BLOG

The solution to Saul's bad precedent, part 14

1 Samuel 25:1 says,

¹ Then Samuel died; and all Israel gathered together and mourned for him and buried him at his house in Ramah. And David arose and went down to the wilderness of Paran.

The date of Samuel’s death is not recorded. It is only linked to the time that David went farther south to “the wilderness of Paran.” No doubt David wanted to go to Samuel’s funeral, but that was not possible.

As a child, Samuel had been dedicated to God and given to Eli as an apprentice. When Eli died, Samuel was probably about 30 years old, qualifying him as a fully-ordained priest, replacing Eli’s corrupt sons. Twelve years later, he was perhaps 42 when he anointed Saul to be Israel’s king. It was another 18 years before Saul was disqualified fully, and David was anointed at the age of eight. That would make Samuel about 60 years old.

Ten years later, David came to work for Saul at Gibeah, and soon thereafter, David had to flee. Samuel was probably about 70-75 when he died in Ramah. His death marked the full end of the period of the Judges, because Samuel was Israel’s last Judge.

Nabal Insults David

Paran is usually identified with the broad plateau and desert region between the wilderness of Shur (toward Egypt) and the wilderness of Zin (toward Edom). It was south of the border of Canaan and stretched east to the north end of the Gulf of Aqaba and into the land of Midian, where Moses kept Jethro’s sheep. The Arabah was part of Paran as well.

Nabal and Abigail were from the town of “Maon, in the Arabah” (1 Samuel 23:24). Nabal was very rich, having 3,000 sheep and a thousand goats (1 Samuel 25:2). His shepherds had come in contact with David and his men while Saul was pursuing David. David had been careful not to steal any of Nabal’s sheep but to protect his property when necessary. Hence, David had a good relationship with Nabal’s shepherds. 1 Samuel 25:21 says,

²¹ Now David had said, “Surely in vain I have guarded all that this man has in the wilderness, so that nothing was missed of all that belonged to him….”

David heard that Nabal’s shepherds were sheering sheep in Carmel. Sheep are sheared in the Spring of the year. He sent ten men to ask Nabal for some provisions for his 600 men. But Nabal responded in an insulting manner in 1 Samuel 25:10, 11,

¹⁰ But Nabal answered David’s servants and said, “Who is David? And who is the son of Jesse? There are many servants today who are each breaking away from his master. ¹¹ Shall I then take my bread and my water and my meat that I have slaughtered for my shearers and give it to men whose origin I do not know?”

Certainly, Nabal knew who David was, but he refused to recognize his existence. Rich people often fail to respect or even recognize those who are poor and have no social status. His name means “fool,” but it is likely that this was what others called him. It is doubtful that his mother or father gave him that name when he was born, but his real name is long forgotten. Hence, Scripture recognizes him only as a fool.

It is of interest to note that God treated Nabal even as Nabal had treated David. Nabal did not want to recognize David, so God refused to recognize Nabal by his given name.

Nabal is described in 1 Samuel 25:3 as “harsh and evil in his dealings.” Yet Nabal’s shepherds were very grateful to David, saying in 1 Samuel 25:16,

¹⁶ “They were a wall [of protection] to us both by night and by day, all the time we were with them tending the sheep.”

Abigail

After David’s men reported Nabal’s insults, David took up arms, intending to kill Nabal. Nabal’s wife, Abigail, however, heard about this and intervened. 1 Samuel 25:18, 19 says,

¹⁸ Then Abigail hurried and took two hundred loaves of bread and two jugs of wine and five sheep already prepared and five measures of roasted grain [i.e., barley] and a hundred clusters of raisins and two hundred cakes of figs, and loaded them on donkeys. ¹⁹ She said to her young men, “Go on before me; behold, I am coming after you.” But she did not tell her husband Nabal.

When Abigail saw David, she interceded for her husband and showed respect to David. She reminded him that he had spared Saul’s life even though Saul had been his enemy. We see this in 1 Samuel 25:26, where she says, “since the Lord has restrained you from shedding blood and from avenging yourself by your own hand.” In verse 25 she says,

²⁵ “Please do not let my lord pay attention to this worthless man, Nabal, for as his name is, so is he. Nabal is his name and folly is with him; but I your maidservant did not see the young men of my lord whom you sent.”

David’s response to Abigail’s appeal is recorded in 1 Samuel 25:32, 33, and 35,

³² Then David said to Abigail, “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, who sent you this day to meet me, ³³ and blessed be your discernment, and blessed be you, who have kept me this day from avenging myself by my own hand… ³⁵ So David received from her hand what she had brought him and said to her, “Go up to your house in peace. See, I have listened to you and granted your request.”

In Deuteronomy 32:35 God says, “Vengeance is Mine and retribution.” This is quoted in Romans 12:19, “Vengeance is Mine; I will repay, says the Lord.” It seems that in this case David failed to inquire of God through Abiathar, who held the Urim and Thummim. If he had done so, perhaps God would have reminded him of Deuteronomy 32:35. Fortunately, the wisdom of Abigail corrected him.

Divine Judgment on Nabal

We then read how the story ended in 1 Samuel 25:36-38,

³⁶ Then Abigail came to Nabal and behold, he was holding a feast in his house like the feast of a king. And Nabal’s heart was merry within him, for he was very drunk; so she did not tell him anything at all until the morning light. ³⁷ But in the morning, when the wine had gone out of Nabal, his wife told him these things, and his heart died within him so that he became as a stone. ³⁸ About ten days later, the Lord struck Nabal, and he died.

After Nabal died, David proposed to Abigail, and she accepted. 1 Samuel 25:42-44 says,

⁴² Then Abigail quickly arose and rode on a donkey, with her five maidens who attended her, and she followed the messengers of David and became his wife. ⁴³ David had also taken Ahinoam of Jezreel, and they both became his wives. ⁴⁴ Now Saul had given Michal his daughter, David’s wife, to Palti the son of Laish, who was from Gallim.

Abigail means “My father is joy.” Ahinoam means “My brother is delight.” The two of them were a joy and a delight to David. Ahinoam gave birth to Amnon (2 Samuel 3:2); Abigail gave birth to Chileab (2 Samuel 3:3), which means “like his father.” In 1 Chronicles 3:1 his name is said to be Daniel, “God is my judge” (not to be confused with the prophet Daniel).

David’s wives depict different features of the bride of Christ.