1 Samuel 25:21 says, 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. David said that he had done nothing but good to Nabal, and instead of helping David, he had acted evil before him. We should realize that just because we help someone that they may not help us when we need it. Some may want to destroy us instead. Verse twenty-two adds, 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. David then acted more like Saul than himself. He resolved to kill all the men of Nabal’s, but didn't quite attribute his actions to God, though he came close. It is bad enough if we act out of anger towards others wanting only to destroy them, but it is even worse if we attribute our actions to God's will. Verse twenty-three states, 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, When Abigail got to David, she fell down humbly before him. She did not come making demands or threats, but in humility. We will sometimes get farther in calming a situation by being humble than we will by being arrogant. Verse twenty-four adds, 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. Abigail asked David to put the iniquity that he felt Nabal had done on her as she humbly called herself his handmaiden, or servant. She was willing to sacrifice herself for her husband. We may one day have to make a decision about how much we are willing to sacrifice for those that we love, even if they may be in the wrong. Verse twenty-five continues, 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. She said that Nabal was weak by nature and lacked understanding and that he was not acting spiteful but simply foolishly. Those who do not put their faith in God today may often act foolishly towards Christians, even if they are not acting spitefully. Verse twenty-six says, 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. Abigail then appeals to David not by her own reasoning but by the grace of God. Ultimately, no matter how we as followers of Christ may feel about people, we must act under the grace of God towards them. She adds that may God make all David’s enemies as Nabal, beneath his taking vengeance on them out of anger, because as long as David was faithful to God, God would always give him the victory. This had been David's decision out of anger and not really by God's guidance. We need to look to God for guidance, especially if we are angry at someone. Verse twenty-seven adds, 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. Abigail asked that the blessing she brought to David be applied to the young men who followed Nabal as well. In other words, she wanted David to show God's mercy to them. Even if we have a hard time personally showing our mercy to people, we as Christians should always follow God's guidance and show God's mercy to them. Verse twenty-eight continues, 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. Abigail again appealed to David to forgive the trespasses that he thought Nabal had committed against him because God was with him and was going to make him great. Had David acted out of anger, he certainly wouldn't have been a man after God's own heart. We, as followers of Christ, need to always act in a way that brings honor to God and forgive those who trespass against us and not seek vengeance on them. Verse twenty-nine states, 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. She assured David of what he should have already known, and that was that God would keep him safe as long as he was obedient to God. She basically said that he didn't need to worry about Nabal, who was no real threat to him. We may get so focused on those that we think have done us wrong that we forget about doing God's will and lose sight of our real enemies. Verse thirty adds, 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; Verse thirty-one continues, 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. She again reminded David to leave things up to God and not act vengeful on his own, and then when God had installed him as king, to remember her kindly. She was preventing David from making a big mistake and all she asked from him was to be remembered kindly. We may need someone at times to remind us to act under God's guidance and not out of our own desires, and if they do, we should certainly look kindly on them.
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