This is part of a video series covering the entire Bible in 4 years, one chapter at a time. Start at the beginning with Genesis 1 (Youtube link: https://youtu.be/wC2qD4RGOdo)) and work through the playlist. Or go to https://www.peace.org.au/bible.html for more information.
In this video listen to 1 Samuel Chapter 25, read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer.
In 1 Samuel Chapter 25 Samuel dies and is buried. At this point Samuel is no longer writing the book of Samuel, and may not have been doing so for the last few chapters. We know that Gad the prophet has been with David and is an eyewitness into what happens in David’s life. The rest of 1 Samuel and all of 2 Samuel are written by Gad and Nathan.
David goes to the desert of Paran and we meet Nabal and Abigail. Nabal is probably a nickname, meaning a fool and Abigail is described as beautiful. Only a small number of women are described as beautiful in the scriptures, being Sarah, Rebekah, Rachel, Tamar, Another Tamar, Abigail, Bath-Sheba, Abishag the Shunammite, Vashti the Queen of Persia, Esther and Job’s daughters.
Abigail was a godly woman married to an ungodly man. There are women in churches today who have found themselves in such a situation. The NT provides instructions for this situation in 1 Peter 3. As you are faithful to Him, and loving towards your earthly husband, you may win him to the Lord, but either way, you will win a crown of righteousness that lasts forever.
The chapter then describes how David nearly kills all the men of Nabal’s household, but Abigail’s wise intercession saves him from doing so. David had protected Nabal’s property against raiders, and it wasn’t appreciated in return. In the end Abigail saves David from taking things into his own hands, and the Lord gives Nabal a heart attack and puts him to death.
In Abigail’s wise words to David she acknowledges that David fights for the Lord saying, “because my Lord fights Yahweh’s battles.” David was someone who took up the cause of the Lord. We saw this right back in 1 Sam 17 where David was bothered about Goliath, not just after rewards. Do you fight the Lord’s battles? So God fights for David too which we saw when he put Nabal to death, and saved David from causing a blood feud in his own tribe of Judah
Sep 30, 2021 | Message by David Alley