Let's go to the book of 1st Samuel together in chapter 25.
And where we concluded last week, was in verse 13.
So let's begin in verse 14. It's good to see you with your
Bibles today. Let's pray.
Lord, this is your holy word. This is the truth.
This is your voice. This is breathed out by you.
What, we recognize us as the sufficient inerrant.
Word of God, we tremble before it Lord, help us realize we are
not reading a story for moral principles.
Help us realize that we are not just reading a piece of History.
Lord, this word has been given for Archer.
Meaning for our correcting, our reproof our comfort.
Our transformation Lord. We need the empowerment of the
Holy Spirit to rest upon the ministry of the word.
Tonight, we've come to Feast at your table and so Lord, may we
leave here full, may we leave here with a heart that is
softened towards you, your will. Your purposes for our lives.
We surrender. This Bible study asking that you
would take full control Lord filter every word man's opinion.
Lord, may it fall to the ground. May not even reach.
Our ears Olga may not even come out of this vessel.
Maybe your word alone, your mind.
Your will in Jesus name we pray. Amen.
At this point of our study. David is prepared to do
something that we never thought David would do.
David this man who has entrusted himself to God.
And so many ways especially with how he's been treated by King,
Saul is now about to take Vengeance for the harm that he
had experienced from another up to this point, he is trusted God
to deal with Saul. But for some reason, when it
came to the insults of nabal, he thought to himself that it would
be better if he were to execute Revenge.
And this was painful obviously for him because he had given
good, he had shared good, he had provided good table and he
experienced nothing but evil and wickedness from this man who was
supposed to be his brother a man from his own tribe.
And before we even read another verse we can we can come to this
conclusion up to this point of this chapter that yet again we
were given another example about a man of God one of the most
devoted and Sanctified Servants of God and an Kingdom is but a
man's still. And even the best of God's men,
God's woman are susceptible to Temptation and succumbing to the
Flesh. And so may we never put too much
hope in man, may we never worship man.
Rely too much on, man. The only one that will never
fail. Us is the one that died for us.
Others will fail, others will have shortcomings.
It's no excuse for us to not pursue Holiness but it is an
insight to Remind us that we are able to fall and fail,
therefore, we need him all the more.
If a man, like, David can fails, surely you?
And I can fail, And there's much to learn in the remaining of
this chapter. Look how many verses are left in
that chapter. So much to learn from this King
and training but not just from David, we are now going to learn
so much from Another Hero, an unsung hero by the way.
Unfortunately, Abigail was not praised in all of Israel through
song like David was. But nevertheless, she was still
someone to be praised. She is going to save the day.
She is going to through her intervention provide much much,
much instruction for you. And I, I mean, look again at
this chapter and consider this, that most of this content is
given for and is reserved for her speech toward David.
Not into versus not in one verse.
But in many, many words and many, many arguments, surely God
wants to teach us something through this.
Man named Abigail. And that's what we're going to
see in this chapter up to this point.
Look at verse 3. All we know about this woman was
as she was a wife of a fool and that she was Discerning and
beautiful. She was a woman of good
understanding. She was a woman who had outer
beauty, but more importantly, inner beauty and we are going to
see how that's going to flesh out.
We're going to see these qualities come to life.
But interestingly enough what we're going to see is the
discernment of the woman behind lighted, way more than her
appearance. In fact, her appearance isn't
mentioned again, goes to show what God values, we goes to show
what we should be learning from and as a people who are called
by our God to be wise and Discerning and prudent and
cautious. We are going to see some marks
of a wise individual. Of a servant of God.
What was them actually? Looks like when it's when it's
manifested and so the main point of this message of this Bible
study is going to be marks of wisdom.
This chapter is so rich that you can have two Bibles as you.
Have many Bible studies on it but two themes.
There is so much of the Gospel in this chapter so much of the
Gospel. So many parallels to gospel
experience gospel truth. And then there's also the
Practical implications of what it means to live out as a person
who cherishes and pursues and apply something that the Bible
values and that is wisdom. Not knowledge.
Wisdom knowledge is information. Wisdom is what you do with the
data that you receive throughout your life.
And as you hear these different points, can I challenge you to
do something? Can we all do this together?
We're going to hear one point after the other through
Abigail's encounter with David and let's ask ourselves.
Lord, is this true of me is this true?
My life, if not, would you give me the wisdom?
Would you give me the impartation necessary so that I
can be an effective vessel For Your Glory?
Because we will not be effective.
If we do not have wisdom, we will do much harm to our
testimony to the testimony of the gospel.
And so, therefore, the great protection in this.
Life As We navigate through it with all the events and
surprises is to be a people who know how to treasure wisdom.
It's quite amazing. How much of this tax is
dedicated to Abigail. So let's begin in verse 14 and
see how her life In This Moment can help us.
The last scene that we have in our minds before we read verse
14, is that David, with 400? Men are approaching the bowel
and his his home with swords, 200 are left behind with the.
Baggage 400 are Marching on towards this man ready to
eradicate them from the face of the Earth.
And so in verse 14 we read but one of the young men told
Abigail Annabelle's wife behold Davidson Messengers out of the
Wilderness to greet our master and he railed at them yet.
The men were very Be good to us and we suffered no harm and we
did not miss anything. When we were in the fields as
long as we went with them, they were a wall to us both by night.
And by day all the, while we were with them, keeping the
Sheep. Now, therefore know this and
consider what you should do for harm is determined against our
master and against all his house and he has such a worthless man,
that no one that one cannot speak to him.
Him. The first thing that we learn
about this woman, as we read this text is that one of the
young servants, who observed and learn about nabela's words
towards David, and what David, obviously had done for him and
his Readiness to retaliate was that he approaches Abigail his
Instinct. His reflexes reaction was go to
this woman. And for good reason, Abigail
obviously had a reputation and her reputation was this.
She was able to provide worthwhile information advice.
She was a source of guidance. And this says, something about
her character, something about this woman that is important for
us to understand about our own lives.
She was a person who could solve problems and not one who fueled
them. She was a peacemaker, not a
troublemaker. She was someone that saw peace
between relationships, the ultimate.
And then she knew the best way to accomplish that end.
And unfortunately that was not true of Nepal, and that's not
true of many people. When a person is a peacemaker,
Jesus says that they are blessed.
Not only will they be blessed but they are a blessing and
surely that is true for any Community.
Any household, any group of friends, any Ministry, when you
have people who strive for rest among Brothers, they are a
treasure. Indeed, in fact, David himself
recognized the That Abigail was look down at verse 33.
Blessed. Be your discretion and blessed.
Be you who have kept me this day, from blood guilt, and from
working salvation, with my own hand, this woman was a blessing
and it's a joy to know that you. And I can be a blessing to
others that our presence that are words that are actions.
Bring about Harmony and not havoc, and not chaos, and not
disturbance, and not strife What was said of Abigail could not be
said of so many people in the Bible, including Jobs, wife,
have you realized that Satan had access to everything in jobs
life he can destroy anything including his family.
He destroyed jobs kids but he leaves Jobs wife on the scene
I've ever thought about that. You know what that means?
That Satan, with whatever cunning he had thought to
himself. I could kill her but it would be
more destructive for job of. I keep her alive.
Imagine that. And her words, proved that she
was nothing more than a greater challenge to the issues that he
was experiencing. And that could be said of people
today in churches, again, in marriages and household among
siblings at workplaces. That their presence only brings
more disturbance and difficulty when we are supposed to bring
about Grace and assistance and lifting each other's burdens
this woman was was of that sort. And we're going to see just how
Discerning she was and these verses.
But one insight about Abigail is actually found in what is said
about her husband. Notice what the man says that
the at the end of verse 17 about in about, he is such a worthless
man, that one cannot speak to him.
Nabob was a man that he couldn't, he would not listen to
your advice. He would not even dare entertain
the possibility that your input can actually be better than his
Outlook. He could not humble himself.
He would not even listen to what you would have to say.
It was his way or the highway. It was his plan or no plan.
And this individual, whose name means foolish is.
Proving that by this very Insight here, he would not even
open his ears to what somebody can say, even if it was the most
trustworthy servant, even if his own wife, And that proves that
his wife was the opposite. She was open.
She was humble, she could be approached.
She could inquire, she can listen, she could, she could
consider a better option. That didn't stem from our own
thinking, or own ideas. And that is in the Bible, the
first Mark in this, in this chapter, the first Mark of
wisdom, someone who is willing to listen.
Someone who is willing to listen, I love this verse.
I've courted it many times because it has blessed me in my
life. It's an Ecclesiastes 413 better
to be a poor and wise youth than an old and foolish King who no
longer knew how to take advice. What's foolishness?
According to that verse a man, no matter how stately is, no
matter what resources, he has a man who cannot take advice is a
fool. Is a fool and that's Annabelle.
But that's not his wife, Abigail.
She could obviously receive. And therefore, one of the marks
of somebody who is walking and good understanding, is that
there they are willing to give their ear so that they can gain
better understanding. So, here's a question to ask for
ourselves and this Very practical.
Bible study, do you seek advice from Godly men and godly woman?
How does your heart respond to correction, to advice to input?
Is it is it difficult for you to be?
Told that perhaps you're wrong? Or are you in the place where
you are so willing to be in the will of God that even if you are
in the wrong you would want to be told you're in the wrong
because you want to be walking in the light.
There is no way that anybody will graduate in wisdom, if they
can't get this simple, foundational, attitude
developed. I must be willing to hear.
I must be willing to listen. This was this woman.
But we go on to verse 18. DC is second Mark.
Then Abigail made haste and took 200 Loaves, and two skins of
wine and five sheep already prepared and 5c has of Parts
grain and 100 clusters of raisins and two hundred cakes of
figs and laid them on donkeys. And she said to her young men,
go on before me, behold? I come after you, but she did
not tell her husband Abal verse 18, what sticks out to you
There, when it comes to her response to the news from this
young man. Haste very good then Abigail
made haste. Here's Point, number two, of a
person who possesses wisdom. Number one is that they are
willing to. Listen, they're willing to hear
they're willing to Humble themselves through the opinions
and the insights of others. Number two, they have an ability
to foresee They have an ability to foresee.
I'm not talking about being prophetic in the sense that you
can see the future. We'll get to what I mean in a
moment. But notice her promptness based
on the news when she was told from this young man, the
imminent danger. She was able to in that moment,
interpret the urgency of the matter and she acted
appropriately. So she did not, she did not fail
to realize how serious this issue was.
And so she began to move according to the news that came
to her front door. And a person who possesses good
understanding, may not know exactly how everything in life
will unfold every situation or circumstance.
But one thing is for certain, they understand the possible
danger of someone or something. And they know to a great degree
how they should best either approach or avoid approach or
avoid address or do not address. They have that kind of a
concept, they have that comprehension and the by Praises
that kind of wisdom. This is not me reading into the
text. The Bible speaks exactly about
this on more than one occasion in the book that people go to,
to learn about how to be wise. So, in Proverbs 27:12, what are,
we told the prudent sees danger and hides himself but the simple
go on and suffer, they suffer for it.
So, a wise person is able to look out into the Horizon and
know what to do based on what is coming their way, they live,
with a sense of being prepared, they, they work.
Proactively now, always reacting.
And this woman is proving that there are many things in life
that will cause you. And I in wisdom to not respond
to words of people, the actions of people to say this is not
worth investing and iota of energy.
Right? David did that with his older
brothers brother was trying to scorn him and lock him in
public. And they was like, okay okay I
got it. I got bigger things to do here
and so we had to be careful not to invest things into battles
that don't matter in the end. But you have some people have
this idea of wisdom and it's not wisdom that no matter what the
situation is. Just leave it to God, it sounds
spiritual, let God deal with it, let God deal.
And yes, it's true. There are some things that we
have to which are out of our control.
Say, Lord, Can't do anything about this, you must intervene.
But if we think that everything that happens in life has to be
God, dealing with it, meaning that we don't, we don't lift our
hands, we don't move, we don't plan.
Then we have a lot of issues with many men and women of
scripture, including Paul, if Paul said, just leave it to God,
don't worry about it. You know, it's his church.
He can take care of it, then. Why did he name so many names?
21. Christians about agitators and
false teachers. Why did he warn churches?
Be careful of these individuals, just leave it to the Lord.
The Lord no, don't do that. Don't do that all the time.
That's not wise but you have people who give that kind of
advice for every single thing just the Lord will know.
God gives you instructions to do something, he gives you
principles, he gives you guidelines of how to go about
certain things and he will hold us accountable for it.
And so we have to we have to pull back and realize that there
are moments where the best thing to do is Be quiet and let the
Lord fight that battle. And there are other times where
God expects us to do something, how do you know what to do at
what point with what situation? Well, that's where wisdom comes
in. That's that's why we need God to
give us that frame of mind to go.
This is the Lord's. This is where I have to do
something prayerfully. Yes, inquiring God to empower me
and to give me the guidance, But ultimately, I got to do
something here. And that's what we see here.
Look at verse 34. Look.
How David comments about Abigail's intervention.
For surely as the Lord, the god of Israel Lives who has
restrained me from hurting you, unless you had hurried and come
to meet me. Truly by morning, there are not
been left to nibble so much as one male you didn't come and
show up. You all would have been dead.
Your timing. Your promptness was a God thing.
But look at her the same woman who acted in such promptness.
Look at her patients in verse 36 and dealing with her husband and
Abigail came to Nepal and behold.
He was holding a feast in his house like the Feast of a king.
And the ball is heart was Marry within him for, he was very
drunk so she told them nothing at all until the morning light.
You see, there was a moment to act, there was a moment to wait
and the context the context will determine that and the wisdom
will know what to say went to Saint.
Is this the time, is this not the time so there's no code of
what to do in every situation. You realize that right?
The Bible would be this big but what God does is he impart
something known as wisdom. So that even in 2022 when you're
in a situation that is not necessarily in a book of the
Bible, you know how to go about in the most righteous and God
glorifying way. And with this woman she knew
when to act shoot she knew where not to act, and both were very,
very prosperous. And as I look at this, as I look
at her, promptness, her Readiness, her hastiness to act
upon the news that she receives. Don't you, don't?
You get a gospel, a gospel idea here.
That she receives some news of imminent judgment and her
comprehension was to be urgent with her response and that is
the same. That is the same kind of
attitude people must have when it comes to receiving the news
of the Gospel. To promptly, realize the urgency
of the matter and to respond to the demands of such a truth.
As soon as possible, she did not delay.
She did not. Wait, she did not think we know
this. This can hold off till next week
she realized though not knowing when it was about to happen.
That there was a man coming though, unjust was his
Vengeance? There is one coming who is just
with his vengeance. And Paul gave us the timeframe
of how every person should respond to that.
Truth today is the day of salvation.
Now why would you wait till tomorrow?
If we looked at abigaile in this situation and she said you know
I'll think about it I got to contemplate other Concepts
first. I got to realize if I really
want to get into this and we would say whatever foolish.
You're a fool. Why would you even hold off on
that? It's coming?
Whether you realize it or not, whether you believe it or not,
it's going to happen. And so, if we would call Abigail
a fool for reacting in such a way with such delay in
hesitation, what we tell. If those who do the same with
the coming Christ, the ultimate manifestation of foolishness.
And so we see that there is an ability to interpret the timing
of things, the context of things and 24, see where things can go,
that can only come when God by his Spirit through his word in
prayer, gives you something known as wisdom.
Look at verse 19, and she said to her young men, go on before
me, behold? I come after you, but she did
not tell her husband about Here's the third Mark of wisdom.
First was you're able to listen second there is an ability to
foreseen to act to act based on the unique situation.
What to do, what not to do. Let me let me emphasize that
point again. Solomon knew what to do when
those two women came arguing for who who belong to the baby whose
mother was the baby and he goes, give me his sword cut in half.
Give them each a piece. Where did that come from?
It didn't come from the book of
Deuteronomy. You can't find a verse on that.
Prior to that he asked God for wisdom and God gave him the
exact ability to know how to evaluate and move about in a
situation that was extremely unique.
So unique was a and so profound was it that they said, this was
from God. What's the wisdom here in verse
19? Very good.
But she did not tell her husband Duvall.
Now, I don't know if that would sound like wisdom to us, but it
is because wisdom is not just knowing what to say, it's
knowing what not to say. Wisdom is not just being able to
give out wonderful truths about life and how to go about certain
situation. Wisdom also knows how to sing
even the right thing to the wrong person.
This is Beyond Basics, this is deeper than that.
And we see that here with this woman.
Unfortunately, in this case, the person who is intentionally
uninformed was their own husband.
So we can't look at this as a proof.
Text of being conniving and deceiving and being sneaky
especially when it comes to marriage because a man and woman
and that Covenant are one. They share many things together.
But as we come to a text like this, although she's not working
against her husband, she is doing something that her husband
should have been doing. Remember the bowel was not just
being rude to David nabarro was breaking God's commands in his
treatment of David by not providing from as a script.
Sure says to provide. So what she is doing here, is
she is paying the debt that the Manos.
She is stepping up because he would not step up and she and
wisdom knew. If I include him in this, it
will be to our own destruction because surely he would object
and there will be chaos and it will be to his own demise.
And so the best thing to do though it was a difficult thing
to do. Was I cannot tell this man, he
is just too foolish. She knew that the servants knew
that the only person who didn't believe that was himself, But
the principle is still here, right?
Obviously the situation is unique, this is a matter of life
and death, it's not a matter of you should buy certain piece of
furniture for the house or not. You're not telling your hubby,
that's not what it is. We're going to die here and so
she needed to come and she needed to step up and she needed
to exclude him for his own life. And for her own life, or for
many other people's lives, wisdom knows what not to say.
And what not to say to certain people.
That's not being secretive, that's being prudent and
responsible. Foolishness is seen in the
person who is unable to conceal. Who is unable to reserve things
for the thrill of being some kind of informant.
For the thrill of engaging in conversations that can easily to
gossip. And other Troublesome talk a
person who is wise is quiet. They know that even what is
true. And right, if it's in the hands
of the immature or those who are not able to deal with such
information that could be more harmful than anything else.
The Bible tells us in Proverbs 20, do not associate with a
simple babbler. Somebody that can't just stop
talking somebody that just doesn't they don't.
Local 8, their words. They just just word vomit on
everything and everybody. All right, somebody jokingly
said, if you want news to get across the land, don't go to
your local news station. Just go to your local church.
People in the church are very good at spreading information,
very fast and it's information that not needed to be spread.
And yet, here we see that this woman knew what not to say and
that was actually for the greater good, that was for the
greater good. I can give you many examples of
what that looks like, but let me just ask you this question.
Remember we're examining ourselves.
Do you always have their urge to share everything that you learn,
or you experience in life? Is there any privacy in your
life? You know, God even encourages
you and I to keep things secret You know that right?
No, is it looking me like I'm lying, doesn't he tell you when
you pray to do it in secret? Did he tell you when you fast to
do it in secret, didn't you say when you give to do it in
secret, you know, we talked about being having an intimate
relationship with the Lord. But there's nothing intimate
about it. God, even in him, he wants
things to be one-on-one to certain level.
Yes, we live in community, and we live openly, and we're
transparent for the sake of accountability.
But there must be some things that are just between us and
him. He tells us that he tells us
that I remember a young brother who was young in the faith?
When he first got saved, he poor fellow.
He thought that he can trust every Christian that he talked
to you. And so when he first got saved
he starts he just joined a local church.
He was telling everybody what God was revealing to his heart,
what God was calling him to do? How I think God is going to take
me there and do this with me and somebody wisely?
Put them aside maybe you broke his heart but it's okay.
He can't be doing that stuff. Why I'm with Christians?
I'm in the church. Yeah you'll figure it out long
enough. And that person learn from a
wise individual, but he also learned from experience.
And so there is a wisdom in knowing how to conceal and not
being a person who continually and always reveals, whether
that's your personal information, whether that's what
you see, whether it's about the sins of other people.
Joseph got in a lot of trouble for it by sharing his dreams,
right? I mean, talk about immaturity,
you share it the first time, and you can tell that they're acting
different around you, and you go ahead and you add fuel to the
fire. And you tell them this next
dream, There's wisdom and concealing.
Let's read on here in verse 20 and as she rode on the donkey
and Kane under cover of the mountain.
Behold David and his men came down toward her and she met them
now. David had said, surely in vain
have I guarded all that this fellow has in the wilderness so
that nothing was missed of all that belonged to him and he has
returned me, evil for good. God do so to the enemies of
David and more also, if by morning, I leave so much as one
male of all who belong to him. Now before we go into this next
point the scripture, it's almost like we're getting a scene cut.
As we now see in the suspense is building of Abigail preparing
the provision for this man. We come to the man and we can
see the fumes from his head and we even see the frustration.
So boiled over in his heart. So burning in his soul that he's
actually voicing. What is bothering him to the
Bone. He's actually talking to
himself. How much this man is consumed
with rage. And as you read her, you get an
idea of why he is angry, and it's really an inside of why
many people are disappointed in their Christian walk.
Notice what he says here Now, David had said in verse 21,
surely in vain, I have guarded, all that this fellow has in the
wilderness. David believed for a moment that
his efforts that his service, that his sacrifice was a waste.
Because I just wasted my time. I wasted my energy.
I wasted my love. And you know what?
My brother, my sister, you will open yourself up to a lot of
disappointment in your Christian walk.
If you are only looking for rewards in this life, Because
you have many people that are ready to give up simply because
they didn't receive the praise that they were expecting for
their service and you have people who are not only just
willing to give up their ready to turn their back on God
altogether because they receive unjust treatment for their for
their good. If you view your ministry in
light of how David viewed his service, you're setting yourself
up to not have great longevity in your faithfulness to the
Lord. you're setting yourself up for much internal turmoil, if
you just see your reward in this life, And not just
disappointment. If you're not careful, that kind
of frustration can lead to justifying certain sins and
compromise to medicate yourself because sin always promises
immediate rewarding gratification.
And this man wanted to satisfy to a certain degree, I wanted to
just kill all these people and a mini genocide.
You know what the antidote is, you know, what the remedy is to
this believe. With all your heart that there
is a God in heaven, who is keeping a count of all your
works. All your Works ones that you
would even consider to be worthy to be rewarded.
And I believe God knew God knew that in his people throughout
time Woodfield, The Temptations. That David is saying with
believe those lies. And so throughout the
scriptures, he's given many promises and assurances that
there is a day coming where I will look you in the eyes and I
will reward you though men have ignored you and dismissed you
One of my favorite scriptures is in the New Testament.
It's in Hebrews chapter 6, verse 10.
Look what the author says for, God is Not unjust for God is Not
unjust. So as to overlook your work and
the love that you have shown for his name and serving the Saints
as you still do, men might be unjust.
Even your spiritual leaders might be unjust by taking
advantage of your never thanking you or never giving you the
appreciation. That you believe you deserve but
God is Not unjust to overlook what you do for the Saints.
He will, in fact, rewards you and it will be greater than if
all the world was given to. You see, if David believe that
what he had done for Anna ball, don't he was mistreated.
I'm sure that this would have subsided much more than What's
Happening Here. But we're coming back to
Abigail, right? She's about to face this enraged
Warrior. When Abigail saw David and verse
23, she hurried and got down from the donkey and fell before
David on her face and bowed to the ground.
She fell at his feet and said, on me alone, my Lord be the
guilt. Please let your servant speak in
your ears and hear the words of your servant, all right.
Marks of wisdom, number one, you're able to listen number
two, you have an ability to foresee.
You don't have blinders on you, understand that possible dangers
of rewards. The best outcome of the
decisions that you would make in a certain circumstance.
Number three, we learned that wisdom also knows not what to
say. And to say the right thing to
the wrong person is not beneficial.
There is an element of concealment for the sake of
people's protection and your own protection at times number, for
a wise person, possesses a calculated ability to approach a
specific audience in a specific way.
A wise person knows what to say how to say it, depending on the
person, who is receiving, what you want to offer.
And that's what we see in this woman.
This encounter, this confrontation is very unique, it
is dripping with Grace. It is dripping with Divine
wisdom and it is an encouragement in a world where
you will deal with conflict and people who will step on your
toes. And that's what we see with this
woman. She comes to David and what's
the first thing that she does in verse 23?
She falls before him. She bowed before him before she
says anything. She's already demonstrating a
posture of respect. I love that.
You know why? Because not only with all the
supplies that she brought all the food that she brought not
only is she supplying and paying for the debt that the mall did
not pay. She's also providing the respect
that he refused to give. She comes with humility and she
falls at his feet. And she gently appeals to him.
Read this. I don't know if you read it
before the Bible study, read it. After you'll realize it, as we
read it together, how many times she refers to him as my Lord, my
Lord, my Lord, my Lord, my Lord, my Lord, this is this is amazing
because she's doing the exact opposite of what her husband was
doing. She knows exactly what the wound
is, as she's treating it. She's not just she's doing
something very, very intentional here.
And what I love about her initial approach, is that she
could have come off immediately with a sharp rebuke.
You know why? Because David is about to do
something that is extremely sinful.
He's about to kill people unjustly.
And maybe with the news coming to us about a person who was
about to do that, and with the power that you have, as a
wealthy woman with, with many servants, at your disposal, she
could have come on. His, what do you think you are?
What do you think you're doing? Would it would have been
Justified? Perhaps would have been the best
option. Perhaps not wouldn't be the most
effective way of approaching the situation.
She comes in a way that wins David and his attention and his
willingness to pause and consider what she has to say.
That's wisdom that is wisdom. And we heard it earlier about
how a gentle answer turns away wrath, you know, I've put that
to test a couple of times in my life with strangers and it works
it actually works especially in a day and especially in a nation
like America where it doesn't take much for people to be upset
with you. It's incredible.
And we see it. We see it lived out.
Here she respects the man, she comes with that kind of Aura.
She comes with that kind of attitude, and what's even more
impressive. Was she is a wealthy and
beautiful woman. She didn't come with a sense of
superiority. She didn't come with a snobby,
kind of feel about her. She came like a servant.
She came and bowed before him. That's amazing because I learned
by that this woman though. She had the money though, she
had the beauty that didn't poison her character.
She didn't, she didn't, she didn't allow that to interfere
with her treatment of other people.
And so, when she comes with this, we learn here that the
fragrance of humility is attractive.
And you and I are to apply that as a perfume on our garment, so
that the closer we get to people, the more inviting we are
because nothing repels people more than pride and arrogance.
Even if what you have to say is right, if you stink with that
stench people want to walk away from you without even giving you
a chance to say what you think you have to say.
She's so, she's so adorable. Not an acute sense.
But in the sense of just just her sensitivity and our
willingness to come solo is wonderful and look what she does
here, in verse 24. On me alone, my Lord be the
guilt. Please let your servant speak in
your ears and hear the words of your servant this machine.
This is so she doesn't come with respect.
Now she comes, she's coming with a form of repentance.
She says put the guilt on me now.
Hold on that seems Noble. But that's also that's also
wrong to our sense of justice because we know that the person
who's in the wrong is Annabelle. Not her and she admits that in
the next verse. She confesses I was ignorant of
what took place here, but she still has her initial call to
him. Wants to take the attention away
from the ball and put it on her and she's willing to pay for
whatever. Ball.
Her husband has caused. This is astounding.
Now, here's the prophetic picture.
Who does that sound like? Your lord.
Our savior. Who is more beautiful than
10,000? Who's wiser than Solomon?
and who like, Abigail is willing to stand in the way between
Wrath, and the guilty. Who's willing to take the guilt
of another and for it to be placed upon herself.
This is, this is a picture of Christ.
Let me stand in the way. Though, they are deserving of
it. I will take it upon myself.
And I will do so in the form of great humility.
As we were told in Philippians 2 that he humbled himself by
becoming a servant and dying, not just any death, but even
death on a cross. And so we see gospel picture
here. But we also see something very
very, very important when it comes to our practical life,
right? What she is doing and her desire
to evade this, and to bring this to rest, is that she is not
downplaying. The seriousness of the offense,
she's not ignoring she is not trying to dismiss or give excuse
of what was done against David listen, and she doesn't a 25
look here. Let not my Lord regard.
This worthless fellow nutball for as his name is.
So is he in the ball? Is his name and Folly is with
him but I yours Servant did not see the young men of my Lord
whom you sent. Is that sound like somebody who
is downplaying, what happened? No, she's calling it as it is,
and she is pinning. The guilt exactly where it
should go. She's recognizing the
foolishness of this man. And that is good, because if you
and I are striving to bring about reconciliation, whether in
our own lives are between others, one of the worst things
that you can do is either make an excuse, or to dismiss the
pain. At somebody experienced from the
wrong wrong of somebody else. This is especially hard when we
are the offender and we are at a crisis, you have to reconcile.
So let me just do this and you approach the person that you
have offended and in that process you are we've all done
it. We've all we've all thought it.
How can I downplay my offense as much as possible?
And the reason why we do that is because we don't want our pride
to be hurt, right? You're saying, why is that?
Why is that our inclination? Because we inherited from Adam
and Eve, that's why. Almost immediately after the
fall, one of the reflexes of men and his Fallen state was ago.
It's her fault. Yeah I did it but you did that
for me to do this. Have you said it before?
Have you thought of before? Nothing of the sort from this
woman. Because you and I have to
determine in those moments of potential reconciliation.
Am I willing for my pride to be hurt so that the hurt can be
restored. Am I willing for my pride to be
hurt so that the genuinely hurting can be healed?
That's going to require acknowledgement.
It's going to require honest assessment.
I was wrong. I cannot tell you how over the
years of seeing people attempt to reconcile how that is one of
the most powerful healing forces.
To seeing something rebuild again.
When there's like no hint of excuses, just like I'm wrong.
It's wrong. It was evil.
It was wicked. I was in the flesh.
It just like you can even in the atmosphere just like something
happens. This is what she's doing and I
have a feeling that in this moment already.
There was cool water poured on the inflamed heart of this this
Mighty Soldier. She had this ability to know how
to come what to say, how to say it.
And already there's been great success in her attempt to bring
about peace in the situation. A wise person knows how to
approach a specific audience in a specific way.
If they're filled with Fury, you're not going to fight fire
with fire, that's that's unwise. If they are hurting and and they
are hurting because of their sin and they're showing remote
remorse and Brokenness you're not going to come and take
another whip at them. You're going to come in a way in
which you can encourage them and build them up.
If there's somebody who is extremely arrogant Anderson, no
sign of repentance, no sign of conviction.
You might have to be a little bit more Stern.
How do you apply all of that something called wisdom?
But we come here and we see something else of fifth sign of
wisdom. And it's here in verse 26.
Now, then my Lord, as the Lord lives and as your soul lives
because the Lord has restrained you from blood guilt and from
saving with your own hand, now then let your enemies and those
who seek to do evil to my Lord be aznable.
And now let this present that your servant has brought to my
Lord be given to the young. Men who follow my Lord, please
forgive the trespass of your servant for the Lord will
certainly make my Lord assure house because my Lord is
fighting the battles of the Lord, and evil shall not be
found. You saw as long as you live, if
men rise up to pursue you and to seek your life, the life of my
Lord shall be bound in the bundle of the living, and the
care of the Lord, your God, and the lives of your enemies.
He shall sling out from the hollow of a sling and when the
Lord has done to my Lord, according to all the good that
he has spoken concerning you and has appointed, you Prince over
Israel, my Lord shall have no cause of grief or pangs of
conscience for having shed blood without cause or for my Lord,
working salvation himself. If and when the Lord has dealt
well with my Lord, then remember your servant beautiful
incredible piercing gripping. What's happening here?
So after she addresses him with respect and reverence, and with
balm and her voice and her words, there's much to learn in
the remainder of their speech here.
But one specific thing needs to be highlighted.
She now includes the Lord in the matter.
Seven times she names the Lord. And she's doing the
strategically. She knows who she speaking to.
She speaking to a man of God, a man who loves God.
She didn't know him personally, but she knew enough about him.
That David would care about how God would see the situation.
And that tells me something about what Temptation does, what
sin does is that it is able to Blind you to the awareness of
God and his involvement in situations in your life.
It's amazing how sin when it is indulge or when it is answer to,
it has an intoxicating effect upon the mind and often times if
people are not careful, when they are just consumed with
passion, they exclude God from their thinking.
And if they're not careful, they might include God, but they will
twist something about God's word and his willingness person to
justify the behavior that they are premeditating to act upon
what she does. Is she, she's trying to sober
him up and here's the fifth. Mark of a person who possesses
wisdom, they have a theological frame of mind.
In other words, they know God's word and they know how it
applies to daily life. This wisdom that comes from God.
Surely you can have practical wisdom in life to know how to go
about certain things about ultimate.
Wisdom comes from God. So how are you going to?
No Greater Heights of wisdom without knowing god and his word
and how it applies to people's lives.
Christians should be the best counselors in the world and
obviously doesn't help much for the person whose unregenerate.
But but to us, we have to understand what's happening.
Here she is including God in the matter and she knows God's word
specifically in his applying it specifically.
How is she doing that? Look again, here in verse 26.
What do you see from this? Now, then my Lord, as the Lord
lives, and as your soul lives because the Lord had has
restrained you from blood guilt. And from saving with your own
hand, what is she talking about right there?
She's talking about what's happening in this very moment.
Is she not? So, what's Abigail doing?
She realizes that this interruption is Providence.
He David God, God is trying to get your attention in this
moment right here. I'm telling you that this is not
Abigail coming to you. This is God, providing you a
chance to not move forward in your sin.
This woman, understood how Providence work that this young
man coming up to her and her catching David on time.
That was God and she is rehearsing that over this man,
God is giving you a chance not to act in the flesh and she's
doing it. So carefully realize that she is
indirectly. Telling him you are about to do
evil, you're about to do wrong and God is trying to stop.
You, like, brilliant. So she's now interpreting
Providence in the matter. She believed in Providence and
she knew how to see Providence when it presented itself.
But look at verse 28, what did she say in verse 28, please
forgive the trespass of your servant.
Look at this part for the Lord. Will certainly make my Lord a
scherff house because my Lord is fighting the battles of the
Lord, and evil shall not be found in you.
As long as you live, she's reminding David that as a
servant of God, you are fighting God's battles, you are doing his
will, you're accomplishing his purposes because of this David
know this that your future is secure.
Your future. God has your future in his hand.
She believed that she believed that for day that she wanted
David to believe it. Don't don't forget how this is
going to affect the days to come realize.
The goodness of God, he's brought you up to this point and
he wants to continue to lead. You don't take matters into your
own hands. So she had understanding of
God's plans and God's involvement in the purposes that
he has and she's counseling. This man with that truth.
Verse 29, what did she say? If men rise up to pursue you and
to seek your life, the life of my Lord shall be bound up in the
bundle of the living, in the care of the Lord.
Your God God's protection. This is not your fight to fight.
God will protect you. And look at look at the
language. He uses your he shall sling out
as from the hollow of a sling. What does that alluding to?
I believe she's alluding back to the battle between David and
Goliath. All of Israel heard about it,
surely she heard about it and she's using the same language of
that experience and say, listen David, the God that was faithful
to you between you and Goliath will deal with this situation.
If you dealt with Goliath, he'll deal with no ball.
If you dealt with that giant, you'll deal with this fool,
don't get involved with this, she was aware of God's acts.
She was aware of what he's done throughout history.
Even if it was obviously in her time, but she was aware, she
applied that, she reminded David of that.
Look at verse 30. and when the Lord has done to my Lord,
according to all the good that he has spoken concerning you and
has appointed you Prince over Israel, God's promises.
Look how confident she is in. God's promises.
What does she say in verse 30? and, when the Lord, she did, say
if She say if the Lord has done to my Lord, but when it's a
matter of when it's going to happen.
So confident, so, anchored. If God said something is going
to happen, and she is so confident in what God said that
she's calling David to build the foundation of his life and his
trust upon the Reliance of the character and the faithfulness
of God. This woman is wise surely
because she knows who our God is and she knows how God's his
character bleeds into our lives and how we act in our lives will
determine how things play out. And if we, if we obeyed, and
here's a blessing, if he disobeyed his risk of great
loss, wisdom is found in the person.
Who knows their God And that's why you should strive to find
people in your life, who walk with God.
If you're going to get Council on anything.
Because this is the ultimate source of truth and light in
this life. Verse 31.
Here's the final sign of wisdom. I'm sure if we dissected it
more, we can find many others. Let's look at verse 31.
Here's the final one. My Lord shall have no cause of
grief or pangs of conscience for having shed blood without cause
or for my Lord, working salvation himself.
What is she concerned about? The future.
She's concerned about the days to come.
She's concerned about when the dust settles and and the the
emotions subsides and the deed has been done, what will happen
after the fact that's wisdom. Fools only think about the
moment, wise people think about how the moment effects tomorrow.
Fool things about immediate results.
Wisdom things about the long-lasting effects.
And we become fools when we are tempted with sin.
Because we don't think about the consequences.
We only think about what we can get from the moment, but a
person who has wisdom even in the midst of the tornadoes of
Temptation, can see if I give in to this, this is what can
happen. Potentially.
And so I will not give in to this because I see that the sin
and the consequences, outweighs whatever, promises or pleasure
gratification that I can get right now.
And she's reminding him of this. If you do this, if you do this,
your testimony is going to be ruined.
How are people going to look up to you as a king?
When they know that you have massacred a man and his
employees and his family? How are people going to think
that you're consistent with Saul?
You've claimed to be a one who trusted in God's Vengeance and
left things into his own hands. But in this case, you didn't
think about this. What is Saul going to be able to
say about you? If you kill this man without
cause will he not win? More people to come against you
bellina have something on you? If you go about this, you see
what wisdom does. Wisdom thinks about the future
not just today. And that is true, even in face
of sin. And so here's a woman who's
radiating who almost personifies wisdom.
It's incredible. And we can go on to finish the
rest of this chapter, to look at different different things.
Concerning that theme. But let's just look at David's
response real quickly. So you can imagine once she
pauses on this, I don't know if she just kept your head down, I
don't know if she looked into his eyes.
I don't know how it looked, but you can just imagine the tension
in the air as David was there. I don't even have his hand on
his sword as this woman. Just appeared out of nowhere.
And David said to Abigail blessed, be the Lord, the god of
Israel who sent you this day to meet me blessed.
Be your discretion and blessed. Be you with kept me this day,
from blood guilt, and from working salvation, with my own
hand, for surely as the Lord, the god of Israel Lives who has
restrained me from hurting you, unless you had heard and come to
me me, truly by morning, they're not been left tunable so much as
one male Then David received from her hand, what she had
brought him and he said to her go up in peace in your house,
see, I will be your voice and I've granted your petition.
This man was so bird. It worked.
It was a success he humbled himself, he acknowledged that he
was ready to commit a great sin. He realized that she was right
and he was in the wrong. And In This Moment here we can
learn so much from his response but here's here's a point I want
to make out of many points. What is he bless about?
Abigail and verse 3? What did we learn about our two
things? She was what The street and what
beautiful? What is he praising here?
If you praising her hair, her eyes, her figure is that what?
Want his heart? Now their discretion is their
character. You know why?
This is encouraging by the end of the chapter.
He's going to marry this woman. He's going to marry this woman
because he didn't realize this is someone that pushes me
towards righteousness. This is someone that stirs me up
to Godliness. This is someone that doesn't
cause me to be tempted. More but causes me to live for
my God more. I want her as a partner in life,
my single brothers and sisters consider that as a candidate
consider, what truly matters and last in the long run, consider
as you want to serve God and be faithful to him.
That whoever you're going to run this race with will help you.
I heard from somebody that whoever your spouse is going to
be, they will either give you weights or they're going to give
you wings. I met the person by God's grace
give you wings to soar to Greater Holiness and
Effectiveness and fruitfulness for the kingdom of God.
He Praises God, he Praises God for her and he wants to marry
her and he's going to do that though.
I don't agree the way he does it because he marries different
people too. What do we do with the rest of
this chapter? It would be awkward to finish
here. So let's complete it.
And the way we're going to look at it is we're going to see here
in a moment, Abigail's fate and the balls Faith.
They both received the same Revelation and opportunity
concerning David. They both responded to it
differently and they both will experience different outcomes as
a result. So it is with the sinner in
light of the truth of Jesus Christ.
The ball will prove. What will happen to the center?
And Abigail approved to some degree.
What is the end result of the person?
Who acknowledges the true, son of David verse 36 and Abigail
came to Nepal and behold. He was holding a feast in his
house like the Feast of a king and the balls heart was Mary
within him for he was very drunk so she told them nothing at all
until the morning light. Look at that little phrase and
behold. It's almost as though the holy
spirit that could you believe what's happening right now?
Check this out. What's Happening Here?
That while there's impending judgment on the way, this man is
partying. This man isn't swimming and
debauchery. This man is enjoying his worldly
success drinking and being Merry, and being loud and
indulging. All the while there is someone
on his way to bring about a finality of his life.
What a picture of the world, what a picture of what's
happening this Friday night? That there is the son of David,
the root and descendant of David, who is on his way, not
with unjust Revenge, but just Revenge upon the wiccan of those
who did not obey the gospel. And he will bring about eternal
judgment. And yet the world is drowning in
the sound of pleasure, and flesh, and sin, and it didn't
change. The fact of what was coming his
way. And some would look at Abigail
and consider her to be the fool. You're not going to celebrate in
this time of sharing of sheep of the Harvest.
You're not going to join in this.
Who is the real fool? The one who was enjoying the
party or the one who is getting right?
Before they were judged. In the end, the Real Fool as we
know is noble. And the person who knew what to
do with their time and their lives was was Abigail, so it is
with the Christian first. Peter tells us that the world is
surprised when you do not join them with their filth.
And if Peter goes on to say, but but these people in their
debauchery and then their world in this will be judged will be
judged. See, while the bowel here is
numbing himself. Abigail, was was getting
reconciliation accomplished. because she looked forward, she
looked at the future, even if that in our context and our
understanding of this, even if it's the Eternal aspect, And
this man, he's partying he's enjoying himself.
But look at verse 37 in the morning when the wine had gone
out of Nevada, the one of the world runs out of entually guys.
his wife told him these things and his heart died within him
and he became a stone About 10 days later.
The Lord struck Nepal, he died. Think about it.
So the night before your heart is Mary, you're talking about
your success, your boasting, about your success, Like what
Jesus said in Luke, right about the man who had Barnes and he
filled the Barnes and goes I got to build more Barnes.
What I'm going to do with all this stuff and then he says you
fool, you do not know on this night, your soul is required of
you. And here's a man the night
before. He's the he's the heart of the
party everybody's coming because of him.
He's splurging, And the next day, he has a stroke.
The next day he becomes a stone what a picture of the
unpredictability of life, and here's this man 10 days and a
vegetable like condition. Sealed in his state of the soul
and God killed him. What about your sheep?
Now, what about the 3000 in the 1000 goes, what about it?
What's that gonna matter now? What's that going to matter?
Now, as you stand before, God and answer for your life, Look
at the fate of Abigail. Verse 39, when David heard that
Annabelle was dead. He said, blessed.
Be the Lord was Avenge the insult.
I received at the hand of Nepal and has kept back his servant
from wrongdoing. The Lord has returned the evil
of Nepal in his own head, then David sent and spoke to Abigail
to take her as his wife. The Servants of David came to
Abigail at Carmel, they said to her, David has sent us to you to
take you to him as his wife. Now isn't incredible.
This is a woman who knew well, through new Comfort, a new
luxury. Who probably even knew Fame on a
local level. And look how she responds to
this news as she Rose. And she Rose rather and bowed
with her face to the ground and said, behold your handmade is a
servant to wash the feet of the Servants of my Lord.
Can you imagine that? She didn't get up and say, yeah,
that's right. I am.
I'm I am a queen. You pick the right one.
She goes, I want to wash the feet, not just of David.
I want to wash the feet of the Servants of David.
She accepts the invitation to be wedded to this King and she saw
a greater treasure to be Associated and to be intimate
with this King, then to have all the land, all the goats, all
this sheep, all the property, all the security that this life
can offer. So it is with the Christian, so
it is with the Christian and you know, what's incredible?
Here she is not entering into a palace by saying yes to David.
She's entering into a wilderness.
There is no immediate benefit out of this.
It would be much later until until David becomes the actual
ruler and king of all of Israel. And there is a room with
Abigail's name on it. But she still saw it of great
Worth to say I want to walk this life with this King and serve
him even if I have to turn my back on all of what I've known,
all that has been granted to me all the protection and pleasure
and provision. In this life, I rather be with
this King. even if the reward is down the road, Believer.
Do you feel that way with your relationship with Christ?
Or do you have a tension in your life between the lifestyle of
noble and living for Christ? I hope you see his Beauty.
See David here was attractive to this woman even though he was a
fallen man, who'd made mistakes. But there is nothing that we can
point at Christ and say there's something wrong here.
He's perfect, he's altogether. Lovely.
And if you see him for who he truly is, you cannot help but be
magnetized towards him. And if you haven't realized that
long enough, if you haven't realized that up to this point,
ask God to show you just how incredible he is.
Ask him to give you such a revelation of who he is.
That you wouldn't even look over your shoulder.
And say, I wonder if I should have stayed.
I wonder if I should have gave half of myself.
Why? I don't know if this is really
worth it. She became his wife.
To wash feet. She saw serving David as a
greater treasure than whatever Noble have to provide and leave
for her. Maybe be the same as a testimony
to this world. Let's pray.
Well, thank you for making us your bride.
Thank you. Oh God.
That as you sent Abigail away with peace.
So you do with us who are reconciled to Christ in the
gospel. Well, we pray in this moment.
That you would renew our vision. Of the goodness of Jesus.
And we ask, oh, God. That you would give us a fresh
dose of wisdom. Rewire us.
Show us where we need to grow. Instill within us.
A sense of understanding so that we can be prepared.
With surprises in life. We want to be found as faithful
ambassadors of Jesus Christ. It's a Lord give us and equip us
and furnish us with what is necessary so that we would not
taint that testimony. And we pray O Lord that you
would receive the Worship You Deserve as a result of what we
ate today together. We bless you for your goodness,
through your word. We thank you for how you've
spoken to our hearts be glorified now as we worship you,
in Jesus name. Amen.
Let's Stand Together.