WOMEN of CHARACTER: ABIGAIL Persistent peacemaker….from 1 Samuel 25 Like most wives, Abigail was able to see the far-reaching implications of her husband’s actions long before he could. She knew that his gruff old growlings were about to cost him more than he could pay. Heaven knew he deserved it. But after all, he was her husband. First, a Quick Read: A certain man in Maon, who had property there at Carmel, was very wealthy….His name was Nabal and his wife’s name was Abigail. She was an intelligent and beautiful woman, but her husband, a Calebite, was surly and mean in his dealings…. David had just said, “It’s been useless—all my watching over this fellow’s property in the desert so that nothing of his was missing. He has paid me back evil for good. May God deal with David, be it ever so severely, if by morning I leave alive one male of all who belong to him!” When Abigail saw David, she quickly got off her donkey and bowed down before David with her face to the ground…. “Please forgive your servant’s offense….When the LORD has done for my master every good thing he promised concerning him and has appointed him leader over Israel, my master will not have on his conscience the staggering burden of needless bloodshed or of having avenged himself……” David said to Abigail, “Praise be to the LORD, the God of Israel, who has sent you today to meet me. May you be blessed for your good judgment and for keeping me from bloodshed this day.” 1 Samuel 25: 2a, 3, 21—23, 28a, 30—31a, 32—33a When You Think about It: There are those who question the wisdom of Abigail’s speedy actions. They wonder whether she preempted God by intruding where she did not belong. They say that she was not a submissive wife because she bypassed her husband’s oversight and approval, and they invalidate her perceptive courage. But the king’s affirmation of her hazardous service to the God of Israel says something else. And although it is impossible to know her innermost thoughts and true motives, Abigail appears to have properly feared God and Israel’s appointed king more than she feared her cantankerous husband. Would the biblical record portray her as wise or show her in a favorable light if this had not been the case? Surely, the meeting with David presents Abigail a remarkable example of humility, service, and obedience. For a woman of faith who finds herself in a relationship with a man in rebellion against God, peacemaking is sometimes thought to mean avoiding confrontations, burying the truth, and smiling through the pain. But through Abigail’s valiant witness, we see faithfulness and obedience to the king rewarded. Clearly, staying silent is not always what God directs a woman to do. –Debra Evans Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace.—Francis of Assisi LOOK AT IT THIS WAY: You might call Abigail’s brand of peacemaking more like intercession—like Abraham’s standing in the gap between Sodom and certain destruction, pleading with God to make an exemption for his poor nephew, Lot. But perhaps all peacemaking must begin in a similar spot—in prayer to God, interceding for another, asking blessing for the one who has cursed you, and opening your own heart for godly examination. When peacemaking is born and raised in prayer, you’ll be at peace with the situation no matter how it turns out. CHARACTER CHECK: When you consider God’s desire for you to make peace, can you see names and faces in your mind? People who need your compassionate intervention or your unconditional forgiveness? Goodnight…..FB
Posted on: Mon, 26 Aug 2013 03:39:18 +0000
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