Whispers of Christ

One of my favorite stories is that of Abigail. To me she is very unique, not because she was a well-renowned woman of faith or did anything incredible. She’s probably not notable by comparison to all the other women we will study or have studied. But somehow her life just seems to be real to me. When we read of the other women, they became queens, overcame crazy trials, did huge feats – Abigail just did what was right for her household and was blessed. She didn’t stand up to a king and risk everything, she just did the next right thing and it’s the simple obedience of walking in wisdom that I love. 

Her story takes place in 1 Samuel 25. Here is the basic overview: Samuel has died, David, who was anointed to be king, is still wandering around without a throne. He wanders into the same land that Abigail lives in. He ends up sending messengers to her husband and asking for food and help for his soldiers. Nabal (Abigail’s husband) declines to help, in no uncertain terms. Moreover, he makes his thoughts about David very well known. Infuriated, David gathers his troops and marches on Nabal. One of the slaves, who had some decent sense, ran to Abigail and let her know what was happening. Abigail rouses her household and gathers all the food she can. Bringing it before David, she asks for his blessing and that he not harm her household. David, moved by her behavior, stops his attack and ends up turning away. Nabal dies, Abigail marries David. 

The first thing that I notice is that Nabal was actually quite wealthy. It’s interesting to me that someone so wealthy could be so stupid, but hey, weirder things have happened. Remember that goats, sheep, camels, and livestock were the measure of wealth during this time period. So the fact that he has over 4,000 head of livestock is impressive. I love that God points out the contrast between Nabal and Abigail in verse 3. I also find their names very interesting. Nabal literally means “Fool” whereas Abigail means “Source of Joy”. 

Now we can sit here and digest what Nabal said and how wrong he was all day or how David reacted out of anger. I’m not sure it would be worth our time or focus though. What I want to focus on is the second bit of the story starting in 1 Samuel 25:14. To me she is a great reminder of what a wife can be.

1. She doesn’t speak ill of Nabal. 

You notice that one of Nabal’s servants comes running to her and tells her all about the issue, but he doesn’t stop there. The servant continues to call Nabal foolish and speak ill of his master. Now, I’m not saying that you shouldn’t speak the truth. There is always a place for that, but that is my point – there is a time and a place. I’m not sure the servant thought about the fact that he was speaking ill of his master or the fact that he was adding to Abigail’s burden. But what I see from Abigail is that she chooses how and what she will speak. She doesn’t engage in talking bad about her husband. She chooses her words wisely because she knows what he is and that he’s probably done something foolish again. She doesn’t slander or malign him. I think when people do things we don’t like we immediately go and look for someone who will listen. We talk about it until it consumes our thoughts and we have no room for anything else. Does that ever help? Abigail knew the truth, she knew he did wrong again, but she didn’t go talk to her mother or sisters or the servants. In fact the only thing she did say was instructions on finding a solution. 

2. She was solutions minded. 

The world is full of problems. Turn your head right or left, you don’t have to go 5 feet out your door to find a problem. But Abigail – golly this girl had problems. She’s running a wealthy household and has a husband who is foolish, on a good day. When the problem came knocking at her door, her first action was to find solutions. Not to complain about all the problems she had or how this was one more in a long line of what he did to make her life harder. She buckled down, pulled up her big girl panties, and said “here is what we will do…” It reminds me that we are to be solutions minded. There are plenty of problems but maybe we, as children of the ultimate solution, need to be solutions minded. 

3. She humbled and acted in respect to the leaders. 

Abigail gathers all the items she can think of to feed these now hangry men with and sets off.  She knew that the error was Nabals. She knows he’s the head of the household and should be the one to make things right, but she knows he won’t. She also knows that the continuation of her household rests on her next actions. She quietly instructs, gathers, and goes to talk to David. When she gets there, she humbles herself again and asks for his mercy. She doesn’t deny or make excuses. Now we can argue that her going behind Nabal’s back was not respectful, but I think this is one of those times where God gives a bit and says if the man is not stewarding well, it’s up to the woman to take that responsibility. 

To me Abigail is a quiet powerhouse. She acted in respect and humility with discernment and discretion. I love the way that she chooses what she will and will not say and to whom about her husband. She was careful with her words. She was careful when she told Nabal about what she had done and she accepted the responsibility of her actions. She didn’t lay blame on him or say “if you had…” she just told him. To me that was respect – he already knew what he had done was wrong. I imagine her telling him in passing the next morning while she is brushing her hair. She’s waiting to see what his reaction will be when he freezes up. That was enough for her, she knew that he knew and that the shame of it was enough. One day I hope to have as much discernment and wisdom as she did. 

With all my love,

Hannah