Chapter 25

Samuel dies.  Interesting to note that we haven't finished the book, and all of 2 Samuel is yet to come when he dies.  So it is a pretty sure bet that Samuel did not write all of 1 and 2 Samuel.  Also interesting how little is made of his death in this chapter.  He gets one verse, saying he died and was buried in his house at Ramah.  The last of the judges, and this is all the mention his death gets.

The story- the history - shifts back to David and his men.  There is a very rich man, who is not a good guy, and his wife Abigail, who is a very special lady in spite of it.   Nabal is shearing his sheep, so David sends 10 young men, on a feast day, to ask for food for themselves and for David.  David has them point out that they have done Nabal no harm, and have in fact guarded his shepherds and his flocks for him so that he has lost nothing while they were around.

2021 - David and his men were powerful enough to have eaten freely of Nabal's livestock when they were in hiding.  In fact, they still can.  But they have not done so.  Nabal has more than enough for his own, and then some.  Perhaps David is also pointing out that he and his men will continue to respect Nabal's goods, and they are asking for respect in return.  But to me, this also has the look of "protection money".  Hey Nabal, we won't let anything happen to your stuff - no fires, no raids, no slaughter - all for free...unless you'd like to give us a donation to make sure nothing happens.  Ahhhh!  Here is the difference.  David was not asking for payment for promised "guard duty".  David was saying they had indeed behaved and stayed away from Nabal's stuff, and their presence had deterred bad people - including foreign raiders - from coming into that area.  Nabal had profited already from the presence of an armed force in his area.  David asks for acknowledgement of the indirect benefit of his presence.

Nabal says he doesn't know who David is, and for all he does know, David is an escaped slave.  He gives them no food at all.

2021 -This might not be such a harsh answer, had we not been informed already about Nabal's character in vs. 3.  Nabal is not a good man, and this answer is from his bad character, not from and wise and thoughtful process.  Vss 14-17 expand on the situation, and again emphasize that Nabal was so bad you couldn't even talk to him.  He would not listen to anyone.

David has 400 men strap on their swords, he straps on his, and they head for Nabal to do him harm.

One of Nabal's servants warns Abigail of what is about to happen.  She loads up a ton of food, and sends it ahead of her, but doesn't tell Nabal that she is doing it.  David's intent is to kill everyone that works for Nabal, but on the way, he intercepts the food from Abigail.  And Abigail is close behind.

This verse, which explains David's attitude:

21 Now David had said, "Surely in vain have I guarded all that this fellow has in the wilderness, so that nothing was missed of all that belonged to him, and he has returned me evil for good. [1Sa 25:21 ESV]

David didn't want it all.  He wanted good for good.  But now that Nabal has acted according to his bad character, look at where David himself goes:

22 God do so to the enemies of David and more also, if by morning I leave so much as one male of all who belong to him." [1Sa 25:22 ESV]

David's plan is now to wipe out Nabal's whole family and all the families that work for him.  A huge, escalated, nuclear response.

She points out to David that if he continues and avenges Nabal's wickedness, then he will be guilty of blood for doing so.  I believe the point is that David is going too far in his anger about this treatment by Nabal.  She says that Nabal is a bad guy and that it will eventually catch up to him without David's help.  She tells David that it would be better when he becomes King if he did not have this blood-guilt on his conscience.  She begs him to take the gifts she's brought, and turn back.  It is a very fine speech she makes.  David takes the gifts and turns back.

Shortly after, Nabal dies.  It starts, apparently, with too much partying, perhaps some bad wine, but in the end, God strikes Nabal, and he dies.

2023 - Here is another thing, probably the most important thing.  There is not one word here about David asking God whether or not he ought to go up and take care of business with Nabal.  This one time, David just decides what to do and sets out to avenge this insult on his own.  He does not pray, he seeks no guidance, nothing.  THIS is why there would have been blood guilt on him over killing Nabal.  Somehow, Abigail senses this  - or she seizes on it as her only chance - and her words remind David that he has been remiss in not talking to God about this and also rash in seeking to serve vengeance on Nabal.  This is the whole point.  And what a good lesson for David to learn before he becomes King. 

2026 - This story is about me.  David did this once, I have done it repeatedly, including just a few weeks ago with the bicycle rider who had the gall to pull out in front of me and give me a hand signal as if he was my boss or something.  I saw red.  I honked.  I rolled my window down at the stop sign, listened to him tell me that I, I, need to be careful and not run over him because he is on a little tiny 16 lb bike and I'm driving a big car.  I told him that was a really good reason for HIM to stay the hell out of my way.

I am right.  It is a good reason for him to stay out of my way.  That's not how he understood it, obviously. 

And  here's the real point.  He insulted me, demeaned me, denigrated me, devalued me -  in my own eyes.  So I went after him by honking at him, and then by telling him his actions were very ignorant of possible consequences.  These were to reassert - or to state plainly - that he has no authority over me of any kind. 

This story of David's reaction to Nabal is the same.  David had done Nabal a service, and Nabal was ungrateful and showed disdain instead of appreciation.  And that infuriated David, as it infuriates me.  But Nabal did threaten David.  David was in no danger from Nabal, and yet David set out to kill him over his injured pride.  THIS is what we are never to do.  God will take care of those matters, very likely in ways we will never know about, never hear about.

But it is not for us to avenge injuries to pride, not ever.

2026 - I had not noticed this final request from Abigail:

31 ...And when the LORD has dealt well with my lord, then remember your servant." [1Sa 25:31b ESV].

David does remember her.  He's smart enough to marry a woman who is so wise and so well spoken.

David hears of Nabal's death.  He sends messengers and asks Abigail to come to him as his wife.  She is quick to agree.  He also marries Ahinoam of Jezreel.

39 When David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, "Blessed be the LORD who has avenged the insult I received at the hand of Nabal, and has kept back his servant from wrongdoing. The LORD has returned the evil of Nabal on his own head." Then David sent and spoke to Abigail, to take her as his wife. [1Sa 25:39 ESV]

David acknowledges here that his reaction was wrong.  David was not a King at this point, and meting out justice was not his job.  He would have been wrong to kill Nabal, and because of Abigail, he was kept from doing so.  Nabal certainly did not deserve Abigail, and did not appreciate her.  David recognized how special she was.

Here's something I'd never seen before:

44 Saul had given Michal his daughter, David's wife, to Palti the son of Laish, who was of Gallim. [1Sa 25:44 ESV]

David's first wife had been given to another in his absence.  Yet she shows back up later when David dances into town before the ark of the covenant, and criticizes his behavior.  She has a lot of room for that!