Pages

Wednesday, October 8, 2025

Abigail: Beautiful, Intelligent, Wise, Prudent … and Honored by God … Lesson 4

Abigail:  Beautiful, Intelligent, Wise, Prudent … and Honored by God … Lesson 4

By Patsy Norwood © 2025  All Rights Reserved!  Any and all commercial use of this study is prohibited!

I Samuel 25: 1 – 42; 27:3; 30: 1-18; II Samuel 2: 2-3; 3:3; 17:25; I Chronicles 2:16-17; 3:1

In our last lesson, Abigail, after being informed of the behavior of her husband, had sprung into action herself.  Let’s pick up there … 

(note: this is a longer lesson, so settle in!)

Verse 20:  So it was, as she rode on the donkey, that she went down under cover of the hill; and there were David and his men, coming down toward her, and she met them.

It seems David and Abigail’s meeting could have and even likely happened on what we would call the backroads, less traveled or hidden part of the mountain.  Remember David is on the run from Saul and Abigail is intent on intercepting him before he reaches her village.  They both likely knew all the short cuts and out-of-the-way routes.  David was on his way to wipe out Nabal and Abigail to prevent it, each on and with their own mission.

Verses 21 - 22:   Now David had said, “Surely in vain I have protected all that this fellow has in the wilderness, so that nothing was missed of all that belongs to him. And he has repaid me evil for good.  (Verse 22)   May God do so, and more also, to the enemies of David, if I leave one male of all who belong to him by morning light.”

David is inwardly fuming as is easy to tell by his thoughts.  We get a clear picture of what he is thinking and his intentions in these verses.   To put it mildly, David was out for revenge!  He was going to punish Nabal, but not just Nabal, notice who else David was going to extract his revenge upon … all the males who belonged to Nabal!  This included sons (was Abigail the mother of one of those sons), slaves, and every male member of Nabal’s establishment.

David, blinded by his anger, was about to make a big mistake that couldn’t be undone …

Verse 23:   Now when Abigail saw David, she dismounted quickly from the donkey, fell on her face before David, and bowed down to the ground.

Was David still on the animal he was riding when Abigal saw him or had he dismounted for some reason?  The Bible doesn’t tell us.

At any rate, the first thing Abigail did as soon as she saw David was quickly get down off the donkey she was riding.  She had to act as fast as she could.  She had a plan and not a minute to waste … every second was valuable.  She had to have known that these few seconds could make or break her purpose.

The next thing she did was fall on her face before David bowing to the ground.  It’s easy to assume that part of her plan was to show deep humility, respect and reverence and bowing to the ground falling on her face did that.

Verse 24:   So she fell at his feet and said: “On me, my lord, on me let this iniquity be! And please let your maidservant speak in your ears, and hear the words of your maidservant.

Notice Abigail got right to the point, notice also that she didn’t pretend she didn’t know what David’s intended purpose was.  This was no time for pretense and small talk.

Abigail immediately took the blame for what had happened to David’s men and pleaded for a chance to speak further to him about the incident.  Did you notice that she referred to herself as his maidservant?

The image that comes to mind is of a woman desperate to save her family, friends, village, etc. pulling out all the stops, doing everything she could.

Verse 25:   Please, let not my lord regard this scoundrel Nabal. For as his name is, so is he: Nabal is his name, and folly is with him! But I, your maidservant, did not see the young men of my lord whom you sent.

It seems that Abigail doesn’t slow down but charged on speaking not giving David an opening to respond.  She immediately launched in with her thoughts on her husband, which were in confirmation of David’s thoughts.  She refers to her husband as a scoundrel and asks David not to pay attention to this worthless man implying that he (Nabal) wasn’t worth David’s time.  (This is the same argument David used about himself to Saul when Saul was pursing him, “Does not the king of Israel have anything more important to do …?”  You can read more about this incident with Saul and David in I Samuel 24.)

In verse 24 we noted that Abigail took blame for the incident upon herself and here in verse 25 we see her reasoning, “I did not see the young men whom you sent.”  She is telling David without saying it, that this wouldn’t have happened if she had seen the men first or possibly before they left the village.  In other words, she would have run interference on Nabal’s behalf again.

Here we get a glimpse of Abigail’s possible inner struggle in her relationship with her husband as well as a glimpse of her over all self-sacrificing love.  Yes, a wife can have love for her husband but not be blind to his faults. In spite of her fear and anger driven ‘in that moment’ feelings for her husband, Abigail continues to place the blame for the incident upon herself … she is trying to save his life in spite of his conduct; she was willing to stand in his place and take his guilt. Jesus did that for us!

Did you notice that Abigail referred to David as lord 2 times in this verse?  Between verses 25-31, we’re going to see Abigail either call or refer to David as lord numerous times.  Does she know that he is to be the next king or is she paying homage to the one who holds the lives of those near and dear to her in his hands … or could it be both?  We’ll find out in just a few verses.

Verse 26:  Now therefore, my lord, as the Lord lives and as your soul lives, since the Lord has held you back from coming to bloodshed and from avenging yourself with your own hand, now then, let your enemies and those who seek harm for my lord be as Nabal.

‘the Lord has held you back from coming to bloodshed and from avenging yourself’ … could Abigail be getting through to David, is he beginning to soften a little or was she anticipating his possible restraint as she worked to put ideas into his head and heart.

Abigail continues …

‘let your enemies and those who seek harm for my lord be as Nabal …’.  This seems to indicate that Abigail knows in her head and heart that Nabal is going to be a dead man.

It is my humble opinion that this verse holds the key as to why God used Abigail to approach David.  She was wise, diplomatic and confident … and willing to risk all to save her family.  God put Abigail in a position to use her talents and determination to keep David from doing something He didn’t want him to do.  God used Abigail to restrain David from the guilt of having slaughtered innocent people.   Often as women, we bemoan our personality traits wishing we were different, but have you ever entertained the idea that God made you with the personality traits you have for a reason.  Maybe, just maybe He has a job for you that will utilize those traits perfectly.

There’s something for the bold and outspoken to do …

There’s something for the quiet introvert to do …

There’s something for all the personality traits in between to do as well …

God didn’t make a mistake; He made you the way you are for a purpose.

Wisdom, diplomacy, confidence and the willingness to risk it all are attributes we all need to work towards to save our families, maybe not from a man bent on revenge, but from the clutches of the devil?

Abigail used wisdom … let’s call wisdom in this instance, God’s Word.  Do we use it as our guide of what to do and not do?

She used diplomacy by assessing the situation and choosing the best way to handle it.  Every member of a family is different, and each situation is as well.  We need to assess each situation and discern the best way to handle it by keeping in mind that families are not a ‘one size fits all’ entity.

She was confident in her mission … do we have cemented in our hearts and heads what the end goal is for our families?  If heaven is the end goal, shouldn’t every decision and action we take be heading them in that direction?

She was willing to risk all … are we willing to risk all including grumpiness and or anger from our children when ‘heaven bound’ decisions are made on their behalf that they don’t like?   How about when you are the only one standing for the truth … are you willing to risk everyone’s ire to stand for the truth?

Verse 27:   And now this present which your maidservant has brought to my lord, let it be given to the young men who follow my lord.

Abigail has got David’s attention now and next she offers them food!  Remember, these men are all likely hungry and definitely angry.  Now that she has got them slowed down long enough to hear what she has to say, she brings out the food she had brought for the young men and offers it to them.  In so doing, she is showing David in word and deed that she is trying to right the wrong her husband committed by doing the right thing.

Verse 28:   Please forgive the trespass of your maidservant. For the Lord will certainly make for my lord an enduring house, because my lord fights the battles of the Lord, and evil is not found in you throughout your days.

Reasoning … food … more reasoning …

“please forgive the trespass of your maidservant’ … here again, she is taking the blame upon herself, notice her humility in referring to herself as David’s maidservant yet again.

“For the Lord will certainly make for my lord an enduring house, because my lord fights the battles of the Lord, and evil is not found in you throughout your days.”

Abigail is appealing to David, by mentioning the Lord.  Could David in his rage have forgotten the Lord?  Rage and anger will do that, won’t it?  At the height of intense anger, revenge is all one thinks about, isn’t it?  By gently mentioning the Lord, did Abigail break the wall of rage David was experiencing?  I like to think so! 

She goes on to recognize and remind David that he fights the Lord’s battles and that as such operates under God’s protection.   She also attempts to remind David that he is not an evil man.  (Fighting the Lord’s battles is something Saul, Israel’s current king, should have been doing instead of pursuing David all the time.)   It seems Abigail is trying to get David to see that committing the slaughter he has planned would sully his reputation as a man of God and that the Lord Himself would not be pleased.

‘an enduring house’ … could this be referring to David’s future role as King of Israel?

Verse 29:   Yet a man has risen to pursue you and seek your life, but the life of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of the living with the Lord your God; and the lives of your enemies He shall sling out, as from the pocket of a sling.

Is Abigail referring to the constant and continual pursuit of David that Saul is bent on doing?  Is she reminding David that the Lord has and will continue to provide and protect him?

Here’s an example of Abigail’s diplomacy in referring to: “the lives of your enemies He (God) shall sling out, as from the pocket of a sling,” Abigail subtility reminds David that it was a sling that brought him to the attention of all Israel when he fought and won against Goliath.

It seems that Abigail was a woman of God and knew something about David.

Verses 30 & 31:   And it shall come to pass, when the Lord has done for my lord according to all the good that He has spoken concerning you, and has appointed you ruler over Israel, (Verse 31):  that this will be no grief to you, nor offense of heart to my lord, either that you have shed blood without cause, or that my lord has avenged himself. But when the Lord has dealt well with my lord, then remember your maidservant.”

Abigail’s entire purpose was to prevent David from doing something God did not want him to do.  She knew the guilt of having taken so many innocent lives would have been a heavy burden for him to bear.  Revenge on Nabal, a well-known Judahite, without God’s authority, would have brought trouble from Israel and the Lord for David.

Abigail also recognizes David as the future ruler over Israel.  In so doing she worked hard to get him to see the mistake he would be making if he carried out his plan.

‘But when the Lord has dealt well with my lord, then remember your maidservant.’    Abigail’s focus has been on keeping David from making a devastating mistake, but here she is focusing on herself.  Not knowing if David would relent and not commit the devastation he was planning, she asked David for kindness on her behalf, regardless of how it all turned out.

Whew!  Can’t you just feel all the feelings Abigail must have been experiencing as she did her best to fight for her family, friends and the village people … heart-pounding fear, anger towards her husband and a heavy weight of trepidation to name a few?

Up to this point Abigail has done all the talking, next week we’ll hear from David.  Did Abigail’s plan work?  Was she able to get through to David?

patsy @ From This Heart of Mine

~ a place for women to gather and study God's Word ~

Sources used for this study:

Various translations of the Holy Bible

Various commentaries

Several trusted and biblically sound online sources

Dictionary of New Testament Background, Editors: Craig A Evans & Stanley E. Porter

Archaeological Study Bible

All the Women of the Bible by Edith Deen

Daughters of Eve by Lottie Beth Hobbs

Halley’s Bible Handbook by H. H. Halley

No comments:

Post a Comment