The Death of Samuel
25:1 Samuel died, and all Israel assembled and mourned him. They buried him at his home in Ramah. Then David left and went down to the desert of Paran.
Samuel died after Saul acknowledged that David would be the next king. All of Israel would mourn Samuel, since the nation was at peace. Samuel was the last judge and the first prophet of Israel. The prophets always anointed and corrected the kings.
David Marries Abigail the Widow of Nabal
25:2 There was a man in Maon whose business was in Carmel. This man was very wealthy; he owned three thousand sheep and a thousand goats. At that time he was shearing his sheep in Carmel.
Maon was a desert area in the Sinai Peninsula, far to the SW of Palestine. Nabal was living in this area. He was a very wealthy man with 3,000 sheep and 1,000 goats. God creates wealthy men so that they can share their wealth with others.
25:3 The man’s name was Nabal, and his wife’s name was Abigail. She was both wise and beautiful, but the man was harsh and his deeds were evil. He was a Calebite.
The Hebrew for “Nabal” is נָבָ֣ל (nabal), means a foolish man who has no spiritual insight. It is used in Psalm 14:1, where is states “The נָבָ֣ל (nabal) says in his heart, there is no God. They sin and commit evil deeds; none of them does what is right.” Psalm 14:1 states that atheists are fools who have no spiritual insight. They sin. They commit acts which are evil. None of them do what is right.”
Proverbs 26:4 states, “Do not answer a fool according to his folly, lest you yourself also be like him.” The Hebrew word for “fool” is כְּסִיל (kasil), meaning a foolish and stupid person who hates knowledge. Believers are not to argue with fools, or they will become like the fool.
Abigail was wise and beautiful. Why would she marry such a man as Nabal? Many marriages were arranged. Since Nabal was wealthy, he could have paid a large dowry price for the beautiful and wise Abigail. Abigail’s father was evidently more interested in receiving wealth for his daughter than he was in providing her a happy marriage. Israel was living in apostasy at this time. They were joining together to kill God’s anointed king. They were selling their daughters in marriage to the highest bidder.
Nabal was a Calebite, meaning that he came from the courageous tribe of Caleb. Caleb was one of the two spies who entered the Promised Land and gave a positive report. He was a giant killer. He took the best land of Israel. He was a man who possessed tremendous faith in God. He was a national hero and a positive example to Israel. Nabal most likely gained his wealth from the exploits of his great-great grandfather Nabal. However, like Israel, the tribe of Caleb had deteriorated morally. The wisdom of Caleb had turned into the foolishness of Nabal.
Nabal was most likely not his birth name. This name was probably given to him by his friends and relatives who saw some of the mean and foolish decisions that he had made.
25:4 When David heard in the desert that Nabal was shearing his sheep, 25:5 he sent ten servants, saying to them, “Go up to Carmel to see Nabal and give him greetings in my name.
David commanded an army of 600 raiders. Pagan raiders would not ask. They would take.
25:6 Then you will say to my brother, “Peace to you and your house! Peace to all that is yours!
The Hebrew word for “peace” is שָׁלוֹם֙ (shalom), meaning peace with God. Pagan raiders usually do not greet wealthy men with a peaceful greeting.
25:7 Now I hear that they are shearing sheep for you. When your shepherds were with us, we neither insulted them nor harmed them the whole time they were in Carmel.
Shearing sheep would bring even more wealth to Nabal.
25:8 Ask your own servants; they can tell you! May my servants find favor in your sight, for we have come at the time of a holiday. Please provide us – your servants and your son David – with whatever you can spare.”
David had been protecting Nabal’s flock from raiders and wolves, so this was not too much to ask.
25:9 So David’s servants went and spoke all these words to Nabal in David’s name. Then they paused.
The request was made to Nabal in the most courteous manner. Genghis Khan would not have asked. He would have taken what he wanted and exterminated any family who did not cooperate with him.
25:10 But Nabal responded to David’s servants, “Who is David, and who is this son of Jesse? This is a time when many servants are breaking away from their masters!
“A soft answer turns away wrath.” Nabal answered harshly to David’s request, even though David and his men had been protecting the flock.
25:11 Should I take my bread and my water and my meat that I have slaughtered for my shearers and give them to these men? I don’t even know where they came from!”
Nabal was not going to share his wealth with anyone, not even on this Jewish holiday.
25:12 So David’s servants went on their way. When they had returned, they came and told David all these things.
David was given an intelligence briefing.
25:13 Then David instructed his men, “Each of you strap on your sword!” So each one strapped on his sword, and David also strapped on his sword. About four hundred men followed David up, while two hundred stayed behind with the equipment.
David assembled 400 raiders to teach Nabal a lesson in hospitality. If David wished, he could have been the first Genghis Khan.
25:14 But one of the servants told Nabal’s wife Abigail, “David sent messengers from the desert to greet our lord, but he screamed at them.
One of the servants recognized the dangerous situation that Nabal placed upon their household. Talking to Nabal would do no good, so the news was taken to the beautiful and wise Abigail.
25:15 These men were very good to us. They did not insult us, nor did we sustain any loss during the entire time we were together in the field.
The servant confirmed that David was protecting their flocks.
25:16 Both night and day they were a protective wall for us the entire time we were with them, while we were tending our flocks.
No one dared to attack these shepherds while David’s men were around. David was an Israelite Robin Hood.
25:17 Now be aware of this, and see what you can do. For disaster has been planned for our lord and his entire household. He is such a wicked person that no one tells him anything!”
David was planning revenge. Nabal was too foolish to listen to any advice from his servants.
25:18 So Abigail quickly took two hundred loaves of bread, two containers of wine, five prepared sheep, five seahs of roasted grain, a hundred bunches of raisins, and two hundred lumps of pressed figs. She loaded them on donkeys
Notice that Abigail did not even talk to her foolish husband. It would do no good. She loaded up supplies and headed towards David.
25:19 and said to her servants, “Go on ahead of me. I will come after you.” But she did not tell her husband Nabal.
Abigail learned from the example of Jacob. Just as Jacob sent gifts to his brother Esau before meeting his wrath, Abigail did the same. She left her husband out of the discussion. He was so foolish, talk would do no good.
25:20 Riding on her donkey, she went down under cover of the mountain. David and his men were coming down to meet her, and she encountered them.
Abigail hid under mountain cover so that she could surprise David.
25:21 Now David had been thinking, “In vain I guarded everything that belonged to this man in the desert. I didn’t take anything from him. But he has repaid my good with evil.
David had protected the flocks of Nabal but was treated with disrespect.
25:22 God will severely punish David, if I leave alive until morning even one male from all those who belong to him!”
David planned on exterminating every male of Nabal's house. This would have placed a large stain upon his conscience and upon his reputation as a Robin Hood raider.
25:23 When Abigail saw David, she got down quickly from the donkey, threw herself down before David, and bowed to the ground.
David was surprised to see a beautiful lady bowing before him.
25:24 Falling at his feet, she said, “My lord, I accept all the guilt! But please let your female servant speak with my lord! Please listen to the words of your servant!
Abigail proclaimed her loyalty to David. David needed wealthy supporters at this time of his life.
25:25 My lord should not pay attention to this wicked man Nabal. He simply lives up to his name! His name means ‘fool,’ and he is indeed foolish! But I, your servant, did not see the servants my lord sent.
Abigail did not say very nice things about her husband, but she did tell the truth.
25:26 “Now, my lord, as surely as the Lord lives and as surely as you live, it is the Lord who has kept you from shedding blood and taking matters into your own hands. Now may your enemies and those who seek to harm my lord be like Nabal.
Abigail was a very wise woman. She knew that this murder would place a stain on David’s flawless reputation. She claimed that Jehovah sent her to stop David from making a foolish mistake which would damage his reputation as the Lord’s anointed King.
25:27 Now let this present that your servant has brought to my lord be given to the servants who follow my lord.
Abigail asked David to accept the gifts.
25:28 Please forgive the sin of your servant, for the Lord will certainly establish the house of my lord, because my lord fights the battles of the Lord. May no evil be found in you all your days!
Abigail recognized that David was to be the next anointed king. It would be evil for David to kill all of the males of Nabal’s household. Only God is in charge of the revenge department.
25:29 When someone sets out to chase you and to take your life, the life of my lord will be wrapped securely in the bag of the living by the Lord your God. But he will sling away the lives of your enemies from the sling’s pocket!
Nabal asked David to spare her husband’s life just as God spared and protected David’s life. This woman had tremendous spiritual insight.
25:30 The Lord will do for my lord everything that he promised you, and he will make you a leader over Israel.
Abigail assured David that Jehovah would keep His promise and make David the King of Israel.
25:31 Your conscience will not be overwhelmed with guilt for having poured out innocent blood and for having taken matters into your own hands. When the Lord has granted my lord success, please remember your servant.”
This murder of innocent blood would trouble the conscience of David. When David did come into power. Abigal asked David to remember her loyalty.
25:32 Then David said to Abigail, “Praised be the Lord, the God of Israel, who has sent you this day to meet me!
David praised Jehovah for sending this woman on his path.
25:33 Praised be your good judgment! May you yourself be rewarded for having prevented me this day from shedding blood and taking matters into my own hands!
David praised the wisdom of Abigail. Her wisdom prevented David from making a terrible mistake.
25:34 Otherwise, as surely as the Lord, the God of Israel, lives – he who has prevented me from harming you – if you had not come so quickly to meet me, by morning’s light not even one male belonging to Nabal would have remained alive!”
Jehovah used Abigail’s wisdom to keep David from exterminating the house of Nabal.
25:35 Then David took from her hand what she had brought to him. He said to her, “Go back to your home in peace. Be assured that I have listened to you and responded favorably.”
David asked Abigail to return to her house in peace. Most pagan kings would have exterminated all of the males, stolen the wealth, raped the women, and abducted Abigail into their harem.
25:36 When Abigail went back to Nabal, he was holding a banquet in his house like that of the king. Nabal was having a good time and was very intoxicated. She told him absolutely nothing until morning’s light.
Nabal was so wealthy, that he held banquets fit for a king. He became very intoxicated during the banquet.
25:37 In the morning, when Nabal was sober, his wife told him about these matters. He had a stroke and was paralyzed.
Nabal was most likely much older than Abigail. Abigail told her husband the news about David’s raiding party. The news was so upsetting to Nabal, that he had a stroke and was paralyzed.
25:38 After about ten days the Lord struck Nabal down and he died.
God gave Nabal ten days to think about his foolish life. After ten days, Nabal died.
25:39 When David heard that Nabal had died, he said, “Praised be the Lord who has vindicated me and avenged the insult that I suffered from Nabal! The Lord has kept his servant from doing evil, and he has repaid Nabal for his evil deeds.” Then David sent word to Abigail and asked her to become his wife.
David was already married to Michal and Ahinoam. The Mosaic Law never forbid polygamy, but God’s choice was always that of one man and one woman. Adam and Eve were married and became “one flesh." Jesus confirmed that God’s original purpose was monogamy. Abigail acted like a true queen.
25:40 So the servants of David went to Abigail at Carmel and said to her, “David has sent us to you to bring you back to be his wife.”
The servants sent the marriage request to Abigail.
25:41 She arose, bowed her face toward the ground, and said, “Your female servant, like a lowly servant, will wash the feet of the servants of my lord.”
Abigail agreed to serve David as his wife.
25:42 Then Abigail quickly went and mounted her donkey, with five of her female servants accompanying her. She followed David’s messengers and became his wife.
Abigail and five of her servants joined David and married him.
25:43 David had also married Ahinoam from Jezreel; the two of them became his wives.
David now had four wives. He was not commanded by Jehovah to marry these four wives. Polygamy would later cause dynastic problems in David’s house.
25:44 (Now Saul had given his daughter Michal, David’s wife, to Paltiel son of Laish, who was from Gallim.)
Saul gave Michal to another man. David would later rescue Michal and bring her into his house.