Abigail: the peacemaker

I have always had a great admiration for Abigail. Her name means “my father’s joy” and she was a very special woman. Abigail was generous, quick-witted and wise. Her great sorrow was to be mismatched with her husband, Nabal, who was her complete opposite. As Abigail was humble, faithful, generous and intelligent, Nabal was arrogant, greedy, selfish and egoistic. She probably had a lot of heartache and sleepless nights dealing with her husband and his cruel ways. However, her great joy is that God used her to save lives and gain peace after her husband’s great insult. She eventually would become David’s wife. The Talmud identifies Abigail as one of the seven female prophets (Megillah 15a) (Adelman, 2021). Why is Abigail an important person in the Bible? How was she a peacemaker? What lessons can we learn from her story?

Abigail must have left suffocated to be married to such a fool of a husband. The wealthy Nabal would have been quite a catch, but he had a domineering attitude that one day would endanger the lives of many. The news of David and his victories had been spreading. Abigail had heard the story of his defeat of Goliath as well as his prowess in battle and his rift with King Saul. Recently, David had taken refuge in her area, the Desert of Maon, west of the Dead Sea. And since his arrival with 600 men, marauders kept clear of the local flocks, including Nabal’s and he greatly prospered. One day, David sent 10 men to ask Nabal for provisions and Nabal responded with a scoff and refused, foolishly insulting the region’s most powerful man. Aware of the danger they were in, the servants ran to Abigail and begged her to intervene. She quickly sprang into action. Gathering a caravan of donkeys, loaded with gifts for David and his men, taking them to David’s camp. Once there, she makes a speech that corrects the wrong and avoids the bloodshed that was coming. The next morning, she tells Nabal what she had done and he collapses. Ten days later he died. When David heard the news of Nabal’s death, he proposed marriage to Abigail, which she accepted and she became his third wife. 

If there is a theme to Abigail’s story, it would be peacemaker. Proverbs 12:20 says “There is deceit in the hearts of those who plot evil, but joy for those who promote peace.” Abigail is known as one of the Bible’s great peacemakers. When she had heard what Nabal had done, she knew immediately what she needed to do. She gathered supplies and went out to meet David. When she sees him, she falls at his feet and gives one of the longest speeches recorded in the Bible by a woman (1 Samuel 25:24-31). First, she takes the responsibility for Nabal’s faux pas and begs to be allowed to speak (verse 24). Second, she begs David to forgive Nabal for he lives up to his name, The Fool (verse 25) and states she didn’t see his men arrive. Third, she seeks forgiveness and prays for the Lord’s blessings on David’s endeavors (verse 26-31). With her speech, David erases his anger and offers his forgiveness. Abigail saved the lives of every man in Nabal’s household (1 Samuel 25:32-34). She also saved David from sin, reminding him that vengeance belongs to the Lord (Deuteronomy 32:35). Even when she went home, she didn’t immediately tell Nabal what she did. She wanted until he was sober. Abigail simply tells him what had happened and his “heart failed him” (1 Samuel 25:37) and he collapses and dies 10 days later. Just as Abigail kept the peace between Nabal and David, she kept the peace between herself and her husband. 

There are lessons we can learn from Abigail’s story. First, life’s tough situations can bring the best out of people. People would understand if Abigail was broken and weak under her husband’s “surly and mean dealings” (1 Samuel 25:3). She was very much in a toxic relationship (McDaniel, 2021). But difficult situations help us develop a strength and perseverance that we didn’t know. She sprang into action to right the wrong instead of running and hiding.  Second, be humble, kind and seek peace with those around you. Even though the offense wasn’t committed by her, Abigail was determined to soothe David’s anger for the sake of the innocent lives that would have been taken. She took a risk, taking responsibility for something she didn’t do and not knowing how David would respond (McDaniel, 2021), it could have easily been her head instead of Nabal’s. But she spoke with humility, kindness and sought forgiveness on Nabal’s behalf. Third, our words and actions are powerful. We need to carefully and thoughtfully consider each one before we speak because once words are said, they cannot be taken back. Her action was the carefully gathered provisions, probably more than the original amount David’s men asked for. She then reminded David that God had done great things in his life and would continue to do great things (McDaniel, 2021) and not to allow one man’s folly to destroy that. 

In conclusion, Abigail was a woman who rose above her circumstances to change the course of events. Although her culture and husband put a low value on her, she used her skills and opportunity to defuse an explosive situation. I think it is telling that the servants came to her. They probably knew she would know how to rectify the situation. She was capable, sensible and able to see beyond herself. She saw the bigger picture and acted accordingly. Do you see the bigger picture? Abigail was a peacemaker in a grand way, but we can all promote peace in small ways every day. How can you promote peace? Using Abigail’s example, we can seek to make the most out of a difficult situation with humility, kindness and choosing our words and actions carefully.

References

Adelman, Rachel (June 23, 2021) . Abigail: Bible. Jewish Women’s Archive. https://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/abigail-bible. Retrieved August 29, 2021. 

McDaniel, Debbie (August 24, 2021). 5 Things All Women Can Learn from Abigail in the Bible. iBelieve. https://www.ibelieve.com/faith/things-women-learn-from-abigail-bible.html. Retrieved August 29, 2021. 

Proverbs 31:10-31 The Wife of Noble Character: a model to inspire to

Proverbs has a lot to say about women. It is often said that the Bible portrays women, the ideal woman, as a servant. It just isn’t so. The book ends with a picture of a woman with strong character, great wisdom, many skills and great compassion. Proverb 31:10-31 shows that the ideal woman is an excellent wife and mother and so much more. As you read the verse, you will realize that her appearance is never mentioned. She is not described as thin, fat, tall, short, beautiful or average. Because her physical appearance doesn’t matter, regardless of what society says, which is why the section is often titled “The Wife of Noble Character.” So, I looked through the Bible to find examples of women who, in part, fit these characteristics.

The ideal woman is valuable (verse 10) and trustworthy (verse 11). She brings her family good, not harm, for all her days (verse 12). She’s industrious and she works with eager hands (verse 13). She’s a business woman who imports products for her family’s meals (verse 14). She’s diligent as she gets up early and provides food for her family and others (verse 15). She’s entrepreneurial as she “considers a field and buys it” and “out of her earnings she plants a vineyard” (verse 16). She is wise with money and only purchases quality goods. As I read these verses, I was reminded of Lydia in Acts 16:14-15. She was a businesswoman opened her home to Paul as he began his ministry. Another woman is Priscilla (Acts 18), along with her husband, Aquila, worked as a successful tentmaker and helped Paul’s ministry. Priscilla is an example of a wife who works as a partner with her husband and not as a servant for him.

The ideal woman works hard and strong at her tasks (verse 17). She is attentive to her business (verse 18) and she is a hard worker (verse 19). She is compassionate as she “opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy” (verse 20). She is confident (verse 21) and elegant (verse 22). She is admirable and her husband is admired in part because of her (verse 23). Ruth wasn’t afraid of hard work. She married one of Naomi’s sons and when he died, she decided to remain with Naomi and return with her to her home in Bethlehem (Ruth 1:4-19). As a widow, she would have been poverty striven, taken advantaged of or ignored. She gave up the possibility of security of another husband in her home of Moab, to take care of Naomi. She went to the fields during harvest and gathered grain left behind by the harvesters (Ruth 2:7). It was there she caught the eye of Boaz, who owned the field where she was gathering grain (Ruth 2:3). She later married Boaz (Ruth 4:13) and is know her for love of her mother-in-law, Naomi and her kindness to others.

The ideal woman is a capitalist as she “makes linen garments and sells them,” supplying “merchants with sashes” (verse 24). She is dignified (verse 25). She is wise and gives faithful instruction (verse 26). She is watchful (verse 27). She is honored by her family (verse 28) as she surpasses many of the other noble women (verse 29). She fears the Lord (verse 30) and acclaimed (verse 31). One woman I see in these verses is Hannah in 1 Samuel 1-11. She was fervent in worship and effective in prayer as she turned to the Lord with her troubles. 1 Samuel 1:10 says that “in bitterness of soul, Hannah wept much and prayed to the Lord.” She brought her problem to God with honesty and devotion. Another woman I see in these verses is Abigail in 1 Samuel 25:14-28 when she was wise enough to know that her husband, Nabal, had greatly insulted the new king and set out to correct the situation. She gathered food and wine for King David and his men and sought forgiveness for her husband’s rudeness. Because of her wisdom, Abigail saved many men’s lives and promoted peace.

In conclusion, the Wife of Noble Character isn’t a model to imitate but an inspiration to be all you can be, to learn from her perseverance, integrity, and resourcefulness. The Book of Proverbs begins with the command to fear the Lord. Proverbs 1:7 says “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.” It ends with the picture of a woman who fills this command. Proverbs 31:30 says “Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.” When you read this verse, remember it is not about being perfect. While many of the women I mentioned did not fit every verse, they were examples of women who did their best. It is about living life with purpose, diligence, and caring for your loved ones the best way you know how with the Lord’s guidance and direction.