“God will stand aloof from His people
while they cherish “low views.”
John Gregory Mantle
John Gregory Mantle
Beyond Humiliation The Way of the Cross (p12)
Evil Will Bow Before Good:
Evil Will Bow Before Good:
“Doing wickedness is like sport to a fool,
And so is wisdom to a man of understanding.”
Proverbs 10:23 NASB
David and his band of discontents, had been roaming the mountains and wilderness of Israel in perpetual danger from the pursuit of King Saul and his army. They were outlaws in their own land. Most everyone knew the story, and many were all too willing to turn David and his band over to the king, seeking his favor. Spies were all through the land sending messages to the king, of David sightings! Once more, supplies were tight; they were living off the land and the good will of people who dared at their own peril to defy the orders of Saul.
Despite the hardships David never took advantage of the people of the land. He never resorted to stealing a lamb or goat to feed his hungry followers.
Shortly after Samuel’s death, David found himself in the Desert of Maon [Heb. place of sin]. Nabal and his wife Abigail lived there near Carmel [Heb. harvest; full of ears of corn] Nabal was a very wealthy man, described in the word of having a thousand goats and three thousand sheep.
David and his men spent a good deal of time hiding in this region from king Saul. All the while they were there they respected the flocks of Nabal (when they could have easily taken a few sheep or goats for their needs.) David knowing that it was shearing time sent a group of his men to Nabal’s shepherds asking for their favor in providing some food for his men. Nabal, having received the message from his own men, sent this hard reply:
But Nabal answered David's servants and said,
And so is wisdom to a man of understanding.”
Proverbs 10:23 NASB
David and his band of discontents, had been roaming the mountains and wilderness of Israel in perpetual danger from the pursuit of King Saul and his army. They were outlaws in their own land. Most everyone knew the story, and many were all too willing to turn David and his band over to the king, seeking his favor. Spies were all through the land sending messages to the king, of David sightings! Once more, supplies were tight; they were living off the land and the good will of people who dared at their own peril to defy the orders of Saul.
Despite the hardships David never took advantage of the people of the land. He never resorted to stealing a lamb or goat to feed his hungry followers.
Shortly after Samuel’s death, David found himself in the Desert of Maon [Heb. place of sin]. Nabal and his wife Abigail lived there near Carmel [Heb. harvest; full of ears of corn] Nabal was a very wealthy man, described in the word of having a thousand goats and three thousand sheep.
David and his men spent a good deal of time hiding in this region from king Saul. All the while they were there they respected the flocks of Nabal (when they could have easily taken a few sheep or goats for their needs.) David knowing that it was shearing time sent a group of his men to Nabal’s shepherds asking for their favor in providing some food for his men. Nabal, having received the message from his own men, sent this hard reply:
But Nabal answered David's servants and said,
"Who is David? And who is the son of Jesse? There are many servants today who are each breaking away from his master. "Shall I then take my bread and my water and my meat that I have slaughtered for my shearers, and give it to men whose origin I do not know?"
1 Samuel 25:10-11 NASB
David hearing the reply was angered and vowed to go to Carmel and kill Nabal and all the males in his camp! He ordered four hundred his men to take up their swords and they set out for Carmel.
Fortunately, one of Nabal’s servants told his wife Abigail what had happened. She realized that insults of this kind were an invitation to danger in their culture.
I often wonder how Abigail would up with such a wicked man as her husband… so much for arranged marriages of old.
Abigail’s response was quite the opposite of Nabal’s.
“Then Abigail hurried and took two hundred loaves of bread and two jugs of wine and five sheep already prepared and five measures of roasted grain and a hundred clusters of raisins and two hundred cakes of figs, and loaded them on donkeys. She said to her young men, "Go on before me; behold, I am coming after you." But she did not tell her husband Nabal.”
1 Samuel 25:18-19 NASB
Abigail went to David with her tribute and humbled herself before him. She showed him honor and asked him to forgive her husband’s evil and foolish heart.
Nabal literally means “fool or senseless.”
"Please do not let my lord pay attention to this worthless man, 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. "Now let this gift which your maidservant has brought to my lord be given to the young men who accompany my lord.
"Please forgive the transgression of your maidservant; for the LORD will certainly make for my lord an enduring house, because my lord is fighting the battles of the LORD, and evil will not be found in you all your days.
"Should anyone rise up to pursue you and to seek your life, then the life of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of the living with the LORD your God; but the lives of your enemies He will sling out as from the hollow of a sling.
"And when the LORD does for my lord according to all the good that He has spoken concerning you, and appoints you ruler over Israel,
this will not cause grief or a troubled heart to my lord, both by having shed blood without cause and by my lord having avenged himself. When the LORD deals well with my lord, then remember your maidservant."
1 Samuel 25:25, 27-31 NASB
David was moved by her wisdom and generosity, and he realized that he has acted in haste and anger, having never even inquired of the Lord.
“Then David said to Abigail, "Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, who sent you this day to meet me, and blessed be your discernment, and blessed be you, who have kept me this day from bloodshed and from avenging myself by my own hand.”
1 Samuel 25:32-33 NASB
David and his men returned to their refuge, and Abigail returned home to her husband who was drunk from throwing a lavish party for himself. The next morning, Abigail relayed to Nabal all she had done. He had a heart attack on the spot. Ten days later he was dead! Hardness of heart toward the needs of others has its consequences!
When David heard the news he gave thanks to God:
“When David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, "Blessed be the LORD, who has pleaded the cause of my reproach from the hand of Nabal and has kept back His servant from evil The LORD has also returned the evildoing of Nabal on his own head… "
David was so thankful to Abigail and impressed with her humility, wisdom and righteous walk before the Lord… so much so that he sent her a proposal of marriage.
“…Then David sent a proposal to Abigail, to take her as his wife.
1 Samuel 25:39 NASB
“The evil will bow down before the good,
And the wicked at the gates of the righteous.”
Proverbs 14:19 NASB
30fkj
1 Samuel 25:10-11 NASB
David hearing the reply was angered and vowed to go to Carmel and kill Nabal and all the males in his camp! He ordered four hundred his men to take up their swords and they set out for Carmel.
Fortunately, one of Nabal’s servants told his wife Abigail what had happened. She realized that insults of this kind were an invitation to danger in their culture.
I often wonder how Abigail would up with such a wicked man as her husband… so much for arranged marriages of old.
Abigail’s response was quite the opposite of Nabal’s.
“Then Abigail hurried and took two hundred loaves of bread and two jugs of wine and five sheep already prepared and five measures of roasted grain and a hundred clusters of raisins and two hundred cakes of figs, and loaded them on donkeys. She said to her young men, "Go on before me; behold, I am coming after you." But she did not tell her husband Nabal.”
1 Samuel 25:18-19 NASB
Abigail went to David with her tribute and humbled herself before him. She showed him honor and asked him to forgive her husband’s evil and foolish heart.
Nabal literally means “fool or senseless.”
"Please do not let my lord pay attention to this worthless man, 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. "Now let this gift which your maidservant has brought to my lord be given to the young men who accompany my lord.
"Please forgive the transgression of your maidservant; for the LORD will certainly make for my lord an enduring house, because my lord is fighting the battles of the LORD, and evil will not be found in you all your days.
"Should anyone rise up to pursue you and to seek your life, then the life of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of the living with the LORD your God; but the lives of your enemies He will sling out as from the hollow of a sling.
"And when the LORD does for my lord according to all the good that He has spoken concerning you, and appoints you ruler over Israel,
this will not cause grief or a troubled heart to my lord, both by having shed blood without cause and by my lord having avenged himself. When the LORD deals well with my lord, then remember your maidservant."
1 Samuel 25:25, 27-31 NASB
David was moved by her wisdom and generosity, and he realized that he has acted in haste and anger, having never even inquired of the Lord.
“Then David said to Abigail, "Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, who sent you this day to meet me, and blessed be your discernment, and blessed be you, who have kept me this day from bloodshed and from avenging myself by my own hand.”
1 Samuel 25:32-33 NASB
David and his men returned to their refuge, and Abigail returned home to her husband who was drunk from throwing a lavish party for himself. The next morning, Abigail relayed to Nabal all she had done. He had a heart attack on the spot. Ten days later he was dead! Hardness of heart toward the needs of others has its consequences!
When David heard the news he gave thanks to God:
“When David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, "Blessed be the LORD, who has pleaded the cause of my reproach from the hand of Nabal and has kept back His servant from evil The LORD has also returned the evildoing of Nabal on his own head… "
David was so thankful to Abigail and impressed with her humility, wisdom and righteous walk before the Lord… so much so that he sent her a proposal of marriage.
“…Then David sent a proposal to Abigail, to take her as his wife.
1 Samuel 25:39 NASB
“The evil will bow down before the good,
And the wicked at the gates of the righteous.”
Proverbs 14:19 NASB
30fkj
No comments:
Post a Comment