Abigail knows how to make a plea doesn’t she? She makes a powerful argument for David to
not do what he has in his heart to do, kill her husband. The plea isn’t based in love for the man she
calls worthless and foolish, it is based in what she believes is David’s
destiny, to be king over Israel, and her desire is to turn him from this act
which would be sin, seeking vengeance for the wrong her husband has done David
but not in proportion to the sin against him.
Abigail is a prophetess in what she says about David’s future, it is
absolutely certain in her mind. She is
an amazing woman. She couldn’t have
known about the episode with Saul in the cave but what she says is very similar
to David’s own thinking on such matters and the Lord sent her to protect him
from this sin. The Lord judges Nabal and his actions and when Abigail tells him
what she has done, he dies. David’s
taking of her and Ahinoam as wives does not strictly violate Jewish law, there
was no prohibition against polygamy until about 1000 AD. The Bible, however, does not commend the
practice. Like slavery, it allows for it but only under strict conditions, it
was not to be practiced as other nations did, the relationships were to be of a
different character.
There are some interesting parallels between this story and
the story of Jonah. A great storm rages
while Jesus sleeps, just like with Jonah.
Jesus has to be awoken with the question, “Teacher, do you not care that
we are perishing?” The irony in that
question is incredibly thick, the entire purpose of the incarnation is God’s
loving care that we are perishing, Jesus’ entire life is answer to that
particular question. In Jonah, after the
sailors have learned the storm is all because of Jonah, his guilt has imperiled
them all and there is no hope of saving themselves, they cry to Jonah’s God, “O
Lord, let us not perish for this man's life, and lay not on us innocent blood,
for you, O Lord, have done as it pleased you.”
And then they throw his sorry carcass in the sea and the storm
ceases. Here, Jesus, the innocent man,
speaks to the wind to cease, and it does.
The disciples know there is but one to whom the wind and sea are obedient,
who is this man they are following that He, too, commands them?
Again today we see Paul being persecuted, actually stoned
nearly to death and not determining this to be sufficient to cause him to shake
the dust from his feet. After being
strengthened, he re-entered the city. He
wasn’t done preaching and his act of courage was a part of the
proclamation. We are too quick to head
for the hills when we face challenges, too willing to write off a city, I have
seen it done here in Asheville by multiple people. Paul didn’t believe in
walking away and rejecting places where the Gospel was challenged and
unaccepted by all. He persevered. If we are to raise up true disciples, men and
women who will persevere, we as leaders must also persevere in faith and
love. We know our destiny as certainly
as Abigail knew David’s and it is with that end in mind that we work, not the
short-term.
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