Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible
1 Samuel 25:13-19
David's Reaction.
Humanly speaking David's reaction was inevitable. What Nabal had said was deliberately insulting, contrary to custom and an act of open hostility. It was a refusal to accept the norms of hospitality because of his contempt for David. It was to declare war. Had they partaken of his food and drink David and his men would, according to the laws of hospitality, have been bound to treat him and his servants in a friendly way. But by refusing to treat David and his men as ‘friendly', he was actually stating that he saw them as nondescript enemies. That too resulted from the laws of hospitality.
‘ And David said to his men, “Gird you on every man his sword.” And they girded on every man his sword, and David also girded on his sword. And there went up after David about four hundred men, and two hundred abode by the baggage.'
So when he received Nabal's reply David commanded his men to gird themselves with their swords, and taking four hundred men set off to gain his vengeance. This was precisely what everyone would have expected, as we see from the reaction of Abigail's servant who would be unwittingly caught up in the consequences. Note the threefold repetition of ‘sword'. The repetition is in order to emphasise that they were going to be used. David did not, of course, stop to think that he was behaving exactly like Saul would have behaved. He was furious. To him custom had been violated, hospitality had been refused, insults had been offered, personal hostility had been demonstrated and repercussions had been invited. Well, he would give them what they asked for. They would soon learn who David, the son of Jesse, was when they were drowning in their own blood.
We see here another side of David. It is a reminder that his compassion for Saul was not the result of his general moral stance, but was simply because Saul was the anointed of YHWH. It was his loyalty to YHWH that had prevented him from killing Saul, not a general moral dislike of killing. Indeed like many of his day he spent his life killing. This would thus be just one more example of it. However, the remainder of the story indicates that God was not pleased with his attitude, and that he himself, when he had cooled down and thought about it, recognised that he had gone somewhat over the top. He was still learning the need for compassion that would be required by a godly king.
‘ But one of the young men told Abigail, Nabal's wife, saying, “Look, David sent messengers out of the wilderness to salute our master, and he railed at them But the men were very good to us, and we were not hurt, neither missed we anything, as long as we went with them, when we were in the countryside, they were a wall to us both by night and by day, all the while we were with them keeping the sheep.”
Fortunately for all involved one of the shepherds, who must have been a trusted servant, had learned of what Nabal had said to David's messengers and was appalled. He knew the strength of David's band, and he could not believe that Nabal had behaved so foolishly. He was quite well aware that what he had done and said had invited repercussions of a terrible kind. It went against all custom and all common sense.
So he sought out Abigail, his master's wife, whom he knew to be a woman of sense. And he told her what had happened, and how David's messengers had come in order to receive the customary hospitality, and had been turned away with insults. He then pointed out how good David's men had been to them, and how they had not only not hurt them, or stolen anything from them, but that they had also protected them so that no wandering bands of outlaws and brigands had dared to approach them, and had continued to do so all the time that they were there. According to custom they had therefore earned Nabal's hospitality.
“ Now therefore know and consider what you will do, for evil is determined against our master, and against all his house, for he is such a worthless fellow, that one cannot speak to him.”
And he pointed out that there could really be no doubt about what David's response would be. You just did not treat people like David and his men like that. Thus it was quite clear that there would soon be severe repercussions, not only on Nabal but on all of them, for all would be seen as involved in the insult offered. It could only be a matter of time before David arrived to wreak his vengeance. Nabal had asked for it. (Note that the servant had no gripe about this. He actually appears to have felt that David would be in the right, and that it was his own master who was in the wrong).
The servant must have been one who was ‘privileged', for he then indicated that he had not talked with Nabal about it because he knew that he was such an awkward man that there was no way in which he would listen. This was a very daring thing for a servant to say against his master, but he clearly expected Abigail to recognise the truth of what he had said, and to sympathise. It also demonstrates his own fears about what the repercussions were going to be..
‘ Then Abigail acted hurriedly, and took two hundred loaves, and two skins of wine, and five sheep ready dressed, and five measures of parched grain, and a hundred clusters of raisins, and two hundred cakes of figs, and laid them on asses.'
The astute Abigail recognised at once the truth of what he had said. No doubt she had been informed of the size of David's band. So she hurriedly ‘took two hundred loaves, and two skins of wine, and five sheep ready dressed, and five measures of parched grain, and a hundred clusters of raisins, and two hundred cakes of figs, and laid them on asses.' This was more than David would necessarily have originally expected, but she knew that the extra would be needed if there was to be any hope of appeasing him. The fact that the sheep were ready dressed demonstrates that the feast was still going on.
‘ And she said to her young men, “Go on before me. Look, I am coming after you.” But she did not tell her husband Nabal.'
Then, recognising the necessity for urgency, she told her young men to go on in front of her in order to let David know that provisions were on the way, and that she, Nabal's wife, was bringing them. She knew that with the provisions that she was taking she would not be able to travel very quickly and that it was urgent that David knew what she was doing before he carried out the expected vengeance.
“But she did not tell her husband Nabal.” She recognised that the servant was perfectly correct about his obstinacy and hardness, and that if she had said anything he might have tried to stop her from going. But apart from Nabal everyone realised what the consequences must be of what he had done, so she knew that she must act secretly and on her own.