A STORY OF A FOOL

What kind of mother would name her son ‘Fool’?  I don’t think I’d want to meet her.  Seems like a good chance that she was a fool herself. 

We find this man Nabal (means ‘fool’) in I Samuel 25.  Surprisingly, he was quite successful, owning at least 1,000 goats and 3,000 sheep.  His enterprise required the help of a large number of farm hands.  His wife was loyal to him and quite a beauty.

David had been hiding out in Nabal’s territory trying to elude the pursuit of King Saul.  During this time, he and his 600 men offered protection to the area farmers – including Nabal.  When shearing time arrived, David sent men to ask for a gift from Nabal in exchange for the protection he had received.  Nabal insulted David’s men and sent them away empty-handed.

David was furious and vowed to kill Nabal and all his men.

Nabal’s wife is told about the exchange and leaps into action preparing a huge feast and delivering it to David as he approaches the farm.  He is overwhelmed with her gift, her words and her wisdom!  She implores him to stay his hand against Nabal and keep his reputation unstained from unnecessary violence.  David accepts her gift and is truly grateful that she stepped in and stopped him from his impulsive actions.

That evening, Nabal feasts and drinks well into the night;  so Abigail (his wife) waits till morning to tell him what she had done.  This is another testimony to her truthfulness and willingness to accept responsibility for her actions. 

Although the scripture is not perfectly clear, it seems that Nabal had a stroke upon hearing what she had done.  He lived in this state for ten days and then died. 

When David heard that Nabal had died, he sent messengers asking Abigail to become his wife.  She agreed.

In verse 17, we read a description of Nabal:  “He is such a wicked man that no one can talk to him.” 

Chances are, you’ve run into someone like this.  Descriptive terms would be:  hostile, angry, sarcastic, bitter, unkind, stubborn, vindictive, hateful… 

We can’t help but notice that Abigail’s actions correct David’s misdirected intentions.  A righteous woman can have a dynamic impact on the lives of those around her!  Abigail shows us that destroying the evil person is not the way to deal with them.  She is forthright and honest with Nabal and leaves the results to God.  Interestingly, Nabal’s death is attributed to God’s action:  “About ten days later, the LORD struck Nabal and he died.”  (v.38)

When we are forced to deal with unrighteous people, we must maintain godly standards.  We don’t have the option of using their tactics.  We live by a higher standard.  We stay righteous and trust God to work it out.  He will!