Lately, I've been paying attention to a lot of sports coverage, particularly coverage of the Philadelphia Eagles - the team I have been cheering on before I could even read or write. In the midst of the stories and commentary I have been reading and watching, I came across some comments about quarterback Jalen Hurts that were shared by former Eagles' quarterbacks; Donovan McNabb and Michael Vick.
Jalen Hurts is in the early stretch of his professional football career, but he has developed a reputation for remaining calm and keeping himself under control. Hurts' demeanor has caught the attention of the sports media as well as his predecessors. When asked about Hurts, McNabb and Vick both agreed that if they could go back in time to their early years as professional athletes, they would have liked to carry themselves more like Hurts is doing.
I would suspect almost all of us might be willing to say something similar about our own lives when we think back to some of our earlier seasons. I certainly feel that way about my life. With some lingering embarrassment, I often think about my earlier days when I made some poor choices or spoke words in a careless manner that I wish I could take back. It's fair to say there were seasons of life when I willingly embraced foolishness without even realizing I was doing so.
1 Samuel 25 paints a picture of foolishness and what it's like to be caught in its embrace. In fact, this portion of Scripture shows us the effects of foolishness on the one who embraces it and on those who live in close proximity to it.
In this passage, we're told that after the death of Samuel, David and his men did some traveling. They ventured into the wilderness of Paran where their paths crossed with those who kept sheep for Nabal, a very wealthy man who did business in Carmel. Nabal had thousands of sheep and goats, and those who tended his sheep were protected by David and his men while they were in the area. David's men made sure that no harm came to Nabal's belongings, and they protected his wealth like a great wall of defense.
Having been served in this way, you would assume Nabal would have been grateful for the blessings and protection he received, but I get the impression that Nabal was a short-sighted man who didn't express gratefulness for his blessings very often. In fact, the name Nabal means "foolish", and we're shown a startling example of how he managed to live up (or down) to that name.
After being served by David and his men, Nabal rejected returning the favor. We're told that David sent ten men to Nabal to request whatever food or provision he would be willing to spare for David and the men traveling with him. David's request was perfectly reasonable and was truly more of a request than a demand. I believe that Nabal could have said yes or no to the men David sent, and his answer would have been accepted had it been expressed respectfully.
But instead of giving a respectful answer, Nabal demonstrated the depth of his foolishness and lack of gratitude. Not only did he decline the request, but he also made a point to mock and insult David and his men.
“And Nabal answered David’s servants, “Who is David? Who is the son of Jesse? There are many servants these days who are breaking away from their masters. Shall I take my bread and my water and my meat that I have killed for my shearers and give it to men who come from I do not know where?””
When David was informed of this insult, he was incensed, and he instructed his men to wreak havoc upon Nabal's household. They strapped their swords to their waists and prepared to slaughter Nabal and every man under his roof. Four hundred men joined David as they began making their way toward Nabal's home, but they were providentially interrupted by Nabal's wife, Abigail.
When Abigail saw David, she hurried and got down from the donkey and fell before David on her face and bowed to the ground. 24 She fell at his feet and said, “On me alone, my lord, be the guilt. Please let your servant speak in your ears, and hear the words of your servant. 25 Let not my lord regard this worthless fellow, Nabal, for as his name is, so is he. Nabal is his name, and folly is with him. But I your servant did not see the young men of my lord, whom you sent. 26 Now then, my lord, as the Lord lives, and as your soul lives, because the Lord has restrained you from bloodguilt and from saving with your own hand, now then let your enemies and those who seek to do evil to my lord be as Nabal. 27 And now let this present that your servant has brought to my lord be given to the young men who follow my lord. 28 Please forgive the trespass of your servant. For the Lord will certainly make my lord a sure house, because my lord is fighting the battles of the Lord, and evil shall not be found in you so long as you live." (1 Samuel 25:23-28)
The other day, I was having a conversation with two other men who serve in leadership roles, and I expressed an observation I first made when I was in my early twenties and started regularly attending board meetings. I wondered if they had made the same observation, and I asked, "Have you ever noticed the difference it makes in the tone of a meeting if there's at least one woman present in the room? From what I see, it tends to go better. The conversation tends to be better articulated and the tone becomes softer."
That concept crossed my mind again when I was reading Abigail's actions in this passage. With great wisdom, prudence, and humility, she was able to stop an army of 400 angry men from killing her husband and destroying her household. She blessed them with the provisions Nabal should have gladly given them. She offered to bear the blame for his foolishness. She even reminded David of the high calling God had placed on his life.
Have you ever been interrupted by one of your brothers or sisters in Christ who providentially prevented you from making a rash decision or engaging in foolishness? In retrospect, wasn't that a huge blessing to you?
I still remember a time in college when some of my friends and I decided to do some rock climbing in an area park. We didn't have any safety equipment and we really didn't know what we were doing. As we prepared to ascend, a jogger came by, engaged us in conversation, and said, "I know it's tempting to try to climb that, but I don't think you should. It's almost a guarantee that one of you is going to get hurt." His words persuaded us to give up the idea. I think God sent him our way on purpose to prevent us from making a big mistake.
And David said to Abigail, “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who sent you this day to meet me! 33 Blessed be your discretion, and blessed be you, who have kept me this day from bloodguilt and from working salvation with my own hand! 34 For as surely as the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, who has restrained me from hurting you, unless you had hurried and come to meet me, truly by morning there had not been left to Nabal so much as one male.” 35 Then David received from her hand what she had brought him. And he said to her, “Go up in peace to your house. See, I have obeyed your voice, and I have granted your petition.” (1 Samuel 25:32-35)
David praised the Lord for sending Abigail to intervene. He obeyed her counsel and assured her there would be no bloodshed that day. Afterward, Abigail returned home to Nabal who was very drunk and blissfully unaware that he would have been exterminated if she hadn't intervened. The next morning after he sobered up, she told him everything that took place. Upon hearing the news, he either had a heart attack or a stroke, but within ten days, he died.
When David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, “Blessed be the Lord who has avenged the insult I received at the hand of Nabal, and has kept back his servant from wrongdoing. The Lord has returned the evil of Nabal on his own head.” Then David sent and spoke to Abigail, to take her as his wife. 40 When the servants of David came to Abigail at Carmel, they said to her, “David has sent us to you to take you to him as his wife.” (1 Samuel 25:39-40)
I don't know all the details of what Abigail's marriage to Nabal was like, but I'm pretty confident it wasn't pleasant. Nabal certainly hadn't earned her respect. It's clear that Abigail thought he was a foolish man, and I'm certain she didn't appreciate having to bail him out of trouble or having her life placed in danger because of his arrogance and selfishness. For a season of her life, she was stuck in the embrace of foolishness, but now that season had come to an end and she was becoming the bride of the soon-to-be king of Israel.
Some people look at their earthy lives and think their best years occurred during the first half. Others feel like their best years came during the second half of life. I'm guessing that's how Abigail probably felt. She went from union with foolishness to becoming the bride of a king. And when you look at Abigail's story, I hope you see a glimpse of your story in her example.
Before we knew Jesus, we too were united with foolishness.
““For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools,” ”
But Jesus looked at us with compassion and wasn't content to allow us to remain caught in the embrace of foolishness. He directly intervened, forgave our insults and offenses, and took us to be His bride. Now, everyone who humbly trusts in Jesus and entrusts their life over to Him becomes united to Him forever in a spiritual marriage that cannot be severed.
““Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.” ”
The other day, a friend of mine shared this statement on her social media. She said, "You are not the sum of your mistakes." Aren't you glad that's true? I used to think it was my goal to try to make it through life mistake-free. I've since lived long enough to know that isn't possible for me. Maybe you've lived long enough to know that's not possible for you either. Isn't it wonderful to know that when Jesus looks at those who trust in Him, He isn't seeing us for our mistakes? He sees the church as His bride. Holy. Spotless. Without blemish. No longer bound to foolishness, but free. Not abandoned or in peril, but united to Him, the King of kings.
Please do yourself a favor today. Don't burden your heart with the weight of your mistakes or the foolishness you were once bound to. Jesus has set you free, and He sees you differently now. He's not ashamed to call you His own. He's not ashamed to give you His name. Get ready for the second half of life to be immeasurably better than the first.
© John Stange, 2023
