Objective of this lesson: to stress again that persons who belonged to God often made trips to the wilderness; to note David made a trip to the wilderness; to focus on the incident involving David, Nabal, and Abigail.
About 500 years after King David's death, he still was known in Israel as the "man after God's own heart" (Acts 13:22). In the church of today's America, that is astounding! In spite of his terrible mistake with Bathsheba, a mistake that included adultery, attempted cover-ups, and murder, David was still known as man whose heart honored God as his first priority. His faith in God exceeded his failures!
For a godly person to be remembered for his relationship with God and great faith when he/she made huge mistakes and failures is astounding. In our culture/society, we are more likely to remember a person for his/her mistakes rather than his/her relationship with God. Often mistakes obscure relationship with God.
Please note this "man after God's own heart" spent much time in anguish in the wilderness. David's early history included the fact that this young man had great faith in God. His great faith in God was the foundation for his courage to face and kill the Philistine warrior, Goliath (1 Samuel 17:34-37). Though this young man of faith served King Saul loyally, Saul forced David to flee to the wilderness because Saul in his jealous, angry rage was determined to kill David. David was not in the wilderness because he lacked faith in God. David was in the wilderness because of the unjust anger and jealousy of an evil man. None the less, those wilderness experiences tested David's faith in God.
The fact that David was a person of incredible relationship with God did not prevent him from having a wilderness experience. [Often in our culture, we ask how can someone who made such 'huge' mistakes be a person after God's own heart. To the writer, the key to that understanding is seen in David's repeated humble acceptance of responsibility and readiness to repent. Rather than reacting with arrogant self-justification, David accepted responsibility and repented. When David realized he made a mistake, relationship with God was unquestionably his number one priority--not "saving face'" through an attempted self-justification.]
David, a young man of great faith, was in the wilderness because of the evil attitudes of a wicked man.
David's time in the wilderness was a time of suffering and struggle. Read 1 Samuel 22-26. He lived the existence of the hunted. Saul's hatred for David placed David's family in danger (1 Samuel 22:1). David's companions were the distressed, the indebted, and the bitter [not the attitudes David was accustomed to!] (1 Samuel 22:2). The priest that assisted David was killed, and the priest's extended family was massacred (1 Samuel 22:11-23). David was betrayed by the people he delivered from the Philistines (1 Samuel 23:11, 12). David lived in the imminent danger of death by Saul! (1 Samuel 23:26; 24;3)
David's period in the wilderness was a time of enormous personal hardship. He endured personal anguish in many ways, not in just one way.
Though King Saul made David's existence miserable in David's first wilderness period, consider David's attitude -- twice David had opportunity to kill an unsuspecting King Saul. Each time David's actions proved he had opportunity to kill King Saul. Yet, David refused to take vengeance or to end his own unjust misery. Why? Listen to David's understanding.
Though King Saul was David's reason for suffering, note David's attitude toward Saul. Please note that it was David's attitude toward the Lord that determined his attitude toward Saul. If David had been a godless man, his attitude toward Saul would have been radically different.
It came about afterward that David's conscience bothered him because he had cut off the edge of Saul's robe. So he said to his men, "Far be it from me because of the Lord that I should do this thing to my lord, the Lord's anointed, to stretch out my hand against him, since he is the Lord's anointed." David persuaded his men with these words and did not allow them to rise up against Saul. And Saul arose, left the cave, and went on his way (1 Samuel 24:5-7).Then Abishai said to David, "Today God has delivered your enemy into your hand; now therefore, please let me strike him with the spear to the ground with one stroke, and I will not strike him the second time." But David said to Abishai, "Do not destroy him, for who can stretch out his hand against the Lord's anointed and be without guilt?" David also said, "As the Lord lives, surely the Lord will strike him, or his day will come that he dies, or he will go down into battle and perish. The Lord forbid that I should stretch out my hand against the Lord's anointed; but now please take the spear that is at his head and the jug of water, and let us go." So David took the spear and the jug of water from beside Saul's head, and they went away, but no one saw or knew it, nor did any awake, for they were all asleep, because a sound sleep from the Lord had fallen on them (1 Samuel 26:8-12).
Again, David's attitude toward Saul was dictated by his deep respect for the Lord.
Basically, this was David's attitude: "The Lord made Saul king. The Lord will end Saul's reign when the Lord chooses. No matter what misery I suffer, no matter how unjust the situation, killing Saul is the Lord's decision, not mine. King Saul's death will not occur by my hand!" That is quite a statement and commitment of faith from a man in horrible circumstances!
David refused to take the matter in his own hands. It was the Lord's decision, not his. He had confidence in God to resolve it. That is an astounding position to champion when the person is suffering as a result of that conviction! Remember, David was anointed to be Israel's next king. He knew his kingship was God's will and plan! Yet, David said it would occur by an act of God, not an act of David. It was to be God's decision, not David's. This is a remarkable LACK of self-justification to achieve selfish objectives!
Your attention is directed to a specific incident in 1 Samuel 25. David and his men lived in the wilderness of Paran. Nabal, a wealthy man, pastured 3000 sheep and 1000 goats in that area. Neither David nor his men were a danger to the herdsmen or their flocks. In fact, they protected those men. At the time of shearing [usually a festive occasion--a time of anticipating wealth], David sent 10 young men to request a gift [a reasonable act for the occasion; a request, not a demand]. Nabal denied the request and insulted David declaring David to be a disloyal break away servant.
Be certain your students see Nabal's ingratitude, selfishness, and self-centeredness. Contrast Nabal's attitude and actions with David's past attitude and actions.
Nabal's insult infuriated David! David told his men to put the swords on, and vowed he will kill everyone before the next morning.
When evil makes us forget, evil controls us. Few things make us forget 'who we are' like being insulted.>
Someone overheard Nabal's insult and informed Nabal's wife, Abigail. An intelligent woman of beauty, Abigail immediately knew the seriousness of the situation. She quickly prepared a large gift for David, went to met him before David came to Nabal or the shearers, assumed full responsibility, acknowledged her husband's stupidity, and begged David to accept her gift. Note the core of her words to David: (1) you have never taken vengeance on someone for personal reasons (1 Samuel 25:26); (2) you will be Israel's ruler someday just as the Lord promised (1 Samuel 25:30). She appealed (1) to David's character as evidenced by his past motives, and (2) his faith in God. The stupid Nabal's insult was not worth David compromising his character or his faith.
Take a moment to focus on the two things Abigail brought to David's attention: character and faith. It sobered David to realize that Nabal's insult was not worth his character and faith.
Abigail's message was heard. David gratefully received her intervention. He thanked God for sending her. He was deeply grateful she prevented him from doing something he had never done, something he would never forget.
David realized what an extraordinary blessing Abigail's words were to him, and he was grateful. She understood how to tell David what he needed to hear. Contrast the approachableness of the man who followed God with the unapproachableness of the evil man. The report was first taken to Abigail because no one could talk to Nabal. One could talk to David, but not to Nabal.
Thought and Discussion Questions
Nabal's flocks and men suffered no loss because of David's presence. In fact, David protected them.
In essence, Nabal said he was not indebted to David. Nabal questioned David's loyalty to Saul. Nabal said David was an unreliable servant, not a king. For him to give David food he prepared for his shearers would be an inappropriate waste of food. He even questioned the heritage of David's followers!
She prepared a large gift for David. She followed the gift and intercepted David. She showed David great respect. She assumed full responsibility for the incident. She acknowledged the stupidity of her husband. She said Nabal's wickedness did not deserve David abandoning his character and faith. She said David would be king of Israel.
First, she reminded David that he had never avenged himself. In all who died at David's hands or by his leadership, none died because David selfishly avenged himself. Second, she reminded David that the Lord would keep His promise to David. That implied survival. That implied future. David was in the wilderness then, but someday he would be king of Israel.
He listened, and he appreciated what he heard. He knew she was right, and he regarded her words to be a blessing from God.
David felt like he wasted his kindness. Nabal returned evil for good.
Evil distracts us from who we seek to be and from God. It makes us selfish by engaging negative emotions that make us think about ourselves rather than God.
At the heart of the discussion should be this: insults tend to make us very selfish "as a matter of honor."
Link to Student Guide
Lesson 7