by Joyce Adedayo Adams on Wednesday, December 9, 2009 at 2:36am
1 Sam 25: 2-42
The story of Abigail is quite a fascinating story. At first glance, it would seem that Abigail is just another woman who stopped a man from killing her husband. But closer study will bring out the depth of who this woman is and what she did. Following the feedback on an article I wrote titled “A husband from the bible”, which examines the qualities of some great men in the bible and how as women we can ask God for these qualities in our future prospects, I was asked by a number of ladies about the qualities we should have as women to attract a man from God. My search through the Word of God brought me to Abigail.
The bible says Abigail is a woman of good understanding (KJV), Contemporary English Version (CEV) says she is sensible and beautiful, Good News Bible(GNB) says she is beautiful and intelligent, English Standard Version (ESV) says she is discerning and beautiful, the Geneva Bible (GV) calls her a woman with singular wisdom.
Abigail is also described as a very beautiful woman. In fact, bible historians say that she is one of the most beautiful women recorded in bible days. Others are Sarah, Esther, Rahab and Job’s daughters. Abigail is a container of wisdom stored up for the day of use. So one cannot help but wonder why on earth she ended up married to a man named or nicknamed “Fool”. One can only arrive at a reasonable conclusion that she was given in marriage to Nabal because of his wealth in exchange for her extraordinaire beauty.
Nabal - the bible describes him as a man with great possessions, but also one who is rough and mean (CEV), harsh and badly behaved (ESV), cruel and evil (Bible in Basic English). So I was thinking, how come he had so great a possession, him being a fool? Foolishness does not bring or promote wealth, wisdom does that. I did a bit more digging and found out that he was from the house of Caleb (remember Caleb, Joshua and the ten spies). In Numbers 14:24, the Lord said because Caleb had a different spirit and followed him with his whole heart, He would spare his life and give him an inheritance for his descendants. This came to pass in Joshua 14: 6-15. Caleb asked for and was given Hebron, which was a great fenced mountain, with fortified cities. This land was fruitful and abundant in many things. Giants used to live there. This was given to Caleb and his children and descendants as an inheritance. So if Nabal was a descendant of Caleb, we can see how he came about so great a possession. The book of Proverbs reverberates with how foolishness brings ruin to a life. Folly does not in any way benefit or prosper a man!
David is a man anointed by God to be king over Israel. He knew this, Saul knew this and so does all Israel. David and his men were in hiding in the wilderness of Paran away from Saul. So why this man Nabal refused David’s request when he knew that David is destined to be King over all Israel could only be accounted to the fool nature in him. He not only refused to give David supplies but also insulted David and called him a run-away servant. He knew David was armed. He knew David had a group of men with him, men known to be great fighting warriors. So why he could not spare a few sheep out of the three thousand that he had is simply folly. Naturally, David was furious by his reply and being a warrior, he got up immediately with his men to attack Nabal and wipe out every male in his household. This is where Abigail comes in. I will digress a bit to highlight how Abigail came to hear of the matter. She did not see the men from David. She only became aware of the issue when one of Nabal’s servants called her attention to it.
This brings me to my next line of thought. What kind of “Boss-Lady” was Abigail for her husband’s servant to confide in her? She must have cared for the servants and respected them. In turn, she had their full respect. It takes respect for the servant to come to her with the matter, knowing she is a woman with intelligence and good understanding. She must have settled many of her household’s squabbles with wisdom. She must have presided over many delicate issues and handled them with utmost care and allowed justice to reign. Oh, we have many examples of other “Boss-Ladies” in the bible. Instead of using their position as the master’s wife to better the life of those in their household and around them, they chose to use their position as the “power-seat of evil”. The first example that springs to my mind is Potiphar’s wife. She wanted to use her position to lure Joseph into adultery. Another example is Herodias, King Herod’s mistress. She used her position to behead John the Baptist. Another prominent example is Athaliah, the mother of King Ahaziah. (2 Kings 11:1), When her son who was the reigning king died, she murdered all the royal seed (her own grandchildren!) in order to be queen. And of course, Delilah, the mistress of the strong Judge Samson, who eventually opened the way to his capture. We cannot leave out Jezebel, who is the ultimate queen of wickedness. The wife of King Ahab, her very name Jezebel brings up an image of a very wicked female. Jezebel committed so many atrocities that are too numerous to cover here, some of the most notable being: she killed all the prophets of the Lord she could lay her hands on and installed the prophets of Baal, she orchestrated the murder of Naboth the Jezreelite because of his vineyard, she threatened to kill Elijah because he killed the prophets of Baal.
So we go back to Abigail. Abigail is the opposite of the women mentioned above. She used her position as the wife of a rich man and madam of the house to gain the respect and confidence of the servants in her household, such that they did not hesitate to come to her with problems. In fact, I would guess that rather than go to Nabal for any issue, the servants would have come to Abigail first. David would have indeed killed the entire male in Nabal’s house if the servant did not warn Abigail and if Abigail did not persuade him otherwise.
Let’s examine her encounter with David in full.
In verse 18, she made haste and prepared supplies for David and his men. For starters, one notable thing that she did was to go with the supplies. She did not send her servants to give the supplies to David (which she might have done), but she rode on an ass and went with them.
In verse 23, when she saw David, she got off the ass and fell before him with her face to the ground. In biblical times, that is how you greet a king. Asides this, respect is one of any man’s fundamental need. As women, we have various needs, a fundamental being the need to be loved and cherished. Even if David was callous and has a heart as hard as a mountain, the image of Abigail kneeling down at his feet with her face bowed down to the ground was enough to melt a man’s heart. She touched the man and the King in him.
In verse 26, she said God has sent her to David to stop him from needless bloodshed and self-avenging. She weaved in the grace and mercy of God to go with her plea.
In verse 27 – 31, she blessed and prayed for David, prophesying into the future when David will be crowned King over Israel. (Wow..and did she pray some ‘heavy stuff’! I love her prayers and prophetic utterances). This woman understands and knows without a certainty that David would be crowned King of Israel. She foretold a glorious end to David’s present trouble. She encouraged David and soothed David’s ruffled male feathers with her soft and gentle words. How and why she is so sure that David would be King, is a mystery that needs to be unravelled. She was not his wife nor his confidante. So how can she be so sure?
The wisdom of Abigail can be likened to the faith of Rahab, the prostitute of Jericho, who believed with all her heart in a God she did not know, and has never served or worshipped. Of an entire city, only Rahab and her family were spared from the destruction that wiped out Jericho, because she trusted and believed in the Living God of the Jews. (Rahab is one my favourite women in the bible, if not my very favourite. Every time I study her, my faith is built up and challenged to do great things for the kingdom of God). Both women exercised a virtue that every woman should covert earnestly. Wisdom, discernment, good understanding and blind unwavering faith in the prophecy and Almighty power of God.
So Abigail, told David, in verse 31, watch this now, she told David to remember her when he was crowned king. No, that was not a proposal! Her fool husband, Nabal was still very much alive and there was no way she could have known in about ten days to that time, she would be a widow. She was only once again dipping into her bucket of wisdom and drawing out waters of salvation. I would interpret this to mean since she was so sure David will be crowned King one day, she wanted to have the King’s ears and attention. Not everybody can hold audience with the King, you know. Also, I honestly believe that the Spirit of God came over her as she knelt down in front of David to pay obeisance to him, because my word..the things that woman said to David made her unforgettable and branded her into his mind. She saw David the fugitive as DAVID, KING OF ISRAEL, and addressed him as such. Amazing!
As soon as Nabal was dead, David wasted no time in asking Abigail to marry him. He recognized the voice of wisdom in her speech. He saw in her the kind of woman he wanted by his side always. A woman who saw and would always see the King in him, even when he was a fugitive, hiding in caves. A woman who will encourage and speak loving words to cheer him up whenever he was down. A woman who will stir him towards good and keep him within the law of Yahweh.
I pray that our hearts and lives be open today to receive wisdom like that of Abigail – discernment and good understanding to see beyond the physical and prophecy what the Lord has established. May the Holy Spirit quicken our minds to every cloudy situation and deception of the enemy in every area of our lives. Just as the enemy deceived Eve in the garden of Eden, he is roaming about, seeking to deceive the daughters of the Most High. But he has already lost the battle. We are more than conquerors. We have the mind of Christ. We will stand and declare that we are The New Eve, a recreated woman who has her roots embed in Christ Jesus. Amen.
God bless you!
The story of Abigail is quite a fascinating story. At first glance, it would seem that Abigail is just another woman who stopped a man from killing her husband. But closer study will bring out the depth of who this woman is and what she did. Following the feedback on an article I wrote titled “A husband from the bible”, which examines the qualities of some great men in the bible and how as women we can ask God for these qualities in our future prospects, I was asked by a number of ladies about the qualities we should have as women to attract a man from God. My search through the Word of God brought me to Abigail.
The bible says Abigail is a woman of good understanding (KJV), Contemporary English Version (CEV) says she is sensible and beautiful, Good News Bible(GNB) says she is beautiful and intelligent, English Standard Version (ESV) says she is discerning and beautiful, the Geneva Bible (GV) calls her a woman with singular wisdom.
Abigail is also described as a very beautiful woman. In fact, bible historians say that she is one of the most beautiful women recorded in bible days. Others are Sarah, Esther, Rahab and Job’s daughters. Abigail is a container of wisdom stored up for the day of use. So one cannot help but wonder why on earth she ended up married to a man named or nicknamed “Fool”. One can only arrive at a reasonable conclusion that she was given in marriage to Nabal because of his wealth in exchange for her extraordinaire beauty.
Nabal - the bible describes him as a man with great possessions, but also one who is rough and mean (CEV), harsh and badly behaved (ESV), cruel and evil (Bible in Basic English). So I was thinking, how come he had so great a possession, him being a fool? Foolishness does not bring or promote wealth, wisdom does that. I did a bit more digging and found out that he was from the house of Caleb (remember Caleb, Joshua and the ten spies). In Numbers 14:24, the Lord said because Caleb had a different spirit and followed him with his whole heart, He would spare his life and give him an inheritance for his descendants. This came to pass in Joshua 14: 6-15. Caleb asked for and was given Hebron, which was a great fenced mountain, with fortified cities. This land was fruitful and abundant in many things. Giants used to live there. This was given to Caleb and his children and descendants as an inheritance. So if Nabal was a descendant of Caleb, we can see how he came about so great a possession. The book of Proverbs reverberates with how foolishness brings ruin to a life. Folly does not in any way benefit or prosper a man!
David is a man anointed by God to be king over Israel. He knew this, Saul knew this and so does all Israel. David and his men were in hiding in the wilderness of Paran away from Saul. So why this man Nabal refused David’s request when he knew that David is destined to be King over all Israel could only be accounted to the fool nature in him. He not only refused to give David supplies but also insulted David and called him a run-away servant. He knew David was armed. He knew David had a group of men with him, men known to be great fighting warriors. So why he could not spare a few sheep out of the three thousand that he had is simply folly. Naturally, David was furious by his reply and being a warrior, he got up immediately with his men to attack Nabal and wipe out every male in his household. This is where Abigail comes in. I will digress a bit to highlight how Abigail came to hear of the matter. She did not see the men from David. She only became aware of the issue when one of Nabal’s servants called her attention to it.
This brings me to my next line of thought. What kind of “Boss-Lady” was Abigail for her husband’s servant to confide in her? She must have cared for the servants and respected them. In turn, she had their full respect. It takes respect for the servant to come to her with the matter, knowing she is a woman with intelligence and good understanding. She must have settled many of her household’s squabbles with wisdom. She must have presided over many delicate issues and handled them with utmost care and allowed justice to reign. Oh, we have many examples of other “Boss-Ladies” in the bible. Instead of using their position as the master’s wife to better the life of those in their household and around them, they chose to use their position as the “power-seat of evil”. The first example that springs to my mind is Potiphar’s wife. She wanted to use her position to lure Joseph into adultery. Another example is Herodias, King Herod’s mistress. She used her position to behead John the Baptist. Another prominent example is Athaliah, the mother of King Ahaziah. (2 Kings 11:1), When her son who was the reigning king died, she murdered all the royal seed (her own grandchildren!) in order to be queen. And of course, Delilah, the mistress of the strong Judge Samson, who eventually opened the way to his capture. We cannot leave out Jezebel, who is the ultimate queen of wickedness. The wife of King Ahab, her very name Jezebel brings up an image of a very wicked female. Jezebel committed so many atrocities that are too numerous to cover here, some of the most notable being: she killed all the prophets of the Lord she could lay her hands on and installed the prophets of Baal, she orchestrated the murder of Naboth the Jezreelite because of his vineyard, she threatened to kill Elijah because he killed the prophets of Baal.
So we go back to Abigail. Abigail is the opposite of the women mentioned above. She used her position as the wife of a rich man and madam of the house to gain the respect and confidence of the servants in her household, such that they did not hesitate to come to her with problems. In fact, I would guess that rather than go to Nabal for any issue, the servants would have come to Abigail first. David would have indeed killed the entire male in Nabal’s house if the servant did not warn Abigail and if Abigail did not persuade him otherwise.
Let’s examine her encounter with David in full.
In verse 18, she made haste and prepared supplies for David and his men. For starters, one notable thing that she did was to go with the supplies. She did not send her servants to give the supplies to David (which she might have done), but she rode on an ass and went with them.
In verse 23, when she saw David, she got off the ass and fell before him with her face to the ground. In biblical times, that is how you greet a king. Asides this, respect is one of any man’s fundamental need. As women, we have various needs, a fundamental being the need to be loved and cherished. Even if David was callous and has a heart as hard as a mountain, the image of Abigail kneeling down at his feet with her face bowed down to the ground was enough to melt a man’s heart. She touched the man and the King in him.
In verse 26, she said God has sent her to David to stop him from needless bloodshed and self-avenging. She weaved in the grace and mercy of God to go with her plea.
In verse 27 – 31, she blessed and prayed for David, prophesying into the future when David will be crowned King over Israel. (Wow..and did she pray some ‘heavy stuff’! I love her prayers and prophetic utterances). This woman understands and knows without a certainty that David would be crowned King of Israel. She foretold a glorious end to David’s present trouble. She encouraged David and soothed David’s ruffled male feathers with her soft and gentle words. How and why she is so sure that David would be King, is a mystery that needs to be unravelled. She was not his wife nor his confidante. So how can she be so sure?
The wisdom of Abigail can be likened to the faith of Rahab, the prostitute of Jericho, who believed with all her heart in a God she did not know, and has never served or worshipped. Of an entire city, only Rahab and her family were spared from the destruction that wiped out Jericho, because she trusted and believed in the Living God of the Jews. (Rahab is one my favourite women in the bible, if not my very favourite. Every time I study her, my faith is built up and challenged to do great things for the kingdom of God). Both women exercised a virtue that every woman should covert earnestly. Wisdom, discernment, good understanding and blind unwavering faith in the prophecy and Almighty power of God.
So Abigail, told David, in verse 31, watch this now, she told David to remember her when he was crowned king. No, that was not a proposal! Her fool husband, Nabal was still very much alive and there was no way she could have known in about ten days to that time, she would be a widow. She was only once again dipping into her bucket of wisdom and drawing out waters of salvation. I would interpret this to mean since she was so sure David will be crowned King one day, she wanted to have the King’s ears and attention. Not everybody can hold audience with the King, you know. Also, I honestly believe that the Spirit of God came over her as she knelt down in front of David to pay obeisance to him, because my word..the things that woman said to David made her unforgettable and branded her into his mind. She saw David the fugitive as DAVID, KING OF ISRAEL, and addressed him as such. Amazing!
As soon as Nabal was dead, David wasted no time in asking Abigail to marry him. He recognized the voice of wisdom in her speech. He saw in her the kind of woman he wanted by his side always. A woman who saw and would always see the King in him, even when he was a fugitive, hiding in caves. A woman who will encourage and speak loving words to cheer him up whenever he was down. A woman who will stir him towards good and keep him within the law of Yahweh.
I pray that our hearts and lives be open today to receive wisdom like that of Abigail – discernment and good understanding to see beyond the physical and prophecy what the Lord has established. May the Holy Spirit quicken our minds to every cloudy situation and deception of the enemy in every area of our lives. Just as the enemy deceived Eve in the garden of Eden, he is roaming about, seeking to deceive the daughters of the Most High. But he has already lost the battle. We are more than conquerors. We have the mind of Christ. We will stand and declare that we are The New Eve, a recreated woman who has her roots embed in Christ Jesus. Amen.
God bless you!
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