After David spared his life at Engedi, even Saul had to admit his hatred was unreasonable. About the same time, Samuel died and all Israel came together to mourn his death. David came and Saul did not attack him during the time of mourning, as I Samuel 25:1 tells us. “And Samuel died; and all the Israelites were gathered together, and lamented him, and buried him in his house at Ramah. And David arose, and went down to the wilderness of Paran.”
David did not forget Saul’s unprovoked attacks, so after the
funeral, he went to the wilderness of Paran for safety. While in the wilderness, he and hs men
protected the various farmers and sheepherders from both wild animals and raids
by the Philistines and other groups, and helping with shearing and other
needs. Some of the shepherds they had
helped worked for a rich man by the name of Nabal, as described in I Samuel
25:2-3. “And there was a man in Maon, whose possessions were in Carmel; and the
man was very great, and he had three thousand sheep, and a thousand goats: and
he was shearing his sheep in Carmel. Now
the name of the man was Nabal; and the name of his wife Abigail: and she was a
woman of good understanding, and of a beautiful countenance: but the man was
churlish and evil in his doings; and he was of the house of Caleb.”
Shearing sheep is a very labor intensive job, and men would
often help other shepherds with the job, expecting only their food and help
with their own shearing. David sent ten
of his men to Nabal offering to help out, and asking for food for David’s men
for the help they had already provided, in I Samuel 25:4-8. “And
David heard in the wilderness that Nabal did shear his sheep. And David sent out ten young men, and David
said unto the young men, Get you up to Carmel, and go to Nabal, and greet him
in my name: And thus shall ye say to him that liveth in prosperity, Peace be
both to thee, and peace be to thine house, and peace be unto all that thou
hast. And now I have heard that thou
hast shearers: now thy shepherds which were with us, we hurt them not, neither
was there ought missing unto them, all the while they were in Carmel. Ask thy young men, and they will show thee.
Wherefore let the young men find favour in thine eyes: for we come in a good
day: give, I pray thee, whatsoever cometh to thine hand unto thy servants, and
to thy son David.”
Nabal was a rude or churlish man, and took pride in putting
down and embarrassing other people. When
Davids men came to him for help, he was very rude to them accusing them of
being just a bunch of runaway slaves and beggars, as I Samuel 25:9-11 tells
us. “And
when David's young men came, they spake to Nabal according to all those words
in the name of David, and ceased. And
Nabal answered David's servants, and said, Who is David? and who is the son of
Jesse? there be many servants now a days that break away every man from his
master. Shall I then take my bread, and
my water, and my flesh that I have killed for my shearers, and give it unto
men, whom I know not whence they be?”
Even the most godly of men can get angry when they are
insulted, and David decided to kill Nabal and his descendants for insulting him
and his men, in I Samuel 25:12-13. “So David's young men turned their way, and
went again, and came and told him all those sayings. And David said unto his men, Gird ye on every
man his sword. And they girded on every man his sword; and David also girded on
his sword: and there went up after David about four hundred men; and two
hundred abode by the stuff.”
Knowing how offensive Nabal’s behavior was, one of his employees
told his wife what he had said, and how unjustifiable it was. He warned that David and his men would not
overlook such an insult, and that Nabal was so controlled by Satan no one could
change his mind or get him to admit he was wrong. They wanted to know if anything could be done
to prevent what David might do, as I Samuel 25:14-17 tells us. “But
one of the young men told Abigail, Nabal's wife, saying, Behold, David sent
messengers out of the wilderness to salute our master; and he railed on them. But the men were very good unto us, and we
were not hurt, neither missed we any thing, as long as we were conversant with
them, when we were in the fields: They were a wall unto us both by night and
day, all the while we were with them keeping the sheep. Now therefore know and consider what thou wilt
do; for evil is determined against our master, and against all his household:
for he is such a son of Belial that a man cannot speak to him.”
Abigail had had to deal with people Nabal
had offended in the pastand knew how angry he could make people. She quickly got things together that she
hoped would placate David’s anger. She didn’t bother telling Nabal, knowing he
would refuse to let her go, as I Samuel 25:18-20 tells us. “Then
Abigail made haste, and took two hundred loaves, and two bottles of wine, and
five sheep ready dressed, and five measures of parched corn, and an hundred
clusters of raisins, and two hundred cakes of figs, and laid them on asses. And she said unto her servants, Go on before
me; behold, I come after you. But she told not her husband Nabal. And it was so, as she rode on the ass, that
she came down by the covert on the hill, and, behold, David and his men came
down against her; and she met them.”
David had been so offended by Nabal’s words he had decided
to kill Nabal and every man that worked for him. Fortunately, Abigail got there
in time to talk to David and apologize for her husband’s behavior. She was honest about his wicked attitudeand
asked David not to do something stupid just because Nabal was stupid. She recognized David and his men had every
right to sak Nabal’s help for what they had done for him, in I Samuel 25:21-28. “Now David
had said, Surely in vain have I kept all that this fellow hath in the
wilderness, so that nothing was missed of all that pertained unto him: and he
hath requited me evil for good. So and
more also do God unto the enemies of David, if I leave of all that pertain to
him by the morning light any that pisseth against the wall.
And when Abigail saw
David, she hasted, and lighted off the ass, and fell before David on her face,
and bowed herself to the ground, And
fell at his feet, and said, Upon me, my lord, upon me let this iniquity be: and
let thine handmaid, I pray thee, speak in thine audience, and hear the words of
thine handmaid. Let not my lord, I pray
thee, regard this man of Belial, even Nabal: for as his name is, so is he;
Nabal is his name, and folly is with him: but I thine handmaid saw not the
young men of my lord, whom thou didst send. Now therefore, my lord, as the LORD liveth,
and as thy soul liveth, seeing the LORD hath withholden thee from coming to
shed blood, and from avenging thyself with thine own hand, now let thine
enemies, and they that seek evil to my lord, be as Nabal. And now this blessing which thine handmaid
hath brought unto my lord, let it even be given unto the young men that follow
my lord. I pray thee, forgive the
trespass of thine handmaid: for the LORD will certainly make my lord a sure
house; because my lord fighteth the battles of the LORD, and evil hath not been
found in thee all thy days”
She continued by reminding David that he had been chosen to
be king by God, and that if he did what he planned, he would have to live with
the guilt for the rest of his life, in I Samuel 25:29-31. “Yet a
man is risen to pursue thee, and to seek thy soul: but the soul of my lord
shall be bound in the bundle of life with the LORD thy God; and the souls of
thine enemies, them shall he sling out, as out of the middle of a sling. And it shall come to pass, when the LORD shall
have done to my lord according to all the good that he hath spoken concerning
thee, and shall have appointed thee ruler over Israel; That this shall be no
grief unto thee, nor offence of heart unto my lord, either that thou hast shed
blood causeless, or that my lord hath avenged himself: but when the LORD shall
have dealt well with my lord, then remember thine handmaid.”
Unlike Nabal, David was not controlled by Satan, and was willing to listen to other opinions. He appreciated Abigail’s warning and changed hi mind about what he was going to do, as I Samuel 25:32-35 describes. “And David said to Abigail, Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, which sent thee this day to meet me: And blessed be thy advice, and blessed be thou, which hast kept me this day from coming to shed blood, and from avenging myself with mine own hand. For in very deed, as the LORD God of Israel liveth, which hath kept me back from hurting thee, except thou hadst hasted and come to meet me, surely there had not been left unto Nabal by the morning light any that pisseth against the wall. So David received of her hand that which she had brought him, and said unto her, Go up in peace to thine house; see, I have hearkened to thy voice, and have accepted thy person.”
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