The Charm of a Courageous Woman | 1 Samuel 25:23-31

When God needs a voice of reason he sometimes sends a charming woman.

Welcome to the Daily Devo. I am Vince Miller.

In this chapter, David sends some men to Nabal to seek generosity. Nabal refused and insulted David. David finds out about it and marches 400 men to confront David. But Abigail, Nabal's wife, will secretly try to intervene and appease David with an extensive goodwill offering. Let's see if this works in 1 Samuel 25:23-31:

When Abigail saw David, 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. Let not my lord regard this worthless fellow, Nabal, for as his name is, so is he. Nabal is his name, and folly is with him. But I your servant did not see the young men of my lord, whom you sent. Now then, my lord, as the Lord lives, and as your soul lives, because the Lord has restrained you from bloodguilt and from saving with your own hand, now then let your enemies and those who seek to do evil to my lord be as Nabal. 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 a sure house, because my lord is fighting the battles of the Lord, and evil shall not be found in you so 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 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. 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. And when the Lord has dealt well with my lord, then remember your servant." — 1 Samuel 25:23-31

There are only a few female-initiated encounters between a man and a woman in the Bible:

Adam and Eve (Gen 3).
Judah and Tamar (Gen 38).
Deborah and Barak (Judg 4).
Ruth and Boaz (Ruth 3).
The woman who anointed Jesus (Matt 26).
Abigail and David (1 Sam 25).
Of all these, this one is by far one of the most remarkable and longest addresses by a woman in the Old Testament.

Abigail accomplishes three goals in this encounter:

She intervened for Nabal.
She proclaimed David's destiny.
She prevented David from sinning.
What captures me is how remarkable she is in her approach. First, she comes alone to the dark of the forest to intervene before a powerful man with 400 strapped men. Second, she brings food, the language of active men, to attempt to butter them up. Third, she takes responsibility for her husband, explaining that she should have been more careful to protect him from himself. She feels to blame because she did encounter David's initial messengers and thus feels responsible. Fourth, she uses a prophetic word about David's future to persuade him to look beyond this foolish man and moment into the future and not do something now that would alter his future. Fifth, she constantly calls him "lord," a title repeated 14 times in her speech that women use for their husbands. (Spoiler Alert) Abigail is about to become David's wife.

This moment is an incredible moment made so by a charming woman. Here are the C-H-A-R-M-I-N-G qualities we see in Abigail:

Courage – She bravely approaches David despite the danger.
Humility – She lowers herself, calling David "lord" and offering herself as a servant.
Awareness – Abigail wisely understands the situation and David's heart.
Respect – She honors David's role and God's future for him.
Mindfulness – Her careful actions show respect and wisdom.
Integrity – Abigail's words align with her faith in God's plan.
Nurturing – She brings provisions, showing care and peace.
Godliness – Abigail acts out of reverence for God.
Application for Unmarried Men
If you are an unmarried man, take note of Abigail's qualities. Look and pray for a woman like this. You might find her in the most unexpected place and encounter.

Application for Husbands
For those who are married, Abigail's qualities should inspire us to pray over our wives. Pray that God nurtures these charming qualities in her. Affirm your wife's beauty today, and don't be the fool Nabal was.

Application for Women
Be this woman: C-H-A-R-M-I-N-G. Abigail is a charming woman even though her husband is an entitled fool. But her obedience to God is about to change her life forever.

#WisdomInAction, #CharmAndCourage, #BiblicalWomanhood