Abigail, A Courageous Woman

Abigail, A Courageous Woman

David by his own initiative decides to help to take care of the land of Nabal. David and his man get hungry and decide that they will let Nabal know of their need. Nabal is a prosperous man but had a bitter heart. Now put yourself in the situation of David, maybe you have helped someone in the past and that person or someone else has helped you as well. It is part of our human nature to assume that those that we help will in return help us. In the case of David and Nabal, it did not happen that way. David protected Nabal鈥檚 land, but Nabal refused to feed David and his men. Nabal like many people failed to be thankful and help others even when they can. Times of necessity reveals who a person is in reality. It is during times of pressure that the best or worst of a person gets exposed. Nabal was a man with a bitter heart, a man that did not care about the pain of others. David also reacted very negatively to the situation; he decides that someone like Nabal should not live.

As if killing Nabal was not enough, he also decided to go against his workers and his whole house. Let鈥檚 not forget another person in this story; Nabal鈥檚 wife Abigail. Abigail is the complete opposite of her husband. She is kind and compassionate. When Abigail hears that David had decided to come against Nabal, she did something with hopes that she could save her house. Knowing her husband she decided to move on with a plan without telling him. The cause of the problem between David and Nabal was Nabal鈥檚 refusal to give David and his men food. Abigail grabs food and decides to meet David, hoping that this will change his mind. It is important to point out that Abigail wasted no time. Some of us see adversity coming towards us and we waste time. Abigail gives us a great example of what a virtuous woman is. Her husband did not deserve understanding, he did not deserve protection, but with all the adversity in her life, Abigail decides to protect him and his belongings.

When Abigail saw David, she quickly got off her donkey and bowed low before him. She fell at his feet and said, 鈥淚 accept all blame in this matter, my lord. Please listen to what I have to say. I know Nabal is a wicked and ill-tempered man; please don鈥檛 pay any attention to him. He is a fool, just as his name suggests. But I never even saw the young men you sent. What would you have done? Abigail decided to confront her adversity. Many of us run from our adversities, others cry over them, and some just give up. We should learn to be more like Abigail, confront adversity and seek to find a solution. Many people do the opposite of what Abigail did, instead of running towards David, many run from David. In other words, sometimes people run away from adversity to avoid it, many times not knowing that it is necessary to change our lives.

When Abigail saw David, she bowed before him. This shows that Abigail was willing to humiliate herself. I believe that a person with a humble heart can get very far. The act of humbleness is what many people are not willing to do. People often think of their own well-being, but often forget that the world does not revolve around them. Abigail鈥檚 humble heart not only saved her but her entire family and possessions. It amazes me how David responds to Abigail. David was weak with women, however, Abigail was different. She prevented him from shedding blood. That's a characteristic he had not been able to admire in other women he had. These women encouraged him to sin, but Abigail did the opposite. As a result, David honors her. He decides to marry her and give her the protection she lacked from her deceased husband. This story is a reminder to women, that we must value who we are. It is a reminder that we should not lower our standards to please a man, that if any man asks for something against our godly values, we should walk away.