QT 1/12/2023 1 Sam 25:32-42, Making right choices

1 Samuel 25:32–35 (ESV) —

32 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 working salvation 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.”

1 Samuel 25:42 (ESV) —

42 And Abigail hurried and rose and mounted a donkey, and her five young women attended her. She followed the messengers of David and became his wife.

 

NOTE: There are a number of similarities between David and Saul in these passages. David, nearly wipes out a clan, much as Saul did in Nob. The difference is that David listened to godly wisdom (from a very wise woman) and Saul did not listen to anyone (his guards refused to act). David acted in emotional haste, much as Saul had been doing. One has to wonder if some of the malcontents David had picked up were beginning to affect him (bad company corrupts good morals). Abigail's wisdom prevent a potentially disastrous event with future repercussions on David's role as king. And the subsequent death of her husband and David's taking her as his wife, provides a source of good spiritual input into David's life. His wife protects him spiritually from going down the path of some of his men, and then allows him to be the spiritual leader to his men that he needed to be in the first place. In the next story, David will have another opportunity to kill Saul, but he does the right thing again. One wonders, if it was not for Abigail, David would have started down a path of vengeance, each action becoming easier than the last.

 

The line is so close.

 

Genesis 4:7 (ESV) — If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is contrary to you, but you must rule over it.”

 

There are choices and the consequent actions which are unrecoverable. Sin can be forgiven, but the effects of sin can last your whole life. David was at one of those points. Saul was at that point when he waited for Samuel before the battle. But there are many of these decisions. Our choices can dictate our future and our family's future. Yes, sin can be forgiven, but there is no guarantee on the consequences.

 

PONDER:

1. What choices am I facing and how am I going to react?
2. What is the wise choice?
3. Whom can I ask for wisdom in helping me make that choice?

 

PRAYER: Father, protect me from poor choices. Help me to choose well. Have mercy on me when I fail. I want to rely on you and the Holy Spirit within me to make the right choices.