1 Samuel 25: 1 –44
Beauty and the Beast
25 Then Samuel died; and the Israelites gathered together and lamented for him, and buried him at his home in Ramah. And David arose and went down to the Wilderness of Paran.2 Now there was a man in Maon whose business was in Carmel, and the man was very rich. He had three thousand sheep and a thousand goats. And he was shearing his sheep in Carmel. 3 The name of the man was Nabal, and the name of his wife Abigail. And she was a woman of good understanding and beautiful appearance; but the man was harsh and evil in his doings. He was of the house of Caleb. 4 When David heard in the wilderness that Nabal was shearing his sheep, 5 David sent ten young men; and David said to the young men, “Go up to Carmel, go to Nabal, and greet him in my name. 6 And thus you shall say to him who lives in prosperity: ‘Peace be to you, peace to your house, and peace to all that you have! 7 Now I have heard that you have shearers. Your shepherds were with us, and we did not hurt them, nor was there anything missing from them all the while they were in Carmel. 8 Ask your young men, and they will tell you. Therefore let my young men find favor in your eyes, for we come on a feast day. Please give whatever comes to your hand to your servants and to your son David.’” 9 So when David’s young men came, they spoke to Nabal according to all these words in the name of David and waited. 10 Then Nabal answered David’s servants, and said, “Who is David, and who is the son of Jesse? There are many servants nowadays who break away each one from his master. 11 Shall I then take my bread and my water and my meat that I have killed for my shearers, and give it to men when I do not know where they are from?” 12 So David’s young men turned on their heels and went back; and they came and told him all these words. 13 Then David said to his men, “Every man gird on his sword.” So every man girded on his sword, and David also girded on his sword. And about four hundred men went with David, and two hundred stayed with the supplies. 14 Now one of the young men told Abigail, Nabal’s wife, saying, “Look, David sent messengers from the wilderness to greet our master; and he reviled them. 15 But the men were very good to us, and we were not hurt, nor did we miss anything if we accompanied them, when we were in the fields. 16 They were a wall to us both by night and day, all the time we were with them keeping the sheep. 17 Now therefore, know and consider what you will do, for harm is determined against our master and against all his household. For he is such a scoundrel that one cannot speak to him.” 18 Then Abigail made haste and took two hundred loaves of bread, two skins of wine, five sheep already dressed, five seahs of roasted grain, one hundred clusters of raisins, and two hundred cakes of figs, and loaded them on donkeys. 19 And she said to her servants, “Go on before me; see, I am coming after you.” But she did not tell her husband Nabal. 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. 21 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. 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.” 23 Now when Abigail saw David, she dismounted quickly from the donkey, fell on her face before David, and bowed down to the ground. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 30 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, 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.” 32 Then David said to Abigail: “Blessed is the LORD God of Israel, who sent you this day to meet me! 33 And blessed is your advice and blessed are you, because you have kept me this day from coming to bloodshed and from avenging myself with my own hand. 34 For indeed, as the LORD God of Israel lives, who has kept me back from hurting you, unless you had hurried and come to meet me, surely by morning light no males would have been left to Nabal!” 35 So David received from her hand what she had brought him, and said to her, “Go up in peace to your house. See, I have heeded your voice and respected your person.” 36 Now Abigail went to Nabal, and there 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; therefore she told him nothing, little or much, until morning light. 37 So it was, in the morning, when the wine had gone from Nabal, and his wife had told him these things, that his heart died within him, and he became like a stone. 38 Then it happened, after about ten days, that the LORD struck Nabal, and he died. 39 So 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 His servant from evil! For the LORD has returned the wickedness of Nabal on his own head.” And David sent and proposed to Abigail, to take her as his wife. 40 When the servants of David had come to Abigail at Carmel, they spoke to her saying, “David sent us to you, to ask you to become his wife.” 41 Then she arose, bowed her face to the earth, and said, “Here is your maidservant, a servant to wash the feet of the servants of my lord.” 42 So Abigail rose in haste and rode on a donkey, attended by five of her maidens; and she followed the messengers of David, and became his wife. 43 David also took Ahinoam of Jezreel, and so both of them were his wives. 44 But Saul had given Michal his daughter, David’s wife, to Palti the son of Laish, who was from Gallim.
I would venture to say that many of you have already seen on television, video movie, or even on Broadway the production of Beauty and the Beast. But if you are somewhat in the dark like I was were you aware that it was derived from a true story?
Petrus Gonsalvus (The Beast) and his wife Catherine (of course the Beauty) met in 1500s France. Their widely-known story is thought to have inspired Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve's 1740 French fairy tale Beauty and the Beast. The best-known version of Villeneuve's story and the basis for the films was written 16 years later by Jeanne-Marie Le Prince de Beaumont and was geared more toward young ladies than adults.
Petrus Gonsalvus was born in 1537 on the Canary Island of Tenerife, the largest of Spain's seven Canary Islands off the coast of West Africa. At a young age, Gonsalvus was treated as an uncivilized curiosity. The hairy "wild man" was captured and put into an iron cage. For food, he was given raw meat and animal feed. He was shipped to King Henry II of France as a gift for the king's coronation in 1547.
Fortunately, King Henry II did not see Gonsalvus as a freak that should be kept in a cage. The king recognized Gonsalvus' calm demeanor and decided to try an experiment. He would attempt to educate and transform him into a gentleman. The king allowed him to keep his birth name, Pedro González, but only if he used its Latin form, Petrus Gonsalvus. The boy was given clothes and cooked meals. He was taught to speak, read, and write in not just one, but three languages, receiving the education of a nobleman. The royal court was impressed, and his social status rose. Yet, most still viewed him as less than human.
The real Beauty and the Beast met after Gonsalvus' mentor and protector, King Henry II, was killed in a jousting match on July 10, 1559. Gonsalvus became the property of the king's widow, Catherine de Medici, who became ruler and decided to conduct her own experiment with Gonsalvus. She wondered what would happen if her "beast" married a beautiful woman. Would they conceive little beasts? She found a wife for Gonsalvus, a young maiden also named Catherine, who was the daughter of a royal court servant.
Petrus Gonsalvus met his wife Catherine for the first time on their wedding day. The pair had seven children, with four of the seven suffering from their father's condition, hypertrichosis which was also called werewolf disease. This delighted the king's widow, who had succeeded in creating a "wild family."
The real Beauty and the Beast and their children toured European countries and cities, eventually settling in Parma, Italy where they were employed (owned) by Duke Ranuccio Farnese. The duke commissioned several paintings of the family, but none featured the three unaffected children, as they were not considered curiosities. Unfortunately, the four of their seven children afflicted with their father's condition were exploited by the duke and sent away as gifts, becoming pets of the upper class (to own such an "oddity" was a sign of one's noble status).
Petrus and Catherine were married for more than 40 years, with Catherine passing in 1623 and Petrus several years prior. There is no record of his death, possibly because he was not considered a human being worthy of a Christian burial, and therefore his death was not recorded. Petrus was last mentioned in the year 1617 at the christening of his grandson, and he is believed to have passed away sometime around 1618. The family's story spread throughout the region, eventually becoming the inspiration for one of the most popular love stories in literature, and subsequently, modern cinema.
In researching the Beauty and the Beast true story, I learned that only about fifty people in the world are currently known to have the genetic condition. Though hypertrichosis is commonly called Ambras Syndrome, the two are indeed separate conditions. As stated earlier, hypertrichosis can visibly affect people in two ways. General hypertrichosis means excessive hair grows all over the body, while localized hypertrichosis means only certain parts of the body are affected by abnormal hair growth.
Today we are going to see the original Beauty and the Beast. The Beauty is Abigail and her husband you will see is the beast.
This is the second of three successive examples in which David reveals his obedience to Yahweh in not taking his own vengeance on those who have sinned against him, and in consequence of this Abigail declares that he will be appointed ruler over Israel (25.30). This declaration of David’s ordained kingship is an important aspect of the story.
The incident fits aptly here as it gives a further indication of the way in which David made use of his men without harming Israelites, while at the same time because of the incident, events confirmed to him that The Great and Only Living God Yahweh would deal with beasts who call themselves men (and therefore also with Saul) in His own good time.
This teaching also brings out how easily David could have become like Saul, had Yahweh not used Abigail to restrain him, and teach him an important lesson which he would carry into the future. It is a reminder to us that David also could be imperious and merciless, and that while he was certainly more merciful than his contemporaries, he could also at times be quite ruthless, as we shall have cause to discover later.
Indeed, the question of good in contrast to evil pervades the whole narrative. The Hebrew words for "good" and "evil" each occur seven times in the chapter, which is surely not a coincidence. It is the number of divine completions. And good is seen to triumph. Thus, the incident is being used to demonstrate that David will in the end come through triumphantly, while Saul will perish.
To fully understand the story, we need to understand the ceremony of sheep-shearing. Sheep-shearing was not just a time of hard work for the shearers, many of whom would have to be hired in, but also ended in a joyous festival to which the whole region would be welcome. It was a time when wine flowed freely, generosity abounded, and men got very inebriated as they thanked God for the ‘harvest’ of wool. In some ways we might liken it to secular ideas about Christmas. Presents would often be exchanged, food and drink would be abundantly provided, and a good time would be had by all.
But in the case of the shearing of larger flocks there was a clear temptation to wandering tribesmen and outlaws to wait until the shearing was nearly complete and then swoop down to claim their spoils. Thus, neighboring tribesmen, who showed their forbearance and friendship by not attacking the flocks or disturbing the activity of sheep-shearing, and by hanging around and ‘warning off’ predators, would quite blatantly send their representatives to obtain some of the good things on offer, openly expecting them as an act of hospitality and a kind of return gesture of friendship. It was of advantage to both. Thus, David’s action was not as unusual, nor as preposterous, as it might sound to us. It was a regular method of demonstrating mutual friendship in a violent world, through which each party would see himself as benefiting from the other on a friendly basis, in return for the friendliness that the other had also shown.
25 Then Samuel died; and the Israelites gathered together and lamented for him and buried him at his home in Ramah. And David arose and went down to the Wilderness of Paran.
We had almost lost sight of Samuel amidst the issues of Saul and Yahweh’s preservation of David, but we are now reminded that he had continued his prophetic work in Israel and was generally greatly loved. Thus, when he died all Israel gathered together to lament him.
In this passage the description of Samuel’s end leads on to the story of a man who behaved like a fool and died like a fool. A parallel description in chapter 28.3 leads on to the story of how Saul also behaved like a fool, and how, while he appears to have died bravely, he came to a fool’s end. If David had been with him at the battle with the Philistines at which he died things might have gone very differently.
In contrast with the death of Samuel is the fact that his protégé David continued his advancement. He did not die but ‘arose’ and went into the wilderness and pasture land of Paran, where he was to learn an important lesson and gain a good and beautiful wife to replace Michal who had been taken from him. For him life, and God’s purposes, went on. We must not see ‘wilderness’ simply as representing a desert. In such wildernesses there would be much good pasture land, and when at times such places as the Negev were irrigated they could be very fertile.
‘The wilderness of Paran’ was in the area south and south west of the Dead Sea, It represented a large region bounded by the wilderness of Shur on the west and Edom on the east, with the wilderness of Sinai to the south. In it had wandered both Ishmael (Genesis 21.21) and the wandering Israelites, and from it had gone out the spies into Canaan (Numbers 10.12). It thus reached to the borders of Canaan.
2 Now there was a man in Maon whose business was in Carmel, and the man was very rich. He had three thousand sheep and a thousand goats. And he was shearing his sheep in Carmel.
Living in the town of Maon, with extensive lands in Carmel (Joshua 15.55), was a prosperous and important man who had large flocks of sheep and goats. Maon and Carmel were in a wilderness area west of the Dead Sea, and eight miles southeast of Hebron. Such areas were regularly open to attack by marauding tribesmen and bandits looking for spoils.
3 The name of the man was Nabal, and the name of his wife Abigail. And she was a woman of good understanding and beautiful appearance; but the man was harsh and evil in his doings. He was of the house of Caleb.
The man’s name was Nabal, which means ‘fool’ (compare Psalm 14.1). This was possibly a nickname by which he had become popularly known because of the kind of man he was. In contrast his wife was called Abigail which means ‘joy is my father’. She was a sensible and wise woman and very beautiful.
In striking contrast with his wife, Nabal was obstinate and unpleasant in his dealings, a beast of a man. He was a fool, she was of ‘good understanding’. He was evil and ungenerous, she was good and generous. He was repulsive in character, she was ‘beautiful’, both in character and appearance. He was arrogant and thoughtless, she was humble and thoughtful. He was ungodly, she was godly. He was a man who antagonized, she was a peacemaker.
4 When David heard in the wilderness that Nabal was shearing his sheep,
Residing in the wilderness with his men and having kept a friendly eye on the shepherds of Nabal and their sheep, David learned that the sheep-shearing, along with its accompanying celebrations, had begun. In accordance with custom, therefore, he and his men, as a friendly and protective ‘tribe’, would seek to share in the festivities.
5 David sent ten young men; and David said to the young men, “Go up to Carmel, go to Nabal, and greet him in my name. 6 And thus you shall say to him who lives in prosperity: ‘Peace be to you, peace to your house, and peace to all that you have!
Accordingly, David sent several his young men with a friendly message for Nabal. He asked that he might enjoy welfare and peace, and that he might recognize that the fact that he was still alive and prosperous was partly due to the services of David and his men. He assured him that his desire for him was that both he and his house and all that he had might enjoy peace and welfare. It was a typical Near Eastern greeting.
7 Now I have heard that you have shearers. Your shepherds were with us, and we did not hurt them, nor was there anything missing from them all the while they were in Carmel.
Then he came to the main point that he wanted to convey. It was that he had heard that Nabal was engaged in sheep-shearing, at the end of which, as all knew, festivities would be held, and ample food and drink would be made available to any guests who came, and he reminded him of the services that he and his men had provided to Nabal’s shepherds when they had shared the same area of land. Rather than doing any hurt to them and taking advantage of their unprotected flocks, they had instead protected them so that nothing went missing. So, as a friendly ‘neighbor’ he wished to share in the festivities. Such hospitality was a feature of sheep-shearing festivities to which all neighbors would be invited.
8 Ask your young men, and they will tell you. Therefore, let my young men find favor in your eyes, for we come on a feast day. Please give whatever comes to your hand to your servants and to your son David.’”
He suggested that Nabal question his young men on the matter and pointed out that they would then tell him that what David had said was so. In view of this he requested that his representatives might meet with favor in his eyes, because they came on a festival day, and that they might share in the hospitality. Let Nabal give from the food and drink an offer what he considered reasonable, for the benefit of his young men and himself. As mentioned above, his request was friendly and in accordance with custom and best practice. He and his men had restrained themselves and had sought to be helpful. Now Nabal could reciprocate by sharing with them some of the festive food and drink.
We should remember that David and his men, who were responsible to no one, could, had they wished, easily have appropriated for themselves whatever they had wanted from the flocks with no one to prevent them. The shepherds would have had no chance against his six hundred experienced warriors. Thus, he considered quite justly that they had in actual fact been neighborly, generous, and considerate, and had performed an important service in ensuring that no other wandering bands interfered with them.
9 So when David’s young men came, they spoke to Nabal according to all these words in the name of David and waited.
On arrival at the sheep-shearing site where the festivities were in progress, and food and drink would be flowing like water, David’s young men passed on David’s words exactly as he had given them. Then they sat down and awaited Nabal’s response. They were probably quite confident of a positive reply in the light of custom.
Given the strength of David’s band Nabal’s reply was foolish in the extreme. Indeed, we can only assume that he was not aware of how powerful David’s fighting strength was, for it is difficult otherwise to imagine why he acted so foolishly, however cranky he might have felt. He probably in fact thought that he was simply dealing with a disreputable bunch of outlaws who could easily be kept in their place. He had after all a good number of experienced fighting men to call on himself (all shepherds in such an area had to be fighting men).
His act was in fact a gross breach of hospitality. It went against recognized custom and was deliberately insulting. Indeed, it was an act of the utmost foolishness, and was inviting repercussions, as his own servants recognized. No doubt he thought that he had enough shearers to keep these audacious outlaws at bay. It was presumably only when the full-scale nature of the size of David’s band was brought home to him, and he realized what his wife had saved them from, that he had his stroke.
10 Then Nabal answered David’s servants, and said, “Who is David, and who is the son of Jesse? There are many servants nowadays who break away each one from his master.
His reply was contemptuous in the extreme. It was not only a rejection, but a deliberate and calculated insult. Who did this man ‘David’ think he was? Why should he listen to ‘the son of Jesse’? He was nothing special. He was just a renegade servant who had slipped his master’s leash, and there were many of them around. Why then should he cater for them? He did not want people like that enjoying his hospitality.
11 Shall I then take my bread and my water and my meat that I have killed for my shearers, and give it to men when I do not know where they are from?”
Indeed, why should he take the food and drink which he had provided for his shearers and neighbors, and give it to unknown strangers of whose background he was unaware? It is clear from what follows that his servants, who did know the strength of David’s force, were appalled to learn of his words. To them it was quite clear what the consequences would be. You just did not treat leaders of powerful outlaw bands in this way.
12 So David’s young men turned on their heels and went back; and they came and told him all these words.
David’s young men were also no doubt quite surprised. They had come with friendly overtures and had expected to share in Nabal’s generosity. It was the custom. But now they were going away empty. And it was as empty that they returned to David and told him what Nabal had said.
Humanly speaking David’s reaction was inevitable. What Nabal had said was deliberately insulting, contrary to custom and an act of open hostility. It was a refusal to accept the norms of hospitality because of his contempt for David. It was to declare war. Had they partaken of his food and drink David and his men would, according to the laws of hospitality, have been bound to treat him and his servants in a friendly way. But by refusing to treat David and his men as ‘friendly’, he was stating that he saw them as nondescript enemies. That too resulted from the laws of hospitality.
What David was experiencing was training and teaching from our Holy Lord. The different trials and testing are allowed into our lives to teach us some valuable truths. David had just left a stressful confrontation with Saul. Now with his men somewhat left alone and not being in constant difficult situations he gets hit with this new problem. It comes to a man that enough is enough. I am sick and tired of taking all this junk so now its time for me to act.
13 Then David said to his men, “Every man gird on his sword.” So every man girded on his sword, and David also girded on his sword. And about four hundred men went with David, and two hundred stayed with the supplies.
So when he received Nabal’s reply David commanded his men to gird themselves with their swords, and taking four hundred men set off to gain his vengeance. This was precisely what everyone would have expected, as we see from the reaction of Abigail’s servant who would be unwittingly caught up in the consequences.
Please note the threefold repetition of ‘sword’. The repetition is to emphasize that they were going to be used. David did not, of course, stop to think that he was behaving exactly like Saul would have behaved. He was furious. To him custom had been violated, hospitality had been refused, insults had been offered, personal hostility had been demonstrated and repercussions had been invited. Well, he would give them what they asked for. They would soon learn who David, the son of Jesse, was when they were drowning in their own blood.
We see here another side of David. It is a reminder that his compassion for Saul was not the result of his general moral stance but was simply because Saul was the anointed of Yahweh. It was his loyalty to Yahweh that had prevented him from killing Saul, not a general moral dislike of killing. Indeed, like many of his day he spent his life killing. This would thus be just one more example of it. However, the remainder of the story indicates that God was not pleased with his attitude, and that he himself, when he had cooled down and thought about it, recognized that he had gone somewhat over the top. He was still learning the need for compassion that would be required by a godly king.
14 Now one of the young men told Abigail, Nabal’s wife, saying, “Look, David sent messengers from the wilderness to greet our master; and he reviled them. 15 But the men were very good to us, and we were not hurt, nor did we miss anything if we accompanied them, when we were in the fields. 16 They were a wall to us both by night and day, all the time we were with them keeping the sheep.
Fortunately for all involved one of the shepherds, who must have been a trusted servant, had learned of what Nabal had said to David’s messengers and was appalled. He knew the strength of David’s band, and he could not believe that Nabal had behaved so foolishly. He was quite aware that what he had done and said had invited repercussions of a terrible kind. It went against all custom and all common sense.
So he sought out Abigail, his master’s wife, whom he knew to be a woman of sense. And he told her what had happened, and how David’s messengers had come in order to receive the customary hospitality and had been turned away with insults. He then pointed out how good David’s men had been to them, and how they had not only not hurt them, or stolen anything from them, but that they had also protected them so that no wandering bands of outlaws and raiders had dared to approach them, and had continued to do so all the time that they were there. According to custom they had therefore earned Nabal’s hospitality.
17 Now therefore, know and consider what you will do, for harm is determined against our master and against all his household. For he is such a scoundrel that one cannot speak to him.”
The servant pointed out that there could really be no doubt about what David’s response would be. You just did not treat people like David and his men like that. Thus, it was quite clear that there would soon be severe repercussions, not only on Nabal but on all of them, for all would be seen as involved in the insult offered. It could only be a matter of time before David arrived to wreak his vengeance. Nabal had asked for it. In quite boldness the servant appears to have felt that David would be in the right, and that it was his own master who was in the wrong.
The servant must have been one who was ‘privileged’, for he then indicated that he had not talked with Nabal about it because he knew that he was such an awkward man that there was no way in which he would listen. This was a very daring thing for a servant to say against his master, but he clearly expected Abigail to recognize the truth of what he had said, and to sympathies. It also demonstrates his own fears about what the repercussions were going to be. Hey, if you know that you are probably a dead man after David shows up you might as well go out telling things like they are.
18 Then Abigail made haste and took two hundred loaves of bread, two skins of wine, five sheep already dressed, five seahs of roasted grain, one hundred clusters of raisins, and two hundred cakes of figs, and loaded them on donkeys.
The astute Abigail recognized at once the truth of what he had said. No doubt she had been informed of the size of David’s band. So, she hurriedly ‘took two hundred loaves, and two skins of wine, and five sheep ready dressed, and five measures of parched grain, and a hundred clusters of raisins, and two hundred cakes of figs, and laid them on donkeys.’ This was more than David would necessarily have originally expected, but she knew that the extra would be needed if there was to be any hope of appeasing him. The fact that the sheep were ready dressed demonstrates that the feast was still going on.
19 And she said to her servants, “Go on before me; see, I am coming after you.” But she did not tell her husband Nabal.
Then, recognizing the necessity for urgency, she told her young men to go on in front of her in order to let David know that provisions were on the way, and that she, Nabal’s wife, was bringing them. She knew that with the provisions that she was taking she would not be able to travel very quickly and that it was urgent that David knew what she was doing before he carried out the expected vengeance.
‘But she did not tell her husband Nabal.’ She recognized that the servant was perfectly correct about his obstinacy and hardness, and that if she had said anything he might have tried to stop her from going. But apart from Nabal everyone realized what the consequences must be of what he had done, so she knew that she must act secretly and on her own.
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.
Moving as quickly as she could with all the good things that she was taking to David, and herself riding on her own donkey, the normal beast of travel for wealthy people in Canaan, Abigail came into an isolated pass which was hidden from outside view. There she was suddenly faced with a large band of warriors coming in the other direction. It was David and his men. And they had vengeance in their hearts.
21 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.
For David’s response to Nabal’s rudeness and inhospitableness had been instantaneous. He was angry that after all the generosity they had shown in not attacking the shepherds and stealing some of the sheep, all that he had received in return was insults, snubs, and a refusal to show even basic hospitality.
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’s vengeance was to be swift and sure. Not one male would be left alive. This was because they would all have been participating in the insult, and they would therefore all be dead before morning.
It is probably difficult for us to perceive how pivotal Abigail’s action was for David. Up to this point, as far as we know, David and his men had only ever proved themselves to be friendly and protective towards Israelites. We are left to imagine then what might have been the effect of the spreading of a story of how he and his men had descended on a group of innocent Judean sheepshearers enjoying their festivities (the full facts would not necessarily be known) and had slaughtered them in cold blood, with the result that he had wiped out a prominent and noble family from Judah, and all for the sake of a few provisions. No one would have known who would be next.
23 Now when Abigail saw David, she dismounted quickly from the donkey, fell on her face before David, and bowed down to the ground.
When Abigail saw David and his men she did not hesitate. As quickly as she could she alighted from her donkey and fell down and paid homage at a distance. She then followed this up by a further abasing of herself and by touching the ground with her head. Then finally she approached David and prostrated herself again before him. She was emphasizing to David the deep respect that she had for him.
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.
We have to take note the final stress that she fell at his feet before him. It was an act of total submission. Notice also the threefold remarks, ‘fell before David --- bowed herself to the ground --- fell at his feet’ emphasizing the completeness of her submission. It was typical of the way in which an important ruler would be approached. She was trying to appease him. Then she begged that he would listen to her. It was not normal for a woman to approach a man like David, especially when he was on a warlike mission. So, she firstly asked that her iniquity in daring to speak to him and delay him might be on her alone (he would not yet know who she was). No fault was to lie at his door, or at anyone else’s. And then she begged that he would continue to listen to her. Again, notice the three-fold statements ‘on me be the iniquity --- let me speak in your ears --- hear you my words’. It is typical of the flowery language and behavior that was used by someone engaged in an urgent mission to a powerful ruler who had been offended.
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.
She pleaded with him to know who Nabal was for he was, a worthless and useless fellow, as his nickname indicated, and one therefore to be dismissed as such. He had been rightly characterized. His name meant ‘folly’ and that is what he was, a fool. And the pathway for a fool led him to his own destruction. It did not need David to help it along.
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.
In an amazing quick understanding and wisdom Abigail now advanced three arguments to advance her call for compassion:
• First in that Yahweh by His providence had caused them to meet to prevent him becoming blood guilty. This was a clear sign that the living God was at work and was wanting David to walk in the way of full life and not in the way of blood-guiltiness and in the way of obtaining his own vengeance by his own actions rather than awaiting Yahweh’s vengeance.
• Second in that her desire was that all David’s enemies be like Nabal (fools doomed to destruction at Yahweh’s hand).
• Third (in verse 27) in that that she herself has brought hospitality for his young men, demonstrating that not all Nabal’s household look on David with contempt and as an enemy.
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.
Finally, she gave practical proof of her own genuineness by drawing his attention to the gifts that she had brought for his young men, which demonstrated on behalf of her and her servants the welcoming hospitality, that previously had been refused. Let them now enjoy hospitality and friendship and not vengeance. Note the subtle implication that David himself was, of course, above requiring such evidence and compensation.
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.
Abigail then asked for forgiveness for her trespass. This may signify that she was acknowledging that she shared in the guilt that fell on the whole household because of Nabal’s behavior.
Her plea was on the basis of her assurance that Yahweh would establish David’s house for ever (it would be a sure house), because David was one who fought Yahweh’s battles and would thus be preserved from all evil all his days, both external evils from without and internal evils arising from within.
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.
Indeed, while David may have to face many enemies, and be pursued by many who will seek his life yet he will not have to fear because his life will be bound up in Yahweh’s bundle of life. The thought is that his being bound up in a bundle made up of God’s life, and of the lives of His chosen ones, makes him invulnerable. Death cannot penetrate it. His life is safe in God’s hands. Today we would say, ‘your life is hidden with Christ in God’ (Colossians 3.3).
The picture is a vivid one. Those who are true to God are tied up with Him in His bundle of life safe and secure in His hands. You are in good hands with Jesus. Those who are not are slung far and wide and are outside of His care and protection.
She may, of course, have specifically had in mind the fact that he had been pursued by Saul. That would not have been a secret to anyone. Considering the number of men that Saul had had with him such facts would inevitably have spread and become common knowledge. All Israel would know of Saul’s pursuit of David, and the reasons for it, as they would undoubtedly by now have learned of David’s anointing by Samuel, for all such ‘secrets’, where a number of people are involved, inevitably get out.
In contrast to the lives of those who were wrapped up in Yahweh’s bundle of life were the lives of his enemies which would be put in the pouch of Yahweh’s sling to be slung out far and wide away from Yahweh’s protection. This would include both Nabal and Saul. And to be far from Yahweh could only result in death in contrast with life. It was to live in the shadows and then finally be destroyed.
30 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, 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.”
In the day when the life that Yahweh had given David came to fruition in his receiving the kingship of Israel, the promise of which was common knowledge, he would be only too glad that he was free from blood-guiltiness in regard to this sordid affair.
Please note the stress on the fact that all this would be given to him by Yahweh because The God of Israel had said so. How sad it would then be to have innocent blood on his hands simply because he had responded to the behavior of a fool. And how sad if he was then seen as someone who thought of nothing but vengeance, instead of being known as someone who was merciful and gracious.
We must not forget the popularity that David had had as a successful commander, such that his reputation in Israel was even famed among the Philistines. Thus, all Israel were interested in his welfare, and any news about him would spread rapidly, especially among the womenfolk to whom he was an heroic figure. Indeed, one thing that no doubt spurred on Saul in his pursuit of David was what he learned about what people were saying about him. By this Abigail was making plain that she and many others in Israel viewed David’s prospects with favor.
In his response David acknowledged that she was in the right, and that she had kept him from unnecessary blood-guiltiness. It was one thing to have to slay men in warfare and to preserve peace for all. It was a different matter when it came down to personal vendettas, and he was basically admitting that his temper had got the better of him. So, he thanked Yahweh, and Abigail’s discretion, and Abigail herself for keeping him from folly.
32 Then David said to Abigail: “Blessed is the LORD God of Israel, who sent you this day to meet me!
David first praised Yahweh, Who was and still is the God of Israel, for sending Abigail to meet him and prevent him from committing folly in Israel. Both acknowledged that it was first and foremost Yahweh’s doing.
33 And blessed is your advice and blessed are you, because you have kept me this day from coming to bloodshed and from avenging myself with my own hand.
Then he thanked her for her discretion. He was admitting that, had she not approached him in the way that she had done, he was in such a temper that he might well not have listened. And finally, he praised her for being the human instrument whom God had used, and for having such concern both for her own people and for him. For it was these things which had kept him from what he now admitted would have made him blood-guilty and a usurper of Yahweh’s prerogative of vengeance. He would have committed the very same sin as he had avoided in the case of Saul.
34 For indeed, as the LORD God of Israel lives, who has kept me back from hurting you, unless you had hurried and come to meet me, surely by morning light no males would have been left to Nabal!”
For he admitted that had Yahweh not intervened through her, and had she not come in such haste to meet him, he would have hurt her and all her household by slaying without distinction, before morning, all mature males. The slaying would have been indiscriminate. It would probably have included all who were involved with Nabal because of their presence at the feast.
It would not, of course, have happened without a battle. Those who knew of what had happened when David messengers came would undoubtedly have armed themselves, and probably not a few visiting celebrants would have quietly moved off, not wanting to get involved. Everyone at Nabal’s feast would have acknowledged that Nabal had probably brought disaster on them all, a disaster earned by his arrogant behavior which had distained the accepted rules of hospitality and had courted such disaster.
35 So David received from her hand what she had brought him, and said to her, “Go up in peace to your house. See, I have heeded your voice and respected your person.”
It must have been a huge relief to Abigail when David accepted her gift, for the acceptance of the gift was the guarantee of friendship. Thus, the acceptance of the gift was the guarantee that there would be no further action against Nabal.
This was then confirmed by David’s words as he affirmed that she could go in peace as he had listened to her plea and had accepted her for what she was, an acceptable messenger of peace and goodwill. Her mission had been successful.
On receiving news from Abigail about how close they had come to disaster Nabal had a stroke and died, causing David, when he heard of it, to thank Yahweh for taking up his cause while keeping him from evil.
36 Now Abigail went to Nabal, and there 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; therefore, she told him nothing, little or much, until morning light.
On returning home Abigail found the festivities in full progress with the result that Nabal was in no condition to listen to what she had to say because he was very drunk. So, she told him nothing that night and decided to wait until he had sobered up in the morning.
37 So it was, in the morning, when the wine had gone from Nabal, and his wife had told him these things, that his heart died within him, and he became like a stone.
Once he had recovered from his excesses in the morning Abigail explained to him all that she had done, and how, as a result, she had been able to turn back an army of armed men who had been coming to destroy them. He found the news so disturbing that it resulted in him having a stroke. Some question the possibility that Nabal became frightened and thus had the stroke. I think in reality that it was his anger at Abigail’s act of disobedience to him that caused his stroke. For Nabal though too much of himself and what he could do against David and his band of refugees.
38 Then it happened, after about ten days, that the LORD struck Nabal, and he died. 39 So 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 His servant from evil! For the LORD has returned the wickedness of Nabal on his own head.” And David sent and proposed to Abigail, to take her as his wife.
When David heard the news of the stroke, and Nabal’s consequential death, he blessed God both for avenging him the insult that he had suffered, and for punishing Nabal for his evildoing, while at the same time having prevented it occurring at David’s hands. It demonstrated to him that Yahweh was with him, confirmed that in the same way he could also wait for Yahweh Himself to deal with Saul, and in addition had given him a lesson in mercy.
Once David had fled from Saul he became an outlaw. Thus Saul considered that his marriage to Michal was consequently at an end, and gave Michal to someone else. But we learn that Yahweh then adequately compensated him by giving him instead two wives, first Ahinoam, a Jezreelite, and now Abigail the Wise and Beautiful. Boy is God greatly taking care of and blessing David.
David had clearly been impressed by Abigail, and once he had learned that she was now free he decided to take her as his wife, in addition to Ahinoam from Jezreel whom he had previously married. By this means he would probably gain control of great wealth and provision through Abigail which would provide resources for his men.
40 When the servants of David had come to Abigail at Carmel, they spoke to her saying, “David sent us to you, to ask you to become his wife.”
I think in David’s and Abigail’s prior meeting he understood from her that she would like to be his woman. So how is this for a proposal you send some of your helpers to just go and bring her back to you to be his wife
41 Then she arose, bowed her face to the earth, and said, “Here is your maidservant, a servant to wash the feet of the servants of my lord.”
Abigail received them with courtesy and discreetly accepted David’s proposal. The fact that she hurried to respond may suggest great willingness. After all, she knew that he was the heir apparent to the throne of Israel and a man compared to the evil Nabal.
42 So Abigail rose in haste and rode on a donkey, attended by five of her maidens; and she followed the messengers of David, and became his wife.
In the same way as Abigail had hurried to set out to appease David in verse 18, so now she hurried to go to meet him as her future husband, taking with her five maidens for company, and travelling in the company of David’s men. And once she had arrived at his camp she became his wife, no doubt through the ministry of Abiathar.
43 David also took Ahinoam of Jezreel, and so both of them were his wives.
The words ‘took’ should be ‘had taken’ for 2 Samuel 3.2 suggests that Ahinoam was David’s first wife after Michal. She came from Jezreel which was also in the hill country of Judah. Whether consciously or unconsciously David was by this preparing the way for the future, for by these marriages he was establishing his identity among the southern tribes and their allies and gaining family rights over large areas of land. It would do him no harm once the throne of Israel/Judah became vacant.
44 But Saul had given Michal his daughter, David’s wife, to Palti the son of Laish, who was from Gallim.
Michal had been taken from him by Saul and had been married to another. Having made David an outlaw, and having determined on his death, he wanted his daughter removed from such a situation. Saul also probably had the aim of scotching any idea that David could claim the throne as Saul’s son-in-law. So many of Saul’s wrong actions were the result of his passion to ensure the establishment of his own dynasty. Samuel’s twofold rejection of him had bitten deeply into his life.
I see this point of truth brought out so amazingly in some people today. If you watch the news and are informed of how some Pastor’s were disqualified from their co-shepherd position due to their sin, since this is the only thing that they know they try like Saul to keep everything going like before. It does not and will not work out for them to attempt such a course of action.
