1 Sam
25:32-38 (ESV) And David said to Abigail, "Blessed be the Lord, the God of
Israel, who sent you this day to meet me! 33 Blessed be your discretion, and
blessed be you, who have kept me this day from bloodguilt and from avenging
myself with my own hand! 34 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 to Nabal so much as one
male." 35 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 I have granted your petition."
36 And
Abigail came to Nabal, and behold, he was holding a feast in his house, like
the feast of a king. And Nabal's heart was merry within him, for he was very
drunk. So she told him nothing at all until the morning light. 37 In 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. 38 And about ten days
later the Lord struck Nabal, and he died.
NOTE: David loses
his cool because of a foolish man named Nabal. Technically, the man violated a
cultural norm by refusing to host David. Still, it does not justify David's
potential violence. Nabal's wife, Abigail shows great wisdom, and stops David
from committing a stupid sin in a moment of passionate anger. David's weakness
will always be his passion. He can allow his emotions to cloud his better
judgment and so fall prey to harmful actions. For Nabal, he is a fool, like
many other fools. He is rich and obviously has some skills to gain such wealth,
but he lacks good judgment and is too absorbed in himself to appreciate what
God has given. Rather than protecting his things, he should have been using
them for others. And he should have been thankful. We should never take for
granted the goodness of God. Like Jesus' parable about the rich man building
more places to store his riches, this fool dies quickly. And what did he gain
for all of his riches? Nothing. Lord help me to appreciate every good thing
that you give to me.
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