Contrary to Nabal’s rash response, Abigail approached David with great honor. Abigail is a good example of someone who had a clear perception in the midst of a lot of noise and animosity against David.
Now one of the young men told Abigail, Nabal’s wife, saying, “Look, David sent messengers from the wilderness to greet our master; and he reviled them. But the men were very good to us, and we were not hurt, nor did we miss anything as long as we accompanied them, when we were in the fields. They were a wall to us both by night and day, all the time we were with them keeping the sheep. Now therefore, know and consider what you will do, for harm is determined against our master and against all his household. For he is such a scoundrel that one cannot speak to him.”…..
Please forgive the trespass of your maidservant. For the Lord will certainly make for my lord an enduring house, because my lord fights the battles of the Lord, and evil is not found in you throughout your days. Yet a man has risen to pursue you and seek your life, but the life of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of the living with the Lord your God; and the lives of your enemies He shall sling out, as from the pocket of a sling. And it shall come to pass, when the Lord has done for my lord according to all the good that He has spoken concerning you, and has appointed you ruler over Israel, that this will be no grief to you, nor offense of heart to my lord, either that you have shed blood without cause, or that my lord has avenged himself. But when the Lord has dealt well with my lord, then remember your maidservant.” 1 Samuel 25:14-17 & 28-31
Abigail listened to her servant about what had transpired on the field. She was informed about the kindness and the help David’s men had given her servants. She also understood that not only her husband had greatly offended David, but he also had exasperated David to the point of putting the household in danger.
Consequently, Abigail prepared large amounts of food and rode her donkey to meet David. Besides the food preparation, she must have prepared herself by asking the Lord’s intervention in the situation in approaching David.
Abigail could have carried herself as a wealthy woman who is trying to just compensate for the efforts of David’s people in protecting her servants, but that was not the case. Her clear perception about David caused her to approach him as a servant and with great humility. She reminded him of his victories when he used a sling to kill Goliath. She called him, her lord and declared that he is the future king of Israel. Contrary to her husband Nabal who considered David a runway slave, Abigail recognized God’s anointing on David as the future king.
It is alarming that with our ease of access to technology and social media, we spend less time in getting clear perception of a situation, and we spend more time in arguing and sharing posts that may not bear true or bear any good fruit. Clear perception is essential in how we handle life!
A friend contacted me this week and asked me if I can recommend a truthful article about what is happening in the recent political debate this week. My flesh wanted to quickly give her my opinion, but my spirit led me not to influence her based on my limited facts. So I told her that I am still gathering my facts about the history of this situation, and I would be better prepared to discuss it in a couple of days. If we avoid hastiness and do our due diligence to gather facts from reliable sources, we can have a more productive and thoughtful conversation about the well-being of our nation. The current frenzy is a byproduct of cloudy perception producing rash reactions. This is very dangerous for the future of our country!
What does it take to have a clear perception? First and foremost, it requires humility. Second, we can’t let the noise around us shape our perspective. Third, it requires us to slow down and gather our facts. Fourth, we need to inquire of the Lord and discern between truth and lies about a situation. Let’s put this into practice and see the good fruit of it in our lives as well as our society.
