IYAR 11
Abigail
"And
the man's name was Nabal, and his wife's name was Abigaia: and his wife was of
good understanding and very beautiful in person: but the man was harsh, and
evil in his doings, and the man was churlish." (1Sam 25:3 Brenton's English Septuagint)
We are first
introduced to Abigail in 1Sam 25; the story that is recounted to us takes place
before David became king, and while
evading the violent intentions of King Saul.
Abigail’s husband Nabal was very wealthy – we are told that he was in
possession of three thousand sheep, and one thousand goats, certainly a great
number. Our story opens at the annual
sheep-shearing, an event that is necessary not only for the health and
livelihood of the sheep, but also as an important source of income to the
owner.
1Sam 25 does not give us exact details; however, living in a part of the United States where sheep are still raised, from experience I can tell you that three thousand sheep are a lot of sheep. While that many sheep do not need a great number of shepherds to care for them, shearing the sheep is another story. And bear in mind that during this time period, all shearing had to be done by hand, with special shears made for that purpose. Having researched hand-shearing, I understand that it can take anywhere from 20 to 40 minutes to shear ONE sheep[1], and with the prospect of three thousand of the animals, a good team of sheepshearers is essential.
From the account in 1Sam 25, we learn that David and his men watched over and protected not only the shepherds, but also the sheepshearers while they worked (1Sam 25:6-8; 14-16). Understand that David was well familiar with all that was necessary in the raising and care of sheep; he himself had been a shepherd, tending to his father’s flocks. Understand also that in most agricultural societies, it is the woman of the house who bears the responsibility of feeding the hired hands, in this case, it was Abigail. When David sent to Nabal asking for sustenance, it was not unreasonable; protection against predators of any kind during this critical time when all focus was on the sheep would be a blessing.
Nabal (whose name means ‘fool’ in Hebrew) received David’s request with contempt, basically calling David an ‘oath-breaker’, one who had broken his oath with his master, King Saul (1Sam 25:10, 11). David became extremely angry, and was prepared to reciprocate with violence (1Sam 25:13; 21-22).
Having been told of the situation between her husband and David, Abigail reacted in wisdom and honor. She gathered together all the sustenance requested by David, and journeyed to meet with him. Abigail admits to David the foolishness of her husband, presents arguments to halt David’s need for vengeance, and recognizes David as the future ruler of Israel (1Sam 25:24-31).
What does this mean for us? Abigail is an example of living a life of integrity and character, even when it means standing in opposition to those of our family. Integrity requires no compromising on what we know to be right, to be honest, to be sincere, and according to the dictates of Torah. While the word ‘integrity’ is defined as being a noun, I choose to believe it is a verb, for integrity is something you live, it is a lifestyle that will define you.
The Scriptures tell us that “about ten days after that, the Lord smote Nabal and he died” (1Sam 25:38). Because of her integrity and wisdom, David reached out to Abigail, and took her as his wife (1Sam 25:39-42), joining with him in Hebron when he was anointed king over Judah (2Sam 2). We learn of only one child – a son – born to Abigail, but this son’s name speaks volumes to us. 2Sam 3:3 identifies him as Kil'âb (Strong’s H3609), which means “like his father”, while 1Chr 3:1 recognizes this son of Abigail as Dâni'êl (Strong’s H1840), which interprets as “God is my judge”. Looking at these two meanings, it is not difficult to envision the environment in which this son was raised, one of wisdom, honor, and good understanding.
“He who walks in integrity walks securely,
but he who perverts his ways shall be found out.” (Pro 10:9 HRB)
©2022
No comments:
Post a Comment