Recon Center

My ministry in Bahrain has been extended another week. It is both a joy and privilege to be a part of what God is doing here. He has done all things well – Mark 7:37

B. OLD TESTAMENT EXAMPLE

1. Three Main Characters

There is a story in the Old Testament which illustrates the Apostle Paul’s teaching in Romans Chapter Seven. It is found in the twenty-fifth chapter of 1 Samuel. the story involves three main characters:

a. Abigail: a very lovely married woman;

b. Nabal: the rich but evil husband (old man) of Abigail;

c. David: as anointed man chosen by God to be the next king of Israel.

2. The Characters In Detail

a. Abigail. The Scriptures describe Abigail as being a wise and beautiful lady with a generous and humble heart. There was a lovely prophetic anointing upon her life. Truly she was a most noble and gracious woman of God.

Sadly, she was married to a man who was a blemish on her grace, beauty and character.

b. Nabal. Abigail’s husband, Nabal was a mean, rude, inconsiderate, stubborn fool, who was often intoxicated from drinking too much wine.

It is a sad picture indeed. Moreover, Abigail was bound to her husband by the laws of marriage – until separated by death. Only then would she be free to marry another.

c. David. Unlike Nabal, David was a man after God’s own heart. He had been anointed by Samuel to be the next king of Israel. There was a tender, sensitive side to David’s life which is beautifully revealed to us in the Psalms.

He was a man of faith, courage and power. He would one day become Israel’s mighty warrior king. Marriage to David would be a royal marriage indeed.

3. Spiritual Meaning Of The Characters

Let us now approach our story from a fresh and interesting view. There is a sense in which the characters involved speak of our two natures and our relationship with Christ. They are listed as follows:

a. Abigail Married to Nabal: a type of our condition under the law – married to our old nature.

b. Nabal: a type of our old sinful nature - to whom we are married by parental grant.

c. David: a type of Christ, the anointed One – to Whom we want to be married, Who will give us a new nature, and motivation to express righteousness.

With this spiritual application in mind, let us review the background to the story we are about to study.

4. The Story – 1 Samuel 25

In the opening scene, David is found fleeing for his life from King Saul. Though anointed to be king, David will go through many years of trials and tests before becoming king. Saul has lost favor with God. He is jealous of David and seeks to take his life.

David and his men fled to a desert place to escape from Saul’s death threats. Here they came across some of Nabal’s shepherds. David protected Nabal’s shepherds and sheep from roaming robbers and nomadic raiding parties that frequented the area. David and his men often risked their lives to protect Nabal’s property.

a. Nabal Insults David.

Springtime eventually came. This was the sheep-shearing season. This was a happy occasion of feasting and celebration. David sent ten of his young men to Nabal with the request that they be invited to share in the sheep-shearing festival.

Instead of showing gratitude to David and his men for the protection they had provided, Nabal rudely refused the request. David and his men were insulted.

In anger, David took 400 of his men with their swords and marched toward Nabal, intending to kill him and take the sheep they had spared from the robbers. In this way they would take revenge.

b. Abigail Meets David.

One of Nabal’s young men found Abigail and told her about her husband’s rude and foolish action. Realizing David would destroy her wealthy estate, she arose at once and (without telling Nabal) rode forth to intercept David and his men.

She brought with her many gifts of bread, wine, meat, grain, raisins and figs as an offering of peace. She intended to give David far more than he had asked.

Our story continues as Abigail and her men meet David and his army at the bottom of a mountain trail.

Abigail quickly got off her donkey, fell on her face and bowed before David. She accepted all the blame in the matter and pleaded with David to overlook her wicked, foolish husband’s actions.

She gently suggested that her actions were directed of the Lord to prevent David from avenging himself by way of murder. This would displease the Lord – and be a stain on David’s reputation.

She then brought forth a beautiful prophetic word: “The Lord will surely reward you with a royal household that will live forever. God will do this because you are fighting his battles. Evil will never be found in you throughout all your days.

“Even when you are chased by those who seek your life, you are safe in the care of the Lord your God. The lives of your enemies will be scattered as a stone from a sling.

“The Lord will fulfill all his good promises and make you king over all Israel… When all this comes to pass, please remember me ” (1 Sam 25:28-31) smf).

Truly, Abigail was a lovely, gracious woman with great wisdom and prophetic insight. She alone within the household of her husband  saw the special anointing which rested upon David.

In her heart was a deep longing for that day when David would ascend the royal throne. She was a sweet, sensitive person in whose heart there was a godly hope for a better day. There is a tender touch of pathos in the almost wistful words, “Please remember me.”

c. Nabal’s Death.

When she returned home, she found that her husband had forgotten all about David. Even her absence has been of little concern to him. He had thrown a big party and was roaring drunk. What a sad picture Nabal is of our old sin nature. There was no awareness of spiritual things or divine purpose.

The Scripture says Nabal was holding a feast at home like that of a king. He was playing the role of ruler and making merry. The real king (David) had wanted to be a part of the celebration, but he wasn’t welcome. Nabal had willfully shut David out of his life, and was only concerned about his own desires and pleasures.

Abigail wisely waited until morning before talking to Nabal. By then he was sober, and she told her wicked husband how close he had come to being completely wiped out and killed by David and his army.

The Scripture say that when he heard her words, “his heart failed him and he became like a stone.”

Nabal had an evil heart and a carnal mind. This was the character of his inner nature. The name “Nabal” means foolish and vile. Like his name, Nabal was a fool at heart, and gave no thought to the ways of God.

Sobered and shocked by the truth of Abigail’s report, both his heart and mind failed and he became as motionless as a stone – paralyzed. (He apparently suffered both a stroke and a heart attack.)

Ten days later, “the Lord struck Nabal and he died” (vs 38). The set of his life was centered in himself. It could never change.

What might have been would never be. He lived without God or His Spirit. He came under the judgment promised in Romans 8:13, “For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die…”

What a clear but tragic description of our old self-life! there was only one solution to the problem of Abigail’s “old man” – DEATH!

And that, my friend, is the only solution to our old sinful nature. It had to be crucified. It had to die.

d. FREE! To Marry Another.

Our story now takes a brighter and more positive direction. Until the death of her husband, Abigail had been bound to him by the laws of marriage. Now that he was dead, she was free to marry another. We don’t have to go far in the record to discover who the “other” was:

“When David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, ‘Praise be to the Lord! He has paid Nabal back for his wrong against me’.. Then David sent word to Abigail asking her to be his wife…

“She responded at once to David’s messengers with humility and grace:

‘Here is your maid servant, ready to serve you and wash the feet of the servants of my lord.’

“She quickly arose, got on her donkey, and with five of her maids followed after David’s messengers – and became his wife” (1 Sam 25:39-42 smf).