Abigail – story is from 1 Samuel 25.
This story is about the courageous action and words of a woman named Abigail. But a little backstory might be helpful because few people know the story about Abigail but you may remember a few OT stories about David – he was the one who God chose to be King when he was but a shepherd boy. He was the one who killed the giant-sized Philistine called Goliath with a single stone. He was the one who became king of Israel and from whose family came Jesus.
At the time of our story, David has been anointed as king by the prophet but… he is not yet King. Instead, he is leading an army of 600 men. They are protecting the country from outsiders – like the Philistines. But they are also waiting to make David their King. As you can imagine, rebel armies aren’t always good neighbors – but instead of stealing the sheep, they have been providing security for the shepherds of the local landowner named Nabel and his wife, Abigail. Nabel was rich and influential and of the same tribe as David but he was also known to be rather brutish and mean. His name means “Fool”. Abigail, on the other hand, was an intelligent, attractive and well regarded woman.
It was shearing time - which meant it was like a harvest time, in which everyone celebrated the harvest of sheep and grain and had a big celebration – like at Thanksgiving. Knowing that there would be an abundance of food and drink, and also knowing that the people of Israel valued hospitality – sharing with the neighbor and the stranger who came to their door, David sent a delegation of 10 men from his army to Nabel, asking if he would share some of their feast with them, reminding Nabel that they had been providing security for him.
But, instead of welcoming them or even politely saying no, Nabel insulted David and his men, accusing them of being runaway slaves and not even acknowledging their work protecting the harvest. Remember – his name meant “Fool.”
When the delegation reported back to David, he was angry. He commanded his army: “Strap on your swords.” And headed toward’s Nabel’s home – with 400 of his soldiers. He swore to take revenge for Nabel’s insults.
But, one of Nabel’s shepherds heard how Nabel had treated David’s delegation and got wind that David and his army were headed their way on a murderous mission of revenge. So he went to Abigail and told her the story, begging her to do something to save them.
When Abigail heard the story, she flew into action and had her servants load onto donkeys two hundredloaves of bread, two skins of wine, five sheep dressed outand ready for cooking, a bushel of roasted grain, a hundred raisin cakes, and two hundred fig cakes and head towards David’s camp. She followed.
When Abigail saw David on the road, she quickly got off her donkey and fell facedown before him, bowing low to the ground and said, “Put the blame on me, my master! But please listen to what your servant has to say. Pay no attention to Nabal. His name means fool, and that he is! But I myself, your servant, didn’t see the young men that you, my master, sent. I pledge, my master, as surely as the Lord lives and as you live, that the Lord has held you back from bloodshed and taking vengeance into your own hands! … Here is a gift, which I, your servant, have brought to my master. Please let it be given to the young men who follow you, my master.
And David said, “Blessed be God, the God of Israel. He sent you to meet me! And blessed be your good sense! Bless you for keeping me from murder and taking charge of looking out for me. A close call! As God lives, the God of Israel who kept me from hurting you, if you had not come as quickly as you did, stopping me in my tracks, by morning there would have been nothing left of Nabal but dead meat.”
Then David accepted the gift she brought him and said, “Return home in peace. I’ve heard what you’ve said and I’ll do what you’ve asked.”
This is not a story that we often read. But in this story, Abigail acts quickly to protect her family and her community, confronting David with the word of God and bringing peace both to her family and to David and his men.
Abigail had access to some resources to give - did you hear how much food she had at hand? and she dared to speak up when she saw the violence and wrongdoing that was about to happen.
She also reminds David that vengeance belongs to the Lord God. It is not his job – or ours - to seek revenge. Abigail’s words saved David from killing a whole community of distant relatives. If he had killed them, his future role as king of Israel may have been compromised. But Abigail, in her actions and in her words, speaks as a prophet, reminding David of who he is and who he can be. And that he can follow God’s will – and not his own. Finally, she said, “When you are king, remember me.”
There is a little post-script to this story. When Abigail gave away all of the food to David and his men, she didn’t tell Nabal. When she came back, he was throwing a party and was in a great mood but also very drunk. Abigail waited until the next morning, when he was sober. Then, after she told him everything, “Nabal’s heart failed inside him… and he became like a stone.” Ten days later, he died.
When David heard that Nabal was dead, he remembered what Abigail had said: The Lord says, ‘Vengence is mine’” and he was glad she kept him from murdering the whole village out of revenge. He also remembered her request – remember me. He wasn’t king yet, but he knew that she, as a widow, would not have any standing in the community, and so he sent a messenger, asking her to marry him. Abigail agreed.
What I like about Abigail, is that she is a biblical model of moral courage – she dared to speak up. It would have been unusual for a woman to speak up and challenge a man in any culture – especially with 400 men holding swords behind him. But this was especially true in that time. And, she didn’t just protest the wrong that he was doing, she offered an alternative. She was a peace-maker
Peace – in Hebrew the word means both wholeness and wellbeing. It is the way that people greet one another, and the way that they leave each other, wishing each other not just hello and goodbye but that the peace of God be with them.
As I was reflecting on this story of a brave woman in a different time and place, I wondered about how her example could speak to us in our time, in our community – and our country. I wonder how, like Abigail we can be God’s people, speaking up with moral courage and providing an alternative to violence – acting as peace-makers. How can we be people who not only pray for peace but seek wholeness and wellbeing both for ourselves – and our neighbor.
This is one of the things that I hope the new Wildfire faith-based community organizer will help us to do. Much is broken in our community and in our country: too much violence; too much hurt that needs healing. It is my prayer that with the help of an organizer, we can seek God’s will and God’s way to bring greater peace and wholeness in our community. God worked through Abigail, inspiring her to act with moral courage, and dare to challenge the violence that David planned and, using her resources, offering a different, peaceful solution. God can work through us too.
What are the things that are broken in our community? What are things that we can do or offer to bring shalom wholeness and healing to our neighbor and in our community?
It’s easy to think that the issues that are hurting our world are too big for us to tackle. But while there is a need for diplomats and governments to tackle global issues, there is also a need for people like you and me to do our part in our community. Sometimes it starts with an Abigail rushing in to prevent violence. Sometimes it starts with one person, like Rosa Parks sitting down on a bus where other people said she didn’t belong. Other times it starts with you sharing the peace of Christ with your neighbor. Amen.