Abigail and David - The Book of 1 Samuel

In this Bible Story, Samuel passes away and David marries Abigail. David’s community of outcasts and vagabonds continued to grow and thrive under his leadership.This story is inspired by 1 Samuel 25. Go to BibleinaYear.com and learn the Bible in a Year.

Today's Bible verse is 1 Samuel 25:39 from the King James Version.

Episode 91: While David was in the wilderness near Carmel he met a group of sheep shearers belonging to a rich man named Nabal. David took care of the men and when it came time for them to return, he sent messengers to ask Nabal if he would give them food in return for taking care of his men. Nabal, however, was arrogant and cantankerous, refusing the men David sent, answering them harshly. Luckily, Nabal's wife Abigail intercepted and interceded on behalf of her husband, restraining David from killing Nabal in his wrath.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Let us pray. And when David heard that Nabel was dead,
he said, blessed be the Lord that Hath pleaded the
curse of my reproach from the hand of Nabal, and
Hath kept his servant from evil. For the Lord Hath
returned the wickedness of Nable upon his own head, and
David sent and communed with Abigail to take her to

(00:23):
him to wife first Samuel twenty five thirty nine to day,
Heavenly Father, through the power of this passage, I pray
you open the eyes of my heart so that I
may know and recognize when you are asking me to
show kindness to strangers. I choose to live with an

(00:44):
attitude of gratitude because you gifted me with so much.
Through Abigail's wisdom, I now know that my first response
is to always show kindness to those in need. I
decree and declare that I am beyond blessed, and I
will use my abundance to show your loving kindness to

(01:06):
all that I come in contact with. I denounce any
mindset that carries a lacking mentality. I denounce any selfishness
that could arise within me like Mabel. Thank you Lord
that my salvation, an active abundance comes from your loving heart.
And it is in this same vein that I will

(01:27):
do unto others as you have done unto me. I
am blessed to be a blessing in Jesus name. Amen.
Listening to these daily prayers strengthens your relationship with God.
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(01:48):
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Speaker 2 (02:02):
Abigail and David. In our last story, we witnessed the
redemption of Saul. David had the perfect opportunity to take
Saul's life and end his suffering as an exile, but
chose to show Saul mercy. The two embraced as father
and son, and David was restored to good standing among Israel.

(02:24):
In this story, we learned that Samuel passes away and
we meet a man named Nabel who insults David, but
the Lord struck Noble dead and David marries his wife,
Abigail has inspired by the Book of First Samuel.

Speaker 3 (02:41):
Hello, I'm Pastor Jack Graham with today's episode of the
Bible in a Year podcast. In our last episode, we
saw how David, despite being given an easy opportunity to
kill Saul and free himself from the king's persecution, took
mercy on Saul and spared his life. When Saul discovered
what David had done, it broke him and he repented

(03:03):
for all the harm he had tried to do to David.
The fellowship between the two was restored, and David was
once again in good standing with Israel's king. Today we'll
hear of the passing of the great Prophet Samuel, the
man who anointed both Saul and David and had been
the voice of God to his people for many years.

(03:23):
We'll also learn about a man by the name of Nabal,
whose disrespect and lack of generous hospitality towards God's chosen
man would cost him his life. Nabal's widow, Abigail, however,
will capture David's heart and the two will be wed.
So let's listen now to today's scripture.

Speaker 2 (03:44):
Israel's great Prophet Samuel departed to be with his Lord.
All of Israel assembled at Rama to mourn and bury him.
Samuel marked the true end of the era of judges.
Samuel's diligence and faithfulness to God was unmatched, and Israel
would greatly miss his wisdom. The era of David was approaching,

(04:07):
and God was preparing him for great things. David rose
up and went down into the wilderness of Parn. There
David met some sheep shearers who belonged to the house
of a man named Nabel. David hosted the men and
showed them great kindness and hospitality. David was elated to
meet sheep shearers, for he was once a shepherd and

(04:29):
loved speaking to familiar people. David was in need of
a home to host a feast for him and his men,
so he sent some of his servants to go and
greet Nable in his name. The servants left and entered
into Nable's house. Nabyl was a hairy and grumpy man
and unpleasant to be around. However, his wife, Abigail, was

(04:49):
incredibly beautiful and kind. The men asked Nabel if he
wouldn't mind hosting them for a feast. Nable laughed and
spat on the floor, saying, who is David? He another
dog running away from his master? Why should I give
my resources to a man I haven't met? So Nable
shewed the servants away. When David was told this, his

(05:11):
anger was kindled. Every man strap his sword, David commanded,
and he took some of his men to go and
speak with Nable himself. One of the young shearers that
met David came to Abigail and said, David sent messengers
to ask if they could feast with us, but your
husband railed at them ferociously. David was kind to us.

(05:32):
They protected us when we were out in the wilderness.
Would you consider hosting David since your husband is such
a worthless man. Abigail wasted no time at all and
began to prepare food for all of David's men. She
gathered meat, figs, bread, and wine. She ordered the young
man to go out and tell David there would be

(05:53):
a feast waiting for him, and she would ride out
after him. Abigail rode after her servant to find David,
who had already been on his way to them. When
Abigail saw him, she hurried down from the donkey and
fell at David's feet. Please, Lord, do not regard my
worthless husband. He is bitter and foolish. Do not muddy

(06:14):
your conscious with taking his life. He is not worth killing.
And I have prepared a feast for you and your men.
David looked at Abigail. She was breathtaking to him, not
only her beauty but the strength of her character to
ride up to meet up. David was enraptured by her
and barely able to speak. David smiled and put his

(06:35):
hands behind his head. With a laugh, he said, Blessed
be God for you you have kept me from mindlessly
seeking revenge. My heart would have been corrupted for killing
your husband. God has restrained me with you, and I
am grateful. David took her hand and helped her on
to her feet go out in peace. Abigail returned to

(06:58):
see her husband throwing his own feast with the food
she had prepared. Him and his rotten friends were gorging
themselves on food and wine. Nable was belligerently drunk. His
burping and vomiting filled the air, and Abigail was sick
at the sight of him. She told him nothing of
her meeting with David, for he was too intoxicated to

(07:18):
stand up straight. In the morning, Abigail told her husband
that she had stopped David from killing him out of
sheer surprise. In a weakened heart from years of gluttony,
Nable died from a heart attack. God had allowed Noble's
own sin to creep up within him and take his life,
so Abigail was left to widow. When David caught wind

(07:39):
of Nable's death, he praised God, saying, God has avenged
Nable's insult for me. So he rode to go and
comfort Abigail. The two spoke into the night. They shared stories, emotions,
and laughter. The two were married and loved one another deeply.
Abigail followed David and his men wherever they went.

Speaker 3 (08:03):
We begin today's story with the passing of a great
and godly man, the prophet Samuel. His death is only
given a single verse in for Samuel, but his legacy
lives on. The entire nation mourns this man's death, as
indeed he had served them for generations from the day
his mother Hannah dedicated him to the Lord and kept

(08:26):
her promise to God that he would serve the Lord
all the days of his life. Samuel's life was marked
by a commitment to seek God and make the word
of God known. This was the turning of a page
in Israel's history, and the next chapter is about to begin.
As David began his rise to sit on the throne
as God's chosen king to lead Israel. After Samuel's death,

(08:50):
David went to Paran, where he and his men met
sheep shearers who worked for a very wealthy man by
the name of Nabal. David was now a warrior, a
powerful warrior of renowned but he knows his roots were
that of a shepherd, and he treated these shepherds kindly.
They were in the region during a time of feasting,
and David wished to throw a feast for his men,

(09:12):
so he sent messengers requesting a space and provisions for
his men to eat. But Naball was a terrible man.
We are told that he was a wicked man, a
harsh and cruel man. So it really is not a
surprise that David's request was not met with hospitality or generosity,
but rather with disrespect and refusal. Not only did Nabel

(09:35):
say no to the request, but he insulted David. He
spoke to David as though he were just a hired hand,
asking to enjoy some of what he had not earned.
But David was not anyone's servant. He was a conquering hero,
the anointed king. His name David was a household name
in Israel, Naball was a selfish and sinful man, filled

(09:58):
with greed. When David heard his answer, his first reaction
was one of anger. So David told his men to
strap on their swords and get ready to make Nabal
pay for the insult. This was not a good or
godly response, and it's a good reminder that for all
of his positive qualities, all of his godly heart, David

(10:19):
was still a human man and dealt with temptations all
of his life. Fortunately for David, Nabal's wife, Abigail, was
the opposite of her husband. When she was told what
Nabal did, she prepared a feast for David and his men.
Then she went out to meet David and fell at
his feet to ask for mercy. Her kindness spoke to David,

(10:39):
and his anger subsided. Listen to what David says in
First Samuel twenty five thirty two to thirty three. Blessed
be the Lord, the God of Israel, who sent you
this day to meet me. Blessed be your discretion, and
blessed be you who have kept me this day from
blood guilt and from working salvation with my own hand.

(11:00):
And think about two things. First, God, in his mercy,
sent Abigail to keep David from a careless sin. Abigail,
for her part, recognized God's work in the world and
made herself and her resources available to advance the purposes
of the Lord. We also see that David acted so
differently than Saul, who more than once took matters into

(11:23):
his own hand even when confronted. As a result, God
blessed David and Abigail, but Nabel paid dearly for his
harshness and cruelty. God struck him down, struck him dead.
That day. David comforted Abigail for her loss, and the
two grew closer. A love was formed, and soon the

(11:44):
two were married. It was a union blessed by God
and would provide comfort to both in the years ahead.
So let's pray. God. We asked that you would protect
us from wilful sins and deliver us from evil. That
you will always as you provide a way out of temptation.
Help us Lord to be generous and wise like Abigail,

(12:06):
and always show hospitality to strangers, as the Bible commands.
In Jesus' name. Amen, thank you for listening to today's
Bible in a Year podcast I'm Jack Graham from Dallas, Texas.
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(12:26):
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