Oct23–29: Abigail: No Victim of Circumstances

Teaching Points

1. Read 1 Samuel 25 and make a chapter outline.

ANSWER:

• 1Sa 25:1-11 Nabal refuses David’s request
• 1Sa 25:12-17 David plans to take revenge on Nabal
• 1Sa 25:18-31 Abigail’s plea to David
• 1Sa 25:32-35 David grants Abigail her request
• 1Sa 25:36-44 Nabal’s death and David marries Abigail 

2. Read 1 Samuel 25:1–13, 21. Why is David so insulted by Nabal’s reply? What does David hear?

ANSWER:

• 1Sa 25:21 Now David had said, Surely in vain have I kept all that this fellow hath in the wilderness, so that nothing was missed of all that pertained unto him: and he hath requited me evil for good.

OBSERVATION:

• “Though David has demonstrated amazing self-restraint with murderous King Saul, he, like us, feels deeply wounded when told that he is a nobody and amounts to nothing. This is compounded by the fact that he had shown kindness and was being rewarded with insults and humiliation.” SSL 39
• Notice what David said in the previous chapter regarding King Saul: 1Sa 24:12 “The LORD judge between me and thee, and the LORD avenge me of thee: but mine hand shall not be upon thee.”
• David recognized God as his Avenger in chapter 24; but in chapter 25, he sought to avenge himself.

APPLICATION QUESTION:

• How do you respond when others insult you with disrespect after you have done so much good for them?
• Do you feel like they owe you their kindness?
• How can you overcome this temptation? 

DISCUSSION QUESTION:

• Why is it so bad to think of those whom we help as owing us their love, kindness, and generosity?

3. Read carefully Abigail’s speech in 1 Samuel 25:23–31. Contrast that to Nabal’s reply (vss. 10, 11). What does this tell us about the difference between the two of them?

ANSWER:

• Abigail: “My lord.”
• Nabal: “Who is David?” 

OBSERVATION:

• Abigail uses the phrase “my lord” 14 times in her speech.
• These words, as well as her charitable gift to David and his men, were able to turn away the wrath of David.

APPLICATION QUESTION:

• What would you do if you were Abigail? Would you come to the defense of someone who deserved to get what was coming to them?

CONCLUSION:

• Ro 12:17 Recompense to no man evil for evil. . . . Ro 12:19 Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.
• Abigail clearly showed the right spirit as a mediator. She showed unconditional love for her unruly and foolish husband by taking personal responsibility for his actions. Yet at the same time, by her kind words and implications she was also able to subdue the irritated feelings of David.
• Abigail is a type of Christ here. The wrath of God is against all unrighteousness. Yet this wrath is postponed to a later time because of the intercession of Christ. At the same time, while Christ takes our guilt upon Himself, that kindness, or grace, melts and changes our hearts.
• “The Spirit of the Son of God was abiding in her soul.”—Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 667.