SERIES J --- THE WARRIOR KING --- LESSON 05

OUTLAW

NABAL AND ABIGAIL

From 1 Samuel 25

When Samuel died, the people of Israel gathered to mourn for him and buried him at his hometown of Ramah. About the same time, David moved from the cave where he and his men had been hiding to the desert area of Paran. A man of Maon, named Nabal, had about three thousand sheep and a thousand goats on his ranch near Carmel. When David moved into the area with his men, Nabal was visiting his ranch to watch his sheep being sheared. Although Nabal, who was a descendant of Caleb, was a rough man with bad manners, his wife Abigail was a beautiful, intelligent woman. When David learned that Nabal was shearing his sheep nearby, he sent ten of his young men to Carmel with a message for him. ‘Peace to you and your household and all that you have,’ the message began. ‘I’m sure you know that we have never stolen anything from your shepherds since they came here, nor have we hurt any of them. If you ask them, they will tell you this is true. But we would like to ask now that you give us some food, for we need it and it is a feast day.’ When David’s young men gave Nabal this message, they waited there for his reply. But Nabal’s answer wasn’t a very pleasant one. ‘Who does David think he is?’ Nabal shouted. ‘There are many servants these days who run away from their masters. Should I give my own bread and water to a gang of strangers who suddenly appear?’ David was angry when the messengers returned and told him what Nabal had said. ‘Put on your swords!’ David ordered. David and about four hundred of his men put on their swords and went out toward Nabal’s ranch while about two hundred stayed behind to guard the camp. While David was calling his men to arms, one of Nabal’s young men told Abigail what had happened. ‘David sent men with greetings, but Nabal insulted him. Those men have been very kind to us and have never hurt us in any way or taken anything from us. In fact, they have been like a strong wall, protecting us and our sheep night and day. You should do something quickly, before David and his men bring disaster upon our whole household. Nabal is so mean that nobody can talk to him.’ As quickly as she could, Abigail gathered two hundred loaves of bread, two wineskins filled with wine, five dressed sheep, two bushels of roasted grain, a hundred raisin cakes and two hundred fig cakes and packed all of these things on donkeys. Without telling Nabal her plans, she sent some young men ahead, then got on her donkey and rode down the trail to meet David. Before Abigail arrived, David had been grumbling about Nabal. ‘What a waste of time it has been to protect Nabal and his flocks in this wilderness,’ he said. ‘He hasn’t lost a thing, but all he has given us in return is evil instead of good. May Adonai punish me if I don’t kill Nabal and all his men by morning.’ When Abigail met David on the trail, she quickly jumped from her donkey and bowed down before him with her face to the ground. ‘Please don’t blame Nabal, for even his name says that he is a fool,’ she said. ‘Blame me instead, even though I didn’t see the young men whom you sent as messengers. Adonai has spared you the guilt of killing Nabal and his men as you sought revenge. Therefore, may all your enemies suffer as Nabal will. ‘See, I have brought you and your men a gift. Forgive me for coming out here this way, but I know that Adonai will establish you and your descendants as kings forever, for you are fighting Adonai’s battles and will not do evil as long as you live. ‘If men pursue you to kill you, Adonai will protect you, keeping you safe in His care. But He will throw aside the lives of your enemies as a stone from a sling. When Adonai has given you the good gifts He has promised and has made you king over Israel, you won’t have to live with a guilty conscience because you took revenge upon Nabal. When Adonai has done these good things for you, remember me.’ Then David spoke kindly to Abigail. ‘How blessed is Adonai of Israel for sending you here today to meet me. And blessed is your wise judgment. I’m so grateful that you have kept me from murdering that man and trying to take revenge myself. If you had not come out to meet me, I would have killed Nabal and all his men by morning,’ Then David received the gifts which Abigail brought. ‘You may go home without fear,’ he told her. ‘I will not kill Nabal or his men, as you have requested.’ When Abigail came back home, Nabal was having a big feast. Since he was already quite drunk, she decided not to tell him that evening what had happened. But when morning came and he was sober, Abigail did tell him what she had done. Nabal was so overcome with this news that he had a stroke. About ten days later, he died. ‘Thank YHVH!’ David said when he heard the news. ‘YHVH has punished Nabal for his evil and has kept me from doing it.’ Immediately David sent messengers to Abigail, asking her to marry him. ‘David has sent us to you to ask you to become his wife,’ his servants said when they arrived in Carmel. ‘I would be pleased to become a servant girl to wash his servants’ feet,’ Abigail answered. As soon as she was ready, Abigail took five of her servant girls with her and rode on her donkey with David’s messengers. When she arrived at the camp, she and David were married. David also married Ahinoam of Jezreel and thus he had two wives. By this time, King Saul had made David’s first wife Michal, who was Saul’s daughter, marry a man named Palti, the son of Laish from Gallim.

COMMENTARY

NEBI SAMWIL

David and his men were outlaws. Yet they did not rob or hurt their fellow countrymen. But when one rich farmer, whose flocks and shepherds David’s men had protected, refused to acknowledge David’s help, David became so angry he was ready to kill. A wise woman turned David’s anger... and became his wife. The highest hill overlooking the city of Jerusalem is called Nebi Samwil, which means [Prophet Samuel.] A Moslem Mosque marks the site that many have believed to be Samuel’s tomb. For centuries pilgrims have come here to pay homage to the last judge of ancient Israel. According to Jewish tradition, Samuel died at the age of fifty-two after twelve years of service to Israel as prophet, judge and priest. He was buried in his hometown of Ramah, approximately five miles north of Jerusalem. Today the village of er-Ram still preserves the name of the prophet’s birthplace. During Samuel’s lifetime, the hill now known as Nebi Samwil looked down over the centre of his ministry. Ramah served as his headquarters and the starting point for his annual circuit to Bethel, Gilgal and Mizpah. It was in Ramah that Samuel met Saul and secretly anointed him as the first king to reign over the nation of Israel.