OVERVIEW OF LESSON: 1 Sam. 25:1-38 - Constable Expository Notes
1. The death of Samuel 25:1
Samuel's years of being a blessing to all Israel ended at this time. David took his place as God's major channel of blessing to the nation. It is appropriate that the notice of Samuel's death occurs here since Saul had just admitted publicly that David would be Israel's next king (1 Samuel 24:20). Samuel's ministry of providing a transition to the monarchy had therefore ended. People all over Israel mourned Samuel's death. Samuel was the last of the judges. David would probably have continued Samuel's ministry and become Israel's first king without the hiatus of Saul's tragic reign if Israel had not insisted on having a king prematurely.
"Since the days of Moses and Joshua, no man had arisen to whom the covenant nation owed so much as to Samuel, who has been justly called the reformer and restorer of the theocracy." [Note: Keil and Delitzsch, p. 238. Cf. Jeremiah 15:1.]
This chapter opens with one disappointment for David, the death of his mentor, and it closes with another, the departure of his mate (1 Samuel 25:44). This suggests that the events of chapter 25 took place when David was at a low point in his life emotionally. This may account for the fact that David did not conduct himself completely honorably at this time. He is not the hero of this chapter. Abigail is. God used a woman to avert a tragedy in Israel's history, again (cf. Judges 4; 2 Samuel 14:2-20; 2 Samuel 20:16-22). The wilderness of Paran, to which David fled next, lay just southeast of Maon (1 Samuel 25:2).
2. David's request of Nabal 25:2-8
Both Maon and Carmel ("Garden Spot") stood about 14 miles west of Engedi and about 7 miles south-southeast of Hebron. The reference to Nabal's 3,000 sheep may be an allusion to Saul's 3,000 soldiers (1 Samuel 24:2). As the story unfolds, we will discover many similarities between Nabal and Saul, and the writer may have dropped this and other clues to help the reader compare the two men. He used a literary device called narrative analogy in which ironic parallelisms abound. [Note: Robert P. Gordon, "David's Rise and Saul's Demise: Narrative Analogy in 1 Samuel 24-26," Tyndale Bulletin 31 (1980):42-43.]
"Nabal" must have been a nickname since it means "fool" in Hebrew. Nabal was a descendant of Caleb who had received Hebron and its environs as his inheritance from Joshua (Joshua 15:13). Nabal was unlike his ancestor in many ways. He was foolish, but Caleb was wise. Nabal did not take God into account, but Caleb counted on God's promises. Nabal opposed God's purposes and died prematurely, but Caleb cooperated with God and lived long.
The Old Testament prophets regarded those who are ungodly, namely, those who do not take God into account, as fools, and He will punish fools (1 Samuel 25:25-26). The contrast between Nabal and Abigail could not be clearer. He was foolish; she was wise. He was evil; she was good. He was repulsive; she was attractive. He was arrogant; she was humble. He was ungodly; she was godly. He was antagonistic; she was peacemaking. They were one of the mismatched odd couples of the books of Samuel along with Hannah and Elkanah, and David and Michal. The rabbis considered Abigail one of seven women in the Old Testament whom the Holy Spirit had graced unusually.
David's armed followers had been patrolling the wilderness of Paran in Judah where Nabal's shepherds had been tending his flocks. They had made that area safe from raiding Amalekites, Philistines, and occasional wild animals that might have harassed Nabal's shepherds. It was only common courtesy that wealthy Nabal would have expressed his appreciation to David by providing some food for David's men. Sheep-shearing was a happy time for shepherds and usually involved feasting (cf. 2 Samuel 13:23-24). [Note: Baldwin, p. 147. Cf. 1 Samuel 25:8.] We can see in these verses that David, as one committed to the Mosaic Law and as the Lord's anointed, was a blessing and an indirect source of fertility to his companions.
By referring to himself as Nabal's "son" (1 Samuel 25:8) David was placing himself in a subordinate position to Nabal. David had earlier called Saul his "father" (cf. 1 Samuel 24:11; 1 Samuel 24:16). This is another clue that suggests that the writer wanted us to view Nabal as Saul's alter ego. One writer suggested that David's request for food and his reference to himself as Nabal's "son" implied more.
3. Nabal's foolish response to David 25:9-13
Nabal was a political loyalist who regarded David simply as a rebel. Perhaps he felt that David was running a protection racket to finance his outlaw way of life. More probably, I think, miserly Nabal simply did not want to part with anything that he had (cf. Luke 7:44-47). He failed to admit that David had been a blessing to him. He also refused to acknowledge David as the Lord's anointed. Ironically Nabal's servants were about to abandon him, the very thing he falsely accused David of doing to Saul (1 Samuel 25:10; cf. 1 Samuel 22:7-8). [Note: Levenson, p. 225.] David overreacted to Nabal's insulting rebuff (1 Samuel 25:13). He prepared to attack and kill every male in Nabal's household that very night (1 Samuel 25:22; 1 Samuel 25:34)
4. A servant's appeal to Abigail 25:14-17 (Lesson Verses)
Nabal's servant appealed to Abigail to reverse Nabal's orders. He testified that God had blessed Nabal's shepherds greatly through David. David's soldiers had been a wall of protection for them (1 Samuel 25:16). One of the characteristics of a fool is that he or she does not listen to other people (1 Samuel 25:17). Nabal was such a fool that he did not even listen to God. If he had, he would have known that David was the Lord's anointed servant (cf. 1 Samuel 25:30). The Hebrew words for "good" and "evil" each occur seven times in chapter.
5. Abigail's preparations for appealing to David 25:18-22
As Abimelech had done earlier (1 Samuel 21:4), Abigail prepared to sustain the Lord's anointed and his men with food. Compare Jacob's similar scheme to placate Esau (Genesis 32:13-21). Was it proper for Abigail to do this without telling her husband? I would say that it was since she was attempting to save Nabal's life. If she had told him, he probably would not have permitted her to go and would have died at David's hand as a result.
6. Abigail's appeal to David 25:23-31
Abigail's approach to David was a model of tact and courage. Visualize this solitary woman, riding a donkey, approaching 400 armed men who were riding horses and were bent on slaughtering her household. It took immense courage and boldness, as well as great wisdom, for Abigail to take her life in her hands and do what she did.
First, Abigail took all the blame for her husband's foolish actions. In this she reminds us of Jesus Christ who also rode into the teeth of His enemies on a donkey, took on Himself the sins of generations of fools, and was willing to suffer the consequences unselfishly. Abigail begged David to listen to her; her own husband would not (cf. 1 Samuel 25:17). Nabal had proudly described David as a runaway servant (1 Samuel 25:10), but Abigail presented herself humbly as a servant to David (1 Samuel 25:24).
She described her husband as a fool (1 Samuel 25:25). Is this how a wife should speak of her husband, even if he is a fool? Perhaps she meant that in responding to David as he had, Nabal had substantiated what others called him. If David had interpreted her description of her husband as disloyal, it is doubtful that David would have asked her to marry him later (1 Samuel 25:40). She might have proved disloyal to him too.
Abigail proceeded to help David view his situation from God's perspective. She referred to the Lord as the One who, in response to her words, was restraining him from shedding innocent blood (1 Samuel 25:26). She was anticipating David's proper response to her appeal. She further wished that all who opposed David, as Nabal had done, would be ineffective. She presented her gift of food and asked for David's forgiveness, again as the substitute for her husband (1 Sam 25:28; cf. 1 Sam 25:24). She believed that Yahweh would give David an enduring dynasty because he fought the Lord's battles (1 Sam 25:28), not just Saul's battles, and because David would do the Lord's will. In this she again anticipated David's proper response to her request. She believed God would preserve David alive, a blessing promised in the Mosaic Law for those who obeyed God (cf. Deuteronomy 4:10; Deuteronomy 8:1; Deuteronomy 16:20; et al).
Shepherds carried two bundles, one in which they carried food for themselves and the other in which they placed stones to hurl at the enemies of their sheep. [Note: G. M. Mackie, Bible Manners and Customs, p. 33.] This figurative description of David as kept by God, rather than thrown out by Him, would have appealed to David as a shepherd. Abigail also believed that David would reign as king one day, which she had learned that God had revealed (1 Sam 25:30). Samuel had recognized David as the future king (1 Sam 16:12), then Jonathan did (1 Sam 20:15), then Saul did (1 Sam 24:20), and now Abigail did. She anticipated that day and viewed David as having a good conscience then for not taking vengeance against Nabal, since vengeance belongs to God. Often the early sins of leaders come back to haunt them when they later attain high office.
Abigail concluded with a request that David would remember her when he attained his throne (1 Samuel 25:31; cf. Genesis 40:14). In all that she said, Abigail revealed a godly perspective that was totally absent in her husband. There are many similarities between Abigail's appeal to David here and the appeal of the wise woman of Tekoa in 2 Samuel 14:1-20.
Abigail was careful "neither to exculpate Nabal nor to appear disloyal to him. . . . In short, she must win David without betraying Nabal. Abigail devises the perfect solution to the dilemma: she intercedes on behalf of Nabal (1 Samuel 25:24), although conceding that he has no case and no hope of survival (1 Samuel 25:25-26). In other words, while overtly defending him, she covertly dissociates herself from him."
7. David's response to Abigail's appeal 25:32-35 (Lesson Verses)
David heard the Lord's voice behind Abigail's words. Consequently he blessed the Lord, her discernment, and her. God had used David's conscience to keep him from killing Saul (1 Samuel 24:5), and now He used Abigail's appeal to keep him from killing Nabal. Wise David, who listened to the words of a woman who was a stranger to him, contrasts with foolish Nabal, who would not listen to the words of his wise wife or his fearful servants. Thus godly Abigail, another wise person, became a blessing to David. Earlier he, a godly person, had been a blessing to her and her household. She kept him from sinning (1 Samuel 25:33), and in return he blessed her further by sparing the males of Nabal's household (1 Samuel 25:35).
8. Nabal's response to the news of Abigail's appeal 25:36-38 (Lesson Verses)
When she returned home, Abigail discovered that her foolish husband was drunk from celebrating. He was totally oblivious to his mortal danger. He was feasting rather than fasting. He was behaving like a king, the ultimate authority, rather than as a servant of the next king (cf. 1 Samuel 25:24). Here is another allusion to the similarity between Nabal and Saul who both viewed themselves proudly as kings. Pride was the root of Nabal's folly as well as Saul's folly, and it preceded destruction in both of their cases.
Abigail wisely waited until morning before telling her husband what a close brush he had had with death. By then the wine had gone out of him. The writer made a clever play on words here. The Hebrew word for wineskin is nebel. It is as though he was suggesting that Nabal was a nebel. When the wine had gone out of him, he was nothing. The writer may even have been suggesting that all there was to Nabal was his bladder, his personal wineskin. David had earlier vowed, literally, that he would not leave anyone who urinated against the wall (i.e., any male) in Nabal's household alive (1 Samuel 25:22). The writer pictured Nabal in the most uncomplimentary terms.
Nabal's heart died within him when he finally realized what a fool he had been. The Hebrews used the heart metaphorically to describe the seat of courage. No courage remained in him. Nabal further appears to have gone catatonic; when he realized what had happened, the shock immobilized him. Ten days later he died, perhaps of a stroke. The writer gave God the credit for terminating his life prematurely. Sometimes people who fail to respond to the will of God die prematurely (cf. ch. 31; Numbers 3:2; Numbers 16:32; Joshua 7:25; 1 Corinthians 11:30; 1 John 5:16).
God struck Nabal dead for his pride and opposition to the Lord's anointed. God would do the same to Saul for the same reasons. Nabal's death undoubtedly encouraged David to believe that God would take vengeance on Saul. David's experiences with Nabal were a microcosm of all that he had been enduring for so long with Saul, another fool. Saul admitted he was a fool in 1 Samuel 26:21.
David's marriage to Abigail 25:39-43 (Lesson Verses)
David thanked God for vindicating him and for preventing him from doing evil. Abigail had been the instrument that God had used to do this (1 Samuel 25:39). It was proper for David to give thanks since he had left Nabal in the Lord's hands and had not sought revenge.
It is easy to see why David found Abigail so attractive. Not only was she intelligent (cf. 2 Chronicles 30:22; Psalms 111:10; Proverbs 13:15) and beautiful (1 Samuel 25:3; cf. Genesis 29:17; Esther 2:7), but she was also a soul sister with David (cf. Jonathan). She shared his view of life and his commitment to God. However, since from creation God's will has been monogamy (Genesis 2:24), it was wrong for him to marry her (1 Samuel 25:39). He had also previously married Ahinoam of Jezreel (1 Samuel 25:43). Perhaps he justified his second marriage with the fact that Saul had taken Michal from him (1 Samuel 25:44). Perhaps he got into polygamy also because it was customary in the ancient Near East for great warriors and monarchs to have many wives and concubines (mistresses). Yet God forbade this of Israel's kings (Deuteronomy 17:17).
David did not restrain himself in his relations with women, and this caused him major problems later in his life. The same words "sent" and "took her" appear both here (1 Samuel 25:40) and in the account of David's affair with Bathsheba (2 Samuel 11:4). We see here the seed problem that bore bitter fruit in David's adultery.
Should Abigail have agreed to become David's wife? It appears that she had a choice (1 Samuel 25:42). I do not believe she should have agreed to marry David, who was already married to someone else (Genesis 2:24), if she was truly free to decide. Abigail may have felt a need for security since her husband had died, and David was an attractive man with whom she shared much in common. Furthermore he was destined to become king. Yet he was married. Her decision is certainly understandable, though not commendable.
We can learn a great deal from wise Abigail. We can see how a godly person responds to a spouse's folly: by preserving and protecting the spouse rather than by ignoring the folly. We see how a godly person responds to a foolish spouse: by honoring him or her rather than by despising him or her. We see how a godly person responds to favors bestowed: by returning them generously rather than by taking them for granted. We see how a godly person responds to other godly people: by helping them rather than by opposing them. We see how a godly person responds to being vulnerable: by sacrificing oneself for others rather than by becoming arrogant. We see how a godly person responds to the threat of danger: by trusting in God and behaving wisely rather than by ignoring the danger. We see how a godly person responds to the desire for security. In this last lesson Abigail is a negative example rather than a positive one. We do so by relying on God to provide legitimately rather than by seizing security.
1 Sam. 25:14-17, 32-38 - EW Commentary
B. Abigail intercedes between David and Nabal.
1. (1 Sam. 25:14-17) Abigail hears of how Nabal responded to David.
14 Now one of the young men told Abigail, Nabal's wife, saying, "Behold, David sent messengers from the wilderness to greet our master, and he spoke to them in anger. 15 Yet the men were very good to us, and we were not harmed, nor did anything go missing as long as we went with them, while we were in the fields. 16 They were a wall to us both by night and by day, all the time we were with them tending the sheep. 17 Now then, be aware and [i]consider what you should do, because harm is plotted against our master and against all his household; and he is such a [j]worthless man that no one can speak to him."
a. He reviled them: One of the servants who witnessed Nabal's response to David's men tells Nabal's wife Abigail that Nabal reviled David's men and by extension, David. To revile means, "to treat with contemptuous language."
b. The men were very good to us: Nabal's servants told Abigail of the valuable service David's men performed. Abigail then knew that David and his men deserved compensation.
c. Know and consider what you will do, for harm is determined: Nabal's servants read the handwriting on the wall. They knew that David would not take such an insult (theft, actually) lying down. For their own sake and for the sake of the household they asked Abigail to do something (consider what you will do).
d. He is such a scoundrel that one cannot speak to him: This explains why they did not appeal directly to Nabal. The Book of Proverbs had not been written yet, but they still knew the truth of Proverbs 17:12: Let a man meet a bear robbed of her cubs, rather than a fool in his folly. Therefore, they made this life-or-death appeal to Abigail.
5. (1 Sam. 25:32-35) David thanks God for Abigail's appeal, and receives her advice.
32 Then David said to Abigail, "Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, who sent you this day to meet me, 33 and blessed be your discernment, and blessed be you, who have kept me this day from bloodshed and from avenging myself by my own hand. 34 Nevertheless, as the LORD God of Israel lives, who has restrained me from harming you, if you had not come quickly to meet me, there certainly would not have been left to Nabal until the morning light as much as one male." 35 So David accepted from her hand what she had brought him, and said to her, "Go up to your house in peace. See, I have listened to you and granted your request."
a. Blessed be the Lord God of Israel: David was on a sinful course and Abigail, through her bold, quick, and wise appeal, stopped him from sin. He knew God spoke to him through Abigail (who sent you this day).
i. David is being taught a good lesson - our hurt feelings never justify disobedience. When others sin against us, we may feel justified in sinning against them, but we are never justified by our hurt feelings.
b. You have kept me this day from coming to bloodshed and from avenging myself with my own hand: David can also thank God because Abigail successfully reminded him of his destiny - to reign over Israel in righteousness and integrity. If David had slaughtered Nabal and his household it would forever be a black mark against David among Israelites. They would forever wonder if they could really trust him. It might also seal his doom before Saul, because for the first time David would have given Saul a legitimate reason to hunt him down as a criminal.
c. Blessed is your advice, and blessed are you: David was man enough and wise enough to take counsel from a woman. He knew that the issue wasn't Abigail's gender but that God used her at that time and place. David did well both to receive her advice and to praise her for her boldness in bringing it.
d. So David received from her hand: It is important to remember that Abigail did not come to David empty-handed. One reason her appeal was effective was because she paid David what was owed to him. When David received it from Abigail he acknowledged that Nabal had paid the bill and there was nothing outstanding.
i. Here David knew the blessing of being kept from sin. It surely is a blessing to be forgiven our sins; but it is an even greater blessing to be kept from sin.
C. Nabal dies and David marries Abigail.
1. (1 Sam. 25:36-38) God strikes Nabal dead.
36 Then Abigail came to Nabal, and behold, he was having a feast in his house, like the feast of a king. And Nabal's heart was cheerful within him, for he was very drunk; so she did not tell him anything at all until the morning light. 37 But in the morning, when the wine had gone out of Nabal, his wife told him these things, and his heart died within him so that he became like a stone. 38 About ten days later, the LORD struck Nabal and he died.
a. There he was, holding a feast in his house: Nabal lived up to his name; he was a fool. His life was in imminent danger - his wife knew it, all his servants knew it, but he didn't know it. He eats and gets drunk as if all were fine, and didn't have a care in the world.
i. In this regard, Nabal is a picture of the sinner who goes on rejecting God without regard to God's coming judgment. David certainly would have killed Nabal and it is certain that God will judge the sinner who continues to reject Him.
b. Like the feast of a king: All Nabal had to do was invite David to this tremendous feast and Nabal's life would have been spared. Nabal's own greed and foolishness was his undoing.
c. His heart died within him, and he became like stone... the Lord struck Nabal, and he died: Abigail's wise action saved Nabal from David and saved David from himself. But it could not save Nabal from God's judgment. Nabal was never out of God's reach and when it was the right time, God took care of him.
i. In 1 Samuel 25:33, David was grateful that Abigail's appeal had kept him from avenging myself with my own hand. This proves that David did not need to avenge himself with his own hand; God was more than able to do it.
ii. Jesus may have had Nabal in mind when He taught the Parable of the Rich Fool (Luke 12:15-21). That parable describes a man who dies with everything - and nothing.
iii. "All which time he lay like a block in his bed, without repentance or confidence in God; but condemned of his own conscience, he went to his place without noise. Let this be a warning to drunkards." (Trapp)
1 Sam. 25:14-17, 32-38 - Pulpit Commentary
Vv. 14-17: 14 Now one of the young men told Abigail, Nabal's wife, saying, "Behold, David sent messengers from the wilderness to greet our master, and he spoke to them in anger. 15 Yet the men were very good to us, and we were not harmed, nor did anything go missing as long as we went with them, while we were in the fields. 16 They were a wall to us both by night and by day, all the time we were with them tending the sheep. 17 Now then, be aware and consider what you should do, because harm is plotted against our master and against all his household; and he is such a worthless man that no one can speak to him."- One of the young men. Hebrew, "a lad of the lads," i.e. one of the servants (see on the word 1 Samuel 1:24); when used in this sense it has no reference to age (see 1 Samuel 2:17). This man was probably some old and confidential servitor. To salute. Hebrew, "to bless" (see 1 Samuel 13:10; 2 Kings 4:29). He railed on them. Literally, "flew upon them like a bird of prey." We were not hurt. Literally, "not put to shame" (see on ver. 7). The language of a people always bears witness to their character, and it is a mark of the high spirit of the Israelites that they thought less of the loss than of the disgrace of an injury. As long as we were conversant with them. Hebrew, "as long as we went about with them." In the fields. Really, "in the field," the wilderness, the common pasture land. A wall. I.e. a sure protection both against wild beasts and Amalekite and other plunderers. A son of Belial. A worthless, bad man (see on 1 Samuel 1:16), so coarse and violent that it is hopeless to expostulate with him.
Vv. 32-35: 32 Then David said to Abigail, "Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, who sent you this day to meet me, 33 and blessed be your discernment, and blessed be you, who have kept me this day from bloodshed and from avenging myself by my own hand. 34 Nevertheless, as the LORD God of Israel lives, who has restrained me from harming you, if you had not come quickly to meet me, there certainly would not have been left to Nabal until the morning light as much as one male." 35 So David accepted from her hand what she had brought him, and said to her, "Go up to your house in peace. See, I have listened to you and granted your request." - David, in his thankful acknowledgment of Abigail's remonstrance, sees in it the hand of Jehovah the God of Israel, who had sent her, i.e. stirred her up to come. He commends also her advice, literally, her "taste," i.e. wisdom, discretion. It is the word rendered behaviour in 1 Samuel 21:13. But for this prudent conduct on her part in thus coming to meet him on the way, he solemnly assures her on oath that nothing could have saved Nabal and every male in his household from death. Finally, he accepts her present and dismisses her with the assurance that all was forgiven. DEATH OF NABAL AND MARRIAGE OF DAVID AND ABIGAIL (vers. 36-42).
Vv. 36-38: 36 Then Abigail came to Nabal, and behold, he was having a feast in his house, like the feast of a king. And Nabal's heart was cheerful within him, for he was very drunk; so she did not tell him anything at all until the morning light. 37 But in the morning, when the wine had gone out of Nabal, his wife told him these things, and his heart died within him so that he became like a stone. 38 About ten days later, the LORD struck Nabal and he died. - For he was very drunken. Hebrew, "and he was very drunken." This was not the cause of his heart being merry, but the result; he gave himself up to enjoyment till he became drunken, and then his merriment was over. When Abigail came back he was stupefied by drink, and it was not until the next day, when his debauch was passing off, that he was capable of being told what his wife had done. And when Abigail recounted to him David's fierce resolve, and how she had pacified him, he seems to have given way to a fit of violent indignation, flying out possibly at her as he had at David's messengers (ver. 14), the result of which was an attack of apoplexy, and after lying in a state of insensibility for ten days, he died.
1 Sam. 25:14-17, 32-38 - Extra Commentary
1 Samuel 25:14 "But 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."
"Railed": David sent his messengers to "greet" (literally "bless") Nabal, but David's men were viciously rebuffed by Nabal. This term emphasized the wickedness of Nabal's action.
Nabal not only refused to acknowledge David's requests (verses 10-11), for compensation for guarding his flocks (verses 15-16, 21), but threw out insults at David's "messengers". Whatever his name was originally intended to signify, his actions betray the character of the name: Nabal means "Foolish." The word is used of a person who is devoid of spiritual sensitivity or ethical standards (compare verse 25). He was, as his servant recognized, a "son of Belial" (verse 17). For this latter term (see the note on Judges 19:22).
We remember from earlier in the lesson, that Abigail was the opposite of her husband. The young men had to be in attendance, when Nabal said these terrible things to David's servants. The young men knew the things Nabal had said were wrong, because they use the word (railed).
Verses 15-16: The testimony of one of Nabal's men affirmed the value of David's protection. It was like a fortress "wall" enclosing a city, providing total security.
1 Samuel 25:15 "But the men [were] very good unto us, and we were not hurt, neither missed we any thing, as long as we were conversant with them, when we were in the fields:"
Very kind and civil, yea, very useful and serviceable, even all the messengers David sent and Nabal railed on, yea, all David's men, and therefore deserved better treatment than they met with from Nabal.
"And we were not hurt": Neither by them nor others.
"Neither missed we anything": Of our flocks, or anything belonging to us; they neither robbed us themselves, nor suffered others to rob us.
"As long as we were conversant with them, when we were in the fields; feeding the sheep by them: thus he confirms everything that David said of himself and his men (see 1 Sam. 25:7), and says even more of them to their commendation, as follows.
1 Samuel 25:16 "They were a wall unto us both by night and day, all the while we were with them keeping the sheep."
Protecting and defending them against the Philistines, who, as they robbed the threshing floors of Keilah, would have plundered the flocks of Nabal. Or it may be rather against the incursions of the Arabs in the wilderness of Paran, the posterity of Ishmael, who lived by plunder, and against the wild beasts of the desert, who otherwise would have carried off many of their sheep and lambs, by night or by day.
"All the while we were with them keeping the sheep": All which showed how reasonable it was that Nabal should have treated them well, and given them a portion of his entertainment at his sheep shearing. For had it not been for them, he would not have had so many sheep to shear as he had.
They knew the men of David had protected them over and over. The men of David needed food, but they would not take it from the servants of Nabal. They undoubtedly have tried to tell this to Nabal, but he would not listen. He was a very stubborn, selfish man who would not listen to his own men. These servants knew that Abigail was a fair woman and they have brought this message to her.
1 Samuel 25:17 "Now therefore know and consider what thou wilt do; for evil is determined against our master, and against all his household: for he [is such] a son of Belial, that [a man] cannot speak to him."
"A man cannot speak to him": Nabal was a "son of Belial", a worthless fellow (see note on 2:12). Nabal's situation was the product of his own wickedness. His unwillingness to seek the counsel of others ultimately led to his demise.
These young men feared for the family of Nabal. They were aware that David's army was powerful enough to destroy them and take what they needed. They also knew that David's servants have taken the insulting message back to David. They fear that David and his men will come and destroy them all. They have come to Abigail to see if she can do something that will stop this. "Belial" means worthlessness. It also, is a description of a naughty, ungodly man.
1 Samuel 25:32 "And David said to Abigail, Blessed [be] the LORD God of Israel, which sent thee this day to meet me:"
Having heard her out, he was overcome with her rhetoric and powerful arguments.
"Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, which sent thee this day to meet me": Who put it into her heart to come out and meet him, and endeavor to avert him from his bad design, which his heart was set upon. He saw plainly the hand of God in it, and in the first place acknowledges the goodness of divine Providence, in directing her to take the step she did.
1 Samuel 25:33 "And blessed [be] thy advice, and blessed [be] thou, which hast kept me this day from coming to [shed] blood, and from avenging myself with mine own hand."
And blessed be thou": I.e. the Lord bless and recompense thee for this thy good advice.
"From coming to shed blood": Which I had sworn to do. Hereby it plainly appears that oaths whereby men bind themselves to any sin are null and void; and as it was a sin to make them, so it is adding sin to sin to perform them.
1 Samuel 25:34 "For in very deed, [as] the LORD God of Israel liveth, which hath kept me back from hurting thee, except thou hadst hasted and come to meet me, surely there had not been left unto Nabal by the morning light any that pisseth against the wall."
An oath for the confirmation of what he was about to say.
"Which hath kept me back from hurting thee": From doing any ill to her family, as he intended, though not to her person, his resolution being only to slay the males; but that would have been a hurt, an evil, an affliction to Abigail, from which the Lord in his providence restrained him, and that through her good advice.
"Except thou hadst hasted, and come to meet me": If she had not made quick dispatch in preparing her present, or had stayed to persuade her husband into her measures. If she had delayed a little longer, David would have been at Nabal's house, executing his vengeance on him and his.
"Surely there had not been left unto Nabal, by the morning light, any that pisseth against the wall": For in very deed, as the LORD God of Israel liveth, which hath kept me back from hurting thee, except thou hadst hasted and come to meet me.
David, not only allows her to speak, but receives what she has to say as a message of warning from the LORD. He knows that what she says is right. He blesses the LORD that sent her and blesses her for being brave enough to come with the advice. He admits he was about to kill all of the males with Nabal. He appreciates God for keeping him from shedding blood.
1 Samuel 25:35 "So David received of her hand [that] which she had brought him, and said unto her, Go up in peace to thine house; see, I have hearkened to thy voice, and have accepted thy person."
Her present (1 Sam. 25:18); and which he kindly took for his own use, as well as for his men; for it was a present for a prince.
"And said to her, go up in peace to thine house": In peace of mind, having her request granted, and nothing to fear from David and his men. And so might return home with the greatest safety in her own person, with those that were with her, and be under no apprehensions of danger and destruction to Nabal and his family.
"See, I have hearkened to thy voice": To her arguments and reasoning, which were powerful; to her petitions, which were granted; and to her good counsel and advice, which he took.
"And have accepted thy person": Done as she desired, forgave the offence, and so lifted her up, as the word signifies, and made her countenance cheerful. He received her present kindly, and took well all she said and did; and promised to grant her, for the future, anything that lay in his power, whenever she should apply to him (see Job 42:8).
David forgives her for anything she might have done. He accepts the gifts she has sent to him, and sends her home in peace. David greatly admires Abigail.
Verses 36-39: Nabal may have suffered a stroke. Whatever his illness and cause of death, it was a direct consequence for dishonoring God's anointed king.
1 Samuel 25:36 "And Abigail came to Nabal; and, behold, he held a feast in his house, like the feast of a king; and Nabal's heart [was] merry within him, for he [was] very drunken: wherefore she told him nothing, less or more, until the morning light."
As the manner which was upon those solemn occasions. Shameful covetousness and vain care or restrain were met together in him.
"She told him nothing": He then being incapable of admonition, his reason and conscience being both asleep.
She shows great wisdom in not telling him while he was drunk. People who are drunk do not have the capacity to make wise decisions. She lets him enjoy his feast and puts off telling him to a more favorable time.
Verses 37-38: "Heart died ... became as a stone": Intoxicated, Nabal apparently suffered a stroke and became paralyzed until he died.
1 Samuel 25:37 "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."
When he had slept, and was become sober, and so capable of attending to and understanding what might be related to him.
"And his wife had told him these things": Recorded in this chapter, before observed.
"That his heart died within him, and he became as a stone": He swooned away, became as cold as a stone, and remained as senseless, spoke not a word, but lay in a stupor. The Jewish writers generally say this was occasioned by the distress and uneasiness the present his wife carried to David gave him. But it is more likely the sense of the danger that was impressed upon his mind, which he had been exposed to through his carriage to David and his men; who, he feared, notwithstanding all his wife said would return and take vengeance on him.
1 Samuel 25:38 "And it came to pass about ten days [after], that the LORD smote Nabal, that he died."
That is to say, that after ten days had passed the Lord put an end to the base life by a second apoplectic stroke. Although the death was a sequel to the selfishness, passion, and the intemperance, it does not appear that anything more than the operation of natural causes occasioned his end here. In the language of these old divinely inspired writers, disease and sickness are often spoken of as the special "shafts" aimed by the Most High, as in fact they are.
This is simply saying that the shock from what she told him caused him to have a heart attack, and ten days later he died. This is the way that the LORD had of removing this evil Nabal. God had taken vengeance for David.
