1 Samuel 25
We'll read most of it eventually.
But let me start by reading 1 through 17.
Let's read together.
1 Samuel 25
Now Samuel died, and all Israel assembled and mourned for him, and they buried him in his house at Ramah.
Then David rose and went down to the wilderness of Paran.
And there was a man in Maon whose business was in Carmel.
The man was very rich.
He had 3,000 sheep and 1,000 goats.
He was shearing his sheep in Carmel.
Now the name of the man was Nabal, and the name of his wife Abigail.
The woman was discerning and beautiful, but the man was harsh and badly behaved.
He was a Calebite.
David heard in the wilderness that Nabal was shearing his sheep.
So David sent 10 young men.
And David said to the young men, Go up to Carmel and go to Nabal and greet him in my name.
And thus you shall greet him.
Peace be to you, and peace be to your house, and peace be to all that you have.
I hear that you have shearers.
Now your shepherds have been with us, and we did them no harm.
And they missed nothing all the time they were in Carmel.
Ask your young men, and they will tell you.
Therefore let my young men find favor in your eyes, for we come on a feast day.
Please give whatever you have at hand to your servants and to your son David.
When David's young men came, they said all this to Nabal in the name of David, and then they waited.
And Nabal answered David's servants, Who is David?
Who is the son of Jesse?
There are many servants these days who are breaking away from their master.
Shall I take my bread and my water and my meat that I have killed for my shearers,
and give it to men who come from I do not know where?
So David's young men turned away and came back and told him all this.
And David said to his men, Every man strap on his sword.
And every man of them strapped on his sword.
David also strapped on his sword.
And about 400 men went up after David, while 200 remained with the baggage.
But one of the young men told Abigail, Nabal's wife, Behold.
David sent messengers out of the wilderness to greet our master, and he railed at them.
Yet the men were very good to us.
And we suffered no harm, and we did not miss anything when we were in the fields, as long as we went with them.
They were a wall to us, both by night and by day, all the while we were with them, keeping the sheep.
Now therefore know this, and consider what you should do, for harm is determined against our master,
and against all his house.
And he is such a worthless man, that one cannot speak to him.
So there's a common pattern in different cultures, and in different situations,
that in order to prepare for greatness, for leadership and responsibility,
that you have to go through a period of intense testing.
So in some tribes, there are rituals of when you go from being a boy to becoming a man,
where you actually have to go out into the wilderness, and live on your own for a couple days,
or go with the other 12 or 13 year olds, or whatever age they do it at.
We can see this in all kinds of ways.
When my dad was growing up, he played high school football,
and every August, he had two a days.
The most grueling practices in the hottest month of the year.
Practice in the morning, go home, shower, recover.
Practice in the afternoon, go home, collapse on the couch, do it all over again the next day.
But that's how you prepare for football season, and for winning the championship, hopefully.
Same pattern in the military.
You start by going to boot camp, and you don't do anything else,
and you don't have hardly any contact with the outside world for six to eight weeks.
And somehow you come out of there ready to be a soldier.
Or, since it's Mother's Day, being a mom.
The first three months of pregnancy.
Morning sickness.
You can hardly keep anything down.
You're throwing up, nausea.
Then labor and delivery.
Then the first few months of having a baby, where you don't sleep more than two hours at once.
You see, in order to prepare for the big game, the heroic battle, to being a mom, to be in a great leadership position,
we have to be trained and tested and nearly brought to the end of our rope in the wilderness.
Now, this is what we see happening to David in this section of Samuel.
Now, chapter 24 through 26, David's in the wilderness.
Several times in each chapter, it talks about David being in the wilderness, right?
In this chapter, it's verse 1, verse 4, verse 14, and verse 21.
Four times it says David was in the wilderness.
And he's fleeing from Saul, who is trying to kill him.
But God is testing and training and preparing him to one day be the king over all Israel.
And through the trials and opposition he faces, God is developing and refining his character.
Now, in these three chapters, we see David facing three tests.
If you were here last week, right, Saul comes into the cave where David and his men were hiding.
And David's men say, here's your chance.
God has delivered him into your hands.
Just kill him.
Be done with him.
You don't have to deal with him coming after you anymore.
You can be king just as God has anointed you to be.
And David cuts off a corner of Saul's robe and then he says, no, I can't touch him.
He's the Lord's anointed.
And David prevents his men from attacking Saul.
Instead of taking matters into his own hands, he spares Saul's life.
Chapter 26, the next chapter, if you look at the heading in the Pew Bibles, it says David spares Saul again.
It's almost a repeat.
We'll look at that a little bit next week.
But basically, Saul's camping near where David is hiding.
David, again, has the opportunity to kill Saul.
Just be done with him right there and now.
When Saul is sort of pursuing him like a maniac and following him wherever he goes and stalking him and hunting him down and wanting to destroy him.
And David again says no.
He spares Saul's life again.
Now, right in the middle of these two episodes is tonight's story.
And Saul isn't part of this story at all.
But David's in the same situation where he has the opportunity to take matters into his own hands and to repay evil for evil.
And to execute vengeance on an ungodly and very difficult man.
But God in his mercy restrains him.
And what God's doing, I think, is he's developing not only self-control, but also mercy in David's heart.
Both of which are crucial character qualities of a good leader and of a king.
So tonight, I want to look into this story and see how God was testing David and also how he was restraining David and ultimately preparing him to be a leader.
And we'll also see how God tests us and prepares us and how God restrains us by his grace.
So, first, in the verses we've just read, we see God tested David through the foolishness of Nabal.
If you look down at verse 2, we're introduced to Nabal.
And verse 2 describes his business and his possessions.
And that he was shearing his sheep, which was basically throwing a big party where he would also do a lot of business and earn a lot of money.
So, it was sort of like saying there was a man from Darien who had a business in Greenwich.
And he was very rich.
He owned a BMW and a Lexus and a Porsche and three businesses and four houses.
That was sort of what Nabal was like.
And he was throwing a big party outdoors for seven days and nights.
Now, interestingly, it tells us all about Nabal's possessions, his stuff, before we even learn his name.
And that's appropriate because Nabal was basically defined by his stuff, his possessions.
And we'll see that throughout the story.
Verse 3 says his wife was discerning and beautiful, but he was harsh and badly behaved.
He was a Calebite.
That's not a...
That just means he was a descendant of Caleb, who was actually a faithful Israelite, one of the faithful spies.
So, it's not a sort of a negative thing.
It's basically saying he was descended from a faithful man, and yet he didn't live up to that legacy.
Anyway, so David's in the wilderness.
He's barely surviving.
He hears Nabal's throwing this big party, right?
It happened once a year.
You shear your sheep, you get a lot of wool, and you can make all kinds of things with it.
And so, he sends a messenger saying, could you just give us whatever you might have available?
Approaches him humbly, respectfully.
You know, David wasn't just trying to mooch off Nabal.
Sometimes it might...
You might wonder that.
He wasn't sort of like going to a college graduation just to steal all the free food, right?
And because he had no connection to anyone there, he just knows there's plates and plates of free food, right?
No, David and his men, as Nabal's servant says in verse 15 and 16, had protected Nabal's men.
Right?
David and his men were out in the wilderness.
Nabal and his servants were taking care of the sheep out there.
And David had treated Nabal right.
And David had seen to it that Nabal's men didn't miss anything.
No one stole anything from them.
David's men were like security guards and loyal allies to Nabal.
Even when...
David really didn't have to do that.
You know, and David was in a precarious position himself.
But you see him caring for someone else and being loyal to him.
Now, Nabal's response, verse 10 and 11.
Maybe you caught it while I was reading it.
Who is David?
Who is the son of Jesse?
Now, who does he sound like?
Sounds like Saul.
Doesn't Saul say the same thing?
Who is the son of Jesse?
That's how he calls David.
He doesn't even like to call David by his real name.
Nabal goes on.
So I take my bread and my water and my meat that I've killed for my seers.
You get it?
Nabal's life is all about himself and all about his stuff.
And his stuff belongs to him.
And why should he give it to anyone else?
Just as Nabal was...
Just as David was a faithful servant to Saul and Saul tried to kill him,
David was a faithful servant to Nabal.
And Nabal just dissed him.
And despised him.
He repaid evil for good.
Nabal was a little bit like back in Numbers.
Nabal talks about...
And in Deuteronomy, it talks about...
Numbers 20, Deuteronomy 23.
It talks about the Moabites, the Ammonites, and the Edomites.
And basically, when the people of Israel were going through the wilderness on the way to the promised land,
those three groups of people refused to help them.
In Numbers, they come to the land of the Edomites and they say,
Can we just pass through on your highway?
We won't drink any of your water.
We won't eat any of your food.
We won't touch anything that belongs to you.
Can you just allow us to pass through peacefully?
And they say, no.
Absolutely not.
We don't want to do anything for you.
Sure, you're in the middle of the desert.
But, no.
It's not our business.
We're not helping you.
You know, they didn't do anything to actively harm the Israelites.
Nabal didn't do anything that he actively harmed David.
But he didn't do anything to help David.
When David had helped him.
In the New Testament, in James.
James says,
Whoever knows the good that he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins.
And, in Jesus.
Matthew 25.
In the parable of the sheep and the goats.
Remember he says,
He says,
To the goats.
He says,
I was hungry.
You gave me nothing to eat.
I was thirsty.
You gave me nothing to drink.
I was naked.
You didn't clothe me.
I was in prison.
You didn't visit me.
You didn't do anything.
And he says,
Whatever you didn't do to the least of one of these, my brothers and sisters, you didn't do it for me.
God takes it very seriously when we ignore or disrespect his people who are hurting and helpless.
Now, let me just say, that doesn't mean that every guy on the street who walks up to you and says,
Can I have five dollars that you should give them money?
In fact, I think many times the most loving thing is not to give them money.
Because everybody knows you might just be enabling them in their drug habit.
But, perhaps to spend time getting to know that person.
Or to invest some of your time in volunteering at a homeless shelter.
Or at a soup kitchen.
Or investing in people that you can get to know and love and care for.
So, it's not saying that you just do everything that everybody asks for you and not be discerning.
But, I think it is saying, particularly if there is somebody who puts their hope in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Who is your brother or sister in Christ and they really need help.
Don't neglect them.
Don't turn away.
And say, well, that's not really my business.
There's a warning.
Don't leave them alone if you can help them.
See that they are helped somehow.
Anyway, so that's Nabal.
That's what Nabal does to David.
Now, how does David respond?
Well, verse 12 and 13.
Says to his men, strap on your swords.
David's ready to kill off all of Nabal's house.
You see, David's being tested by having to deal with this foolish, selfish, harsh jerk.
And David just wants to pay him back.
And get rid of him.
And not have to deal with him anymore.
So, we see David's weakness here.
He's tempted to take matters into his own hands.
He's just about to do it.
Even though he hasn't been given that authority by God.
He's not in the position where he should be executing judgment on Nabal.
So, first we see God tested David through the wickedness and foolishness of Nabal.
And sometimes God tests us.
When we have to deal with selfish, really selfish and self-centered people.
Who come into our lives.
Maybe we help them and protect them and take care of them.
And be loyal to them.
And they absolutely refuse to do anything for us.
We can face that same test that David did.
And want to just repay evil for evil.
But, second, what we see is that God preserved David from falling into that trap.
Through the wisdom and courage of Abigail.
So, let's keep reading.
Starting at verse 18.
Then Abigail made haste.
And took two hundred loaves and two skins of wine.
Five sheep already prepared.
Five seahs of parched grain.
A hundred clusters of raisins.
And two hundred cakes of figs.
And laid them on donkeys.
And she said to her young men,
Go on before me.
Behold, I come after you.
But she did not tell her husband Nabal.
And as she rode on the donkey and came down under cover of the mountain.
Behold, David and his men came down toward her.
And she met them.
Now David had said,
Surely in vain have I guarded all that this fellow has in the wilderness so that nothing was missed of all that belonged to him.
And he has returned me evil for good.
God do so to the enemies of David.
And more also if by morning I leave so much as one male of all who belong to him.
When Abigail saw David she hurried and got down from the donkey and fell before David on her face and bowed to the ground.
She fell at his feet and said,
On me alone, my lord, be the guilt.
Please let your servant speak in your ears and hear the words of your servant.
Let not my lord regard this worthless fellow Nabal for as his name is so is he.
Nabal is his name and folly is with him.
But I, your servant, did not see the young men of my lord whom you sent.
Now then, my lord, as the lord lives and as your soul lives, because the lord has restrained you from blood guilt and from saving with your own hand.
Now then let your enemies and those who seek to do evil to my lord be as Nabal.
And now let this present that your servant has brought to my lord be given to the young men who follow my lord.
Please forgive the trespass of your servant.
For the lord will certainly make my lord a sure house.
Because my lord is fighting the battles of the lord and evil shall not be found in you so long as you live.
If men rise up to pursue you and to seek your life, the life of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of the living in the care of the lord your god.
And the lives of your enemies he shall sling out as from the hollow of a sling.
And 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.
And David said to Abigail,
Blessed be the lord, the god of Israel, who sent you this day to meet me.
Blessed be your discretion and blessed be you,
who have kept me this day from blood guilt and from working salvation with my own hand.
For as surely as the lord, the god of Israel lives, who has restrained me from hurting you,
unless you had hurried and come to meet me truly by morning, there had not been left in Nabal so much as one male.
Then David received from her hand what she had brought him,
and he said to her, Go up in peace to your house.
See, I have obeyed your voice and have granted your petition.
So Abigail hears that David is coming and she takes decisive action.
She organizes a feast, food to feed an army.
She boldly approaches David.
I mean, imagine this.
David and 400 men with their swords strapped on their sides,
barreling down toward Nabal's property,
and one woman going out.
Now, probably she had her servants with her to carry all the food.
But one woman going at the head
of all her servants
and coming before this man who is
ready to
decimate
and kill every man
in the household.
I mean, that takes guts.
That's courageous.
In Abigail's speech,
on the one hand, she's very discreet.
All right, she's tactful.
She brings all this food.
She affirms the Lord's promise to David.
She takes responsibility for Nabal's foolishness
and asks forgiveness on his behalf.
She bows down before David.
She pleads with him respectfully.
David notices her discretion in particular.
So she's discreet,
but on the other hand,
she's very bold.
Approaching him on her own initiative.
And you know,
she's not unclear
about what she's asking for.
Verse 31,
it's very clear what she's
saying.
And she says, you know,
she pleads with David and says,
so that when you become king,
you won't have guilt
over and remorse
over having shed blood without cause.
So you see,
she's very respectful
and very discreet
and at the same time,
very bold
and very courageous
in coming before David.
And God uses Abigail
in her discretion
and in her boldness
to restrain David
from repaying evil for evil.
And thankfully,
David listens.
You know,
Abigail's speech
is really the center
piece of this narrative,
of this story.
And right before Abigail's speech
in verse 21 through 22,
David's vowing
to wipe out every male
in Nabal's household.
And after Abigail's speech,
32 through 35,
he's promising peace
to the house.
And so you see,
it's Abigail's speech
and it's Abigail's action
that God uses
to restrain David
from taking matters
into his own hands.
David's about to fall,
but God preserves David
through Abigail.
Two applications,
I think,
before we go on.
first,
do we listen
to warnings
from a sister
or a brother?
This is a major difference
between David
and Saul.
They're both tempted
to take matters
into their own hands,
left to themselves.
They both would.
God warns them.
He sends Samuel
to warn Saul.
Here he sends Abigail
to warn David.
Saul refuses to listen.
Saul refuses to acknowledge
his wrong
when he does wrong.
He never really
takes responsibility.
But God graciously
preserves David
from falling
into the same traps.
And God gives David
a willing heart
to listen
and to take heed.
So first,
do we listen
to warnings?
And second,
do we give warnings?
Right?
If we see
one of our brothers
or sisters
who's tempted
to take matters
into their own hands
and go do something foolish
because somebody else
has wronged them
or whatever it might be,
do we have the courage
and the discretion
of Abigail?
Abigail's action
is a model.
It's a hard model
to follow.
I think it's one
of the hardest things
to do as a Christian
is to take initiative
and go to someone else,
go to a brother
or sister
who's about to
self-destruct
or about to
do something
really unwise.
and to both be
gracious
and respectful
but also bold
and clear.
But that's what God uses.
God uses Abigail here.
God uses her
discretion
and her boldness
to restrain David
from falling into
repaying evil for evil.
So we've seen
how God tested David,
how God restrained David
and finally
God reassured David
that he's ultimately
in charge.
Verse 36 to 38,
Abigail came to Nabal
and behold
he was holding a feast
in his house
like the feast
of a king.
Nabal's heart
was merry within him
for he's very drunk.
So she told him
nothing at all
until the morning light
and the morning
when the wine
had gone out of Nabal
his wife told him
these things
and his heart
died within him
and he became
as a stone.
And about 10 days later
the Lord
struck Nabal
and he died.
Nabal was acting
like a king.
He was full of wine
and he was full
of himself
and he was full
of pride
and arrogance.
What do we see
what have we seen
throughout this whole
book of 1 Samuel?
God brings down
the proud
and he lifts up
the humble.
God feeds those
who are hungry
in the wilderness.
He doesn't abandon
his people
who are in trouble
and distress
but God empties
those who are
full of themselves.
Now that's what
Hannah says
in her song
in the beginning
of 1 Samuel.
She says
talk no more
so very proudly
let not arrogance
come from your mouth
and then she says
those who were full
have hired themselves
out for bread
but those who are hungry
hunger no more.
And that's what we see
with Nabal
that
he was full of himself
and full of pride
and full of arrogance
and full of wine
and God's judgment
was that he would be
emptied out.
his heart failed him
and he became
like a stone.
You see
his heart
was already
a heart of stone
on the inside
and God's judgment
was
that
his inner
spiritual condition
became
outwardly manifest
in his physical condition.
That his heart
of stone
and pride
and arrogance
became on display
in his own body.
On the other hand
David
who is hungry
in the wilderness
ends up inheriting
Nabal's wealth
and
marrying Nabal's wife
after
he dies.
So
how does David
respond
to God's judgment
on Nabal?
Well
on the one hand
he benefits
Abigail
beautiful
and discerning
discreet
and bold
becomes his wife
that's verse 40
through 42
but we also learn
in verse 43
it says
David also took
or perhaps
could be translated
had taken
this might have
already happened
Ahinoam of Jezreel
and both of them
became his wives.
Interesting little note
David has already
taken Michal
Saul's daughter
is his wife
but she was wrongly
taken away from him
as verse 44 says
and now David
goes and takes
two more wives
now the author
doesn't comment
on this
but he points
it out
and if you remember
way back in chapter 8
when the people
were demanding
a king
and God warned them
he said
the kind of king
you're asking for
is going to
take
he's going to
take all kinds
of things
and David
would actually
continue this
pattern of
taking wives
by the time
of 2 Samuel 3
2 Samuel 3
talks about
how by then
he had
six sons
from six
different mothers
2 Samuel 11
he goes one step
further
and he takes
another man's wife
Bathsheba
his greatest
failure
his greatest
downfall
and this is a bit
of
sort of ominous
sign
that he's
going down
this road
of
taking
in a way
that God
did not
originally intend
so just a side
note
the Bible
is not
promoting
polygamy
it tells it
like it was
because that's
how it was
it's not
how it was
meant to be
the point
here is
David
wasn't
perfect
God
restrained
David
from
repaying
evil
for evil
and so
ultimately
he passes
these tests
in the
wilderness
he doesn't
take matters
into his
own hands
he doesn't
kill Saul
he doesn't
kill Nabal
but there's
still a lot
of redemption
that needs
to be done
in David's
life
and the
point of
this story
is God
preserved
David
through the
wisdom
of Abigail
and God
will also
continue
to preserve
David
by his
grace
and you
know
that's
the
New
Testament
holds
out
similar
promises
for us
all right
Philippians
1 verse
6
he who
began
a good
work
in you
will be
faithful
to carry
it on
to completion
until the
day of
Christ
Jesus
and Paul
said that
to the
church at
Philippi
and they
were a great
church
they faced
a lot of
trials
but you
know what
they weren't
perfect
they had
some people
with some
arguments
with each
other
they were
tempted to
look more
to their own
interests
than those
of others
so Paul
had to keep
reminding them
about humility
and about
serving
servanthood
but he
says
God
began a
good
work
in you
he's
going to
carry it
on to
completion
or 2
Timothy
4
18
Paul
says
the
Lord
will
rescue
me
from
every
evil
attack
and
bring
me
safely
into
his
heavenly
kingdom
you know
sometimes
God
tests
us
by
bringing
us
into
contact
with
people
like
Nabal
who
are
foolish
and
ungodly
and self
centered
and
harsh
and
he
calls
us
not
to
repay
evil
for
evil
but
to
overcome
evil
with
good
sometimes
when
we're
about
to
fall
into
sin
when
we're
about
to
take
matters
into
our
own
hands
and
we're
about
to
do
something
really
stupid
God
sends
a
brother
or
sister
with
a
word
of
advice
with
a
gracious
rebuke
a
timely
warning
praise
God
for
timely
warnings
and
he
restrains
us
and
that's
one
of
the
signs
that
he's
reminding
us
I've
got
you
and
I'm
going to
be
with
you
to
the
very
end
God
because
ultimately
God's
the
one
true
judge
and
we
can
trust
him
to
do
what
is
right
Nick
read
earlier
from
1 Peter
2
about
how
Christ
suffered
for
us
leaving
us
an
example
that
we
might
follow
in
his
steps
you
know
David
faced
these
three
tests
in
the
wilderness
and
he
barely
passed
only
by
God's
mercy
and
intervention
of
Abigail
was
he
restrained
from
taking
matters
into
his
own
hands
remember
Jesus
Christ
went
into
the
wilderness
and
he
faced
three
tests
from
the
devil
himself
and
he
stood
firm
he
stood
firm
in
the
word
of
God
he
stood
firm
by
the
power
of
the
spirit
of
God
he
stood
firm
all
the
way
to
the
end
he
never
failed
he
didn't
need
an
intervention
he
didn't
need
a
warning
he
was
the
perfect
son
of
God
he
was
the
perfect
king
he
was
the
perfect
servant
of
God
and
he's
the
one
who's
gone
before
us
so
if
you're
in
the
wilderness
God
is
testing
you
and
you're
not
sure
that
you
can
make
it
remember
that
Jesus
Christ
has
walked
this
path
he's
gone
before
you
he's
paved
the
way
that
you
are
walking
on
and
he
has
sent
his
spirit
to be
with
you
every
step
of
the
way
all
the
way
until
you
see
him
in
glory
so
be
encouraged
brothers
and
sisters
Jesus
is the
one
we
can
trust
and
lead
us
through
the
wilderness
and
lead
us
safely
home
let's
pray
Lord
thanks
for
your
provision
for
David
for
restraining
him
from
evil
thank
you
for
the
ways
that
you
restrain
us
from
evil
when
we
are
tempted
and
Lord
that
is
a
wonderful
sign
that
you
have
called
us
to be
your
own
that
you've
sent
your
Holy
Spirit
to
contend
with
us
and
to
persevere
with
us
so
that
we
might
persevere
with
you
to
the
very
end
Lord
I
pray
that
we
would
be
encouraged
and
that
you
would
strengthen
us
to
face
the
trials
that
we
face
Lord
we
pray
in
particular
that
you
would
give
us
wisdom
and
mercy
and
self
restraint
in
responding
to
even
very
difficult
or
selfish
people
that
might
come
alongside
us
Lord
we
pray
that
you
would
in
particular
preserve
us
from
repaying
evil
for
evil
help
us
instead
to
overcome
evil
with
good
and
to
fix
our
eyes
on
you
we
thank
you
Lord
Jesus
that
you
are
our
faithful
king
amen