Abigail

 Abigail could hear the party going on. Her husband, Nabal, was drunk again and boasting about the number of sheep and goats he owned. He was rich man but a foolish one who never gave glory to God for anything! Abigail shook her head and went back to her chores. 

One of her husband’s shepherds ran toward her. 

“Mistress! We’re in terrible trouble!”

“What’s happened?”

“David sent 10 men asking for supplies for his warriors, and Nabal yelled at them. He said unkind things about David and his men. They were kind to us when we were out in the wilderness with our flocks of sheep. Not one animal was lost while they were with us! And now, Nabal shows no thankfulness! We’re all afraid David will come to get back at Nabal. 

Abigail knew that men of war often let their anger get out of control, and David had been of war with his enemies for years. Not only that, but the prophet Samuel said that God wanted David to be the next king. That made King Saul very jealous, and now David had to try to stay safe so that Saul could not kill him!

As usual, her husband, Nabal, had spoken without thinking. It was up to her to save her husband and the shepherds. 

Abigail thought quickly and called all her servants together. “Hurry! Pack every loaf of bread you can find. Pack wine, meat and grain, raisins and fig cakes, and load the supplies into carts. I will ride out ahead of you and try to stop David from fighting us.”

“But he will kill you, Mistress!”

“My life is in God’s hands.”

David was known for being a man who loved God. It is God’s job to correct people for doing what is wrong. But if Abigail was unable to stop him, David might hurt her husband by trying to correct Nabal himself. She had to get David’s attention long enough to talk him out of doing something he would feel bad about later. 

David and 400 of his warriors rode toward her. She prayed as she rode her donkey down the middle of the road, blocking David and his army. She knew that in their anger, they could ride right over her. 

David stopped and glared at her. There was no smile on his face. 

“I am Abigail, the wife of Nabal. Please forgive me.” She spoke quickly and from her heart. She took blame for not knowing that David had sent 10 of his men for food and other things they needed. As the carts rumbled up behind her, she offered David and his men the supplies Nabal had refused to give them. “The Lord has picked you to be our next king. Please do not sin against the Lord our God by trying to get even with Nabal, for he is a foolish man.”

David listened to Abigail. Slowly, a smile began to spread across his face. “I thank God that you came here. If you had not been brave enough to come, I would have murdered your husband and every man in the camp. 

He accepted the supplies and rode away. 

Abigail returned home, glad that David was no longer angry. Nabal was still drunk, so she waited until the next day when he was sober to tell him all that had happened. Then Nabal became so upset that he had a stroke! A few days later, he died. 

When David heard, he knew Abigail was now a widow who needed help. Evil men might steal all her husband’s property. So he sent some more of his men with a message for Abigail. He said he wanted to marry her. 

Abigail said yes! She could not have been happier, because she knew God was giving her a godly husband. One day he would be king!

 

 

Abigail took a big risk in going out to meet David. She trusted God to keep her safe, and he did. Abigail hadn’t done anything wrong but knew that she was the only one who could make things right. Because she was brave, everyone in her family group was safe. How do you think Abigail felt as she went out to face an entire army by herself?

 

Although you will never have to stand up to an army, there will be times in your life when you will have to stand alone. Was there ever a time when you had to stand up for others who couldn’t help themselves? Have you ever had to help keep a friend safe who couldn’t see the danger in what he or she was doing? Name other times when your help might be necessary.