Twilight Kingdom (2)

Discerning Women (1 Samuel 25)

We have been tracking this life and death “cat and mouse” chase between Saul, Israel’s first king, and David, God’s chosen king. Chapter 25 is enveloped by two significant events. In the chapter’s first verse, the death of the prophet Samuel marks the end of an era (25:1). In the chapter’s last verse, the only remaining link between David and Saul, Michal, Saul’s daughter and David’s wife, is taken away from David as Saul marries her to another man (25:44). These two incidents extinguish any hope of reconciling the two kings.

Chapters 24 and 26 narrate parallel stories where David refrains from taking the life of Saul on two occasions when he has a wide-open occasion to do so. The lesson from both stories is that God will vindicate injustice perpetrated against his people. Up to this point in the narrative, David has acted impeccably in his battles with the Philistines, his protection of the people of Israel, and his dealings with the frantic, foolish “God’s anointed” king Saul. Significantly, chapter 25 falls between the parallel stories in 24 and 26, only this time, we will find a flawed king David, an unexpected heroine, and in the place of Saul, a rich ignoble fool, appropriately named Nabal. 

Acting as good shepherds, David’s men protected the people and flocks of Nabal. But returning evil for good, Nabal railed against David and his men, refusing to help them in their need. Rather than entrusting the situation to God as he had done with king Saul, on this occasion David sent 400 men to take vengeance on Nabal. By His grace, God delivered David from “bloodguilt and from working salvation with [his] own hand” (25:33); the vessel He used was the “discerning and beautiful” wife of Nabal, Abigail (25:3). While it appears that David was unable to apply his trust in God’s justice, Abigail, the hero of the story, demonstrates astonishing wisdom. Her words and actions are used to open David’s eyes to the sin he would have otherwise committed in carrying out a massacre on Nabal and his people. Abigail prophesies to David, “when the Lord has done to my lord according to all the good that he has spoken concerning you and has appointed you prince over Israel, my lord shall have no cause of grief or pangs of conscience for having shed blood without cause or for my lord working salvation himself. And when the Lord has dealt well with my lord, then remember your servant” (1 Sam 25:30-31). God rescued David from his own wrongdoing (25:39) using Abigail, who was at once decisive, resourceful, perceptive, engaging, respectful, encouraging, theological, rational, convincing, and shrewd. And He finally executed justice on Nabal by taking his life (25:38). The death of the Saul-like fool, Nabal, leaves us with the looming thought that the only way this conflict between Saul and David will ever end will be with the death of king Saul.