1 Samuel 25 -- The Lesson DAVID Learned, Not Nabal

Rather than focusing me on a mean, stingy, rude man named Nabal, God surprised me by showing me how David almost made a big mistake.  When David’s men reported Nabal’s refusal to supply them with food in return for their protection of his shepherds and flocks, David boiled over and swore revenge.  My commentary said:

 

“David could forgive Saul, who wanted to kill him, but he couldn’t forgive Nabal who only refused to feed him and his men.  That wasn’t a capital crime.  David’s anger got the best of him; he didn’t stop to consult the Lord, and he rushed out to satisfy his passion for revenge.  Had David succeeded, he would have committed a terrible sin and done great damage to his character and his career, but the Lord mercifully stopped him… When the Lord isn’t allowed to rule in our lives, then He steps in and overrules.”

 

Nabal’s wife Abigail did what her husband had refused to do and saved the lives of her household.  When she met David, “She pointed out that the Lord had stopped David from avenging himself … She admitted that her husband deserved to be judged, but she wanted the Lord to do it, not the king … David blessed the Lord for providentially stopping him from killing innocent people, and he also blessed Abigail for her wise advice … David wrote in Psalm 141:5, ‘Let the righteous STRIKE me; it shall be a kindness.  And let him reprove me; it shall be an excellent oil; let my head not refuse it.’  How we receive reproof and counsel is a test of our relationship to the Lord and our willingness to live by His Word.  David admitted that he was wrong, the Lord forgave him, and the Lord worked out the problem for him … When David heard the news of Nabal’s death (from a stroke), he praised the Lord for avenging him and preventing him from doing it himself.  David’s concern was the glory of God and the advancement of His kingdom.”

 

Father, that’s the kind of intervention I want You to do in my life whenever I find myself being controlled by my passions.  Keep me from dishonoring You by my thoughts and actions, and help me to listen to reproof wisely given.  Let me not reject it, but see it as David did in Psalm 141 – as balm sent by You for my healing.

 

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford