of people's heart,
he
called the Pharisees a hypocrite, he denounced his generation as
unable to discern the times, and was not afraid to label the evil man
as being evil. Likewise we must not be afraid to speak clearly of the
lazy man or of our times which has clearly exchanged the truth of God
for the lie. And although many of us are worthless, especially
me, when
it comes to things pertaining to eternal life or holiness, yet we
must not beat ourselves but exalt in the towering fact that Christ
has made us worthy.
Were
you a sinner, are you a Nabal, then there is heavenly grace for you.
Returning
this
pen back
to
Abigail, we
must say that words
alone cannot praise adequately her noble deeds and high character of heart. For
David was entirely impressed with her plea and understood that she
was an instrument used by the Lord to keep him from such a guilty act
of murder. Abigail had affirmed that God will make a sure house for
David. What a remarkable faith, namely that she was entirely sure
that the promises of God made to David will come to pass. What a
sweetened bright candle that flourishes in the darkness. What
a woman found in Israel. What an Abigail and I pray that many women
in our churches today may follow after her likeness.
A
good woman knows that to plea with a godly man, one must include God
in the conversation and remind him of the ways of God and that the
man
should
act accordingly. Such a talk will persuade
the godly man if he is in error
to forsake his ways
and so
it
was with David. David
was clearly blinded in his rage and Abigail had been God's voice, yea
God's beautiful hand and feet, or we can say here, mouth, to stop
David in his blood thirsty tracks. Abigail
ended her plea by asking David that he should remember her when God
has dealt well with him. And David did. For
when Nabal was instructed of this discourse had between David and
Abigail, he was as the scriptures say, 'became as a stone and his
heart died within him.' This I believe came about due to the
awakening of his conscience to his wrong and more so, to the terror
that would have collapsed upon him. And about ten days later he died
because God struck him. Omnipotent hands finally rose to grant him
his judgement. O how this is deserving of us all were it not for
grace. O Lord, I do pray, lift your hands of mercy against the Nabal's
of this world, rise not yet in judgement until they come unto
repentance. But I say, that you are God of heaven and you do that
which pleases your soul.
Abigail
had secured peace for her
household and
through
her wisdom and discernment she had spared
the lives of many. She providentially had been the instrument to
prevent the anointed of the Lord in
committing
a wicked act. God
used her to stop the feet of David. And through this encounter with
God's anointed
she became his wife after David learnt of the demise of Nabal. He
remembered her
when God has dealt well with him.
And
when she is approached to be the wife of the future King of Israel by
David's servants, her mannerisms are to be exalted. She bowed with
all humility and submission and uttered that she is merely a
'handmaid to wash the feet of the servants of my lord'. This was no
easy utterance; for a woman of her status would have been
accustomed to being looked after for she was the wife of a rich man,
even though he was a fool. She did after all possessed five young
women who were hers to be directed as she pleased. And to now wash
the feet of the servants of David would have been a mean thing, but
she cared not for position or status but was altogether ready to do
the lowliest job.
O
Abigail, what a woman to be celebrated. Would you be so humble ladies as to put yourself forward to wash the feet of your husband's friends or of your father's friends? Would you have such hearts to descend so low, leaving your heaven for earth?
Many woman today I say may benefit
by taking on Abigail's characteristics by being discerning and full of
humility. And although external beauty is a gift given by God that
makes one appear aesthetically beautiful before all eyes, yet it was
not external beauty that saved the day, no. It was those inward
qualities, those fruits from heaven which can be the possession of
all women if they would let the Spirit be their teacher and guidance.
K.Oni
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, didn’t make the headlines yesterday because he spoke out against the payday loan companies; it was his unexpected approach that captured people’s attention. I hope it captures our imaginations too; not just when it comes to the big issues of the day, but for each of us as we go about our day-to-day life.
