| Abigail |
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| Strengths LifeLessons |
| Abigail was an intelligent and beautiful woman married to a surly and mean man named Nabal. At the time that David and his men(600) had moved to the Desert of Moan, Nabal's servants were out tending the sheep in the same area and protecting the servants and flocks. David had heard that Nabal was shearing the sheep at Carmel, so he sent ten young men of Nabal's to send greetings and request some food and water for his men. The young men went to Nabal and told him that David had been protecting them and that he and his men needed some food and water. Nabal refused saying 'Why should I my bread and water...and give it to men coming from who knows where?' The young men took this message back to David, who became furious that Nabal would refuse them after they had protected his property.David instructed his men to put on their swords, he was planning to kill every male in the house of Nabal. One of the servants told Abigail that Nabal had refused David's request, knowing that disaster was hanging over the whole house, she knew what to do and lost no time. She gathered two hundred loaves of bread, two skins of wine, five dressed sheep, roasted grain, one hun-dred cakes of raisin and two hundred cakes of pressed figs and loaded them on a donkey. Then she told her servants to go on ahead and she would follow. When Abigail saw David she bowed down with her face to the ground at his feet and said,'My Lord, let the blame be on me alone. Please let your servant speak to you...pay no attention to that wicked man Nabal. He is just like his name that means Fool, and folly goes with him. But as for me,..I did not see the men my master sent...And let this gift, which your servant has brought to my master, be given to the men who follow you...And when the Lord has brought you success remember your servant.' David said to her,'May you be blessed for your good judgement and from keeping me from bloodshed this day from avenging myself with my own hands...Go home in peace. I have heard your words and granted your request.' When Abigail returned home Nabal, he was having a festival and was very drunk, she decided to wait till morning to tell him what she had done. In the morning, when Nabal was sober, Abigail told him everything that happened, his heart failed and he became like a stone. About ten days later, the Lord struck him and he died. When David heard of Nabal's death, he sent for Abigail asking her to be his wife, she accepted and later gave birth to her son, Kileab (Daniel). Abigail was a wise and resourceful woman. When her servant told her of the events that had past, she had a sense of the "Big Pic-ture" and she knew what to do. 'Let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the descerning get guidance.'{Proverbs 1:5} Allow God to guide you when situations arise. She used this unfortunate opportunity to promote peace. 'It is a man's honor to avoid strife, but a fool is quick to quarrel.'{ Proverbs 20:3} Let the Holy Spirit guide you in ways to promote peace in a situation that could otherwise cause problems. She waited for the appropriate time to tell Nabal what his refusal could of caused. Timing is everything when discussing sensitive mat-ters, especially when your dealing with an unreasonable family member. 'There is a time for everything and a season for every activity under heaven' {Ecclesiastes 3:1} Praying that God reveal the time to talk about difficult situations, this way in the meantime, God is preparing the hearts of everyone concerned. |
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