David And Abigail -- Part 2 Series

Scripture

Last time we learned how David wanted to kill Nabal because Nabal had rudely rebuffed David’s request for food. The Lord providentially intervened by sending Nabal’s “discerning and beautiful” wife Abigail to prevent David from carrying out his murderous intent. In today’s lesson, we continue to learn about David and Abigail.

Let’s read about David and Abigail in 1 Samuel 25:32-44:

32 And David said to Abigail, “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who sent you this day to meet me! 33 Blessed be your discretion, and blessed be you, who have kept me this day from bloodguilt and from working salvation with my own hand! 34 For as surely as the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, who has restrained me from hurting you, unless you had hurried and come to meet me, truly by morning there had not been left to Nabal so much as one male.” 35 Then David received from her hand what she had brought him. And he said to her, “Go up in peace to your house. See, I have obeyed your voice, and I have granted your petition.”

36 And Abigail came to Nabal, and behold, he was holding a feast in his house, like the feast of a king. And Nabal’s heart was merry within him, for he was very drunk. So she told him nothing at all until the morning light. 37 In the morning, when the wine had gone out of Nabal, his wife told him these things, and his heart died within him, and he became as a stone. 38 And about ten days later the Lord struck Nabal, and he died.

39 When David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, “Blessed be the Lord who has avenged the insult I received at the hand of Nabal, and has kept back his servant from wrongdoing. The Lord has returned the evil of Nabal on his own head.” Then David sent and spoke to Abigail, to take her as his wife. 40 When the servants of David came to Abigail at Carmel, they said to her, “David has sent us to you to take you to him as his wife.” 41 And she rose and bowed with her face to the ground and said, “Behold, your handmaid is a servant to wash the feet of the servants of my lord.” 42 And Abigail hurried and rose and mounted a donkey, and her five young women attended her. She followed the messengers of David and became his wife.

43 David also took Ahinoam of Jezreel, and both of them became his wives. 44 Saul had given Michal his daughter, David’s wife, to Palti the son of Laish, who was of Gallim. (1 Samuel 25:32-44)

Introduction

It took 125 years, but finally the infamous feud between the Hatfields and McCoys was settled. Sixty descendants of the original clans gathered on Saturday, June 14, 2003, in Pikeville, Kentucky, to sign a document declaring an official end to more than a century of hatred and bloodshed.

Most people think that the feud between the McCoys of Kentucky and Hatfields of West Virginia began in 1878 when Randolph McCoy accused one of the Hatfields of stealing a hog. The Hatfields won the “hog war” when a McCoy cousin sided with the Hatfield clan.

Feelings festered and other incidents occurred that finally resulted in the shooting death of Ellison Hatfield in 1882. Retaliation begat retaliation until the feud claimed 11 more family members over the next ten years. Subsequent conflicts between the two clans have involved court battles over timber rights and cemetery plots.

The treaty calling for peace read: “We do hereby and formally declare an official end to all hostilities, implied, inferred, and real, between the families, now and forevermore. We ask by God’s grace and love that we be forever remembered as those that bound together the hearts of two families to form a family of freedom in America.”

Although the treaty was largely symbolic, both the governor of Kentucky and the governor of West Virginia were present for the nationally televised ceremony.

When Nabal rudely rebuffed David’s request for food, David became incensed. He wanted to kill Nabal and every male in Nabal’s household. He ordered four hundred of his men to follow him as he went to go and kill Nabal. But the Lord providentially intervened through Nabal’s wife Abigail. She was able to speak to David in such a way that he listened to her and did not carry out his murderous intention, which would have been disastrous for him. If he had killed Nabal, David would have been no different than Saul.

There are times when you and I may feel rebuffed by someone. Someone may snub us, or reject us, or rebuff us, or disagree with us, or even hurt us. Do you ever feel like you want to retaliate? Do you feel like you want to get back at that person? You may not think it out loud, but you really want to do something about what has been done to you. You want to take justice, as it were, into your own hands. Well, if you have ever been in such a place—and you probably have—then today’s lesson is for you and for me.