1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:05,000 So "Lessons from the Kings-Ancient Wisdom for Modern Times", this is 2 00:00:05,000 --> 00:00:09,000 lesson number five in that series. 3 00:00:09,000 --> 00:00:14,000 Title of this lesson, "David and Abigail" and we're in First Samuel, 4 00:00:14,000 --> 00:00:19,000 the story of David and Abigail is in First Samuel chapter 25. You can go to that 5 00:00:19,000 --> 00:00:24,000 particular part of the Bible. So this particular lesson, 6 00:00:24,000 --> 00:00:29,000 David and Abigail, this is the second lesson in the section that looks at the life of 7 00:00:29,000 --> 00:00:34,000 King David. Last time we did David and Goliath when he was very 8 00:00:34,000 --> 00:00:38,000 young, at the beginning of his reign. And now we move forward 9 00:00:38,000 --> 00:00:43,000 to a time when he's been king for a while. And as I mentioned, this 10 00:00:43,000 --> 00:00:48,000 entire series is examining various kings in the Bible to not only 11 00:00:48,000 --> 00:00:52,000 familiarize ourselves with key events and people in their lives 12 00:00:52,000 --> 00:00:57,000 and in their rule but also to learn something about our own lives 13 00:00:57,000 --> 00:01:03,000 from studying their life. That's why the title is "Lessons", the lessons are for us, 14 00:01:03,000 --> 00:01:07,000 "From the Kings." So today we're going to look at King David's relationship with 15 00:01:07,000 --> 00:01:12,000 Abigail, not only to learn more about him, but also to examine a 16 00:01:12,000 --> 00:01:17,000 brief but important episode in her life that so clearly demonstrates 17 00:01:17,000 --> 00:01:22,000 much of what is pleasing to God, not only in a woman but in any person who claims 18 00:01:22,000 --> 00:01:25,900 to be a believer. 19 00:01:25,900 --> 00:01:31,920 So Abigail's story, as I say, is neatly laid out in First Samuel chapter 25. 20 00:01:31,920 --> 00:01:36,000 So let's start reading there, shall we? It says, "Then Samuel died; 21 00:01:36,000 --> 00:01:42,000 and all Israel gathered together and mourned for him, and buried him at his house in Ramah. 22 00:01:42,000 --> 00:01:46,000 And David arose and went down to the wilderness of Paran. 23 00:01:46,000 --> 00:01:50,800 Now there was a man in Maon whose business was in Carmel; and the man was very rich, 24 00:01:50,800 --> 00:01:55,000 and he had three thousand sheep and a thousand goats. And it came about while he was shearing 25 00:01:55,000 --> 00:02:00,000 his sheep in Carmel. Now the man's name was Nabal, and his 26 00:02:00,000 --> 00:02:05,000 wife's name was Abigail. And the woman was intelligent and beautiful in appearance, but the man 27 00:02:05,000 --> 00:02:11,320 was harsh and evil in his dealings and he was a Calebite. 28 00:02:11,320 --> 00:02:14,000 So the first verses, they kind of situate us, if you wish, as 29 00:02:14,000 --> 00:02:19,000 far as time is concerned, David has been anointed as 30 00:02:19,000 --> 00:02:24,000 King and heir to Saul's throne because God was displeased with Saul's 31 00:02:24,000 --> 00:02:28,000 disobedient attitude and spirit. And during this time, 32 00:02:28,000 --> 00:02:33,000 of course, we realized that Saul still reigns, he's still on the throne, he still reigns 33 00:02:33,000 --> 00:02:39,000 the land and he is insanely jealous of David and 34 00:02:39,000 --> 00:02:44,000 and of course, his favor from God and the people, so he doesn't like David because 35 00:02:44,000 --> 00:02:48,000 David is popular with the people and he is a righteous man. And of course, 36 00:02:48,000 --> 00:02:53,000 Saul feels threatened. Now we know that Saul continually seeks to kill David 37 00:02:53,000 --> 00:02:58,000 thinking that this will preserve his hold on power. 38 00:02:58,000 --> 00:03:03,000 And as a result David is forced to stay on the run with his band of volunteers. They're dodging 39 00:03:03,000 --> 00:03:08,000 Saul's troops, they're hiding out. David and his men, 40 00:03:08,000 --> 00:03:14,560 we learned from this episode here, survive in the countryside. I mean you have to feed these people. 41 00:03:14,560 --> 00:03:18,000 He's got an army but they have to eat. They need 42 00:03:18,000 --> 00:03:22,000 resources and supplies. So they survive in the countryside 43 00:03:22,000 --> 00:03:27,000 by providing protection to small villages against foreign raiders and 44 00:03:27,000 --> 00:03:32,000 thieves. They're like an unofficial police force that care for the 45 00:03:32,000 --> 00:03:36,000 people that live, not in the city, but in the countryside and 46 00:03:36,000 --> 00:03:41,000 in return for this protection he was provided food and supplies as well as a network of 47 00:03:41,000 --> 00:03:46,560 informers who protect him from the king and his many efforts at capturing him. 48 00:03:46,560 --> 00:03:51,000 This is how he is surviving. So this is the situation as Samuel 49 00:03:51,000 --> 00:03:55,000 the prophet and judge, who anointed both Saul and David, dies and David, 50 00:03:55,000 --> 00:04:00,000 feeling the loss, heads out into the desert to hide from Saul 51 00:04:00,000 --> 00:04:06,000 and to plot his next move, so let's keep going with the story. 52 00:04:06,000 --> 00:04:11,000 "that David herd in the wilderness that Nabal was shearing his sheep. So David 53 00:04:11,000 --> 00:04:16,000 sent ten young men; and David said to the young men, "Go up to Carmel, visit Nabal 54 00:04:16,000 --> 00:04:21,000 and greet him in my name; and thus you shall say, 'Have a long life, peace be 55 00:04:21,000 --> 00:04:26,420 to you, and peace be to your house, and peace be to all that you have. 56 00:04:26,420 --> 00:04:31,000 Now I have heard that you have shearers; now your shepherds have been with us and 57 00:04:31,000 --> 00:04:36,000 we have not insulted them, nor have they missed anything all the days they were in Carmel. 58 00:04:36,000 --> 00:04:41,000 Ask your young men and they will tell you. Therefore let my young men find favor in your eyes, 59 00:04:41,000 --> 00:04:46,000 for we have come on a festive day. Please give whatever you find at hand to your 60 00:04:46,000 --> 00:04:49,640 servants and to your son David." 61 00:04:49,640 --> 00:04:54,000 So we see David approached this rich businessman for a share of the profits made 62 00:04:54,000 --> 00:04:59,000 possible because of the protection that he afforded his employees as 63 00:04:59,000 --> 00:05:02,460 they worked in the fields with the animals. 64 00:05:02,460 --> 00:05:08,000 Now realize this was not any type of extortion. There was no threat here. 65 00:05:08,000 --> 00:05:13,000 Without David's protection this man would have lost men and animals 66 00:05:13,000 --> 00:05:18,000 to thieves and raiding parties. So David was providing a very true service to not 67 00:05:18,000 --> 00:05:23,000 only him, but others. He simply came to claim a share of the profits 68 00:05:23,000 --> 00:05:28,000 and to celebrate with the others on a good and profitable day. Time to 69 00:05:28,000 --> 00:05:32,920 share the wealth, so to speak. So we read in verse 9, 70 00:05:32,920 --> 00:05:37,600 "When David's young men came, they spoke to Nabal according to all these words in David's name; 71 00:05:37,600 --> 00:05:43,000 then they waited. But Nabal answered David's servants and said, 'Who is David? 72 00:05:43,000 --> 00:05:48,000 And who is the son of Jesse? There are many servants today who are each breaking 73 00:05:48,000 --> 00:05:52,000 away from his master. 74 00:05:52,000 --> 00:05:56,000 Shall I then take my bread and my water and my meat that I have slaughtered for my 75 00:05:56,000 --> 00:06:01,000 shearers and give it to men whose origin I do not know?' So David's young men 76 00:06:01,000 --> 00:06:06,000 retraced their way and went back; and they came and told him according to 77 00:06:06,000 --> 00:06:11,000 all these words. David said to his men, 'Each of you gird on his sword.' 78 00:06:11,000 --> 00:06:16,000 So each man girded on his sword. And David also girded on his sword, and about 400 men went 79 00:06:16,000 --> 00:06:21,000 up behind David while 200 stayed with the baggage." Also gives you an idea of how many men 80 00:06:21,000 --> 00:06:26,000 he had. 600 people plus wives and children. A pretty big 81 00:06:26,000 --> 00:06:28,000 pretty big organization here. 82 00:06:28,000 --> 00:06:33,000 So I want you to note in this passage the insult in Nabal's response 83 00:06:33,000 --> 00:06:38,000 to David's request. He doesn't plead poverty. He doesn't say, 84 00:06:38,000 --> 00:06:43,000 "Wow, man, things are tied up. Got bills." So he doesn't plead poverty. 85 00:06:43,000 --> 00:06:48,000 He knows who David is. He says "the son of Jesse", so he knows who David 86 00:06:48,000 --> 00:06:53,000 is and he knows his position. But he refuses to 87 00:06:53,000 --> 00:06:58,640 acknowledge David's anointing by the Lord. That's the first insult. 88 00:06:58,640 --> 00:07:03,000 He says that David is nothing more than a runaway slave, not the 89 00:07:03,000 --> 00:07:07,760 future king of Israel. You know the way he says it? There are a lot of slaves running away from their masters 90 00:07:07,760 --> 00:07:12,000 these days, it's like an epidemic. You're one of those guys. 91 00:07:12,000 --> 00:07:17,000 So Nabal even dismisses David's efforts to help him and refuses to give 92 00:07:17,000 --> 00:07:24,400 him any food, any reward to which he deserves. 93 00:07:24,400 --> 00:07:27,640 So David's men return and tell David of this insult. 94 00:07:27,640 --> 00:07:32,000 So right away right. David straps on his sword and 95 00:07:32,000 --> 00:07:37,680 prepares his men to go and destroy Nabal and his entire household. 96 00:07:37,680 --> 00:07:42,000 I want you to notice something. Note here that there is cause for 97 00:07:42,000 --> 00:07:47,000 David to be angry because he's been insulted. But killing 98 00:07:47,000 --> 00:07:52,000 everybody in Nabal's house, that's not justified. 99 00:07:52,000 --> 00:07:54,000 That's not justified. 100 00:07:54,000 --> 00:07:58,000 Nabal, that's the way you pronounce his name, Nabal. 101 00:07:58,000 --> 00:08:04,000 He was a jerk, we'd say today, but that's not a capital offense. 102 00:08:04,000 --> 00:08:10,360 If being a jerk was a capital offense there'd be a lot of dead people around.You know what I'm saying? 103 00:08:10,360 --> 00:08:13,000 And in doing this thing, 104 00:08:13,000 --> 00:08:18,000 David's work in helping and protecting the people at this point, 105 00:08:18,000 --> 00:08:24,000 it will turn into extortion. If you don't pay me I'll kill you. 106 00:08:24,000 --> 00:08:29,000 So that would certainly ruin the relationship he has with the people. So we keep reading, 107 00:08:29,000 --> 00:08:34,000 verse 14, "But one of the young men told Abigale, Nabal's wife, saying 'Behold, 108 00:08:34,000 --> 00:08:38,000 David sent messengers from the wilderness to greet our master, and he scorned them. 109 00:08:38,000 --> 00:08:43,000 Yet the men were very good to us, and we were not insulted, nor did we miss anything as long as we went 110 00:08:43,000 --> 00:08:48,000 about with them, while we were in the fields. They were a wall to us both by 111 00:08:48,000 --> 00:08:53,000 night and by day, all the time we were with them tending the sheep. Now therefore, 112 00:08:53,000 --> 00:08:58,340 know and consider what you should do, for evil is plotted against our master and against all his household; 113 00:08:58,340 --> 00:09:04,000 and he is such a worthless man that no one can speak to him. 114 00:09:04,000 --> 00:09:09,000 Then Abigail hurried and took two hundred loaves of bread and two jugs of wine and five sheep already 115 00:09:09,000 --> 00:09:13,000 prepared and five measures of roasted grain and a hundred clusters of raisins and 116 00:09:13,000 --> 00:09:18,000 two hundred cakes of figs, and loaded them on donkeys. She said to the young men, 117 00:09:18,000 --> 00:09:23,000 'Go on before me; behold, I'm coming after you." But she did not tell her husband Nabal. 118 00:09:23,000 --> 00:09:28,000 It came about as she was riding on her donkey and coming down by the hidden part of the mountain, 119 00:09:28,000 --> 00:09:33,000 that behold, David and his men were coming down toward her; so she met them. 120 00:09:33,000 --> 00:09:38,000 Now David said, 'Surely in vain I have guarded all that this man has in the wilderness, so that nothing 121 00:09:38,000 --> 00:09:43,000 was missed of all that belonged to him; and he has returned me evil for good. 122 00:09:43,000 --> 00:09:48,000 May God do so to the enemies of David, and more also, if by morning I 123 00:09:48,000 --> 00:09:52,720 leave as much as one male of any who belong to him.'" 124 00:09:52,720 --> 00:09:57,000 So the writer now focuses on Nabal's 125 00:09:57,000 --> 00:10:02,000 wife as she she finds out what her husband has done and she tries to save 126 00:10:02,000 --> 00:10:07,000 him, her household, and herself. I want you to note how the writer 127 00:10:07,000 --> 00:10:11,000 explains that David's request was just and Nabal's 128 00:10:11,000 --> 00:10:16,000 response quite rude and quite ungrateful. So Abigail sends a 129 00:10:16,000 --> 00:10:20,000 large provision of food which Nabal should have sent 130 00:10:20,000 --> 00:10:26,000 and prepares to go to David to plead their case in person. 131 00:10:26,000 --> 00:10:31,000 Notice also, a little further back how self righteous 132 00:10:31,000 --> 00:10:36,000 David feels. He's about to go to somebody's house and wipe out 133 00:10:36,000 --> 00:10:40,000 the entire household, kill everybody in sight, 134 00:10:40,000 --> 00:10:46,000 and do so with some righteous indignation that God's on his side. 135 00:10:46,000 --> 00:10:50,000 That's what his mindset is. 136 00:10:50,000 --> 00:10:55,000 Verse 23, "When Abigail saw David, she hurried and dismounted from her 137 00:10:55,000 --> 00:11:00,000 donkey, and fell on her face before David and bowed herself to the ground. 138 00:11:00,000 --> 00:11:07,080 Note how she greets him, with great respect, respect reserved for a king, 139 00:11:07,080 --> 00:11:09,000 Nabal didn't treat him as a king. 140 00:11:09,000 --> 00:11:13,000 Nabal said, this guy's a runaway slave. But she understood who he was 141 00:11:13,000 --> 00:11:18,000 and treated him with the proper respect. Verse 24 says, 142 00:11:18,000 --> 00:11:23,000 She fell at his feet and said, "On me alone, my lord, be the blame. And please 143 00:11:23,000 --> 00:11:28,000 let your maid servant speak to you, and listen to the words of your maid servant. 144 00:11:28,000 --> 00:11:33,000 Please do not let my lord pay attention to this worthless man, Nabal, for as his name is, 145 00:11:33,000 --> 00:11:38,000 so is he. Nabal is his name and folly is with him; but I your maid 146 00:11:38,000 --> 00:11:43,000 servant did not see the young men of my lord whom you sent. 147 00:11:43,000 --> 00:11:48,000 So I want you to note also, how she takes the blame for the negligence and 148 00:11:48,000 --> 00:11:52,000 insult towards David and his people. It's my fault, she says. 149 00:11:52,000 --> 00:11:57,000 By taking responsibility she now makes David deal with her 150 00:11:57,000 --> 00:12:02,000 instead of dealing with her husband. Now, this was not 151 00:12:02,000 --> 00:12:06,000 manipulative on her part. Some of the blame did lie with her. 152 00:12:06,000 --> 00:12:11,000 She could have made the gift in advance. She knew who David was. 153 00:12:11,000 --> 00:12:16,000 She knew what he was doing. She could have sent supplies throughout the season. 154 00:12:16,000 --> 00:12:20,780 She knew it was the end of the season. She could have done something, be a little more proactive. She had the 155 00:12:20,780 --> 00:12:28,180 power to do it. So she either was not informed of David's work or had overlooked the payment. 156 00:12:28,180 --> 00:12:33,020 Either way she is here now. She takes the blame now. 157 00:12:33,020 --> 00:12:36,680 She's ready to make things right now. And she is ready for 158 00:12:36,680 --> 00:12:39,000 the consequences now. Alright, 159 00:12:39,000 --> 00:12:44,000 verse 26, "Now therefore, my lord, as the Lord lives, and as your soul 160 00:12:44,000 --> 00:12:48,000 lives, since the Lord has restrained you from shedding blood, and from avenging 161 00:12:48,000 --> 00:12:53,000 yourself by your own hand, now then let your enemies and those who seek evil against my 162 00:12:53,000 --> 00:12:55,900 lord, be as Nabal. 163 00:12:55,980 --> 00:13:00,000 Now let this gift which your maidservant has brought to my lord be given to the young men 164 00:13:00,000 --> 00:13:05,000 who accompany my lord.'" So Abigail shows both her 165 00:13:05,000 --> 00:13:10,000 submissiveness and her intelligence as she puts the issue 166 00:13:10,000 --> 00:13:17,320 into perspective for David. She appeals to him not to take his own revenge. 167 00:13:17,320 --> 00:13:19,000 This would be wrong. 168 00:13:19,000 --> 00:13:25,000 What her husband did was wrong. She admits it, but taking revenge would make two wrongs. 169 00:13:25,000 --> 00:13:30,000 She says in effect Nabal is so evil. He's not worth it. 170 00:13:30,000 --> 00:13:34,700 Why are you doing this? He's not worth the effort. 171 00:13:34,700 --> 00:13:43,000 Allow the gift that I have brought to you cover the offense. Verse 28-29, 172 00:13:43,000 --> 00:13:47,000 Please forgive the transgression of your maid servant; for the Lord will certainly 173 00:13:47,000 --> 00:13:52,480 make for my lord an enduring house, because my lord is fighting the battles of the Lord, 174 00:13:52,480 --> 00:13:56,880 and evil will not be found in all your days. Should 175 00:13:56,880 --> 00:14:02,000 anyone rise up to pursue you and to seek your life, than the life of my Lord shall be bound in the 176 00:14:02,000 --> 00:14:07,000 bundle of the Living with the Lord your God; but the lives of your enemies He will sling out as 177 00:14:07,000 --> 00:14:10,600 from the hollow of a sling. 178 00:14:10,600 --> 00:14:13,000 So unlike her husband, 179 00:14:13,000 --> 00:14:18,000 she recognizes his anointing as king and she praises his future rule. 180 00:14:18,000 --> 00:14:23,000 My husband doesn't. He thinks you're just a runaway slave, she said, but I believe you are 181 00:14:23,000 --> 00:14:28,000 the future king. She also acknowledges her loyalty and belief in him, 182 00:14:28,000 --> 00:14:33,000 unlike her husband, who followed Saul. That's the idea. Her husband 183 00:14:33,000 --> 00:14:38,000 sympathized with Saul, who is on the throne, not with David. 184 00:14:38,000 --> 00:14:43,000 I want you to also note 185 00:14:43,000 --> 00:14:48,000 the use of imagery of a sling. She talks about, says, your enemies he 186 00:14:48,000 --> 00:14:54,000 will sling out as from the hollow of a sling. Does that kind of bring up an image there? 187 00:14:54,000 --> 00:14:59,000 She's a smart woman. She says, "Boy you're going to do to your enemies... 188 00:14:59,000 --> 00:15:04,600 as a slingshot. Well, what did he do? What brought him to prominence? 189 00:15:04,600 --> 00:15:09,000 Well, he used a slingshot to kill Goliath. 190 00:15:09,000 --> 00:15:13,000 She goes back into history and brings back that 191 00:15:13,000 --> 00:15:18,000 image of his first great triumph. And she says, in the future, 192 00:15:18,000 --> 00:15:23,000 you're going to take care of your enemies in the same way that you took care of Goliath. 193 00:15:23,000 --> 00:15:27,800 Very smart, very, very, smart thing to say. 194 00:15:27,800 --> 00:15:33,000 She also puts her finger on really what the issue is. 195 00:15:33,000 --> 00:15:38,000 Her husband was a follower of Saul. He was sympathetic to Saul's reign. He wanted 196 00:15:38,000 --> 00:15:42,000 Saul to remain in power. He didn't believe that David was the 197 00:15:42,000 --> 00:15:47,000 true successor. She, on the other hand, believed that David was the true 198 00:15:47,000 --> 00:15:52,000 successor to the throne and she treated him in that manner. Alright, verse 30-31. 199 00:15:52,000 --> 00:15:57,000 "And when the Lord does for my lord according to all the good that He has spoken concerning you, 200 00:15:57,000 --> 00:16:01,000 and appoints you ruler over Israel, 201 00:16:01,000 --> 00:16:06,000 this will not cause grief or a troubled heart to my lord, both by having shed 202 00:16:06,000 --> 00:16:11,560 blood without cause and by my lord having avenged himself. When the Lord deals well with my lord, 203 00:16:11,560 --> 00:16:15,000 then remember your maid servant." 204 00:16:15,000 --> 00:16:20,000 So here Abigail makes her second appeal, this time based on David's 205 00:16:20,000 --> 00:16:25,000 future rulership. Her first appeal is, look, let the gift that I've given you 206 00:16:25,000 --> 00:16:30,000 cover the offense. My husband's not worth it. Second appeal, 207 00:16:30,000 --> 00:16:35,000 she points out that when he does ascend to the throne 208 00:16:35,000 --> 00:16:40,000 it shouldn't be with innocent blood on his hands. She also 209 00:16:40,000 --> 00:16:45,000 asks him to remember her when all of this comes about. So her second argument is, you don't 210 00:16:45,000 --> 00:16:50,000 really want to ascend to the throne and be the king, which you are going to be, which the Lord has given 211 00:16:50,000 --> 00:16:56,000 you, and have innocent blood on your hands. You don't really want that. Do you? 212 00:16:56,000 --> 00:17:00,000 Verse 32, "Then David said to Abigail, 'Blessed be the 213 00:17:00,000 --> 00:17:05,000 Lord God of Israel, who sent you this day to meet me, and blessed be your discernment, 214 00:17:05,000 --> 00:17:11,000 and blessed be you, who have kept me this day from bloodshed and from avenging myself 215 00:17:11,000 --> 00:17:13,000 by my own hand. 216 00:17:13,000 --> 00:17:18,000 Nevertheless, as the Lord God of Israel lives, who has restrained me from harming 217 00:17:18,000 --> 00:17:23,000 you, unless you had come quickly to meet me, surely there would not have been left to Nabal 218 00:17:23,000 --> 00:17:27,000 until the morning light as much as one male.' So David received from her 219 00:17:27,000 --> 00:17:33,000 hand what she had brought him and said to her, 'Go, go up to your house in peace. 220 00:17:33,000 --> 00:17:38,000 See, I have listened to you and granted your request.'" 221 00:17:38,000 --> 00:17:41,000 I love this story, so good. 222 00:17:41,000 --> 00:17:46,000 Have you ever dodged a bullet by listening to a friend's advice? 223 00:17:46,000 --> 00:17:51,000 You don't marry the person you wanted to marry and maybe your parents are saying they don't think he's right 224 00:17:51,000 --> 00:17:56,000 for you or she is right for you and in a moment of wisdom you listen to your parents and 225 00:17:56,000 --> 00:18:00,480 stood back a little bit and then a few years down the road 226 00:18:00,480 --> 00:18:06,000 you really meet the one and you go, wow. 227 00:18:06,000 --> 00:18:11,000 Or maybe someone says, I wouldn't invest money in that stock if I were you. I know it looks like a sure thing but I 228 00:18:11,000 --> 00:18:15,800 wouldn't put, or don't buy that car. 229 00:18:15,820 --> 00:18:20,000 When you read the reports, maybe I shouldn't buy that fancy car that I really like. 230 00:18:20,000 --> 00:18:25,400 And find out you dodged a bullet. And when you do, 231 00:18:25,400 --> 00:18:31,000 the relief and the joy you feel when the advice turns out to be true. 232 00:18:31,000 --> 00:18:36,000 Well, this is how David feels and this is how he reacts when he realizes 233 00:18:36,000 --> 00:18:43,000 that he could have wrecked his entire future with this one rash act, 234 00:18:43,000 --> 00:18:48,000 provoked by a fool. A fool provoked him into doing 235 00:18:48,000 --> 00:18:50,000 something he would have regretted 236 00:18:50,000 --> 00:18:54,000 all of his life. And so David 237 00:18:54,000 --> 00:18:59,000 acknowledges that she is sent by God. He is amazed, 238 00:18:59,000 --> 00:19:03,000 he's delighted, he's relieved, he's merciful. 239 00:19:03,000 --> 00:19:08,000 Verse 36, "Then Abigail came to Nabal, and behold he was 240 00:19:08,000 --> 00:19:13,000 holding a feast in his house, like the feast of a king. And Nabal's heart 241 00:19:13,000 --> 00:19:18,000 was merry within him, for he was very drunk; so she did not tell him anything at all 242 00:19:18,000 --> 00:19:23,000 until the morning light. But in the morning, when the wine had gone out of Nabal, 243 00:19:23,000 --> 00:19:28,520 his wife told him these things, and his heart died within him so that he became as a stone. 244 00:19:28,520 --> 00:19:33,000 About ten days later, the Lord struck Nabal and he died." 245 00:19:33,000 --> 00:19:37,700 So, as it is written, "Revenge is mine saith the Lord", 246 00:19:37,700 --> 00:19:42,000 Deuteronomy 32:35. And so it is with Nabal as he 247 00:19:42,000 --> 00:19:47,000 dies from a heart attack after a drunken party and the shock that she spent all 248 00:19:47,000 --> 00:19:52,000 this money just to give someone that 249 00:19:52,000 --> 00:19:59,000 he didn't like, an enemy of his, all those resources. 250 00:19:59,000 --> 00:20:04,520 It wasn't that he was a fool. It was that he treated God's servants badly. 251 00:20:04,520 --> 00:20:08,000 That's always dangerous. And you know what? It's always 252 00:20:08,000 --> 00:20:12,560 dangerous then and it's always dangerous now. 253 00:20:12,560 --> 00:20:18,000 Not a good thing to treat a child of God in a bad way. 254 00:20:18,000 --> 00:20:22,000 Because no matter how badly you've been treated as a child of God, 255 00:20:22,000 --> 00:20:28,000 nothing compares to how the person who harmed you is going to be treated 256 00:20:28,000 --> 00:20:32,000 when the Lord says, "Vengeance is mine says the Lord." 257 00:20:32,000 --> 00:20:37,000 That's why you pray for your enemy because you know God and you know 258 00:20:37,000 --> 00:20:42,000 it's a terrible thing to fall into the hands of a living God. So you pray 259 00:20:42,000 --> 00:20:48,000 for your enemy because your enemy doesn't realize what they have just done 260 00:20:48,000 --> 00:20:49,420 in hurting you, 261 00:20:49,420 --> 00:20:55,000 in harming you, the pain you feel, 262 00:20:55,000 --> 00:21:00,000 because of the harm or the offense or whatever is nothing compared to the pain they're 263 00:21:00,000 --> 00:21:06,000 going to feel down the line. That's why we pray for our enemies. 264 00:21:06,000 --> 00:21:11,000 39 to 42, "When David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, 'Blessed be 265 00:21:11,000 --> 00:21:16,000 the Lord, who has pleaded the cause of my reproach from the hand of Nabal and has kept back 266 00:21:16,000 --> 00:21:21,000 His servant from evil. The Lord has also returned the evil doing of Nabal on his own head.' 267 00:21:21,000 --> 00:21:26,000 Then David sent a proposal to Abigail, to take her 268 00:21:26,000 --> 00:21:31,000 as his wife. When the servants of David came to Abigail at Carmel, 269 00:21:31,000 --> 00:21:36,000 they spoke to her saying, 'David has sent us to you to take you as his wife.' She arose and 270 00:21:36,000 --> 00:21:41,000 bowed with her face to the ground and said, 'Behold, your maid servant is a maid to wash 271 00:21:41,000 --> 00:21:46,000 the feet of my Lord's servants.' Then Abigail quickly arose, and rode on a donkey, with 272 00:21:46,000 --> 00:21:50,000 her five maidens who attended her; and she followed the messengers of David and 273 00:21:50,000 --> 00:21:53,000 she became his wife." 274 00:21:53,000 --> 00:21:58,000 So David rejoices that God has avenged him and that he has been spared from making a 275 00:21:58,000 --> 00:22:03,000 terrible mistake. His offer of marriage to a rich widow, 276 00:22:03,000 --> 00:22:08,000 she inherits everything, so his offer of marriage to a rich 277 00:22:08,000 --> 00:22:13,000 widow solves his food and supply problem and guarantees that he 278 00:22:13,000 --> 00:22:18,000 won't be put in that position again. It is a very practical 279 00:22:18,000 --> 00:22:23,000 thing, but he's got six hundred plus mouths to feed. 280 00:22:23,000 --> 00:22:27,000 And then one day boom he inherits all of this 281 00:22:27,000 --> 00:22:32,000 food making apparatus controlled, 282 00:22:32,000 --> 00:22:39,600 controlled and managed by whom? By Abigail, his wife. 283 00:22:39,600 --> 00:22:42,000 Note how beautifully Abigail answers his 284 00:22:42,000 --> 00:22:47,000 proposal, with confidence and submission, true to her 285 00:22:47,000 --> 00:22:52,000 nature as a noble woman of her time. Now she was David's second 286 00:22:52,000 --> 00:22:56,000 wife and with her he had one son named Chileab 287 00:22:56,000 --> 00:23:02,000 or in some places they called him Daniel. I love this story. 288 00:23:02,000 --> 00:23:06,000 This is such a wonderful story. A wonderful story 289 00:23:06,000 --> 00:23:11,000 on many levels, but I think, it especially develops the character of what a 290 00:23:11,000 --> 00:23:16,000 godly woman can aspire to be. When we look at 291 00:23:16,000 --> 00:23:20,000 Abigail, in this passage, we see several characteristics 292 00:23:20,000 --> 00:23:25,000 that are quite appealing in a woman, aside from her great beauty, 293 00:23:25,000 --> 00:23:30,000 because the bible says she was intelligent and quite beautiful. Very rare that 294 00:23:30,000 --> 00:23:35,000 the Bible actually comments on a person's appearance. Very, very rare. 295 00:23:35,000 --> 00:23:41,720 So she must have been exceptionally beautiful for the Bible to actually mention it. 296 00:23:41,720 --> 00:23:45,000 And there is a purpose for that as well, I believe. 297 00:23:45,000 --> 00:23:50,000 So, what about Abigail? What was she? Well first of all, she was decisive. 298 00:23:50,000 --> 00:23:55,000 Once she knew the problem she made a decision and she set her entire household 299 00:23:55,000 --> 00:24:00,000 into action to take care of the problem. She was brave. 300 00:24:00,000 --> 00:24:05,000 She didn't know what to expect when she met David. He could have just killed her right there on the road. 301 00:24:05,000 --> 00:24:12,400 Wait a minute you're, you're with that Nabal, somebody... He had killed women before. 302 00:24:12,400 --> 00:24:15,000 When he had to go in and wipe out a village, 303 00:24:15,000 --> 00:24:20,640 they killed the men, the women, the children, everybody, they wiped everybody out. 304 00:24:20,640 --> 00:24:26,000 So it wasn't, "Oh, I could never kill a woman." He had killed women before. 305 00:24:26,000 --> 00:24:31,000 Think about the situation. She's coming from Carmel, he's going up and they come around the 306 00:24:31,000 --> 00:24:38,000 mountain, and then boom, their face to face, one woman, 400 men 307 00:24:38,000 --> 00:24:43,000 one woman, 400 men. From her you learn that 308 00:24:43,000 --> 00:24:48,000 bravery is facing your fear instead of running away from your fear. 309 00:24:48,000 --> 00:24:50,000 That's what bravery is. 310 00:24:50,000 --> 00:24:55,000 Number three, she was wise without being dishonest or manipulative. 311 00:24:55,000 --> 00:25:00,000 She showed that she could respond to a foolish husband or a 312 00:25:00,000 --> 00:25:05,000 future king, either one. She could handle a foolish husband. She can handle a 313 00:25:05,000 --> 00:25:10,000 future king. She was diplomatic. Her approach 314 00:25:10,000 --> 00:25:17,080 and attitude toward David was respectful without being syrupy. 315 00:25:17,080 --> 00:25:19,000 She talked to a king with 316 00:25:19,000 --> 00:25:24,000 confidence and even a little bit of aggressiveness. 317 00:25:24,000 --> 00:25:26,000 She was pure. 318 00:25:26,000 --> 00:25:31,720 Abigail did not depend on her sex appeal or her beauty to win David over. 319 00:25:31,720 --> 00:25:37,040 She didn't bat her eyes at him. She didn't make any type of promises like that. 320 00:25:37,040 --> 00:25:44,000 She remained faithful to her husband even if he was insufferable. 321 00:25:44,000 --> 00:25:47,000 Number six, she was insightful. 322 00:25:47,000 --> 00:25:52,000 Notice how she put her finger on the real danger right away. The real danger wasn't that 323 00:25:52,000 --> 00:25:57,000 she would be killed or her foolish husband. The real danger was 324 00:25:57,000 --> 00:26:02,000 that David would wreck his reign doing this foolish thing. 325 00:26:02,000 --> 00:26:07,000 The disaster awaiting was David's potential sin and taking his own revenge. 326 00:26:07,000 --> 00:26:14,000 She made him see this despite his hurt pride and anger. 327 00:26:14,000 --> 00:26:15,000 She was honest. 328 00:26:15,000 --> 00:26:21,000 She was honest with both David and her husband. 329 00:26:21,000 --> 00:26:26,000 She acknowledged her husband's fault and her responsibility with David. 330 00:26:26,000 --> 00:26:31,000 She also told her husband the truth about what she had done. A guy with so much 331 00:26:31,000 --> 00:26:36,000 food, so many resources wouldn't miss it. 332 00:26:36,000 --> 00:26:41,000 She didn't try to hide it from him. She was wise. She didn't tell him while he was drunk. 333 00:26:41,000 --> 00:26:46,000 It was not a good, you ever try to reason with somebody whose drunk. Not a good thing. 334 00:26:46,000 --> 00:26:51,000 She waited till the next day, till he had sobered up, told him exactly what she did 335 00:26:51,000 --> 00:26:55,000 and probably why she did it. 336 00:26:55,000 --> 00:27:00,000 Both of the situations facing David, facing her husband, involve 337 00:27:00,000 --> 00:27:06,000 quite a risk for this woman and yet she took those risks. 338 00:27:06,000 --> 00:27:11,000 Her honesty was her shield. She was being honest. 339 00:27:11,000 --> 00:27:15,000 She was also humble. Her attitude was filled with meekness and 340 00:27:15,000 --> 00:27:20,000 submissiveness with both men, with both David and Nabal. 341 00:27:20,000 --> 00:27:26,840 Note how none of her other qualities are diminished in any way by her humility. 342 00:27:26,840 --> 00:27:30,000 As a matter of fact, her other virtues are heightened 343 00:27:30,000 --> 00:27:34,000 when seen alongside her submissiveness. Such a dirty word in this day and age, 344 00:27:34,000 --> 00:27:39,000 not just a wife in submission to her husband, but anybody in submission to 345 00:27:39,000 --> 00:27:44,000 anybody else, it's like a dirty word. Nobody wants to obey any laws, nobody 346 00:27:44,000 --> 00:27:49,000 wants to obey any customs, nobody wants to obey any propriety, what is 347 00:27:49,000 --> 00:27:52,000 proper in certain situations, 348 00:27:52,000 --> 00:27:57,000 all that's gone out the window these days. 349 00:27:57,000 --> 00:28:01,000 So she was able to demonstrate her humble spirit without 350 00:28:01,000 --> 00:28:07,660 sacrificing her intelligence and her honesty and her wisdom. 351 00:28:07,660 --> 00:28:11,000 I think that's just fantastic. 352 00:28:11,000 --> 00:28:17,000 She was also patient. Let's face it, she was married to an evil bore of a man, 353 00:28:17,000 --> 00:28:22,000 she had no children. She could have cried, she could have left. 354 00:28:22,000 --> 00:28:29,000 She could have conspired to have him killed. Think about that for a minute. 355 00:28:29,000 --> 00:28:33,000 Her deal with David could have been, "Look, I'm bringing the food and I'm providing 356 00:28:33,000 --> 00:28:38,000 this, so please spare my life. But if you want to go ahead and kill this guy. 357 00:28:38,000 --> 00:28:43,000 Hey, you'll be doing both of us a favor." But no. 358 00:28:43,000 --> 00:28:49,000 She pleaded for the life of her husband. 359 00:28:49,000 --> 00:28:57,000 She could have pleaded for her own life but didn't. 360 00:28:57,000 --> 00:29:00,000 She didn't excuse her husband. 361 00:29:00,000 --> 00:29:05,000 But she worked with what she had, patiently waiting upon the Lord. 362 00:29:05,000 --> 00:29:10,000 In another lesson, remember I told you, probably the hardest single 363 00:29:10,000 --> 00:29:15,000 Christian discipline to learn is waiting upon the Lord. It's the most 364 00:29:15,000 --> 00:29:20,000 difficult thing to learn to do as a Christian, to wait upon the Lord. 365 00:29:20,000 --> 00:29:24,000 She waited upon the Lord. And number ten, she was truly a 366 00:29:24,000 --> 00:29:30,340 spiritual person not just a spiritual woman. She was a spiritual person. 367 00:29:30,340 --> 00:29:35,920 Anybody who is spiritual, could be male or female, could use her as an example. 368 00:29:35,920 --> 00:29:38,000 Her appeal to David was based on scripture, 369 00:29:38,000 --> 00:29:44,000 on Deuteronomy 32:35 right? "Revenge is mine saith the Lord," she appealed to him with scripture. 370 00:29:44,000 --> 00:29:49,000 Her encouragement to David was an acknowledgment of God's choice of David as king, 371 00:29:49,000 --> 00:29:53,000 something her husband could not see, but she recognized. 372 00:29:53,000 --> 00:29:58,000 She knew the word. She knew the Lord. She knew the Lord's anointed and 373 00:29:58,000 --> 00:30:03,000 she was a willing servant of all three. Now, I want you to note that Abigail's beauty 374 00:30:03,000 --> 00:30:08,000 was not listed as one of her qualities in my 375 00:30:08,000 --> 00:30:13,000 observation of her, right? I've looked at the 376 00:30:13,000 --> 00:30:17,000 passage and I've compiled 10 qualities. There are more, 377 00:30:17,000 --> 00:30:22,840 probably, if you go back over it, but I've compiled 10 qualities that I see in this woman. 378 00:30:22,840 --> 00:30:29,000 Notice that not a one of them has anything to do with what she looked like. 379 00:30:29,000 --> 00:30:33,000 So many women today are pushed to focus a lot of effort 380 00:30:33,000 --> 00:30:38,000 and attention on beauty rather than the things that Abigail possessed 381 00:30:38,000 --> 00:30:44,000 which surpassed her beauty and make her beauty a non-issue. It was a non-issue. 382 00:30:44,000 --> 00:30:49,000 You see Abigail's beauty did not factor into 383 00:30:49,000 --> 00:30:54,000 what saved her life and the life of her household. It wasn't because 384 00:30:54,000 --> 00:30:59,000 she was beautiful that David saved her and her household. 385 00:30:59,000 --> 00:31:04,000 It was not what drew her to David. In praising her, 386 00:31:04,000 --> 00:31:09,000 David never mentions her beauty. In the book of Samuel, it says 387 00:31:09,000 --> 00:31:15,000 Abigail was intelligent and beautiful but that's not what David is saying. 388 00:31:15,000 --> 00:31:19,000 David never ever refers, in any of the dialogue, 389 00:31:19,000 --> 00:31:23,560 he never refers to her looks, 390 00:31:23,560 --> 00:31:31,000 and it wasn't beauty that made her a useful and pleasing servant of God. 391 00:31:31,000 --> 00:31:36,000 As a matter of fact, how beautiful we are or not does not impress 392 00:31:36,000 --> 00:31:41,640 God at all, period. It has zero impression factor with God, 393 00:31:41,640 --> 00:31:46,000 how good looking we happen to be or not to be, zero. Why? 394 00:31:46,000 --> 00:31:51,000 He's giving us the nose we got, the eyes we've got, the ears, he's given us that. 395 00:31:51,000 --> 00:31:57,000 We've got to work with what he's given us. We can't impress him. 396 00:31:57,000 --> 00:32:02,120 So, let's take a look at a couple of lessons now. Remember "Lessons from the Kings." 397 00:32:02,120 --> 00:32:07,380 So, this is lessons from the kings but somebody associated with the king, 398 00:32:07,380 --> 00:32:12,500 lessons from Abigail. Lesson number one. 399 00:32:12,560 --> 00:32:18,000 God can use you no matter who you're married to. 400 00:32:18,000 --> 00:32:21,000 Abigail had an unhappy marriage. 401 00:32:21,000 --> 00:32:26,000 But her goal was not how to have a good marriage or how do I get out 402 00:32:26,000 --> 00:32:31,000 of my marriage. Her goal was, how do I serve the Lord 403 00:32:31,000 --> 00:32:36,000 despite the marriage that I am in? 404 00:32:36,000 --> 00:32:42,820 A lot of people think only about the marriage and how to solve the problem in their marriage. 405 00:32:42,820 --> 00:32:46,000 They go to counseling to learn how to change. How do I change 406 00:32:46,000 --> 00:32:53,000 my mate or how do I get out without feeling guilty or how do I find a new partner? 407 00:32:53,000 --> 00:32:57,880 If people concentrated more on how they could personally be more focused and devoted to 408 00:32:57,880 --> 00:33:02,780 the Lord, in love and in service, this would help their existing marriage. 409 00:33:02,780 --> 00:33:07,000 Believe it or not. And this would help single people get their 410 00:33:07,000 --> 00:33:12,000 priorities straight before they marry. And this would prepare unmarried people 411 00:33:12,000 --> 00:33:17,000 to succeed in subsequent marriages. A lot of 412 00:33:17,000 --> 00:33:21,880 people in our congregation are in subsequent marriages, meaning, they're in the second marriage. 413 00:33:21,880 --> 00:33:26,000 Some even in the third marriage. The problem that I have is a lot of times 414 00:33:26,000 --> 00:33:31,000 people don't learn anything from the failure of their first marriage. 415 00:33:31,000 --> 00:33:36,000 We fail at stuff, we fail at marriage. That's OK. 416 00:33:36,000 --> 00:33:41,000 That's why Jesus died on the cross to forgive us for our sins, including failing at marriage. 417 00:33:41,000 --> 00:33:46,000 The problem is, many times we don't learn anything from that and all the 418 00:33:46,000 --> 00:33:51,000 mistakes and all the baggage in that first relationship, we drag it into the second 419 00:33:51,000 --> 00:33:57,000 one and make the same mistakes all over again. 420 00:33:57,000 --> 00:34:02,000 What good is finding a new partner for a few years if you lose your 421 00:34:02,000 --> 00:34:06,000 spiritual focus and even your soul. 422 00:34:06,000 --> 00:34:11,000 So the lesson that Abigail teaches us is that it is possible to be focused on 423 00:34:11,000 --> 00:34:16,000 God and faithful in his service and growing spiritually 424 00:34:16,000 --> 00:34:25,000 while being in not a great marriage. 425 00:34:25,000 --> 00:34:30,000 Not using our less than perfect marriage as an excuse 426 00:34:30,000 --> 00:34:35,000 to not serve the Lord, as an excuse not to grow in Christ, as an 427 00:34:35,000 --> 00:34:40,000 excuse not to grow in service. Because she was in a bad 428 00:34:40,000 --> 00:34:45,000 marriage. But look at what she did despite that. 429 00:34:45,000 --> 00:34:51,120 Another lesson from Abigail. God's woman can function in any situation. 430 00:34:51,120 --> 00:34:54,700 In those times women were not formally educated, they had no 431 00:34:54,700 --> 00:34:59,000 legal rights, no social position. 432 00:34:59,000 --> 00:35:04,000 Despite these obstacles, look at what Abigail was and look at what she did. 433 00:35:04,000 --> 00:35:09,000 Her devotion to God and knowledge of his word enabled her to deal with a complex negotiation 434 00:35:09,000 --> 00:35:14,140 and become an inspiration to generations after. 435 00:35:14,140 --> 00:35:19,000 Listen, what man would not want to have this kind of 436 00:35:19,000 --> 00:35:24,000 woman as a wife 437 00:35:24,000 --> 00:35:30,000 and what corporation would not want to hire this person today? 438 00:35:30,000 --> 00:35:35,000 And what home would not benefit from such a person as 439 00:35:35,000 --> 00:35:39,000 a mother and a wife? Modern society, 440 00:35:39,000 --> 00:35:46,080 they put down homemakers or religious women as marginal. They have no impact. They have no influence. 441 00:35:46,080 --> 00:35:50,520 But God's woman, she has the Spirit of God to strengthen her. 442 00:35:50,520 --> 00:35:54,000 She has the word of God to guide her. She has the promise of God to 443 00:35:54,000 --> 00:35:59,000 encourage her. She has the family of God to surround her. 444 00:35:59,000 --> 00:36:04,000 So God's woman can function dynamically in every situation, whether it be 445 00:36:04,000 --> 00:36:09,000 in the home or in the outside world. No matter where she is 446 00:36:09,000 --> 00:36:14,000 she is always God's woman, whether she's the CEO of a 447 00:36:14,000 --> 00:36:20,400 corporation or the CEO of the home, she's still God's woman. 448 00:36:20,400 --> 00:36:24,000 She still bringing into play 449 00:36:24,000 --> 00:36:29,000 all of the qualifications that God's woman has. 450 00:36:29,000 --> 00:36:38,580 And then a third and final lesson from Abigail. Abigail's beauty was a bonus. 451 00:36:38,580 --> 00:36:41,000 Yes she was beautiful. 452 00:36:41,000 --> 00:36:43,000 But this is not what saved the day. 453 00:36:43,000 --> 00:36:50,560 And this is not what inspired and impressed David. And this is not why her story is in the Bible. 454 00:36:50,560 --> 00:36:53,000 We're always first impressed by beauty. 455 00:36:53,000 --> 00:36:58,000 We easily focus on beauty, but in the long run we find out that beauty does 456 00:36:58,000 --> 00:37:04,000 not accomplish anything. Beauty does not produce anything. 457 00:37:04,000 --> 00:37:08,000 Abigail saved her family. She saved her soul. 458 00:37:08,000 --> 00:37:13,000 She saved the future king's integrity because she was wise and insightful and 459 00:37:13,000 --> 00:37:18,000 humble. Not because she was beautiful. You see, 460 00:37:18,000 --> 00:37:24,000 we remember beauty. We remember it. But we don't admire it. 461 00:37:24,000 --> 00:37:29,000 A person's beauty has no power to inspire us. It only has power to 462 00:37:29,000 --> 00:37:34,000 attract us, but not inspire us. So Abigail shows women 463 00:37:34,000 --> 00:37:38,000 how to deal successfully with men without relying 464 00:37:38,000 --> 00:37:43,000 exclusively on outward beauty and I think that's a marvelous lesson that 465 00:37:43,000 --> 00:37:45,000 she teaches us. 466 00:37:45,000 --> 00:37:50,000 In the end, David married a beautiful woman but he didn't marry her 467 00:37:50,000 --> 00:37:56,000 just because she was beautiful. He also married her because she was God's woman. 468 00:37:56,000 --> 00:38:01,000 All right? So "Lessons from the Kings" and especially a woman who figured very 469 00:38:01,000 --> 00:38:08,660 prominently in the life of King David. We're going to continue our series next week.