"May God srike me and kill me if even one man of his household is stll alive tomorrow morning!" 1 Samuel 25:22
Have you ever been feed up? You have had all you can take then "the straw that broke the camel's back" happens and you go toward the guilty party with both barrels loaded. Then an "Abigail" comes into your path to slow you down and bring clarity to your vision. You heed the advance and retreat.
David has had a string of misfortune come his way. His living quarters pale in comparison to that of the palace he had grown accustomed to. He protected and saved the town of Keilah only to have them show no gratitude and betray his gesture. Saul is still on the hunt, determined to kill him. When given the opportunity to take the life of his adversary, choosing to do the right thing and going against the advice of his friends, he spares Saul's life. And for a moment when David and Saul make peace you begin to think things might be looking for the Shepherd-King-to-be.
David has had a string of misfortune come his way. His living quarters pale in comparison to that of the palace he had grown accustomed to. He protected and saved the town of Keilah only to have them show no gratitude and betray his gesture. Saul is still on the hunt, determined to kill him. When given the opportunity to take the life of his adversary, choosing to do the right thing and going against the advice of his friends, he spares Saul's life. And for a moment when David and Saul make peace you begin to think things might be looking for the Shepherd-King-to-be.
Given all that had happened to David you can almost understand and somewhat justify his anger against Nabal. David, still the King-in-waiting, is in the dry desert tending to and protecting his livestock as well as the livestock of the area farmers who repay him and his men with food. Nabal speaks as he does not even know David and has no gratitude for his help much less any intentions of feeding him and his men. At this point, I can see how David was ready to take slay the whole bunch. I believe his reaction to Nabal was strongly influenced by the circumstances of his life up to this point. To put it in simple terms, he was fed up!
We learn from David what not to do when we are angry. Fortunately he had a level headed person intervene before he did something he would regret. In our "I have had enough" moments, we may not have an "Abigail" come by our way but we do have the Holy Spirit spurring us every minute of every day, our job is to respond to the still small voice and not react in haste to the "I have had enough" moment.
How do we do this? We learn by example. Our example is the Lord himself. The phrase "slow to anger" is used 9 times (NIV) to describe our Lord. If is worth repeating it is worth implementating.
We learn from David what not to do when we are angry. Fortunately he had a level headed person intervene before he did something he would regret. In our "I have had enough" moments, we may not have an "Abigail" come by our way but we do have the Holy Spirit spurring us every minute of every day, our job is to respond to the still small voice and not react in haste to the "I have had enough" moment.
How do we do this? We learn by example. Our example is the Lord himself. The phrase "slow to anger" is used 9 times (NIV) to describe our Lord. If is worth repeating it is worth implementating.
12 Comments:
Well...this just goes to show you how totally human David is in his reactions. While I was writing on my blog about his sparing Saul's life when the opportunity was given, demonstrating such restraint, you were writing about his quick fuse of revenge! How quickly our hearts can change. One minute following and obeying God so closely, and the next losing patience and taking matters into our own hands. How I love the life of David. He so often reflects my own responses! Sometimes God gets our attention through the pricking of His Spirit, while other times the Lord has to use other ways to intervene and get our attention.
Although David still acted rashly with Saul when he cut off his robe, I loved that he was immediately convicted. The Message translation uses the word "immediately". David measured sin, not by Saul's wickedness, but by God's holiness. Because of his nearness to God, his discernment of wrongdoing increased and his conviction was met by a change in behavior. David realized that momentary revenge was not worth the cost of separation from God.
In the Marine Corps there is a saying, "You don't salute the man, you salute the rank." God had placed Saul in his position as King, and David was willing to honour Saul because of his respect for God.
Beth Moore writes, "One sure measurement of our proximity to God, whether near or far, is the length of time between conviction and repentance."
Our actions and behavior will genuinely reflect our nearness.
"If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: 'It is mine to avenge; I will repay,' says the Lord. On the contrary: 'If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.' Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." Romans 12:18-21
Let's have a great peaceful day and weekend girls!
Hugs,
Joy
...sounds like the smartest, non-foolish thing Nabal did was to marry Abigail. lol
I love your comments, Wendy. Isn't it funny how well we can do but that split second we become "fed up" the fuse is lit. How fortunate David was that God sent someone to diffuse the situation.
Joy, your comments today were truly insightful. I appreciate the quote from Beth Moore and the scripture from Romans 12. How easy it can be to take vengance in our own hands but builds character and proximity to wait upon God.
Love you girls,
Nancy
Good Morning Girls,
I love both of your comments today Wendy and Joy! It is so true how we can be feeling God's presence one moment and in a split second loose control! I pray about this continually...Everything is going along peacefully...then, one of my teenager's will bust my button, right out of the blue! Oh, to react in such a way that God would want me to!
David sure did have a lot of
"circumstances" in his lifetime...
He kept his eys on God. God, all-wise, allowed him to experience deep distress; his faith kept him clinging to God. God will always be with us....today and tomorrow! He answers our calls when and if it is His will.
Regardless of our circumstances, like David, we can look to God and his unchanging Word. Praise you LORD for giving us Your Holy Spirit that lives right inside us!
It gives me such peace to know that I can talk to Him all day long!
Isaiah 50:10,ll
"Who among you fears the LORD and obeys his servant?
If you are walking in darkeness,
without a ray of light,
trust in the LORD
and rely on your God.
But watch out, you who live in your own light and warm yourselves by your own fires.
This is the reward you will receive from me:
You will soon fall down in great torment."
Oh, may my days be filled with God's Spirit. May I trust in Him today and rely on Him for everything.
Wow, it's Friday already!!!!
Whewie...a quick week!
Love ya gals,
Lori - AZ
PS I loved, loved love Jonathan's comments to David: "Jonathan went to find David and encouraged him to stay strong in his faith in God. Don't be afraid"
How sweet is that? Oh, for each of us to be Jonathan's to those around us that need to hear God.
Sharing a computer this week so not much time for commenting. I like your comments Wendy about the short fuse that was my old nature and now I heed to the Holy Spirits small voice "It's not worth it give it to the Lord" (At least most of the time :) )
I really like the story of Nabal - David and Abigail alot of wisdom can be gained from it. We studied it last year with Rachel Olson when we studied the women of the Bible.
Joy I like the quote from Beth very good.
I too like the point of honor someone for their postition not for them personally. I know people that won't be respectfull to their bosses because they don't respect them. But I believe that if they are employing you and signing your check, unless they ask you to do something immoral or unlawful, you need to do it. I don't always like everything they like or agree with the way they run their lives or business, but I honor them as my boss. I am judged because I do what they ask me to do instead of fighting with them. Oh Well! I Guess I have a little Abigail in me, I try to look at the bigger picture.
Thanks for listening. Have a blessed Day everyone.
Lynn
Wendy, Joy, Nancy, Lori, and Lynn, you girls, along with the Holy Spirit, have been my Abigail this morning. Thank you for your wise words, but also for helping me realize I am not alone in this battle to listen to the Holy Spirit rather than my own frustrations.
This morning was one of those mornings where I became "fed up" with the behavior of my boys. Sometimes I feel like all I do is discipline and instruct. I just long for more joyful and fun times.
I cried out to God this morning to please not let my angry reactions influence my boys' perceptions of Him. I so want them to know God as a loving, forgiving, merciful, grace-giving God, not one who lashes out in anger when they do something wrong. I want to be able to pick my battles in a way that reflects His will for us, not mine.
So, thank you to all of you for your wisdom and willingness to be transparent about your lives, too.
Have a blessed weekend!
Hi Ladies,
I am so appreciating your exchange of insight today and I don't want to interrupt it, but I wanted to thank you for your prayers for my sister-in-law a couple of weeks ago.
I asked you to pray because it appeared as if her melanoma had returned and spread to her lungs and bones. God who is faithful and just hears our prayers and gives us what we ask for! My sister-in-law had a bone scan just prior to Easter and the results are negative. The spot on her lung was pneumonia. No cancer has reappeared. She is in good health!
Thank you all for your prayers. I wanted to share this with you because sometimes I think we need to see instances when God has answered clearly (like sky-writing). I hope this story gives some of you who are still waiting for Him encouragement. He is faithful, He is just, He does hear, He does bind up the brokenhearted and heal the sick! He does perform His will in His time and in His way. I continue to pray for each of you in your circumstances.
Be blessed,
Karen
Ladies, your comments were very insightful as always. Thank Lynn for the 'boss' example as I struggle with that very issue with my employer!! I Have noticed lately though, that it is getting better now that I heed more to the
Holy Spirit's convictions.
I found encouragement in Psalm 54:1-7 this morning.......
What was revealed to me was that we can find our defense, in times when the enemy is attacking, in God's name and His strength. The enemy is already half way defeated because he does not acknowledges God. The word declares that such a man is doomed for destruction and has nothing good in him. Hence, he is surely to be defeated when we apply the forces of God to his already doomed state!!
Lord I pray that we always call on your name and draw from your strength when the enemy rise against us. Help is to ALWAYS allow you to fight our battles. In Jesus Name (the Name above all Names0. Amen.
Have a safe and good weekend all!
Chanan
Bahamas
Sisters, I have been reading all the comments from my time away... need I say y'all bless me?!? As I am now caught up, I will be leaving town for a work conference next week! Some days I think I should be overwhelmed, but spending time in fellowship with God (and you sweet sisters) has encouraged by days :)
I loved what Abigail told David in I Sam 25:29, "Even when you are chased by those who seek to kill you, your life is safe in the care of the Lord your God, secure in his treasure pouch!"
What a thought…God values us enough that He has us in His "treasure pouch" as a precious and valued item! He carries us tied close to His body, safely protected from enemies that want to steal us away from His side.
I studied Abigail in an earlier Bible study, and I was amazed how much I learned from what little was said about her. If I were to describe Abigail in one word it would be "Ambassador". She exemplifies the traits of one who strives for peace - and I would say marriage to Nabal was her learning experience!
She was:
Even-temperment and patient – being married to a crude and mean man
Sensible – managed the household of a wealthy husband
Beautiful – as noted, but her true beauty came from within
Respected – the servants sought her opinion
Decisive – wasted no time in responding to a crisis
Prepared – was able to respond to the crisis
Prudent – knew when best to hold her tongue
Humble – willing to accept the responsibilities of her husband’s short-comings without being shrewish
Wise – her words gave David cause to see his actions were not honoring to the Lord
David had one encounter with Abigail and recognized her nobility and good-will. (I wonder if she was later responsible for getting David out of a few scrapes as well.) Although David had many wives, I would venture to guess that Abigail held his trust and esteem throughout their marriage. She probably played a major role in maintaining peace in his household amongst all those wives too!
Abigail may very well have been a role model for the Proverbs 31 woman! After all, King Lemuel’s mother handed the oracle down to him, so his mother probably learned of it (or saw it herself) in a royal household.
Wendy,
I think you were peeping in my brain when you wrote this. Fed up is so where I am. Kristen, sister, I hear you with teenagers. Sometimes I think there is air between their ears. You have to pick the battles, but sometimes you feel like you are the drill sarg. all the time. With being a single mom and dad not around them much I get much of the heavy stuff.
But I have learned when mom needs time out. It just is hard sometimes isn't it?
Did anyone get a Parenting Guide at the hospital? I didn't get mine, maybe they forgot.:-)
Oh,no wait, that is right I got it at church. It's called "the Bible".
Have a great weekend ladies. I am having ladies night out (that means no teenagers)
Diane
David is my most favorite bible character. My small group is using Max Lucado's book "Facing your Giants" which is on the life of David. One of the comments he makes about Davids life and it's so true to our own "David succeeds when He looks to God in those moments of desperate need, not when he looks at the Giant" he goes on to say that when we just focus in on our giants we will mess up every time. Lose patience, respond in anger, etc etc. But when we focus on God and give him the glory, it can change everything. It may not stop the teenagers from doing what they do to drive us nuts, or from the economic woes hitting our home. But when we focus on God, allow the Abigail's to sooth our souls, and leave it at the Masters Feet...oh what a difference.
Susan J SIlva
It's late but I have to comment on my favorite woman of the bible. Mrs. Abigail is able to live with a Fool, and still be able to be used by God to spare his life and the lives of others. This a story I love to encourage women who are living in bad marriages. Just do what is right by your God and he will avenge you in his own time. He does have a plan of deliverance tailor made for you. It may not turn out like Mrs. Abigail, but you will be victorious.
Mrs. Abigail and David's is a beauitful love story. God rewarded her obedience and allowed her to marry an handsome, god-fearing, warrior, like David. I often wonder where Abigail was during the Bathsheba drama. :-) I would have love to have been able follow her a little more in the scriptures. She just seems like a woman of such great character and poise.
Have a blessed weekend everyone!
Debbie - North Carolina
Debbie in NC, your post was written for me...I really needed to hear what you had to say about Abigail. It re-enforced what I have been doing, but never knew if it was enough. I often wonder why it has to be this way, but I trust the Lord to guide me. When it gets bad, and I feel like trash and worthless then I go back to the list that brings me comfort...Beth Moore came up with it in Believing God...it is taken from Eph. 1:3-7...I am
loved blessed, CHOSEN (I must be worth something or He wouldn't have chosen me), ACCEPTED (just as I am), ADOPTED (I DO have value),redeemed and forgiven.
You sister's in Christ are doing so much for me this year, along with Wendy's commentaries. I needed this this year, and my Father knew it, or He wouldn't have made it possible for me to get the Chron.Bible and to read everyday here on Wendy's bog.
Jan TN
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