The Fool's Mate

Reflections on 1 Sam. 25:14-35

Someone has said that opposites attract. Nabal and Abigail were certainly opposites. Nabal was “harsh and badly behaved,” but Abigail was “discerning and beautiful” (1 Sam. 25:3). Nabal was a fool. Abigail, the fool’s mate, was quite different.

ATTENTIVE. Unlike Nabal, who did not listen to his servants, Abigail listened to the servant who reported that David’s men had been good to them and protected them. She listened when the servant warned that Nabal’s insults might bring harm to Nabal and his family.

APPRECIATIVE. Unlike Nabal, Abigail appreciated the protection David had provided. David wasn’t in a protection racket. He was “fighting the battles of the Lord” (1 Sam. 25:28 ESV) against the marauding bands that harassed the Lord’s people. Accordingly, she prepared a generous gift for David and his men.

RESPONSIBLE AND RESPECTFUL. Abigail took responsibility for the insults David’s men had received from her family saying, “On me alone, my lord, be the guilt” (1 Sam. 25:24 ESV). Furthermore, she constantly addressed David as “my lord” and spoke of herself as “your servant.”

DISCERNING. While respectful, Abigail also saw that David was in danger of putting the blot of bloodguilt on his character by seeking revenge with his own hand (v. 26). She discerned that David was not conspiring against Saul, but waiting patiently on the Lord’s time. She discerned that David was protecting Judah from the enemies of the Lord’s people even more than Saul was. She discerned that God would make David “a sure house” (1 Sam. 25:28; cf. 2 Sam. 7:11), that God had appointed him “prince over Israel” (1 Sam. 25:30). She discerned that David had no need to act out of character by “shedding blood without cause” or “working salvation” for himself (1 Sam. 25:31). If he started destroying God’s people when they did not appreciate the protection he had given them, his “services” would have become a protection racket. Her gift was the Lord’s restraining hand on his actions (1 Sam. 25:26).

Abigail obtained a pardon for her husband and safety for her household (v. 35). Abigail was the exact opposite of her husband. While Nabal died for his lack of sense, she nourished many with her righteous words (Prov. 10:21).

Pretension and Protocol

Reflections on 2 Samuel 14:23-33
Use the frame on the left to read these Scriptures.

PRETENSION AND PROTOCOL

Joab went to Geshur and brought Absalom back to Jerusalem where he was restored to his wife and children. However, David did not accept him in the royal family or as an heir to the throne. David refused to see Absalom personally.

PRETENSION. Absalom had a kingly appearance much like Saul before him. While Saul was praised for his height, Absalom was highly praised for his appearance. But God had warned Samuel not to put confidence in appearance, and the people should not have put confidence in Absalom's appearance. Nevertheless, the people praised him. They were still looking for a king like the kings of the nations around them. Absalom, their choice was vain about his appearance and especially his hair. Nevertheless, the appearance of virility was an illusion. Though he had three sons, they all died before Absalom himself (2 Samuel 18:18). In the end, even his hair would become his undoing just as it was the undoing of Samson.

PROTOCOL. Absalom felt his position in Jerusalem was intolerable. It stood in the way of his ambitions. After two years, he was tired of being treated as an inferior. He sent servants to fetch Joab as a member of the royalty might call an inferior. The commander of David's army did not think the demand fit proper protocol; he did not feel compelled to answer the summons of one not admitted into the royal family. At the same time, Absalom, who felt his rightful position was heir apparent, was not about to go crawling to Joab, so he commanded his servants to set fire to Joab's barley fields. Though he would probably be required to pay for the burned fields (see Exodus 22:6), he anticipated that the benefits of his action would far outweigh the costs. As Absalom foresaw, Joab came personally to see him. Through Joab, Absalom was able to get an audience with the king. He acted according to protocol himself. He bowed down with his face to the ground before David, and David kissed him.

Absalom acted according to protocol when he met his father, but his actions were pretentious. He didn't want merely the king's recognition. He wanted the king's crown. Restored to the royal family, Absalom would soon be acting the part of a king. Soon, people would be bowing down to him, and he would kiss them.