1 Samuel 25:1-44
1 And Samuel died; and all the Israelites were gathered together, and lamented him, and buried him in his house at Ramah. And David arose, and went down to the wilderness of Paran.
2 And there was a man in Maon, whose possessionsa were in Carmel; and the man was very great, and he had three thousand sheep, and a thousand goats: and he was shearing his sheep in Carmel.
3 Now the name of the man was Nabal; and the name of his wife Abigail: and she was a woman of good understanding, and of a beautiful countenance: but the man was churlish and evil in his doings; and he was of the house of Caleb.
4 And David heard in the wilderness that Nabal did shear his sheep.
5 And David sent out ten young men, and David said unto the young men, Get you up to Carmel, and go to Nabal, and greetb him in my name:
6 And thus shall ye say to him that liveth in prosperity, Peace be both to thee, and peace be to thine house, and peace be unto all that thou hast.
7 And now I have heard that thou hast shearers: now thy shepherds which were with us, we hurtc them not, neither was there ought missing unto them, all the while they were in Carmel.
8 Ask thy young men, and they will shew thee. Wherefore let the young men find favour in thine eyes: for we come in a good day: give, I pray thee, whatsoever cometh to thine hand unto thy servants, and to thy son David.
9 And when David's young men came, they spake to Nabal according to all those words in the name of David, and ceased.d
10 And Nabal answered David's servants, and said, Who is David? and who is the son of Jesse? there be many servants now a days that break away every man from his master.
11 Shall I then take my bread, and my water, and my fleshe that I have killed for my shearers, and give it unto men, whom I know not whence they be?
12 So David's young men turned their way, and went again, and came and told him all those sayings.
13 And David said unto his men, Gird ye 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 stuff.
14 But one of the young men told Abigail, Nabal's wife, saying, Behold, David sent messengers out of the wilderness to salute our master; and he railedf on them.
15 But the men were very good unto us, and we were not hurt,g neither missed we any thing, as long as we were conversant with them, when we were in the fields:
16 They were a wall unto us both by night and day, all the while we were with them keeping the sheep.
17 Now therefore know and consider what thou wilt do; for evil is determined against our master, and against all his household: for he is such a son of Belial, that a man cannot speak to him.
18 Then Abigail made haste, and took two hundred loaves, and two bottles of wine, and five sheep ready dressed, and five measures of parched corn, and an hundred clusters of raisins, and two hundred cakes of figs, and laid them on asses.
19 And she said unto her servants, Go on before me; behold, I come after you. But she told not her husband Nabal.
20 And it was so, as she rode on the ass, that she came down by the covert of the hill, and, behold, David and his men came down against her; and she met them.
21 Now David had said, Surely in vain have I kept all that this fellow hath in the wilderness, so that nothing was missed of all that pertained unto him: and he hath requited me evil for good.
22 So and more also do God unto the enemies of David, if I leave of all that pertain to him by the morning light any that pisseth against the wall.
23 And when Abigail saw David, she hasted, and lighted off the ass, and fell before David on her face, and bowed herself to the ground,
24 And fell at his feet, and said, Upon me, my lord, upon me let this iniquity be: and let thine handmaid, I pray thee, speak in thine audience,h and hear the words of thine handmaid.
25 Let not my lord, I pray thee, regardi this man of Belial, even Nabal: for as his name is, so is he; Nabal is his name, and folly is with him: but I thine handmaid saw not the young men of my lord, whom thou didst send.
26 Now therefore, my lord, as the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, seeing the LORD hath withholden thee from coming to shed blood, and from avengingj thyself with thine own hand, now let thine enemies, and they that seek evil to my lord, be as Nabal.
27 And now this blessingk which thine handmaid hath brought unto my lord, let it even be given unto the young men that follow my lord.
28 I pray thee, forgive the trespass of thine handmaid: for the LORD will certainly make my lord a sure house; because my lord fighteth the battles of the LORD, and evil hath not been found in thee all thy days.
29 Yet a man is risen to pursue thee, and to seek thy soul: but the soul of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of life with the LORD thy God; and the souls of thine enemies, them shall he sling out, as out of the middle of a sling.
30 And it shall come to pass, when the LORD shall have done to my lord according to all the good that he hath spoken concerning thee, and shall have appointed thee ruler over Israel;
31 That this shall be no griefl unto thee, nor offence of heart unto my lord, either that thou hast shed blood causeless, or that my lord hath avenged himself: but when the LORD shall have dealt well with my lord, then remember thine handmaid.
32 And David said to Abigail, Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, which sent thee this day to meet me:
33 And blessed be thy advice, and blessed be thou, which hast kept me this day from coming to shed blood, and from avenging myself with mine own hand.
34 For in very deed, as the LORD God of Israel liveth, which hath kept me back from hurting thee, except thou hadst hasted and come to meet me, surely there had not been left unto Nabal by the morning light any that pisseth against the wall.
35 So David received of her hand that which she had brought him, and said unto her, Go up in peace to thine house; see, I have hearkened to thy voice, and have accepted thy person.
36 And Abigail came to Nabal; and, behold, he held a feast in his house, like the feast of a king; and Nabal's heart was merry within him, for he was very drunken: wherefore she told him nothing, less or more, until the morning light.
37 But it came to pass in the morning, when the wine was gone out of Nabal, and his wife had told him these things, that his heart died within him, and he became as a stone.
38 And it came to pass about ten days after, that the LORD smote Nabal, that he died.
39 And when David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, Blessed be the LORD, that hath pleaded the cause of my reproach from the hand of Nabal, and hath kept his servant from evil: for the LORD hath returned the wickedness of Nabal upon his own head. And David sent and communed with Abigail, to take her to him to wife.
40 And when the servants of David were come to Abigail to Carmel, they spake unto her, saying, David sent us unto thee, to take thee to him to wife.
41 And she arose, and bowed herself on her face to the earth, and said, Behold, let thine handmaid be a servant to wash the feet of the servants of my lord.
42 And Abigail hasted, and arose, and rode upon an ass, with five damsels of hers that went after her; and she wentm after the messengers of David, and became his wife.
43 David also took Ahinoam of Jezreel; and they were also both of them his wives.
44 But Saul had given Michal his daughter, David's wife, to Phaltin the son of Laish, which was of Gallim.
Israel’s First King
1 Samuel
Helen Pocock
Chapter 25
Samuel the *prophet dies
v1 Samuel died. All the *Israelites met together and were very sad. Then they buried Samuel in his home town of Ramah.
Samuel had been a very important leader of the *Israelites. The *Israelites trusted him as a leader and a *prophet. They were very sad when he died. Samuel led them during a time of great change. He had *anointed Saul as the first king of *Israel. Then he *anointed David as the king that God chose. Samuel did not see David become king. But in 24:20, Saul had agreed that David would be the next king.
Nabal insults David
David went down to the desert of Maon. v2-3 A very rich man lived at Maon. His name was Nabal. He came from the family of Caleb. His wife’s name was Abigail. Nabal owned land near the town of Carmel. He had 1000 goats and 3000 sheep. He was cutting the wool off his sheep at Carmel. Abigail was a beautiful and intelligent woman. But Nabal was a cruel and wicked man.
v4 David was in the desert. He heard that Nabal was cutting the wool off his sheep. v5 So David sent 10 young men to the town of Carmel. He told them to find Nabal and give him David’s greetings. v6 David told the young men to say, ‘David sends you his greetings. He wants you to have peace. He wants your family to have peace. He wants everything you own to have peace. v7 David heard that you were cutting the wool off your sheep. The men who look after your sheep have been with us. We did not hurt them. We did not steal anything from them when they were at Carmel. v8 Your servants will tell you this if you ask them. We have come on the day when you have a special meal. So, please be kind to David’s young men. And please give them, and your son David, whatever you can’.
v9 David’s men arrived at Carmel and gave the message to Nabal. They waited for Nabal to reply. v10 Nabal answered David’s young men, ‘I do not know who David is. I have never heard of this son of Jesse. Many slaves run away from their masters these days. v11 I have bread and water. And I have killed some animals. But this is all for the men who are cutting the wool off my sheep. I am not going to give this to men that I do not know’.
David and his 600 men lived in the southern part of the country of *Judah. There were many hills and mountains there. People called the land a desert because it was dry. There was not much rain in that area. Not many people lived there because they could not grow crops on the land. Only grass and small plants grew in this area. The people who lived there kept sheep and goats. Each year the farmers cut the wool off their animals. They sold the wool and paid their servants. Everyone was happy at this time. They usually had a party with plenty of food and drink.
David and his men had to find water and food every day. They could not plant their own crops because they had to keep moving to different places. Verses 7 and 16 show that they protected Nabal’s men and animals in the desert. David and his men probably protected other people’s animals too. Enemies from countries near to *Judah often came and stole from the *Israelites. The farmers usually paid David and his men with food.
This story is about a wicked man and his good wife. Nabal came from the family of Caleb. Caleb was an *Israelite who left the country of Egypt with Moses. Only Caleb and Joshua went in to the land that God had promised to the *Israelites (Numbers 14:15 and Joshua 14:6-15). Carmel is a town near the town of Hebron (Caleb’s town). Saul went to Carmel in 15:12.
David sent his young men to Nabal on the day that he had his special meal. David hoped that Nabal would be generous. The greeting in verse 6 is a typical *Israelite greeting. In verse 8, David calls himself ‘your son David’. This means that David had been like a servant to Nabal. David gave Nabal honour because he was an important man. But Nabal insulted David. Nabal did not greet David’s men quickly. Nabal pretended that he did not know David. But everyone who lived in the country of *Judah knew who David was. Verse 10 shows that Nabal knew about David. He knew that David was the son of Jesse. Here, Nabal used the name ‘son of Jesse’ as an insult (as Saul did in 20:27 and 22:13). Nabal knew that David had been one of Saul’s servants. However, he described David as a bad slave who had run away. Nabal had prepared food for his servants but he was selfish.
v12 David’s men returned to David. They told him all that Nabal had said. v13 David said to his men, ‘Go and get your swords’. So, they got their swords and put them onto their belts. David got his sword too. About 400 men went with David. About 200 men stayed with their supplies.
v14 One of Nabal’s servants spoke to Abigail (Nabal’s wife). He said, ‘David sent some of his men from the desert to greet our master. But our master insulted them. v15 These men were very good to us. They did not hurt us. They did not steal anything from us while we were out in the fields. v16 They protected us while we cared for the sheep. They protected us during the daytime and at night. v17 Please think about this and decide what to do. Terrible trouble is coming to our master and his family. Our master is such a wicked man. He will not listen to anyone’.
v18 Abigail quickly got some food. She got 200 loaves of bread, 2 big jugs of wine, 5 sheep that she had cooked. She also got 15 kilograms (about 7 pounds) of grain that she had cooked, 100 bundles of raisins and 200 round packs of figs. She loaded all this onto some *donkeys. v19 She said to her servants, ‘You go first and I will follow you’. But she did not tell her husband Nabal.
v20 Abigail rode her *donkey along the valley in the mountain. She saw David and his men as they came down the valley towards her. v21 David had just said, ‘I do not know why I protected Nabal’s property in the desert. We did not steal anything from him. We were good to him, but he has been bad to us. v22 I will certainly go and kill all the men in Nabal’s family by tomorrow morning’.
This story shows that David was not a perfect man. David was angry with Nabal. David had protected Nabal’s men and animals in the desert. But Nabal had not been generous to David and his men. So David went to punish Nabal and his family. David was a man who felt natural anger. But his reaction to Nabal contrasts with his reaction to king Saul. David was angry and wanted to kill Nabal. If David ever felt natural anger towards Saul, he controlled it. David would not hurt Saul because God had *anointed him.
Nabal’s servants knew that David would be angry. They knew that Nabal was a wicked man. They were afraid that something bad would happen. Nabal would not listen to them, so they spoke to Abigail. Abigail was an intelligent woman (verses 2-3). She acted quickly. She knew that David and his men deserved to share Nabal’s food. Abigail was generous. She took enough food for a good meal for David and his men. Raisins and figs are types of fruit that the sun has dried. They are sweet and give people energy. Abigail was a wise woman. She did not tell Nabal what she was doing. She knew that he would have stopped her. Abigail sent her servants ahead with the food. Perhaps she thought that she would be safer behind her servants.
v23 When Abigail saw David she quickly got off her *donkey. She kneeled in front of David and her face touched the ground. v24 She kneeled right in front of his feet. She said to David, ‘My master, let me take the blame. I am your servant. Please listen to what I say. v25 Please do not think about that wicked man Nabal. His name means fool and he is a fool. I, your servant, did not see the young men that you sent. v26 Now the *Lord has stopped you from punishing your enemies and killing them. You have enemies and many people who want to hurt you. But they will receive their punishment just as Nabal will. I know that this will certainly happen. v27 My master, please accept this present that I have brought for you and your men. v28 Please forgive me for what I have done wrong. I know that the *Lord will always choose someone from your family as the king. The *Lord will do this because you always fight his battles. And you do not do anything evil in your life. v29 Someone may chase you and try to kill you. But the *Lord your God will always protect you. The *Lord will throw your enemies away like someone throws away a stone. v30 One day the *Lord will do all the good things that he has promised to you. He will make you the leader of the *Israelites. v31 When this happens you will not feel guilty about anything. You have not killed innocent people. And you have not tried to punish people yourself. When the *Lord gives you success, please remember me’.
v32 David said to Abigail, ‘I praise the *Lord God of *Israel. He sent you to meet me today. v33 The *Lord bless you for your wise advice and for what you did. You stopped me from punishing and killing people today. v34 The *Lord stopped me from hurting you. You came quickly to meet me. Otherwise, I certainly would have killed all of Nabal’s men by the morning’.
v35 David accepted Abigail’s present. He said to her, ‘Go home and do not worry. I will do what you said’.
David was probably very surprised to see Abigail with her servants, *donkeys and all the food. Abigail acted quickly again. She had to stop 400 angry men before they killed anyone. Abigail behaved in a humble way when she bent down on her knees. She gave David great respect and honour when she spoke to him. Abigail agreed that Nabal was wicked. But she appealed to David not to behave in the wrong way. She did not use her gift of food to persuade David. Instead she reminded him to trust the *Lord. The *Lord would protect David. And the *Lord would deal with David’s enemies, including Nabal. Abigail knew that David would be king of *Israel. She did not want him to be guilty about anything. In verse 31 Abigail said, ‘When the *Lord gives you success, please remember me’. These words are similar to Joseph’s in Genesis 40:14.
David knew that God had sent Abigail to him. He accepted her wise advice and her present. David and his men got their meal. David trusted the *Lord to deal with Saul. But David nearly made a mistake because of his wrong anger. The result of this would have been serious. God was kind to David and saved him. Deuteronomy 32:35 and Romans 12:17-21 say that God will deal with every wrong act. We must never punish people who hurt us. Instead, we must do good things to them. We should trust the *Lord who is a fair judge.
Nabal dies
v36 Abigail went back home to Nabal. He had prepared a huge meal. It was good enough for a king to eat. He had drunk too much wine. He was in a good mood. So Abigail did not tell him anything until the next morning. v37 The next morning Nabal was sensible again. So Abigail told him all that had she had done. Nabal’s heart failed and he became like a stone. v38 About 10 days later the *Lord made Nabal die.
v39 David heard that Nabal had died. David said, ‘I praise the *Lord. Nabal insulted me but the *Lord defended me. The *Lord stopped me from doing the wrong thing. And now he has punished Nabal’.
Then David sent a message to Abigail. He asked her to marry him. v40 David’s servants went to Carmel and said to Abigail, ‘David has sent us to you. We must take you to David so that he can marry you’.
v41 Abigail kneeled down and her face touched the ground. She said, ‘I am his servant. I will wash the feet of David’s servants’. v42 Abigail quickly got onto a *donkey and went with David’s men. She took 5 young girls with her. They were her servants. Abigail became David’s wife.
v43 David had married Ahinoam from the town of Jezreel. So David now had two wives. v44 Saul’s daughter Michal used to be David’s wife. But Saul had given her to Paltiel as his wife. Paltiel was the son of Laish who came from the town of Gallim.
Nabal had prepared a huge meal. He did not notice that Abigail had taken some of his food. Abigail could not speak to Nabal that night. He was not sensible because he had drunk too much wine. In the morning, Nabal had a shock when he listened to Abigail. Verse 37 says, ‘Nabal’s heart failed’. This means that he lost his courage. Exodus 15:16 says that God’s enemies will be as still as a stone. This may be picture language for death. Nabal died because the *Lord punished him. Psalms 112:5; Proverbs 11:25; Proverbs 22:9 show that God blesses generous people. Nabal was not generous. God did not bless him. But Abigail was generous. David ‘remembered’ her (verse 31) and he married her. Abigail gave David honour. She wanted to serve him and his servants too.
Genesis 2:24 shows that God wants a man to have one wife. In those days, it was common for men to have more than one wife. This is still common in some countries today. In the *Old Testament, men who had more than one wife often had trouble in their family. When David left Saul, David had to live apart from his wife Michal. So Saul found another husband for her. In verse 43, Jezreel is a town near Carmel. Ahinoam was the mother of David’s first son, Amnon (2 Samuel 3:2).
prophet ~ a person who speaks for God. He can sometimes say what will happen in the future.Israelites ~ the people of Israel; the people who speak the Hebrew language.
Israel ~ the group of people that God chose. Israel is the name of all the people from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Israel is also the name of the land that God gave to the people of Israel.
Hebrew ~ the language of the Israelite people. A Hebrew is an Israelite person.
anoint ~ to mark a person with oil to show that God has chosen him for a special job.
Israel ~ the group of people that God chose. Israel is the name of all the people from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Israel is also the name of the land that God gave to the people of Israel.
Judah ~ one of the 12 tribes of Israel. The land in southern Israel that belonged to the tribe of Judah.
tribe ~ a family from one man. The first Israelites were the 12 sons of Jacob. The family of each son became a tribe.
Israel ~ the group of people that God chose. Israel is the name of all the people from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Israel is also the name of the land that God gave to the people of Israel.
Israelites ~ the people of Israel; the people who speak the Hebrew language.
Hebrew ~ the language of the Israelite people. A Hebrew is an Israelite person.
donkey ~ an animal like a small horse. Donkeys can carry heavy loads on their backs. People ride on them.
Lord ~ the name of God in the Bible. The special name of God that he announced only to the Israelites (Genesis 3:13-15). It links God with his covenant (promise) to them.
Israelites ~ the people of Israel; the people who speak the Hebrew language.
Israel ~ the group of people that God chose. Israel is the name of all the people from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Israel is also the name of the land that God gave to the people of Israel.
Hebrew ~ the language of the Israelite people. A Hebrew is an Israelite person.