Beauty & The Beast

II Samuel 25:1-3 ".....And David arose, and went down to the wilderness of Paran. And 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; 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." Quick Synopsis: David is still running from Saul with a band of 600 men. He has found refuge near Maon, in a place called Carmel. While in Carmel, David met Nabal’s shepherd’s and had given them protection. It is sheep-shearing time, and David hears that Nabal is near by. Hoping to find favor with Nabal, he sends ten of his men to ask for provision, for himself and his 600 men. He instructs his men that when they greet Nabal to be sure and tell him how they protected his shepherd’s while they were in Carmel. Nabal gives a very rude response to David’s men. He says the word "my" so many times in verse 11, we have to assume that he was not just rude but selfish as well. "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. 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?" (II Sam. 25:10-11) This response makes David angry, so he gathers 400 of his men and they take off to destroy all that is, or belongs to Nabal. Nabal might be of the house of Caleb, but he certainly did not inherit Caleb’s characteristic’s. Enter Abigail: The Bible tells us that Abigail "was a woman of good understanding and of a beautiful countenance." How she found herself married to a "churlish" man, I will never know. However, she did not let her circumstances keep her from being a godly woman, who was quick on her feet! She had outward beauty and inward strength! This shows in her haste to fix this situation before they’re all killed. You know, sometimes a situation calls for quick thinking and immediate attention. While it is true that women are the weaker vessel, that does not mean that we are unable to think for ourselves. We need to be ready to "make haste" when necessary. There isn’t always time to stop and consult a friend. When Abigail’s servant told her of what was about to happen, she took action immediately! "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. And she said unto her servants, Go on before me; behold, I come after you. But she told not her husband Nabal. And it was so, as she rode on the ass, that she came down by the covert on the hill, and, behold, David and his men came down against her; and she met them." (II Sam. 25:18-20) I think Abigail had probably been in this type of situation before. She knew her husband, and how unreasonable he could be. Maybe he was lost. Perhaps Abigail was unequally yoked. Still, she knew when to speak and when not to speak. And now was not the time to sit still and be quiet! In doing what she did, she protected her entire household. She showed wisdom and faith in her actions. She showed discernment in keeping it (for now) from her husband. Today, women toss the word "submission" around so carelessly. They use it to manipulate their husbands or families, or even their circumstances, rather than to glorify God. I’ve even seen women use it to get out of service in God’s house. But for Abigail, there was a higher cause than her own selfish desires. II Sam. 25:23-25, "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." What a difference it makes when you approach a situation the right way. Begging for forgiveness, Abigail carefully appeals to David by praising him and his reputation first. (II Sam. 25:26-32) She tells David in verse 25, that her husband is what his name means (which is "a fool".) She used great tact to diffuse and disarm what would have been a disastrous situation. In verse 32, David realized that she had been sent by God to keep him from making a great mistake. Back at Nabal’s house: When Abigail returned to her home, she had every intention of telling her husband of her actions but she could not. Why? Nabal was drunk! Apparently, Abigail knew (probably from experience) that you cannot talk sense to a drunkard.. So, she held her peace until the morning. When Nabal is sober, Abigail tells him what she has done. The Bible says that "his heart died within him and became as a stone." Ten days later, the LORD smote him and he died! Most women today would have told Abigail not to tell her husband. But God blessed Abigail for being a godly wife. He made her free. In verse 39, it says that David praised the Lord for keeping him from making a hasty decision, and then he asked Abigail to marry him. Abigail graciously accepts. Women today would think Abigail was nuts for accepting David’s proposal!!! This guy didn’t even have a house or any income to speak of!!! But Abigail’s faith was in God. You know, even though she was married to a "fool", Abigail still stuck by him because he was her husband. For all Abigail knew, she was going to be with Nabal for the rest of her life. Did she whine, or complain? Did she call her friends and tell them what a thoughtless and selfish husband he was? No, she stayed faithful to him, and to God. God knows what we’re going through and he gives us the strength to handle each trial, each day, in His way. He doesn’t always do things the way WE think He should, or even as quick as WE want Him to. But God knows what is best for us. Whatever the trial, whatever the circumstance, no matter what we’re going through, there are people around us watching. They need to see us be faithful through it all. God will take care of us if we’ll just trust him. Only He can make you FREE! (Thanks to Mrs. Starr)