Theme: Unsung Heroes
Video: What is courage from bluefishtv.com.
Quote on courage: Courage looks different than many people think today. The
most courageous people in the world are ones who never pick up a weapon or
those who choose to lay their weapons down. The kingdom of God is looking for
courageous people -- Are you one of them? - Our main character or unsung hero today is a
woman named Abigail who reveals to us what real courage looks like.
Quote: “Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is important” Ambrose Redmoon
Thesis: As I read about our heroine today and listened to the messages on the other unsung heroes of the faith, I see that that they had courage right in the face of fear. They did not let fear stop them from doing what is right or from intervening in the lives of others. They faced their fears with courage and the strength of the Lord and in turn were rewarded for their step of faith.
Thought - Courage Conquers Fear:
Relative to the whole scheme of things, your life span could be compared to lighting a candle and immediately blowing it out. In other words, life is short - very short. Missing out on any of the joys life offers is a tragedy. If your life is being controlled by your fears, you are most certainly cheating yourself. Courage is the mental muscle (I think spiritual muscle) that conquers fear. Like all muscles, the more you use them the stronger they become. Courage is not something you are born with, it must be developed. Individuals who fail to develop courage, remain confined in mental prisons and face each day as mental lightweights. It has been said if you face the thing you fear, fear leaves you. For years I believed that courageous individuals had no fear. I was wrong. Eddie Richenbacher put it very well when he said, "There is no courage without fear." We all have fear, however, not everyone becomes subservient to their fears. There is, very likely, something you have wanted to do for years - move to another city, start your own business, apply for that better position, go after the big account (or do a mission’s trip for the Lord.) Whatever it is you should do it. Remember, life is not a practice run. This is it. A little courage leads to more. Observe those poor souls who are without courage. They merely tiptoe through life hoping they make it safely to death. You and I were never meant to live that way. Learn to live the way you like by no longer living as you dislike. Forge into the remainder of your day with an abundance of courage. That's living! From http://www.famous-motivational-quotes.com/Motivational-Story-1.html
Today we will explore the life of a courageous unsung hero of the faith!
Sermon: Abigail
Thesis: We have a story of the beauty and the beast and how the heroine saves her family from destruction because of the beast’s rude and foolish ways. Our heroine is a courageous woman of faith who steps in to prevent a massacre at the risk of her own life. Her faith and courage in the end save the day and lead her to a blessed life.
Scripture: I Samuel 25
1Now 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.
2A certain man in Maon, who had property there at Carmel, was very wealthy. He had a thousand goats and three thousand sheep, which he was shearing in Carmel.
3His name was Nabal and his wife’s name was Abigail. She was an intelligent and beautiful woman, but her husband, a Calebite, was surly and mean in his dealings.
4While David was in the desert, he heard that Nabal was shearing sheep.
5So he sent ten young men and said to them, “Go up to Nabal at Carmel and greet him in my name.
6Say to him: ‘Long life to you! Good health to you and your household! And good health to all that is yours!
7“‘Now I hear that it is sheep-shearing time. When your shepherds were with us, we did not mistreat them, and the whole time they were at Carmel nothing of theirs was missing.
8Ask your own servants and they will tell you. Therefore be favorable toward my young men, since we come at a festive time. Please give your servants and your son David whatever you can find for them.’”
9When David’s men arrived, they gave Nabal this message in David’s name. Then they waited.
10Nabal answered David’s servants, “Who is this David? Who is this son of Jesse? Many servants are breaking away from their masters these days.
11Why should I take my bread and water, and the meat I have slaughtered for my shearers, and give it to men coming from who knows where?”
12David’s men turned around and went back. When they arrived, they reported every word.
13David said to his men, “Put on your swords!” So they put on their swords, and David put on his. About four hundred men went up with David, while two hundred stayed with the supplies.
14One 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.
15Yet 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.
16Night and day they were a wall around us all the time we were herding our sheep near them.
17Now think it over and see what you can do, because disaster is hanging over our master and his whole household. He is such a wicked man that no one can talk to him.”
18Abigail lost no time. She took two hundred loaves of bread, two skins of wine, five dressed sheep, five seahs of roasted grain, a hundred cakes of raisins and two hundred cakes of pressed figs, and loaded them on donkeys.
19Then she told her servants, “Go on ahead; I’ll follow you.” But she did not tell her husband Nabal.
20As she came riding her donkey into a mountain ravine, there were David and his men descending toward her, and she met them.
21David had just said, “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.
22May God deal with David, be it ever so severely, if by morning I leave alive one male of all who belong to him!”
23When Abigail saw David, she quickly got off her donkey and bowed down before David with her face to the ground.
24She fell at his feet and said: “My lord, let the blame be on me alone. Please let your servant speak to you; hear what your servant has to say.
25May my lord pay no attention to that wicked man Nabal. He is just like his name—his name is Fool, and folly goes with him. But as for me, your servant, I did not see the men my master sent.
26“Now since the LORD has kept you, my master, from bloodshed and from avenging yourself with your own hands, as surely as the LORD lives and as you live, may your enemies and all who intend to harm my master be like Nabal.
27And let this gift, which your servant has brought to my master, be given to the men who follow you.
28Please forgive your servant’s offense, for the LORD will certainly make a lasting dynasty for my master, because he fights the LORD’S battles. Let no wrongdoing be found in you as long as you live.
29Even though someone is pursuing you to take your life, the life of my master will be bound securely in the bundle of the living by the LORD your God. But the lives of your enemies he will hurl away as from the pocket of a sling.
30When the LORD has done for my master every good thing he promised concerning him and has appointed him leader over Israel,
31my master will not have on his conscience the staggering burden of needless bloodshed or of having avenged himself. And when the LORD has brought my master success, remember your servant.”
32David said to Abigail, “Praise be to the LORD, the God of Israel, who has sent you today to meet me.
33May you be blessed for your good judgment and for keeping me from bloodshed this day and from avenging myself with my own hands.
34Otherwise, as surely as the LORD, the God of Israel, lives, who has kept me from harming you, if you had not come quickly to meet me, not one male belonging to Nabal would have been left alive by daybreak.”
35Then David accepted from her hand what she had brought him and said, “Go home in peace. I have heard your words and granted your request.”
36When Abigail went to Nabal, he was in the house holding a banquet like that of a king. He was in high spirits and very drunk. So she told him nothing until daybreak.
37Then in the morning, when Nabal was sober, his wife told him all these things, and his heart failed him and he became like a stone.
38About ten days later, the LORD struck Nabal and he died.
39When David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, “Praise be to the LORD, who has upheld my cause against Nabal for treating me with contempt. He has kept his servant from doing wrong and has brought Nabal’s wrongdoing down on his own head.” Then David sent word to Abigail, asking her to become his wife.
40His servants went to Carmel and said to Abigail, “David has sent us to you to take you to become his wife.”
41She bowed down with her face to the ground and said, “Here is your maidservant, ready to serve you and wash the feet of my master’s servants.”
42Abigail quickly got on a donkey and, attended by her five maids, went with David’s messengers and became his wife.
Introduction: to 1 Samuel 25:1-17
Our Biblical story today is about a beauty, a beast and a soon to be king. The unsung hero in the story is named Abigail. She is a heroine who never wielded a sword or a knife and most likely was never in a fight but instead is the one who when her family was on the verge of being wiped out stepped forward in courage, wisdom and humility to spare her family from imminent destruction. She placed her life on the line for her family and household which earned her the name a hero of the faith.
I think of how this story highlights these three main characters David – the soon to be King of Israel and a band of 600 fighting men-known for their military exploits and arm of protection. Nabal the beast who was a wealthy sheep herder and business man who benefited from David’s army of protection but his wicked, rude and insulting response to David request for help sets the tone for bloodshed. Nabal’s foolish and mean spirited response to David’s request for help placed his workers, his life and his family’s in the path of destruction. Nabal did not just say “No” to David’s men’s request but instead he told them that David was a nobody, a hooligan, a slave on the run, a person whose heritage and lineage meant nothing. He attacks David’s father and lineage. He assaults his call from God. He calls him names, he tells his men that David is a nobody – remember our text tells us that he was of the lineage of Caleb. In essence it is inferred that David and his ancestors are nothing in comparison to Nabal’s heritage and importance. His insults flow unchecked, words of a fool flow from his mouth to David's men with no thought of the consequences to his family, business or household. This man’s brash ego, his self-centeredness and unbridled pride placed him in the postion of destruction. He thought with a puffed up head that David would not mess with him or confront him – how wrong he was. This man's cruel, unwise and mean spirited response revealed why his name means “Fool.”
My mind reflects on Proverbs 28:25-26: “The greedy stir up conflict, but those who trust in the LORD will prosper. Those who trust in themselves are fools, but those who walk in wisdom are kept safe.”
Nabal's worst enemy in life was his own prideful self, his own ego, and especially his own mouth. His greed and unwillingness to help out others in his time of good fortune will bring ruin his life. His trust in himself and not the ways of God will cause his own demise in life. He unleashes his verbal assault on David thinking, “I showed this Goliath slayer who is the real boss and hero.”
But when David heard his wicked response and his insults to his family and friends he declares war on Nabal’s family, on Nabal and his business. This is not David’s best moment either by the way. David is reacting out of anger and is out for blood.
Nabal is so clueless to what he did in our story – most likely because of the alcohol so he stays at the shearing festival and keeps on partying. He even brings the party home and gets more hammered as he continues to celebrate his good fortune. But it is about to be wiped away because of his foolish mouth. He is the typical fool clueless to the consequences of his actions and words. Living a life intoxicated by his own pride and accomplishments with no regard for others. But his own servants see and know how evil, and stupid he was. They leave and run to His wife Abigail cited in our text for her “beauty and her brains.” The workers tell her how arrogant, how un-teachable and how rude Nabal was to David’s men and to David who had protected them and been good to them.
Abigail is highlighted here as the unsung heroine of the story who leaps into action when she hears of the possible massacre and the stupidity of her husband. She knew of David's reputation, that the Lord was with Him, and that he was a powerful soon to be king. She knew he was a fierce warrior with 600 fighting men and they were no match for his army. She see's the danger while her husband parties on acting like the fool he is. She takes action to save her husband’s neck as he is drunk!
As I pondered this story I thought how this wife’s wisdom and intelligence saved her husband’s life and her friends and family’s life. Her quick thinking, her courage and humble attitude diverted a tragedy from happening. I can say that Abigail reflects the status and the character of many godly women who are there to help their husbands out when they act stupid, are un-teachable and even rude to others. We men have a tendency to be more macho than intelligent at times in our life. Would you agree guys? We men can act impulsively at times, not thinking especially when we allow the testosterone to take over and for some the alcohol to rule their lives.
By the way this warning of self-control goes out to all of us here today and especially to the men: Nabal the beast and David the soon to be king are both caught up in the emotion of the moment. You could say Nabal’s insulting response to David was fighting words for David. David was tired of being pushed around and David was ready for a fight – for him enough was enough and he saw the color red and was ready to spill blood. Nabal’s blood!
I can recall times when I was doing or about to do something rash, rude or unwise and Kathy spoke up to say to me, “You need to stop and think! You need to go pray!" One time I was being interviewed for a pastoral job and I was being criticized about my preaching – I started confronting the person with irritation and even anger because he was making statements about my preaching – she could see I was getting upset and going on the attack. Now in my mind I was defending God’s Word and, yes, also my preaching and ego. So for her it was time to act so under the table she starts hitting me on the leg with her hand and giving me that look like you are being foolish again. Stop!
She never said a word she just hit me and gave me the look. It worked I realized how foolish I was being and stopped and listened rather than to keep speaking and defending muself.
Kathy is my heroine – a wise woman with beauty and intelligence. I know she was sent by God to prevent me from slitting my own throat at times in my life and ministry. So men let me ask the question, "Are there any other men here today who can relate to what I am saying about their wives? How about the women here - who can say that about their husbands?" God has placed our spouses in our lives to keep us from destroying ourselves! The truth is many of us are our own worst enemies!
So let’s look deeper at our unsung heroine Abigail – the beauty who rescues her foolish husband.
T.S. – By the way Abigail’s name means "joy of the father"– and the way she acted and reacted to a possible tragedy in her family I am sure made God the Father leap for joy. She helped prevent David from making a mistake and her husband from causing a massacre – a costly foolish mistake is adverted by her intervention and it saves the day.
I. Abigail’s intervention – we see her God given ability to do damage control as she uses courage, wisdom and tact to save the day - 1 Samuel 25:18-27:
a. Her humility is the next thing I see in our story.
i. She saw David in the distance and gets off her donkey and bows in humility to the coming king David.
1. Her position is a sign of humility and respect to David – unlike her husband’s response to David.
2. Humility quote:
a. "True humility is not an abject, groveling, self-despising spirit; it is but a right estimate of ourselves as God sees us."— Tryon Edward
b. "Humility is to make a right estimate of oneself."— Charles H. Spurgeon
c. "Life is a long lesson in humility."— James M. Barrie
ii. She knew the importance of humility in life and it opens the door to defuse the anger and rage of David and his men.
1. Proverbs 22:4: “Humility and the fear of the Lord bring wealth and honor and life.”
a. Humility attached to a healthy fear of the Lord brings life not death Abigail most likely knew this Proverb!
2. Proverbs 15:18: “A hot tempered man stirs up dissension, but a patient man calms a quarrel.”
a. I will add a patient woman too who keeps her calm in the midst of turmoil can also bring calm to chaos.
b. Her appeal to David harnessed in complete honesty is the next thing which stands out to me.
i. She asks David while bowing and being humble to please hear her words of appeal. She even offers herself to him as a sacrifice for her husband’s wicked words and actions.
1. Do you see her humble position? Do you hear her words as they echoe off the pages of the Bible and speak to us today?
a. Could you have done what she is doing?
2. She says, “Please listen to my words before you carry through with your actions of revenge.”
a. Proverbs 20:3: “It is to a man’s honor to avoid strife, but every fool is quick to quarrel.”
ii. In the Hebrew culture a wife must show respect and honor to her husband both in private and public – it was required by law.
1. But Nabal’s own servants don’t respect him and call him “Wicked-Unteachable!”
2. His wife has had to endure his evil and harsh ways and for the most part remain silent.
3. But she can no longer be silent so she tells David the truth – her husband is a fool and yes he lives up to his name.
a. The Stupid One!
4. She has lived and awful existence under this man’s foolish ways and enough is enough. He has crossed the line one to many times and she needs to act to save everyone’s life!
5. She knows that Nabal is un-teachable and filled with arrogance and pride.
a. Can you relate to Abigail’s dilemma – remember in those days marriages were arranged and you really did not get to choose.
b. Do you know of someone like Nabal a fool who is un-teachable and unable to listen to the voice of wisdom and reason?
i. Proverbs 21:16: “A man who strays from the path of understanding comes to rest in the company of the dead.”
c. This position because of her foolish husband puts her in a very difficult and dangerous position.
d. Nabal like fools still exist today – some of you know some – some of you may even be them?
i. If you are not sure ask your spouse and listen to what they have to say! It could save your life and your family’s life!
ii. Listen it’s better to know the truth now than suffer the consequences later!
6. David listens to Abigail! Remember fools do not listen.
a. Her beauty speaks through her intelligence and wisdom and David listens!
b. He stopped his march to war to listen.
i. He saw her courage and her heart! He also realized she was sent by God.
ii. Would you be able to do what David did and listen – in the midst of anger and rage?
c. Proverbs 16:1-6:
i. 1 To man belong the plans of the heart, but from the LORD comes the reply of the tongue.
2 All a man’s ways seem innocent to him, but motives are weighed by the LORD.
3 Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.
4 The LORD works out everything for his own ends—even the wicked for a day of disaster.
5 The LORD detests all the proud of heart. Be sure of this: They will not go unpunished.
6 Through love and faithfulness sin is atoned for; through the fear of the LORD a man avoids evil.
d. By the way this is why David will become King! He listens to sound wisdom and advice from others!
c. Her offering
i. He offering of food was generous but her attitude and godly character was what caught David’s attention.
1. “She took two hundred loaves of bread, two skins of wine, five dressed sheep, five seahs of roasted grain, a hundred cakes of raisins and two hundred cakes of pressed figs, and loaded them on donkeys.”
a. A meal fit for an army and a soon to be king.
2. Even though this was impressive amount of food – the thing she offered first was her own life – she would stand in the gap for her foolish husband’s insults to David. She was willing to take the punishment for his sinful evil ways.
a. Swindoll states, “And I’m impressed with her integrity. She choose to protect her husband (and family), not because he deserved it, not because he was good, but because she was good. Despite how bad a husband he had been, she chose to remain honorable in her role as his partner…even when he was not present” (Fascinating Stories of Forgotten Lives, page 141)
T.S. – Abigail’s quick thinking, courage, hard work and willingness to stand in humility between David and her family saves the day.
II. Abigail’s wisdom - 1 Samuel 25:28-35
a. Her words to David were wise not foolish.
i. Her appeal to David is woven from years of wisdom and intelligence which only comes from God.
1. She knew it was useless to talk to Nabal – he was un-teachable but she knew of David and his character. She knew he was the Lord’s anointed and called by God to be the next king.
a. She has heard about his integrity and supernatural feats of heroism.
b. She has most likely heard about his integrity and character of being a man after God’s own heart.
ii. Swindoll highlights that her primary goal with her appeal was to remind David of his identity and destiny. That he was the Lord’s anointed and she urged him to behave accordingly and not shed innocent blood out of anger or rash impulses.
1. Why stop him because he would regret it later – she reminds him of that in her words!
2. She was encouraging him to look beyond the moment of anger and insult to the future and His calling. Nabal was not worth it!
3. She was challenging Him to take the God road of returning good for evil – to show mercy rather than vengeance and in the end God would take care of the problem.
4. She was exhorting him to act like the king he would be in the future now.
5. She was saying David, don’t throw away you great reputation in the heat of anger before you take the throne. It will undermine your credibility!
6. She was saying David don’t blow your anointing from God on this foolish man’s words.
7. She was saying God will bless you if you show mercy over hate.
8. She was saying David let God fight your battles both with Saul and with Nabal. God will judge them you don’t have too you – you just need need to be righteous and wise and leave revenge to the Lord.
a. David listened and God spoke to his heart.
i. He in essence says, “Thank You Abigail for helping me come to my senses!”
ii. He leaves saying, “Now that is a great wife!”
b. Her respect of David also set the tone for defusing the situation.
i. Were Nabal hurled insults Abigail gave praise and honor to David.
ii. She lifted up his family lineage and paid him reverential respect. Nabal assaulted it.
iii. She acknowledged his divine calling and anointing. Nabal spit on his calling.
iv. She prophecied his future blessings while Nabal cursed him.
v. She reaffirmed that he would be king of Israel were her husband said he was nobody and would always be a nobody.
c. Her honor of David calmed the storm.
i. She chose to honor David not dishonor him and it brought David back to his spiritual senses.
ii. The testosterone subsided and he could hear the Lord speaking through her to Him.
iii. David saw her discernment and connection to God. He recognized her wisdom and insight was from God.
iv. She honored him and in return he would honor her.
1. He rode away that day thinking to himself now there is a godly wonderful wife! I need someone like that!
a. Her beauty, courage, humility, wisdom and intelligence wooed Him!
i. David recognized her spiritual wisdom and gifts from God and saw her as a very valuable to his life and kingdom.
ii. David knew her husband was too blind to see her gifts of wisdom and insight but he saw it.
2. God used her to stop him from sinning and doing something horrible.
a. David knew God used her to stop two bullheaded men from killing one another.
b. David saw that his pride was driving him to commit murder – unjustly and that a common wrong word did not warrant death to another.
d. Swindoll states, “Catastrophe averted. Nabal lives to insult again, and David avoids gaining a reputation for being a capricious tyrant before taking the throne. And both men have the wisdom and tact of Abigail to thank” (Page 144).
T.S. - Abagail's wisdom from God saved the day and her courage to intervene stopped the bloodshed. In the end she would be blessed for intervening.
III. Abigail’s reward - 1 Samuel 25:36-42
a. Her husband’s untimely death
i. Would it have not been great after she averted a massacre to come home to a thankful husband. One who saw the errors of his ways and repented, apologized and changed?
1. But instead she comes home to a drunk husband who is clueless to what has just been averted from his evil words.
ii. She goes to bed with no affirmation of a job well done but instead to the sound of drunken party in her own home and a man that treats her like a dog.
iii. He was so into himself he never saw what a great woman he had in Abigail he only saw that he was right and everyone else wrong and needed to bow to him.
1. Can you relate to Abigail? Trapped in a relationship were the other person is so self-centered, self-contained, self-concerned that they don’t even acknowledge the wisdom and beauty of their good mate?
iv. The next morning when the alcohol was gone reality sets in as Abigail tells Nabal how close to death he came the day before.
1. Does he thank her?
a. No he actually has a stroke or a heart attack and dies ten days later.
v. Swindoll warns us here, “I want to proceed with caution and avoid misapplying Scripture. We have to accept that this story; like many in the Bible, describes extraordinary events in order to teach us important principles. The death of any human being is not something to be taken lightly; but frankly, if this were a movie, the audience would be cheering” (Page 146).
vi. Remember what Abigail so wisely said to David? David let justice be in the hands of God!
1. He did, she did and Nabal suffers the consequences of his foolish life.
b. Her new marriage proposal
i. David still thinking about how amazing this woman was hears of her husband’s demise and sees this as a God given opportunity to take a godly, good, beautiful and wise wife.
1. He knows that he needs someone like her in his life!
2. Is she the reason later on David can spare Saul’s life? Was she in the back ground saying, “David don’t kill him allow God to deal with him?”
ii. He wastes no time – he proposes she accepts and we have a story with they lived Happily Ever After theme!
1. Swindoll notes the following about the conclusion of our Story:
a. “If you’re a fan of fairy tale endings, you’ll love this story…Once David stepped through the door of obedience, he saw the Lord’s plan and pursued the blessing that lay before him. Abigail wasted no time either. I can’t blame either of them! Abigail’s actions demonstrated that she was an extraordinary woman, a wife that a king would be a fool to overlook. David’s actions demonstrated that he was a real man-a man strong enough to realize he was wrong to take a wise rebuke to heart, examine his choices, trust the Lord, and do what is right in God’s eyes” (Page 146-147).
c. Her new family lineage and prosperity
i. David saw a widow in need and he also saw how good and insightful she was so he went after her – because if you recall his first wife was taken back from him by Saul and given to another man.
ii. David saw the value of this woman and knew that as a widow this place and time was very harsh on them even wealthy widows.
1. The frontier was dangerous place to be so he wanted to protect her and honor her and show her his love and appreciation so he married her.
iii. Abigail saw a protector, a teachable man, a hero, a man after God’s own heart and a protector of her estate.
iv. The two united and she had one son who they named “Daniel.”
v. Swindoll states, “It was a match made in heaven.”
Conclusion:
What do we need to know from this sermon and God story?
Nabal’s character tells us not be a fool! Not to be mean spirited and rude to others.
Not to be un-teachable either because this leads to an untimely death. It warns us of the danger of drunkenness and pride.
Abigail teaches us to be the best mate possible and be the protector of our family’s. She teaches us the importance of gaining courage, and wisdom from a relationship with the Lord. She teaches us what it means to sacrifice for your family and to trust God. She role models the power of showing others humility,respect and honor!
David teaches us to learn that rash reactions never pay off. And it’s wise to listen to good advice!
Why do we need to know this?
We need to know that our choices and how we deal with others has consequences both good and bad.
What do we need to do?
We need to not make rash decisions and over-react to situations. We need to be kind and courteous to others.
Why do we need to do this?
If we handle things with wisdom, humility and are in tune with God’s Spirit He will bless our life and circumstances.
