Call to worship: I Chron 16:8-14
NT Reading: I Peter 3:1-12
Hymns: “When Morning Guilds the Skies,” “Like a River Glorious”
Songs: “On Bended Knee I Come,” “I will Worship - with all of my Heart”
Confession of Sin: Jer. 14:19-22
How to get something out of the Bible every time you read it: look for a:
Sin to avoid
Promise to claim
*Example to follow
Command to obey
Knowledge to remember
a) Took advice (v.14-17 “Now
therefore know this and consider what you should do, for harm is
determined against our master and against all his house, and he is
such a worthless man that one cannot speak to him.”) -
unlike Nabal (v.8-10) v.17 implies that the servant did not feel he
could talk to Nabal whereas he knew he would get an audience with
Abigail.
* Are you easy to approach with advice?
b) Accepted blame that wasn’t hers (v24 “On
me alone, my lord, be the guilt.”, v28 “Please
forgive the trespass of your servant.”) and gave gifts
to appease David (v.18 “two
hundred loaves and two skins of wine and five sheep already prepared
and five measures of parched grain and a hundred clusters of raisins
and two hundred cakes of figs”)
* Are you willing
to take blame for something you didn’t do and let your
reputation go?
c) Knew when to talk to Nabal (v.36 sober after feast) and when not to (before she took action when he could have stopped her - v.19)
d) Knew how to speak persuasively (v.26 before David makes a decision to stop pursuing Nabal, she speaks of it in the past tense, and she also attributes her action to God: “because the Lord has restrained you from bloodguilt,” v. 31 “my lord shall have no cause of grief or pangs of conscience for having shed blood without cause,” even speaking of a slingshot v.29). It seems God tends to naturally gift women in speech. This gift can be used for good or for evil. See how Abigail used it for good!
Wisdom is good, but it can lead to pride when a person feels able to meet the challenges of life without God by their own wits and when a person thinks himself better than others. Not so with Abigail. Her wisdom was tempered with humility.
a) Haste - mentioned 4 times in this one chapter (v. 18 in preparing the food, v.23, “hurried down from her donkey” upon first seeing David, v.34 - David speaks of her haste in coming out to him, v.42 - she hurried to David when he asked to marry her.)
b) Bowing, calling David “lord” and herself “servant” (v.23 “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.’”)
c) Wash feet (v.41 “And
she rose and bowed with her face to the ground and said, ‘Behold,
your handmaid is a servant to wash the feet of the servants of my
lord.’")
* Would you be willing to
wash 600 soldier’s feet for the rest of your life?
Abigail’s wisdom and humility are wonderful, but there is one more essential ingredient to her character. There are, many wise and humble people who will not be in heaven because they do not have faith in God. Abigail’s faith completes the picture of an exemplary woman.
a) in God as sovereign over:
Actions: “God has held you back” v.26
Justice: (v. 26 “the LORD has restrained you from bloodguilt and from saving with your own hand” v.31 “my lord shall have no cause of grief or pangs of conscience for having shed blood without cause or for my lord taking vengeance himself. And when the LORD has dealt well with my lord, then remember your servant.” also in I Chron 3:1 her son is named “Daniel” “God is my judge.”)
Life:
(v.30 “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 in the care of the LORD your God. And
the lives of your enemies he shall sling out as from the hollow of a
sling.”) beautiful picture here!
* Do you really
believe God is sovereign, or do you worry and work to make sure
things turn out right?
b) in God’s anointed
sided with David,
trusting in God’s promise (v.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”), instead of with Saul as her husband had done
(v.10 “Who is the son of
Jesse? There are many servants these days who are breaking away from
their masters.”)
* Jesus was also called the
anointed/Christ. Like Abigail we have the choice: do we look to the
world and the ones who have power for our leadership - as Nabal
looked to Saul, or do we trust in Jesus and His promise to come
through for us, to provide for us, to save us?
