Pride vs. Humility
We finally get to meet Abigail, the wife of the fool who nearly brought about the death of his entire household.
We finally get to meet someone who doesn’t overreact, and who isn’t a complete idiot.
What a breath of fresh air…
23-25 As soon as Abigail saw David, she got off her donkey and fell on her knees at his feet, her face to the ground in homage, saying, “My master, let me take the blame! Let me speak to you. Listen to what I have to say. Don’t dwell on what that brute Nabal did. He acts out the meaning of his name: Nabal, Fool. Foolishness oozes from him.
25-27 “I wasn’t there when the young men my master sent arrived. I didn’t see them. And now, my master, as God lives and as you live, God has kept you from this avenging murder—and may your enemies, all who seek my master’s harm, end up like Nabal! Now take this gift that I, your servant girl, have brought to my master, and give it to the young men who follow in the steps of my master.
1 Samuel 25 – The Message
Nabal let his mouth run away with him and David let his pride force his hand in anger – and that combination was about to turn deadly. Fortunately Abigail enters the scene at this point and makes it all better. But how does she do it?
Well, there is a bit of ego stroking going on, and there is a bit of smoothing over of an offended pride. But there is also a show of major humility.
This was a woman who understood the way a man’s mind worked. She had to have – after all, look who she was married to! I’m sure that she had cleaned up the mess left by him running off at the mouth before. And this time she is met by 400 armed men of war intent on avenging a wounded pride.
Abject humility was the order of the day. 1 Samuel says that she immediately fell to her knees before David – on her face there on the dusty trail. She took all of the blame for her husband’s foolishness and reached out with hospitality to David and his men.
Then she takes it a step further:
28-29 “Forgive my presumption! But God is at work in my master, developing a rule solid and dependable. My master fights God’s battles! As long as you live no evil will stick to you.
If anyone stands in your way,
if anyone tries to get you out of the way,
Know this: Your God-honored life is tightly bound
in the bundle of God-protected life;
But the lives of your enemies will be hurled aside
as a stone is thrown from a sling.30-31 “When God completes all the goodness he has promised my master and sets you up as prince over Israel, my master will not have this dead weight in his heart, the guilt of an avenging murder. And when God has worked things for good for my master, remember me.”
She is risking her own neck here. She is presuming to tell David that he’s being an idiot. She is shining a light on the fact that he is intent on the death of an entire household – murdering them – over an insult to his pride. She is reminding him that God is in control of his life, and that he needs to honor God with his actions… and avenging his pride through murder is not God-honoring.
And he has 400 men with their swords standing behind him, ready to go to battle – or slaughter. 400 men that he could look very foolish in front of because of the words of this woman.
This is a huge risk.
But the reward is her life and the lives of her entire household if he heeds her warning.
Have you ever had to risk everything on the chance of opening someone’s eyes to what they are doing? Have you ever had to be the lone voice of reason in a sea of fools? It takes a great deal of courage to stand up and speak the truth when you don’t know how it will be accepted, but the reward is always worth it.
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