Abigail Sees with the Eyes of Faith

Abigail Sees with the Eyes of Faith

>>>>1Samuel 25:1-30<<<<

Please forgive your servant's offense, for the LORD will certainly make a lasting dynasty for my master, because he fights the LORD's battles. . . . Even though someone is pursuing you to take your life, the life of my master will be bound securely in the bundle of the living by the LORD your God. But the lives of your enemies He will hurl away as from the pocket of a sling."  

1Sam. 25:28-29

 

The Bible calls David "a man after God's own heart" (1Sam. 13:14).  In his youth, he was a shepherd – chosen by God to become the king after His own heart.  When Samuel anointed David  the Spirit came upon him mightily (1Sam. 16:12-13); and when David stood against Goliath his heart for God was clearly seen in the words he spoke:

 

… who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should taunt the armies of the living God? …  David said to the Philistine, "You come to me with a sword, a spear, and a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have taunted."  1Sam. 17:26, 45

 

As a young man, David understood God and God's heart for His people; in his older years, he sinned against God, repented, and then experienced God's grace mingled with the dire consequences of his sin. At the end of his life, David wrote the Psalm we know as the Shepherd's Psalm (Ps. 23).  David was the shepherd king – the king with a heart for God and for His flock.  He experienced the still waters and the restored soul; he knew guidance into the paths of righteousness as well as the dark valleys. When David spoke of the goodness and lovingkindness of the Lord, he spoke from firsthand experience. David's heart truly belonged to the Lord his whole life long.

 

As a shepherd, David had the heart of a protector; so when he was camped near the shepherds and flocks belonging to Nabal, he and his men kept them safe from predators and marauders. Remember, although David is the true king of Israel, in the section we are studying, he and the men who follow him are living as outcasts. In this story, David pictures Christ – the rightful king who is living a humble, lowly life in the world. He has some devoted allies, but his true position is not recognized. This is a picture of Christ as He was in the gospels: the rightful King (Messiah), humble in appearance, and rejected by His nation and the world.

 

Nabal embodies the world's attitude toward Christ – not only during the time He lived on earth, but even now as He sits at the right hand of His Father in heaven. Nabal's heart was focused on his position and possessions; he was blind to David's position and to his need.  He did not identify himself with David, who, according to Nabal, was merely a runaway upstart whose accomplishments had gone to his head. Nabal missed an opportunity to serve the future king and to share fellowship with him. Nabal is a picture of the world's blindness to the glory of Christ.

 

A descendant of Caleb, Nabal did not come from a pagan country, he was a son of the chosen nation.  He is like so many people we read about in the Gospel accounts; people who enjoyed what Jesus had to give but would not recognize Him as coming from God – nor would they yield to Him in any way.  Furthermore, Nabal pictures many today who claim to be Christians – individuals who are happy to believe they belong to God – yet live for themselves rather than for Christ. The god of this world will use social, intellectual, moral and religious props to make us comfortable in the world – comfortable enough to forget that we live in a world where Christ is rejected and dishonored. Christendom can be dressed up in a mega church, a high-ceilinged cathedral, a humble building or even in lofty ideals for a 'Christian country' – but if  Christ is not the center, and His glory not the goal, then you can call it whatever you want,  it has no connection to God.

 

Nabal was not interested in God's glory; he was satisfied with Saul, the king who did not fear God. In the eyes of Nabal, David was an escaped servant who didn't even deserve food and water.  On the other hand, Abigail saw David with the eyes of faith and would not even refer to Saul as the king. She says that David is being pursued by a 'someone' (not 'the king') and states that the Lord would appoint David ruler over Israel (vs 30).  Although Abigail enjoys the same prosperous surroundings as her husband, she doesn't let 'the world' blind her to the truth. She humbles herself in a way that honors David. Abigail is a wonderful type of the Church – the true Church that acknowledges Christ as the only true Sovereign.  When people meet God's Anointed face to face, their hearts are exposed – they will be exposed as a Nabal, who holds tight to the world, or an Abigail, who sees God's Anointed with the eyes of faith. In our next study, Abigail will show us what it cost to be associated with the Lord in such a way.

 

This Child [Christ] is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed.    Luke 2:34-35

David and Abigail: The Wilderness Journey

David and Abigail: The Wilderness Journey

>>>>1Samuel 25<<<<

 

. . . Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.   1Pet. 5:8

 

Adam was a man alone, desiring affection from a suitable counterpart – so God brought the woman to him and joined them in a special union of intimacy and partnership. Isaac was Abraham's beloved son, destined to inherit the blessings that God had promised to him. This cherished son was also alone – he needed a wife who could enjoy his affection and share in the richness of the blessings they would inherit together. For this reason, Abraham sent his most trusted servant to bring a suitable bride to Isaac.

 

The story of Adam and Eve pictures the Church – hidden in Christ – becoming a New Creation and joined to Him in a relationship of intimate union (Mark 10:6-8). In this relationship to Christ, we draw our life from Him and He delights in us. The story of Isaac and Rebekah is a picture of God's love for His Son. Abraham typifies the Father, who sent the Holy Spirit to earth to get a Bride for His beloved Son (Acts 15:14). Rebekah represents individual believers, and the Church as a whole, when she leaves everything she knows to make a home with a groom she has never seen (Luke 14:26).

 

We are not given details about Rebekah's trip from Mesopotamia, across the desert, to Isaac's home. Instead, the Bride's journey is pictured for us in the account of David and Abigail. Before we look at this story, we need some general background (you can read the full background in 1Samuel chapters 8 through 24).

 

God was Israel's loving, benevolent ruler but the people wanted a king like the other nations. The prophet Samuel told them that this request demonstrated their rejection of God's care over them. He warned them that an earthly king would turn their sons and daughters into servants; he would take the best of their goods, and their people, for his own greedy use (1Sam. 8:5-21; 10:17-19). Still, the people insisted on having a king, so God gave them Saul.  He was tall and handsome – exactly what the people wanted; however, he trusted in himself rather than in the Lord. He disobeyed the Lord's commands and justified himself in his disobedience. Saul was concerned about gaining honor in the eyes of the people and cared nothing for the commands of the Lord. For this reason, God was going to replace him with "a man after His own heart" (1Samuel 13:13-14).

 

While Saul was still King of Israel, Samuel anointed a young shepherd, David, to replace him. David's heart was tuned to the Lord and even before he took the throne, he became well known as a warrior for the Lord. David's reputation among the people caused Saul to become suspicious and jealous of him; as a result, David had to flee for his life.

 

 Now, while David was hiding from Saul, he gathered about 600 men around him; they lived in the mountains and in the desert as they fled from Saul and his men. While they were in the Wilderness of Moan, they stayed near an area where a wealthy man named Nabal (which means fool) kept his flocks. David and his men protected the flock and shepherds from harm and from theft while they were there (1Sam. 25:15, 16). When David's men needed food and supplies, he sent 10 young men to ask Nabal if he could spare something for his men. Nabal's churlish (harsh, evil, rude) reply caused David and 400 of his men to arm themselves for vengeance.

 

Nabal was a wealthy man; he and his wife, Abigail (source of delight), were prominent in their community. When Abigail heard about the way Nabal responded to David, and learned that disaster would be the result, she went into action.  She had her servants load food and wine onto donkeys and sent them ahead as she made her way to meet him. Abigail bowed down to David as she acknowledged her husband to be a fool; she declared herself David's servant and presented him with the food.

 

This is how our story begins, and these are the characters: David who typifies, Christ – the king who is not yet recognized by the world; Nabal who personifies the world's attitude world toward Christ (vs 9-11); and Abigail who exemplifies the Church. She saw, with the eyes of faith, that David was indeed the anointed king. Although we don't see Saul in this chapter, he is in the background, as the enemy of the Lord, seeking to destroy the true king and those who follow him.

 

The LORD will certainly make a lasting dynasty for my master . . .    1Sam. 25:28 NIV (spoken by Abigail to David)