NABAL AND ABIGAIL.--I SAM. XXV.
It is interesting to observe, as we pass from stage to stage of
David's history, how different individuals were affected toward his
person, and the consequent position assumed in reference to him. It
required energy of faith to discern, in the despised outcast, the
future king of Israel. In this chapter we are presented with two
striking examples of persons thus variously affected in reference to
David's person and career.
"There was a man in Maon, whose possessions 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. Now the name of the
man was Nabal." This Nabal was an Israelite, and he appears in marked
contrast with David, who, though anointed king of Israel, had not
where to lay his head, but was a wanderer from mountain to mountain,
and from cave to cave. Nabal was a selfish man, with no sympathy for
David. If he had blessings, he had them for himself; if he was
"great," he had no idea of sharing his greatness with any one else,
and least of all with David and his companions.
"And David heard _in the wilderness_ that Nabal did shear his sheep.
And David sent out ten young men, and David said to the young men,
Get you up to Carmel, and go to Nabal, and greet him in my name," &c.
David was in the wilderness; this was his place. Nabal was surrounded
by all the comforts of life. The former owed all his sorrows and
privations to what he was; the latter owed all his possessions and
enjoyments to what he was. Now, we generally find that where
advantages are derived from religious distinction and profession, much
selfishness exists. The profession of truth, if not connected with
self-denial, will be connected with positive self-indulgence; and
hence we may observe at the present day a determined spirit of
worldliness connected with the very highest profession of truth. This
is a grievous evil. The apostle was made to feel the anguish of it,
even in his time. "Many," says he, "walk, of whom I have told you
often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of
_the cross of Christ_: whose end is destruction, whose God is their
belly, and whose glory is in their shame, _who mind earthly things_."
(Phil. iii. 18, 19.) Observe, they are the enemies of the _cross_ of
Christ. They do not throw off all semblance of Christianity; far from
it. "Many _walk_." This expression shows a measure of profession. The
persons here pictured would, doubtless, be much offended were any to
refuse them the appellation of Christians; but then they do not want
to take up the _cross_; they desire not practical identification with
a crucified Christ; whatever amount of professed Christianity can be
had apart from all self-denial is welcome to them, but not one jot
beyond this. "Their God is their belly, and they mind earthly things."
Ah, how many must plead guilty to the charge of minding earthly
things! It is easy to make a profession of the religion of Christ,
while Christ Himself is unknown, and the cross of Christ is hated. It
is easy to take up the name of Jesus into the lips, and walk in
self-indulgence and love of the world, which the human heart knows so
well how to estimate. All this finds its full illustration in the
person of the churlish Nabal, who having shut himself up in the midst
of his luxuries and wealth, cared not for God's anointed, nor felt for
him in the season of his painful exile and sojourn in the wilderness.
What was his reply to David's touching appeal? "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. Shall I then take my bread, and my water,
and my flesh that I have killed for my shearers, and give it unto men
whom I know not whence they be?" Here was the secret of this worldly
man's estrangement of heart; _he did not know him_; had he known him,
it would have been a very different matter: but he neither knew who he
was nor whence he was; he did not know that he was railing on the
Lord's anointed, and casting from him, in his selfish folly, the
privilege of ministering to the need of the future king of Israel.
The moral of all this is deeply instructive. It demands the clear
vision of faith to enable any one to discern the true glory of Christ,
and cleave to Him in the time of His rejection. It is one thing to be
a Christian, as people say, and another thing to confess Christ before
men. Indeed, one can hardly find anything more selfish than that
condition of heart which would lead us to take all that Jesus has to
give, and yield Him nothing in return. "Provided _I_ am saved, all the
rest is unessential." This is the secret thought of many a heart, and
if thrown into a more honest form would be this, "If I am sure of
salvation, it matters little about the glory of Christ." This was just
Nabal's mode of acting; he reaped all the advantage he could from
David; but the moment David put in his claim for sympathy and aid, his
worldly spirit developed itself. "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 railed on them. But the men
were very good unto us, and we were not hurt, neither missed we
anything, as long as we were conversant with them when we were in the
fields. They were a wall unto us both by night and by day, all the
while we were with them keeping the sheep." This was all very well.
Nabal could well understand the value of David's _protection_, though
he cared not for David's _person_. So long as David's men were a wall
to his possessions, he would tolerate them; but when they would become
a burden, they were rejected and railed upon.
Now, as might be expected, Nabal's acting was directly contrary to
Scripture, as his spirit was decidedly contrary to the spirit of its
divine Author. It is written in the 15th chapter of Deuteronomy, "If
there be among you a poor man of one of thy brethren, within any of
thy gates, in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee, thou shall
not harden thy heart, nor shut thy hand from thy poor brother; but
thou shalt open thy hand wide unto him, and shall surely lend him
sufficient for his need, in that which he wanteth. Beware that there
be not a thought in thy wicked heart, saying, The seventh year, the
year of release is at hand; and thine eye be evil against thy poor
brother, and thou givest him nought; and he cry unto the Lord against
thee, and it be sin unto thee." Precious grace! How like God. How
unlike Nabal! Grace would keep the heart wide open to every object of
need; whereas selfishness would close it against every applicant.
Nabal ought to have obeyed the word, independently of his knowledge of
David; but his selfishness was of too deep a character to allow of his
obedience to the Lord's word, or his love to the Lord's anointed.
However, Nabal's selfishness led to very important results; it led, in
David's case, to the exhibition of much that was calculated to humble
him in the presence of God. He is here seen to come down from the high
elevation which usually characterized him, through the grace of God.
No doubt, it was deeply trying to meet with such base ingratitude from
one to whom he had been a wall of defence; it was galling, too, to be
reproached on the very ground of those circumstances into which
faithfulness had called him; to be accused of breaking away from his
master at the very time that he was being hunted as a partridge
through the mountains. All this was hard to bear, and, in the first
ebullition of feeling, David gives expression to words which would not
bear the examination of the sanctuary. "_Gird ye on every man his
sword_," was not just the language which we should have expected from
one who had hitherto walked in such a meek and gentle spirit. The
scripture just quoted presents the resource of the poor brother, viz.:
to "cry unto the Lord," not to draw his sword for revenge. Nabal's
selfishness could never have been remedied by the sword of David, nor
would faith ever have adopted such a course. We do not find David
acting thus in reference to Saul; he left him entirely to God, and
even when induced to cut off the skirt of his robe, his heart smote
him. Why did he not act thus toward Nabal? Because he was not in
communion; he was off his guard, and the enemy took advantage of him.
Nature will ever lead us to vindicate ourselves, and resent every
injury. The heart will secretly murmur, "He had no right to treat me
thus; I really cannot bear it, nor do I think I ought to do so." This
may be so, but the man of faith at once rises above all such things;
he sees God in everything; the jealousy of Saul, the folly of Nabal,
all is looked at as coming from the hand of God, and met in the secret
of His holy presence. The instrument is nothing to faith; God is in
all. This gives real power to move on through all sorts of
circumstances. If we do not trace God in everything, we shall be
constantly ensnared.
We shall have occasion, as we proceed with our subject, to trace this
principle more fully, and shall now turn to another character
introduced to our notice in this instructive chapter. This is Abigail,
the wife of Nabal, "a woman of good understanding, and of a beautiful
countenance." A noble testimony, surely, and one which shows that
grace can manifest itself in the most untoward circumstances. The
house of the churlish Nabal must have been a withering scene to one
like Abigail; but she waited on God, and, as we shall see, was not
disappointed.
The case of this remarkable woman is full of encouragement and
instruction to all who may find themselves cramped and hindered by
unavoidable connections and associations. To all such the history of
Abigail simply says, Be patient, wait on God, do not suppose yourself
void of all opportunity for testimony. The Lord may be much glorified
by meek subjection, and will, assuredly, give relief and victory in
the end. True, some may have to reproach themselves for having formed
such connections, or entered into such associations; but even so, if
the folly and evil are really felt, confessed, and judged before God,
and the soul brought into an attitude of thorough subduedness, the end
will be blessing and peace. In Abigail we see one who was actually
used to correct no less a personage than David himself. It may be that
her course, up to the time at which the sacred historian introduces
her to our notice, had been marked by much that was painful and
trying; indeed, it could hardly have been otherwise, associated with
such an one as Nabal. Time, however, brought to light the grace that
was in her. She had suffered in obscurity, and was now about to be
raised to an unusually high elevation. Few had seen her patient
service and testimony; but many beheld her exaltation. The burden
which she had borne in secret was about to drop off before many
witnesses. The preciousness of Abigail's service did not consist in
her having saved Nabal from the sword of David, but in keeping David
from drawing the sword at all.
"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." This was
terrible! And David was rashly taking himself out of the place of
dependence--the only happy, the only holy place. Nor was it on behalf
of the congregation of the Lord. No, it was to avenge himself on one
who had treated him badly. Sad mistake! Happy was it for him, that
there was an Abigail in the house of Nabal who was about to be used of
God to keep him from answering a fool according to his folly. This was
just what the enemy desired. Nabal's selfishness was used by Satan to
ensnare David, and Abigail was the Lord's instrument to deliver him.
It is well when the man of God can detect Satan's working; to be able
so to do, he must be much in the presence of God, for there alone can
he find light and spiritual power to enable him to cope with such a
foe. When out of communion, the soul becomes distracted by looking at
secondary causes, and subordinate agents, just as David was distracted
by looking at Nabal. Had he paused to view the matter calmly before
God, we should not have had such words as, "In vain have I kept all
that this fellow hath in the wilderness;" he would have passed on, and
left "this fellow" to himself. Faith imparts real dignity to the
character, and superiority over the petty circumstances of this
transient scene. Those who know themselves as pilgrims and strangers,
will remember that the sorrows as well as the joys of this life are
evanescent, and they will not be inordinately affected by either the
one or the other. "Passing away," is written on everything; the man of
faith must, therefore, look upwards and onward.
Now Abigail, by the grace of God, delivered David from the unhappy
influence of the _present_, by leading his soul onward into the
_future_: we learn this from her exquisite address to him. "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, 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, and hear
the words of thine handmaid. Let not my lord, I pray thee, regard 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. 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 avenging thyself _with thine
own hand_, now let thine enemies, and they that seek evil to my lord,
be as Nabal; ... for _the Lord wilt 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. 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. 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_, that this shall be no
grief 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." We can hardly conceive anything more touching than this
address; every point in it was calculated to touch the heart. She
presents to him the evil of seeking to avenge himself; the weakness
and folly of the object of his revenge,--she reminds him of his proper
occupation, viz., "fighting _the Lord's battles_." This must have
brought home to his heart the humiliating circumstances in which
Abigail met him, even rushing on to fight _his own_ battle.
However, the reader will perceive that the leading point in this
address is the special reference to the future. "The Lord _will_
certainly make my lord a sure house." "The soul of my lord _shall_ be
bound in the bundle of life with the Lord thy God." "When the Lord
_shall_ have done to my lord," etc.; "and _shall_ have appointed thee
ruler over Israel." All these allusions to David's future blessing and
glory were eminently calculated to withdraw his heart from his present
grievance. The sure house, the bundle of life, and the kingdom, were
far better than Nabal's flocks and herds; and in the view of these
glories, David could well afford to leave him to his portion, and his
portion to him. To the heir of a kingdom, a few sheep could have but
little attraction; and one who knew that he had the anointing oil of
the Lord upon his head might easily bear to be called a runaway
servant. All these things Abigail knew--knew as matters of faith. She
knew David, and knew his high destinies. By faith she recognized in
the despised outcast the future king of Israel. Nabal knew not David.
He was a man of the world, swallowed up with present things. With him
there was nothing more important, nothing more influential, than "_my_
bread, _my_ flesh, _my_ shearers;" it was all self; there was no room
for David or his claims. This might be expected from such an one; but
surely it was not for David to go down from his elevation to grapple
with a poor worldling about his perishable possessions. Ah, no; the
kingdom should have filled his eye, and engaged his thoughts, and
lifted his spirit above all lower influences. Look at the Master
Himself, as He stood at the bar of a poor worm,--the creation of His
own hand,--how did He conduct Himself? Did He call upon His little
band of followers to gird on every man his sword? Did He say of the
man who dared to sit as His judge, "In vain have I imparted unto this
fellow all he is, and all he has?" No; He looked above and beyond
Pilate, Herod, the chief priests, and scribes. He could say, "The cup
which MY FATHER hath given ME, shall I not drink it?" This kept His
spirit tranquil, while, at the same time, He could look forward into
the future, and say, "HEREAFTER shall ye see the Son of Man sitting on
the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven." Here was
real power over present things. The millennial kingdom, with all its
untold joys, with all its heights and depths of glory, glistened in
the distance with everlasting light and brilliancy, and the eye of the
Man of Sorrows rested upon it, in that dark hour when the scoffs and
sneers, the taunts and reproaches of guilty sinners were falling upon
His blessed person.
Dear Christian reader, this is our model; thus ought we to meet the
trials and difficulties, the reproach, obloquy and desertion of this
present time. We should view _all_ in the light of "_hereafter_."
"Our light affliction," says an eminent sufferer, "which is but for a
moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of
glory." Again, "But the God of all grace, who hath called us to His
eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while,
make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you." "O fools, and
slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Ought not
Christ to have _suffered_ these things, and to enter into His
_glory_?" Yes; suffering must come first and glory afterwards; and any
one who, by his own hand, would seek to take off the edge of present
suffering and reproach, proves that the kingdom is not filling the
vision of his soul,--that _now_ is more influential with him than
"_hereafter_."
How we ought to bless our God for having opened to us such a vista of
glory in the ages to come! How it enables us to tread, with a buoyant
step, our rugged path through the wilderness! How it lifts us above
the things which engross the children of this world!
"We're not of the world, which fadeth away,
We're not of the night, but children of day;
The chains that once bound us by Jesus are riven,
We're strangers on earth, and our home is in heaven."
May we prove the sacred reality of this more, as we pass along through
"this vale of tears." Truly the heart would sink and the spirit faint,
were we not sustained by hope--even the hope of glory, which, thank
God, maketh not ashamed, for the Spirit is the earnest of it in our
hearts.
In pursuing the narrative of David and Abigail a little further, we
have a still more striking example of the vast difference between the
child of nature and the child of faith. Abigail returned from her
interview with David, and found Nabal "very drunken; wherefore she
told him nothing, less or more, until the morning light. 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. And it came to pass, about ten days after, that the
Lord smote Nabal, that he died." What a sad picture of a man of the
world! Sunk in intoxication during the night, and when the morning
dawned, struck with terror,--pierced by the arrow of death. How
solemnly like the multitudes whom the enemy has succeeded, in every
age, in alluring and intoxicating with the perishing joys of a world
which lies under the curse of God, and awaits the fire of His
judgment. "They that sleep, sleep in the night, and they that be
drunken are drunken in the night;" but, ah! the morning is at hand,
when the wine (apt symbol of this world's joy) shall have altogether
evaporated,--the feverish excitement in which Satan now involves the
spirits of the men of this world shall have calmed down, and then
comes the stern reality of an eternity of misery--unspeakable misery,
in company with Satan and his angels. Nabal did not even meet David
face to face; yet the very thought of his avenging sword filled his
soul with deadly fear. How much more terrible will it be to meet the
gaze of a despised and rejected Jesus! Then the Abigails and the
Nabals will find their respective places; those who had known and
loved the true David, and those who had not. God, in His mercy, grant
that my reader may be amongst the happy number of the former.
I would only observe, further, that the interesting narrative of this
chapter gives us a striking picture of the Church and the world, as a
whole; the one united to the king, and associated with Him in His
glory; the other plunged in irretrievable ruin. "Seeing then that all
these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be
in all holy conversation and godliness; looking for and hasting unto
the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall
be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?
Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a
new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. Wherefore, beloved, seeing
that ye look for such things, be diligent, that ye may be found of Him
in peace, without spot, and blameless" (2 Pet. iii. 11-14).
Such are the soul-stirring, momentous facts presented to us throughout
the book of God, in order to detach our hearts from present things,
and bind them in genuine affection to those objects and prospects
which stand connected with the person of the Son of God. Nor will
aught else, save the deep and positive conviction of the reality of
these things, produce such effects. We know the intoxicating power of
this world's schemes and operations; we know how the human heart is
borne away, as upon the surface of a rapid current, when such things
are presented: schemes of improvement, commercial operations,
political movements--aye, and popular religious movements too--all
these things produce upon the human mind an effect similar to that
produced by Nabal's wine, so that it is almost useless to announce the
stern facts presented in the above solemn quotation. Still, they must
be announced, must be reiterated, "and so much the more, as we see the
day approaching." "The day of the Lord will come as a thief in the
night." "All these things shall be dissolved." "The heavens being on
fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent
heat; the earth also, and the works that are therein, shall be burned
up." Such is the prospect presented to all who, like Nabal, surcharged
with "surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life," have
rejected the claims and appeals of Jesus. The world is being prepared,
with inconceivable rapidity, for the introduction of that one who, by
the energy of Satan, will head up all its institutions, embody all its
principles, concentrate all its energies. Let but the last elect one
be gathered out, the last member be incorporated into the body of
Christ by the quickening energy of the Holy Ghost, the last stone be
set in its appointed place in the temple of God, and then shall the
salt be removed, which now preserves the world from corruption; the
barrier presented by the presence of the Holy Ghost in the Church
shall be taken out of the way, and then comes forth "the lawless one"
on the stage of this world, "whom the Lord shall consume with the
spirit of His mouth, and destroy with the brightness of His coming.
Even him whose coming is after the working of Satan, with all power,
and signs, and lying wonders, and with all deceivableness of
unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the
love of the truth, that they might be saved."
Surely these things ought to check the career of the men of this
world, and lead them, with solemnized minds, to "consider THEIR LATTER
END." "The long-suffering of our Lord is salvation." Precious word!
Most precious! But let it not be abused; let it not be mistaken for
"_slackness_." The Lord waits to be gracious to _sinners_, not to
connive at _sin_.
However, as has been already observed, it is almost useless to speak
to men about the _future_ who are wholly engrossed with the _present_.
Blessed be God, there are some who have ears to hear the testimony
about the kindness and grace of Jesus, as well as about His coming
judgment. Thus it was with Abigail; she believed the truth about
David, and acted accordingly; and all who believe the truth about
Jesus will be found separating themselves diligently from this present
world.