March 5
Nabal was his name and folly was his game. My wife once asked me about the situation with Abigail and Nabal, if Abigail had dishonored her husband by going against his known wishes in the incident he had just had with David. Two things we need to consider when analyzing stories like this one: 1. The bible records every story it records for a specific purpose (Rom. 15:4). 2. God never makes any attempt to suggest every person in every story handled situations that confronted them correctly. In this story, for example, we are never told God approved of Abigail’s actions. We can draw some sound moral conclusions based on the evidence presented in the story however. There is a saying with which I happen to agree when it comes to issues of morality. “The end justifies the means.” Of course, as usual, I haven’t met many who agree with me about that, so what’s new? But, allow me to explain. God’s word tell us a wife is supposed to be in subjection to the will and admonitions of her husband. In most situations, even when the wife thinks her husband is wrong, she is told to be in subjection to his will (I Peter 3). The biblical exception would be if her husband asked her to do something she truly believed evil (based on some specific biblical guidelines), illegal, or immoral.
The situation with David and Nabal did not fit any of those categories. Abigail’s husband was a drunken fool. The bible does tell us that. All one has to do is read the story carefully to realize Abigail’s actions were taken to save the lives of her entire household, her husband included. She had been informed by one of her servants that David was coming to destroy her and her entire house and take what Nabal had refused to give him (v. 17). Her quick thinking prevented that from happening. In this case, going against the wishes of her husband was the situation where the end justified the means. We can speculate until the cows come home about whether or not God could have resolved the situation some other way. Of course He could have. But this is not a story about what God is able to do. It is a story about how a woman of God dealt with an extremely tense and lethal situation. Abigail’s actions not only protected her household, but they also prevented David from committing the heinous act of slaughtering an entire household of innocent people out of anger and for personal revenge (vv 32, 33). David’s men weren’t starving. They wanted to celebrate a Jewish festive day (v. 8). It was the act of a fool to deny them a few crumbs for their celebration considering they were probably one of the most feared armies in the region. David’s reputation as a man of war was well established. Nabal wasn’t just a rich man; he was a filthy rich man. He was likely the Bill Gates of Maon. David’s request was not only reasonable, the protection he had provided to Nabal’s shepherds was probably worth a great deal more than the paltry festive goods they were requesting.
I once had a pastor tell me it is irresponsible to ever suggest the end justifies the means. His next statement was what really threw me for a loop. He then replied, “That leaves everyone free, in some cases, to decide what is moral and what is immoral.” Duh! I guess this isn’t really planet earth. I have always believed there are a lot of cases when a man or woman has to decide on a moral issue that isn’t clearly revealed in scripture. For example, is it sinful for an adult to go to an “R” rated movie? Some would immediately reply in the affirmative. Some would qualify their statement by asking why it is rated “R”. The point is there are lots of simple and some not so simple choices we have to make daily; and we can only make the right decisions by living lives that are filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, and seeking to please Him in all respects. When we are in sync with Him, we are able to make correct value judgments on such things without any fear we are being sucked into sin through deception. That’s what Proverbs 3:5, 6 are all about.
I Samuel 25:3 tells us Abigail was an intelligent and beautiful woman. In the case cited, the end did indeed justify the means. The fact that her husband literally fell over dead when he heard she had averted a massacre is a story for another day. And likewise the ending to the tale where we discover Abigail becomes one of David’s wives is an interesting development all by itself. Maybe one day I’ll address both of those situations. For today it is enough to say we must be careful not to conclude God’s people are too stupid to make good decisions in difficult situations. When we walk with God, we can depend on promises like James 1:5, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.” Abigail claimed that promise long before it was penned by James. When one walks with God, he is able to make quick decisions when quick decisions are necessary; and he will be able to discern when they are simply not necessary. To reiterate, when the end is less heinous than the means by which we achieve it, I would suggest the means is both justified and honoring to God. Now go and tell someone what great things God has done for you today.
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