“For Want of An Abigail”
“Difficulties are meant to rouse, not discourage.
The human spirit is to grow strong by conflict.”
W.E. Channing
“Difficulties are meant to rouse, not discourage.
The human spirit is to grow strong by conflict.”
W.E. Channing
There are those in this life who, it would seem, are born to know trouble…those who experience heartache after heartache, disappointment after disappointment. As a pastor’s wife, I have listened as they spoke through muffled sobs, “Why me?” I have also heard those same words, hot with resentment and shouted in anger. I have no answer many times. Why is it that for some people life seems so easy—so good—and yet for others it may seem almost hopeless? I know that God’s Word is true and I know that it says “..all things work together for good…” I also know that “…God is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think…” But because of circumstances and life’s situations, it seems to me that some people just don’t believe those promises. And if people refuse to believe God’s Word, then who am I to even suppose that my words will bring help, hope, and comfort?
I have often wondered what I would’ve told Abigail. We are introduced to her in I Samuel 25 and in the same breath of Holy Writ we are introduced to her husband, Nabal. Abigail, we are told, was a woman of good understanding and of a beautiful countenance, while Nabal is characterized as being churlish and evil in his doings. Churlish is a word we don’t often use in our vocabulary in this day and age so in order to comprehend what kind of man Nabal was, you must understand that churlish means: cruel, grievous, hard-hearted, impudent, obstinate, and rough. What a contrast this man was next to his lovely wife, Abigail! No doubt people shook their heads when Abigail and Nabal were seen together. Surely they would wonder how this most ill-suited couple wound up together! Wouldn’t you imagine that people felt a little sorry for Abigail, knowing how trying life must’ve been for the individual living under the same tent as Nabal? Yet, in this remarkable story we see that in spite of these difficult circumstances, Abigail retains her spirituality, wisdom, and goodness. Because of her great love for God and her magnificent spirit, the Lord pours His richest blessings on her life.
Enter an “on-the-run,” almost-king - David, and his mighty men. At this point in our story, Abigail is unknown to David. He and his men have been watching over Nabal’s sheep and herdsmen in the wilderness. Nabal, you see, was quite wealthy and owned thousands of sheep and goats. One day when it was sheep shearing time, David sends an emissary of 10 men with a gentle reminder to Nabal that it was time to pay up for services rendered. Nabal responds in his churlish way and makes some very insulting remarks to the future king of Israel. David’s men return to him empty-handed and rehearse the hateful words of Nabal in David’s presence. No sooner were the words out of their mouths when David begins arming himself, mounting his horse, and shouting orders for his men – 400 of them – to do the same. You can just picture the scene. These men, who were already fiercely loyal to David, were ready to make Nabal part of the Judean landscape. David himself was determining in his own heart, not only to do away with Nabal, but also to eradicate anyone or anything associated with him from the face of the earth! (I Samuel 25:21)
Meanwhile, back at home, Abigail is going on with her day-to-day responsibilities, not knowing that in about 10 days her life was going to be dramatically changed for the better. One of the young men who was a servant of Nabal came and told the approachable Abigail of all that had transpired in the past few hours. He defends David’s men and tells her of Nabal’s mistreatment of them. While Abigail is letting all of this news sink in, the servant is going on and on, reminding her of what she already knows – that her husband is a son of Belial. Abigail ignores her pounding heart and goes into action. She prepares an enormous “picnic lunch” for David and his loyal league and sends a servant ahead to prevent David’s advance. Then totally unnoticed by her wicked spouse, she slips onto her donkey and heads for the hills where she meets David and his men. Upon seeing the future king of Israel, the Bible says Abigail hasted off her donkey and threw herself at David’s feet, pleading for mercy and begging him to save foolish Nabal’s life. She proceeds to remind him that it is the Lord that has intervened and prevented the future king from shedding blood and avenging himself by his own hand. In her pure, sweet, endearing manner she pours out her heart to David, and David, filled with admiration for this absolutely beautiful, dynamic woman, regains his sense of dignity and promises her that he will do as she asks. After she sees that David and his men have eaten, Abigail rides off into the sunset and returns home to Mr. Wonderful – who is in a drunken stupor. Maybe it was on the long ride home that she decided she would tell Nabal the whole story. Perhaps being in a godly man’s presence stirred up her righteous indignation and moved her to throw caution to the wind and tell her husband exactly what she had done. She decides to wait until the morning to tell him all that had transpired and when she does tell him, Nabal is paralyzed with fear and his heart dies within him – the Bible says he became as a stone. Within 10 days the Lord killed wicked, evil, churlish Nabal. Shortly thereafter David hears of Nabal’s death and thinks about the lovely wife Nabal has left behind. Imagine the scene, Abigail, sitting at home, alone, trying to reckon the events of the past few days – realizing how God has delivered her out of a seemingly bleak and hopeless station in life. And now, she is alone. No longer subjected to Nabal’s fits and abuse, she is alone. No longer ashamed to be seen with him in public, she will now be known as “Nabal’s widow.” She will no doubt wait for God’s direction and leadership in her life – for she has never been alone before – physically, that is. She has known what it’s like to be married to someone and yet feel so all alone – yet somehow this is different. But all will be well; God will be her shield and strength. Her thoughts may have turned to the flocks then, now that the care of Nabal’s huge estate would be her responsibility. As she ponders these things, the sound of a rider can be heard in the distance. The sound becomes louder and louder and finally shakes Abigail from her pensive thoughts. A servant rushes in to Abigail and informs her that a few of David’s servants have come to her. She rises and goes to meet them. They have a word from the future king of Israel: “David sent us unto thee, to take thee to him to wife.” I Samuel 25:40. Then, once again, but with a totally different purpose, filled with anticipation, excitement and wonder, Abigail “makes haste” and goes to be David’s wife.
Abigail – godly, beautiful, and wise, trusted in her God and believed Him in spite of her circumstances. The word “divorce” was not in her vocabulary because God was bigger than any situation. And even if He chose not to deliver her, she would’ve trusted Him still. As difficult as life must have been for her, she maintained her close walk with the Lord and kept her eyes on Him.
Women today are ready to walk out if their husbands don’t spend enough time with them, or if they read the paper at the table. Divorce is a word that rolls too easily off the lips of over one-half of our society. It is a shattering, heartbreaking, gut-wrenching experience and one is never left the same after experiencing a divorce. May the Lord help us, to the best of our ability, to be the wives we should be. May we seek His wisdom for direction and help and protection even in the most difficult circumstances. I wonder how many marriages would still be together today “for want of an Abigail?”
Encouragingly yours,
Liz
I have often wondered what I would’ve told Abigail. We are introduced to her in I Samuel 25 and in the same breath of Holy Writ we are introduced to her husband, Nabal. Abigail, we are told, was a woman of good understanding and of a beautiful countenance, while Nabal is characterized as being churlish and evil in his doings. Churlish is a word we don’t often use in our vocabulary in this day and age so in order to comprehend what kind of man Nabal was, you must understand that churlish means: cruel, grievous, hard-hearted, impudent, obstinate, and rough. What a contrast this man was next to his lovely wife, Abigail! No doubt people shook their heads when Abigail and Nabal were seen together. Surely they would wonder how this most ill-suited couple wound up together! Wouldn’t you imagine that people felt a little sorry for Abigail, knowing how trying life must’ve been for the individual living under the same tent as Nabal? Yet, in this remarkable story we see that in spite of these difficult circumstances, Abigail retains her spirituality, wisdom, and goodness. Because of her great love for God and her magnificent spirit, the Lord pours His richest blessings on her life.
Enter an “on-the-run,” almost-king - David, and his mighty men. At this point in our story, Abigail is unknown to David. He and his men have been watching over Nabal’s sheep and herdsmen in the wilderness. Nabal, you see, was quite wealthy and owned thousands of sheep and goats. One day when it was sheep shearing time, David sends an emissary of 10 men with a gentle reminder to Nabal that it was time to pay up for services rendered. Nabal responds in his churlish way and makes some very insulting remarks to the future king of Israel. David’s men return to him empty-handed and rehearse the hateful words of Nabal in David’s presence. No sooner were the words out of their mouths when David begins arming himself, mounting his horse, and shouting orders for his men – 400 of them – to do the same. You can just picture the scene. These men, who were already fiercely loyal to David, were ready to make Nabal part of the Judean landscape. David himself was determining in his own heart, not only to do away with Nabal, but also to eradicate anyone or anything associated with him from the face of the earth! (I Samuel 25:21)
Meanwhile, back at home, Abigail is going on with her day-to-day responsibilities, not knowing that in about 10 days her life was going to be dramatically changed for the better. One of the young men who was a servant of Nabal came and told the approachable Abigail of all that had transpired in the past few hours. He defends David’s men and tells her of Nabal’s mistreatment of them. While Abigail is letting all of this news sink in, the servant is going on and on, reminding her of what she already knows – that her husband is a son of Belial. Abigail ignores her pounding heart and goes into action. She prepares an enormous “picnic lunch” for David and his loyal league and sends a servant ahead to prevent David’s advance. Then totally unnoticed by her wicked spouse, she slips onto her donkey and heads for the hills where she meets David and his men. Upon seeing the future king of Israel, the Bible says Abigail hasted off her donkey and threw herself at David’s feet, pleading for mercy and begging him to save foolish Nabal’s life. She proceeds to remind him that it is the Lord that has intervened and prevented the future king from shedding blood and avenging himself by his own hand. In her pure, sweet, endearing manner she pours out her heart to David, and David, filled with admiration for this absolutely beautiful, dynamic woman, regains his sense of dignity and promises her that he will do as she asks. After she sees that David and his men have eaten, Abigail rides off into the sunset and returns home to Mr. Wonderful – who is in a drunken stupor. Maybe it was on the long ride home that she decided she would tell Nabal the whole story. Perhaps being in a godly man’s presence stirred up her righteous indignation and moved her to throw caution to the wind and tell her husband exactly what she had done. She decides to wait until the morning to tell him all that had transpired and when she does tell him, Nabal is paralyzed with fear and his heart dies within him – the Bible says he became as a stone. Within 10 days the Lord killed wicked, evil, churlish Nabal. Shortly thereafter David hears of Nabal’s death and thinks about the lovely wife Nabal has left behind. Imagine the scene, Abigail, sitting at home, alone, trying to reckon the events of the past few days – realizing how God has delivered her out of a seemingly bleak and hopeless station in life. And now, she is alone. No longer subjected to Nabal’s fits and abuse, she is alone. No longer ashamed to be seen with him in public, she will now be known as “Nabal’s widow.” She will no doubt wait for God’s direction and leadership in her life – for she has never been alone before – physically, that is. She has known what it’s like to be married to someone and yet feel so all alone – yet somehow this is different. But all will be well; God will be her shield and strength. Her thoughts may have turned to the flocks then, now that the care of Nabal’s huge estate would be her responsibility. As she ponders these things, the sound of a rider can be heard in the distance. The sound becomes louder and louder and finally shakes Abigail from her pensive thoughts. A servant rushes in to Abigail and informs her that a few of David’s servants have come to her. She rises and goes to meet them. They have a word from the future king of Israel: “David sent us unto thee, to take thee to him to wife.” I Samuel 25:40. Then, once again, but with a totally different purpose, filled with anticipation, excitement and wonder, Abigail “makes haste” and goes to be David’s wife.
Abigail – godly, beautiful, and wise, trusted in her God and believed Him in spite of her circumstances. The word “divorce” was not in her vocabulary because God was bigger than any situation. And even if He chose not to deliver her, she would’ve trusted Him still. As difficult as life must have been for her, she maintained her close walk with the Lord and kept her eyes on Him.
Women today are ready to walk out if their husbands don’t spend enough time with them, or if they read the paper at the table. Divorce is a word that rolls too easily off the lips of over one-half of our society. It is a shattering, heartbreaking, gut-wrenching experience and one is never left the same after experiencing a divorce. May the Lord help us, to the best of our ability, to be the wives we should be. May we seek His wisdom for direction and help and protection even in the most difficult circumstances. I wonder how many marriages would still be together today “for want of an Abigail?”
Encouragingly yours,
Liz
