1 Samuel 25:23-31

Abigail’s appeal to David 25:23-31

Abigail’s approach to David was a model of tact and courage. Visualize this solitary woman, riding a donkey, approaching 400 armed men who were riding horses and were bent on slaughtering her household. It took immense courage and boldness, as well as great wisdom, for Abigail to take her life in her hands and do what she did.

First, Abigail took all the blame for her husband’s foolish actions. In this she reminds us of Jesus Christ who also rode into the teeth of His enemies on a donkey, took on Himself the sins of generations of fools, and was willing to suffer the consequences unselfishly. Abigail begged David to listen to her; her own husband would not (cf. 1 Samuel 25:17). Nabal had proudly described David as a runaway servant (1 Samuel 25:10), but Abigail presented herself humbly as a servant to David (1 Samuel 25:24).

She described her husband as a fool (1 Samuel 25:25). Is this how a wife should speak of her husband, even if he is a fool? Perhaps she meant that in responding to David as he had, Nabal had substantiated what others called him. If David had interpreted her description of her husband as disloyal, it is doubtful that David would have asked her to marry him later (1 Samuel 25:40). She might have proved disloyal to him too.

Abigail proceeded to help David view his situation from God’s perspective. She referred to the Lord as the One who, in response to her words, was restraining him from shedding innocent blood (1 Samuel 25:26). She was anticipating David’s proper response to her appeal. She further wished that all who opposed David, as Nabal had done, would be ineffective. She presented her gift of food and asked for David’s forgiveness, again as the substitute for her husband (1 Samuel 25:28; cf. 1 Samuel 25:24). She believed that Yahweh would give David an enduring dynasty because he fought the Lord’s battles (1 Samuel 25:28), not just Saul’s battles, and because David would do the Lord’s will. In this she again anticipated David’s proper response to her request. She believed God would preserve David alive, a blessing promised in the Mosaic Law for those who obeyed God (cf. Deuteronomy 4:10; Deuteronomy 8:1; Deuteronomy 16:20; et al).

Shepherds carried two bundles, one in which they carried food for themselves and the other in which they placed stones to hurl at the enemies of their sheep. [Note: G. M. Mackie, Bible Manners and Customs, p. 33.] This figurative description of David as kept by God, rather than thrown out by Him, would have appealed to David as a shepherd. Abigail also believed that David would reign as king one day, which she had learned that God had revealed (1 Samuel 25:30). Samuel had recognized David as the future king (1 Samuel 16:12), then Jonathan did (1 Samuel 20:15), then Saul did (1 Samuel 24:20), and now Abigail did. She anticipated that day and viewed David as having a good conscience then for not taking vengeance against Nabal, since vengeance belongs to God. Often the early sins of leaders come back to haunt them when they later attain high office.

"He [David] was about to attack fellow Judeans and wipe out a whole family. This act would surely have brought reprobation on David and would have undone all his carefully crafted relationships with his fellow Israelites." [Note: Heater, "Young David . . .," p. 56.]

Abigail concluded with a request that David would remember her when he attained his throne (1 Samuel 25:31; cf. Genesis 40:14). In all that she said, Abigail revealed a godly perspective that was totally absent in her husband. There are many similarities between Abigail’s appeal to David here and the appeal of the wise woman of Tekoa in 2 Samuel 14:1-20. [Note: Cf. D. M. Gunn, "Traditional composition in the ’Succession Narrative,’" Vetus Testamentum 26:2 (1976):221-22.]

Abigail was careful "neither to exculpate Nabal nor to appear disloyal to him. . . . In short, she must win David without betraying Nabal. Abigail devises the perfect solution to the dilemma: she intercedes on behalf of Nabal (1 Samuel 25:24), although conceding that he has no case and no hope of survival (1 Samuel 25:25-26). In other words, while overtly defending him, she covertly dissociates herself from him." [Note: Levenson, p. 230.]