Short & Sweet: She Understood

Now there was a man in Maon whose business was in Carmel, and the man was very rich. He had three thousand sheep and a thousand goats. And he was shearing his sheep in Carmel. 3 The name of the man was Nabal, and the name of his wife Abigail. And she was a woman of good understanding and beautiful appearance; but the man was harsh and evil in his doings. He was of the house of Caleb.

1 Samuel 25:2-3

Once upon a time, in a land far away, lived a beautiful woman and her evil husband. Now, the husband was a fool, but Abigail understood.

The account of Nabal and Abigail rivals any fairy tale of long ago, complete with a beautiful woman, a wicked husband, a valiant king upon a steed and an intriguing plot.

To summarize, David and his men protect Nabal’s flocks from raiders and predators until the time of shearing. When payday arrives, instead of wages, David’s men receive insults. Justly so, David orders his men to saddle-up and ride for Nabal’s house.  Enter our hero, actually a she-ro … Abigail.

She understood.

She understood whom? …  she understood what?

She understood her husband’s harsh evil ways.

She understood her God’s righteous holy ways.

Abigail learns of her husband’s foolish behavior from one of her servants. Without a moment to spare, she quickly orders a gift for David, loads the donkeys, and saves the day (and her husband’s neck). Why did Abigail chooses to act on behalf of her cruel harsh husband? She could have easily been rid of him that day … let him reap the consequences for his actions. Who would have blamed her? Instead, she acts on his behalf. Why? Because she understood.

Abigail understood …

… she must trust God’s Word over her own feelings.

… she must do the right thing no matter the cost.

… she must protect others from themselves.

… she must do right for those who do her wrong.

Because she understood, Abigail saves the lives of her husband and the male servants of her house. Her quick thinking also protects David’s reputation and his relationship with God. She does the right thing, the hard thing, the wise thing, and leaves her life (and husband) in the hands of God. And because she understood, God has a wonderful happily ever after for Abigail (and a not so happily ever after for Nabal). You can read the rest of the story in 1 Samuel 25.

And the beautiful woman received a message, “David sent us to you, to ask you to become his wife … and she followed the messengers of David, and became his wife.” So the beautiful woman and the king lived happily ever after.

Action Points

1. Wisdom does not depend in IQ, but on the Word of God; the more Word we have, the wiser we become. How can you get more of God’s Word in your heart? (Hint:  Joyce Meyer Ministries  oneplace.com, Living Proof Ministries)
2. Think of a current situation are you facing. What do you feel like doing about it? What does God’s Word say you should do about it?
3. What parts of your situation need you to take godly action? What parts do you need to leave in the hands of God?

Life is sweet.