Which makes me wonder if, perhaps, he consulted her on diplomatic matters at times. We'll never know, because she doesn't enter into his story after this point other than in lists of his wives and children, but I don't think he married such a woman just for her to be a trophy in his harem. She was cool headed and resourceful under pressure; qualities David needed in his 'cabinet' , so to speak.
But I am getting ahead of the story...
Now Samuel died, and all Israel assembled and mourned for him; and they buried him at his home in Ramah. Then David moved down into the desert of Maon. (1 Sam 25:1)
I had never noticed before that verse 2 indicates that this story takes place in the region of Carmel...which is on the map plaque at the overlook where I took the header picture...not far at all from where we were that day. Verses 2 and three also describe Nabal and his wife, Abigail. Nabal is pictured as very, very wealthy...and also surly and mean in his dealings...a regular ol' Ebenezer Scrooge-type guy. Abigail is described as a 'beautiful and intelligent woman.' Oh...and it was sheep shearing time, which was generally a time of celebration and feasting.
While David was in the desert, he heard that Nabal was shearing sheep. (v. 4)
This would be, like, a Hobbiton resident hearing that Bilbo Baggins was throwing a birthday party of particular magnificence. Only, of course, it wasn't Bilbo, it was Ebenezer...but David didn't know that. So of course, he took advantage of the custom of the day and sent some of his boys to collect the expected charitable contributions to the folks who had hung out in the area and protected his servants and his flocks for him.
Nabal reacted in typical Scrooge fashion, replying that he didn't think David was of any significance and he refused to share his provisions with someone who just showed up on his doorstep asking for a handout (my paraphrase; his words are in verse 11). David was furious...not just at Nabal's refusal to contribute to their provision, but also at his arrogant insult. He and 400 of his men suited up to go and show Nabal that David, son of Jesse, captain of his own fighting force, was not someone to dismiss so lightly.
It was about to be a very bad day for Nabal and his household.
Fortunately, there were servants who took some action when they heard the exchange between Nabal and David's messengers.
One of the servants told Nabal's wife Abigail: "David sent messengers from the desert to give our master his greetings, but he hurled insults at them. Yet these men were very good to us. They did not mistreat us, and the whole time we were out in the fields near them nothing was missing. Night and day they were a wall around us all the time we were herding our sheep near them." (vs. 14-16)
The servant who brought the message then urged Abigail to do something to avert the certain disaster that was about to befall them, because Nabal "is such a wicked man that no one can talk to him." ...ie, no one could talk sense into him.
Abigail did a remarkable thing. Here was her chance to be rid of a husband who had to be extremely difficult to live with...but she thought of all the servants whose lives were also in danger and she didn't hesitate to intervene. She packed up a wagon load of food...bread, wine, butchered sheep, roasted grain, raisins and dates...onto a donkey caravan and set out with the servants to take it to David's camp.
But she didn't tell Nabal what she had done, and no one else in the household mentioned it to him, either.
Verse 20 says that she met David and his troops in a mountain ravine (see the above picture, lol), just as David was telling his men
"It's been useless -- all my watching over this fellow's property in the desert so that nothing of his was missing. He has paid me back evil for good. May God deal with David, be it ever so severely, if by morning I leave alive one male of all who belong to him!" ( vs. 21b - 22)
Abigail had arrived just in the TA-DA nick of time. She got off her donkey and bowed before David and took all the blame for the lack of proper response.
She did, however, throw a little shade on Nabal -- basically saying, 'Don't pay any attention to that jerk; his name means 'Fool' and he lives it out daily. If the men had come to me instead, things would have been different.'
Then, she pleaded for mercy for the lives of her household, prophesying David's ultimate victory over his enemies, and concluded by saying. '...my master will not have on his conscience the staggering burden of needless bloodshed of having avenged himself.' (v. 31).
David blessed her for her good judgement, received the provisions she'd brought, and sent her home in peace.
That could easily have been the end of the story, but, well, Nabal was still in the dark and Abigail knew he would eventually find out what happened...and she knew it would be better if it came from her. He was drunk from feasting when she got home, so she told him nothing until morning, when he was sober. My NIV84 says, 'his heart failed him and he became like stone.' (v. 37). I think he had an apoplectic stroke. He died 10 days later. (v. 38).
David saw the vengeance of the Lord in the death of Nabal...that God had taken care of that which Abigail had prevented him from doing and so avenged the wrong to David without any bloodguilt on David or his household. And then he sent messengers at once to the widow Abigail, asking her to be his wife.
We don't know what kind of a situation Abigail left behind her. We don't know if Abigail was Nabal's first wife or fifth wife or whatever. Possibly she had step sons who would inherit the property of Nabal...who were cut of the same cloth as their dad...and David was giving her an escape. Or perhaps she just did not want to hang around as the mother-in-law of the new mistress of the estate. Or maybe...it was just that this request came from the local warlord, and it was impossible to turn it down. In any case...she took her five personal maids, presumably packed up her personal things, and returned to David's camp with the messengers and became his third...but more like second...wife.
Her life radically changed in about two weeks. She had been in a wealthy household...and was now in a fugitive camp. But she had been bound in marriage to a difficult, angry, stingy, downright mean man, and was now married to a warrior with a passionate heart for God. I wonder how long it took her to feel at home?
Abigail has been held up as an example of a loyal wife, covering over her husband's mistakes with graciousness. But I see a little acid in her; she called out Nabal for his foolishness and didn't hide from David that Nabal was the cause of all the ruckus, even though she took the blame for the messengers returning to David's camp empty-handed. I am not sure her motive in bringing the provisions was to protect her husband so much as it was to prevent a bloodbath among people who were as much affected by Nabal's surly temper as she was. And...maybe...to get on the good side of the man who was destined to be king. Who's to say at this point? She gets very little press in the rest of David's story, and the son she bears appears in the lists of David's children and nowhere else. Did he die as a child? She gave David very good advice, there in that mountain ravine...to avoid the staggering burden of needless bloodshed. He would have done well to remember that at a later date.
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