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Abigail
Continued from Page 2

And when Abigail saw David, she hasted, and lighted off the ass, and fell before David on her face, and bowed herself to the ground. And fell at his feet, and said, Upon me, my lord, upon me let this iniquity be: and let thine handmaid, I pray thee, speak in thine audience, and hear the words of thine handmaid. Let not my lord, I pray thee, regard this man of Belial, even Nabal: for as his name is, so is he; Nabal is his name, and folly is with him: but thine handmaid saw not the young men of my lord; whom thou didst send. Now therefore, my lord, as the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, seeing the Lord hath withholden thee from coming to shed blood, and from avenging thyself with thine own hand, now let thine enemies, and they that seek evil to my lord, be as Nabal. And now this blessing which thine handmaid hath brought unto my lord, let it even be given unto the young men that follow my lord. I pray thee, forgive the trespass of thine handmaid: for the Lord will certainly make my lord a sure house; because my lord fighteth the battles of the Lord, and evil hath not been found in thee all thy days. Yet a man is risen to pursue thee, and seek thy soul: but the soul of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of life with the Lord thy God; and souls of thine enemies, them shall he sling out, as out of the middle of a sling. And it shall come to pass, when the Lord shall have done to my lord according to all the good that he hath spoken concerning thee, and shall have appointed thee ruler over Israel; That this be no grief unto thee, nor offence of heart unto my lord, either that thou hath avenged himself: but when the Lord shall have dealt well with my lord, than remember thine handmaid.
1 Samuel 25:23-31

Special Note:

Abigail gave David the proper allegiance when she saw him by bowing herself to the ground. She asked that all blame be put upon her, and that if would listen, she'd explain what happened. Abigail, she took the blame off Nabal, and took it upon herself.

She knew her husband for what he was: A fool. Also, she had not seen the messengers coming. She informs David that God has kept him safe from harm. And that he has held his hand back from doing revenge. She entreats David to except her offering for his men.

Abigail reminds David of God's mighty plan for his life, and the evil doings will be dealt with accordingly. By God. In God's own timing. Finally, she asks that he remember her, when the Lord has brought you to where you’re meant to be.

And David said to Abigail, Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, which sent thee this day to meet me. And blessed be thy advice, and blessed be thou, which hast kept me this day from coming to shed blood, and from avenging myself with mine own hand. For in very deed, as the Lord God of Israel liveth, which hath kept me back from hurting thee, except thou hadst hasted and come to meet me, surely there had not been left unto Nabal by the morning light any that pisseth against the wall. So David received of her hand that which she brought him, and said unto her, Go up in peace to thine house; see, I have harkened to thy voice, and have accepted thy person.
1 Samuel 25: 32-35

Special Note:

David gave praise to God for Abigail's intervention. Her presence and wisdom prevented an action that could have snowballed into something that could have harmed David's future as king. David was a man after God's own heart. When you add your own personal vengeance into the equation, you don't see the heart of God there. And that's when things go wrong. So David sent her back to her home in peace.

And Abigail came to Nabal; and behold he held a feast in his house, like the feast of a king; and Nabal's heart was merry within him, for he very drunken: wherefore she told him nothing, less or more, until the morning light. But it came to pass in the morning, when the wine was gone out of Nabal, and his wife had told him these things, that his heart died within him, and he became as a stone. And it came to pass about ten days after, that the Lord smote Nabal, that he died.
1 Samuel 25:36-38

Abigail went home and found her husband having a big party. He was also drunk, and happy. So, Abigail kept quiet. -- for the evening. But as always, the parties must end, and so it did for Nabal. (Think about it: There you are, it's morning, you have a hangover, and your wife has something to say to you.) So, in the morning, Abigail told Nabal all that had come to pass. In verse 37, it says, his heart died within him, and he became as stone. He might have had a heart attack, or as some commentaries say, a stroke. In any case, whatever was wrong with Nabal, he died 10 days later.

And when David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, Blessed be the Lord, that hath pleaded the cause of my reproach from the hand of Nabal, and hath kept his servant from evil: for the Lord hath returned the wickedness of Nabal upon his own head. And David sent and communed with Abigail, to take her to him to wife.
1 Samuel 25:39

Word came around to David of Nabal's death, and he once again praised God, for staying his hand from anger. The Lord always deals with evil doings in His own time and His own way.

The dictionary states the word, Commune, as meaning: To converse intimately. When David communed with Abigail, she in Carmel, it was perhaps through notes or letters, because his intentions were marriage. And though not much time had passed since their meeting, a bond had formed between them.

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