Let's open our Bibles back to
1 Samuel 25. 1 Samuel chapter 25. Reference
this passage of scripture recently in a message. The Lord willing, I just want
to read through this passage this morning and make just a
few comments. Here in 1 Samuel 25, there's
basically three people that we read of here. Look with me, beginning with
verse one. And keep in mind, keep in mind, this is a true
story. It's hard to imagine sometimes,
as we read these stories, it's easy to forget that these are
true stories. These things actually happened. And over in Romans 15.4, I won't
have you turn here, but it says this, whatsoever things were
written aforetime, these things that are written, they're for
our learning. It's for us to be instructed
from His Word. He says, these things were written
for our learning that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures
might have hope. Let's begin reading in verse
1. It says that Samuel died and all the Israelites were gathered
together and lamented him and buried him in the house at Ramah
and David arose And he went down to the wilderness of Paran. And
there was a man in Mayon whose possessions were in Carmel, and
that man was very great. And he had 3,000 sheep, 1,000
goats, and he was shearing his sheep in Carmel. And the name
of that man was Nabal, and the name of his wife was Abigail,
and she was a woman of good understanding and of beautiful countenance,
but the man was churlish and evil in his doings, and he was
of the house of Caleb. David. David, these three people,
okay, the first one's David. And David is the king. Now, how can I say he's the king? Well, God sent Samuel to anoint
one of Jesse's sons to be king. Remember that? And Jesse had
all his boys pass before him. And Samuel said, nope, that's
not him, that's not him. That's not him. He didn't even
have David there that day. David was out in the field tending
to the sheep. And he kept saying, this isn't
him. And finally he brought David
before him. And he anointed. The Lord revealed to Samuel that
it was David. And he anointed him king. There
was a man here named Nabal. Scripture says this, that he
was very great. He was a great man. Now, not
in character, not in faith, but he was great in possessions. His name means fool. And then we have Abigail. I told
you we had three people here. The third one was Abigail. And
Scripture says that Abigail was a woman of good understanding,
and a beautiful countenance. And her name, it means my father's
joy. So we have this story, we have
this passage of scripture, and it's a love story. That's the
title of the message. Mike, you asked, what's the title
of the message? It's a love story. I want us to look at it together
here this morning, just briefly. Look again, beginning at verse
4. David heard in the wilderness that Nabal did shear his sheep. And David sent out ten young
men. And David said to the young men, get ye up into Carmel and
go to Nabal and greet him in my name. My name. David's name meant something.
in my name. And thus shall you say to him
that liveth in prosperity, peace be to thee, and peace be to thy
house, and peace be to all that you have. And he said, I've heard that
thou hast shears, and thy shepherds which were with us, we hurt them
not. Neither was there aught missing unto them while they
were in Carmel. Ask the young men, and they'll
show you. Wherefore, let the young men
find favor in thine eyes, for we come in a good day. Give,
I pray thee, whatsoever cometh to thy hand, unto thy servants,
and to thy son David. And when David's young men came,
They spake to Nabal according to the words in the name of David,
and then they ceased. David sends some of his young
men, his servants, and he sends them forth with a message. Isn't that what God continues
to do in our day? He continues to send forth men
with his message. He sends them forth with his
word. Our Lord told his disciples, he said, go ye therefore and
teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father
and the Son and the Holy Ghost, teaching them to observe all
things whatsoever I've commanded you. And lo, I'm with you always,
even to the end of the world. His messengers, they go forth,
now listen, They're not to declare their opinion about things. We
don't declare our thoughts on a particular subject. What do
we declare? Thus saith the Lord. What's written
in his word. Look back at verse nine. It says,
they spake to Nabal according to all those words. in the name
of David, and they ceased. They didn't add anything to it.
That message he gave them, they didn't add anything to it. They
didn't take anything away from it. What did Paul tell Timothy? Did
he say, go share your opinion, go tell them what you think about
this subject or that subject? No. He said this, preach the
word. Preach the word. Verse 10, Nabal
answered David's servants, and listen to what he says. Who is
David? Who is the son of Jesse? There
be many servants nowadays that break away every man from his
master. Shall I then take my bread and
my water and my flesh that I've killed for my shears and give
it unto men whom I know not whence they be." When you listen to Nabel's response,
is there any surprise that his name means fool? He says, who's David? Who's David? David's the king. Who's David? Who's the son of Jesse? Nabal
is a picture of every one of us by nature. A couple reasons. First, he refuses to bow to the
king. In fact, he questions him. Who is David? You know, when
God sent Moses to Pharaoh back there in the Old Testament, he
sent Moses to Pharaoh and he said this, let my people go. And Pharaoh, whose heart God
hardened, his reply was this. He said, who's the Lord? Who
is the Lord that I should obey his voice and let Israel go? I know not the Lord. I know not the Lord, neither
will I let Israel go." Oh, what a terrible, terrible place to
be to not know who God is. Who is David? Nabal didn't recognize him as
king. And this world does not recognize
the Lord Jesus Christ as God. Don't recognize Him as Lord. They don't recognize Him as King.
But I tell you what, that doesn't change the fact that He is. He's
King of kings and He's Lord of lords. Every knee. Scripture
says that every knee is going to bow and every tongue is going
to confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the
Father. He rules and he reigns over all
things. Second, Nabal attributes everything
he has to himself. Listen to him. What's he talking
about? My bread, my water, my flesh, Who maketh thee to differ? Who
maketh thee to differ? And what do we have, truly? What do we have that we did not
receive? And if we received it, why do
we glory and brag as if we didn't? You know, it was David and his
men that protected naval servants. protected his animals. David
and his men had hedged them about all that time. And yet Nabal
says this, it's all mine. It's all mine. Where'd it come from? Where did
it come from? Scripture says this, every good
gift and every perfect gift is from above. And it comes down
from the father of lights with whom there is no variableness
nor shadow of turning. It's all of him. Nabal denied
his sovereignty, claimed these things as his own. What's Nabal's
name? Fool. Fool. Twice in scripture
we read this. The fool hath said in his heart
what? No God. No God for me. Well, back to our text. Let's
read on here. David's young men turned their
way and they went again and they came and told all those sayings. They didn't argue with Nabal,
did they? That's probably a good lesson
for us to remember. You can't argue with a, I guess
you can argue with a fool, but you're not gonna win arguing
with a fool, are you? No, they stated the truth, and
they just left. And David said to his men, gird
on every man his sword, and they girded on every man his sword,
and David also girded on his sword. And there went up after
David about 400 men, and 200 abode by the stuff. Whatever
they had left there, he had 200 men stay there, and the other
400 went. Listen, David's going in vengeance.
David's going in judgment. David's going forth in wrath. But let's read on. Next we meet
Abigail. Look at verse 14. One of the young men told Abigail,
told Nabal's wife, saying, Behold, David sent messengers out to
the wilderness to salute our master. And he railed on them. That word appears another time
in Scripture. Remember that thief? There was
one thief on the cross. And what did he do? He railed.
He railed on the Lord. One said, one said, listen, We're
in the same boat here. And we indeed justly, because
we're guilty, but one railed on him. And that's what Nabal
did. He railed on them. But the men,
this servant says, verse 15, they were very good to us. We
were not hurt. Neither missed we anything, as
long as we were conversant with them when we were in the fields.
And they were a wall. unto us both by night and day,
all the while we were with them keeping the sheep. Now therefore
know and consider what thou wilt do, for evil is determined against
our master and against all his household, for he is such a son
of Belal that a man can't speak to him. And Abigail made haste
and took 200 loaves, and two bottles of wine, and five sheep
ready dressed, and five measures of parched corn, and 100 clusters
of raisins, and 200 cakes of figs, and lay them on the asses.
Abigail, she pictures a couple things here. One, she pictures
the Lord Jesus Christ. Consider her work here as she
intercedes on behalf of her husband. She's interceding for him. That's
what the Lord did for his people, how he intercedes on behalf of
his people. Turn to Hebrews, hold your place
there, and turn to Hebrews 7 and verse 25. Hebrews 7. Look at verse 25 of Hebrews 7. Paul writing to the Hebrews,
he says, "'Wherefore, he is able also to save them to the uttermost
that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession
for them.'" He intercedes on behalf of his people. Abigail here, she's also pictured
of a sinner. Consider what she brings when
she approaches the king. Bread, bread and wine, and five
sheep ready dressed. Bread and wine, bread and wine. Bread, which represents his body. broken for us, the sacrifice
of the Lord Jesus Christ. He was wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement of our peace
was upon Him. By His stripes we're healed.
She brought bread. Remember when the Lord instituted
His supper? That's what He said. He said,
this bread, take it. What is it? It's my body. my
body which was broken for you." Abigail brought bread. She also
brought wine. What's that? His blood. It pictures the blood shed by
our Lord Jesus Christ. What's Scripture say? Without
the shedding of blood, there's no remission. There's none. The
blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, His Son, cleanses us from what? All sin. She brought bread. She brought wine. The wine, which
again, represents the blood He shed for His people. She brought five sheep, ready
dressed. I looked that up and it means
this, it means to make an offering. She brought five sheep as an
offering. Our Lord Jesus Christ, he made
one offering. One offering for sin. I ask you, would you approach
the king with anything else? Would you approach the king of
kings with anything else? Bread, wine, sacrifice? We approach unto God only through
His Son, only through the Lord Jesus Christ. And we also read
that she made haste. Isn't there a sense of urgency
here? In these things, considering
life, considering the salvation of His people, she made haste. She didn't linger. Well, back
to our text here in 1 Samuel. Look at verse 19. She said unto
her servants, go on before me, I'll come after you. But she
told not her husband, Nabal. And it was so, as she rode on
the ass, that she came down by the covert on the hill, and behold,
David and his men came down against her, and she met them. And David
said, surely in vain have I kept all that this fellow had in the
wilderness, so that nothing was missed of all that pertained
unto him, and he hath requited me evil for good. So and more also do God unto
the enemies of David, if I leave of all that pertain to him by
morning light, any that pisseth against the wall. And when Abigail
saw David, She hasted, she lighted off the ass and fell before David
on her face, and she bowed herself to the ground and fell at his
feet. And she said, upon me. Upon me, my Lord. Upon me, let
this iniquity be, and let thy handmaid, I pray thee, speak
in thine audience and hear the words of thine handmaid. Again, we see two pictures here.
Abigail falls at the king's feet. The feet of the king in humility. She recognizes him. You know,
there were a bunch of men there, but she knew which one was David. She knew which one was the king,
and she falls at his feet. Over in Luke 17, there was a
leper that was healed. What did he do? He fell at the
feet of the Savior. Mary, where was she found? Sitting
at the feet of the Lord Jesus Christ. There was a woman who
had bought that perfume. She was a sinner. And she washed
the Lord's feet with the hairs of her head. Abigail fell at his feet. What's a sinner to do? Take our
place in the dust and fall at his feet and beg for mercy. We also see her again, Abigail,
as a picture of Christ. Listen to what she says. She
says, upon me, my Lord, upon me, let this iniquity be. Was it her iniquity? No. It was the iniquity of Nabal.
But she said, let it fall on me. Let me bear it. The Lord Jesus Christ on the
cross, what did he do? He bore the sins of his people. In Isaiah 53, God's word says
this, all we like sheep have gone astray. We've turned everyone
to our own way and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us
all. He bore our sins in his body
on the tree. Upon me, that's what he said,
isn't it? Upon me, let this iniquity be
found. And God found it on him, didn't
he? God slew his son on the cross for the sins of his people. That
which Nabal was guilty of, that's what she's saying, that which
Nabal's guilty of, let the blame be on me. Let me bear it. Let it be imputed to me. Let
it be transferred to me. Let me bear the punishment of
it. Again, isn't that what the Lord Jesus Christ did for his
people? God laid the sins of his elect
on him. He bore it. Scripture says he
was made sin for us. The Lord Jesus Christ was made
sin for his people that we might be made the righteousness of
God in him. Look at our text here. Again,
upon me, let this iniquity be. Verse 25. Let not my Lord, I pray thee,
regard this man of Balaam, even Nabal, for as his name is, so
is he. Nabal is his name, and folly
is with him, but I, thy handmaid, saw not the young men of my Lord,
whom thou didst sin. Therefore, my Lord, as the Lord
liveth, and as thy soul liveth, seeing the Lord hath beholden
thee from coming to shed blood, and from avenging thyself with
thine own hand, now let thine enemies and they that seek evil
of my Lord be his navel. Every enemy of our Lord's gonna
be defeated. Every last one. Verse 27, And
now this blessing which thy handmaid hath brought unto my Lord, let
it even be given unto the young men that follow my Lord. And
I pray thee, forgive the trespass of thy handmaid. For the Lord
will certainly make my Lord a sure house, because he fighteth the
battles, the Lord fighteth the battles of thee, Lord. And evil
has not been found in thee, all thy days. How can evil not be
found in David? How can evil not be found in
any of us? Only in Christ. Only in him. Verse 29, yet a
man is risen to pursue thee and seek thy soul, but the soul of
my Lord shall be bound in the bundle of life with the Lord
thy God. His people are kept. kept by
the power of God. And the souls of thine enemies
shall he sling them out as the middle of the sling, and it shall
come to pass when the Lord shall have done to my Lord according
to all the good things he spoken concerning thee, and shall have
appointed thee ruler over Israel, that this shall be no grief unto
thee, nor offense unto my Lord, either that thou hast shed blood
causeless, or that my Lord hath avenged him himself, But when
the Lord shall have dealt well with my Lord, then remember,
remember thy handmaid." Isaac sang that special, Lord, what,
remember us. That's what she's saying, Lord,
remember me. Remember thy handmaid. Remember
that thief on the cross? What did he ask? Remember me. Did he do some great work of
faith? No. He's there about to die on the
cross. This request, this prayer, Lord,
remember me. Verse 32, David said to Abigail,
Bless me the Lord God of Israel. which sent thee this day to meet
me. Blessed be thy advice, blessed
be thou which has kept me this day from coming to shed blood
and from avenging myself with my own hand. For in very deed
is the Lord God of Israel liveth, which hath kept me back from
hurting thee, except thou had hasted. and come to meet me. Surely there had not been left
unto Nabal by morning light any that pisseth against the wall.
So David received of her hand that which she had brought him,
and he said to her, Go up in peace. Go in peace to thine house. I've hearkened to thy voice.
I've accepted thy person. And if we were to finish reading
this chapter, you'll see that God took that man Nabal and he
turned his heart to stone and he died. Every enemy of the Lord
will be destroyed. Every enemy will be put under
his foot. Now in closing, I want us to
consider just two things quickly here. The response to David's
messengers. In 1 Samuel 25 verse 5, look
there. You'll see David sent out his
young men with a message to Nabal. And look at verse 9. 1 Samuel
25 verse 9. And when David's young men came,
they spake to Nabal according to all those words in the name
of David And they ceased. We read that earlier, didn't
we? What was Nabal's response? How did Nabal reply to that message? Who's David? Who is David? Who is the son of Jesse? He was
furious, wasn't he? How dare you come and ask these
things of me? Isn't it something, this amazes
me, isn't it something how two men can hear the same message? Two women can hear the same message. Two young people can hear the
same message and one hates it and the other rejoices in it. One doesn't care if he ever hears
it again and the other It's like bread, he's gotta have it. Can't
live without, can't wait to hear it again. To one, it's a savor
of death, unto death. And to the other, it's a savor
of life. It's life. Truly, who is sufficient
for these things? Nabal's words, who is David? Well, look at verse 40. Same
chapter, 1 Samuel 25, look at verse 40. And when the servants of David
were come to Abigail, they went to Nabal before, but now they
come to Abigail, to Carmel. And they spake unto her, and
they said, David sent us unto thee. I wonder if it was the
same messengers. And they brought that message
this time to Abigail. And they spake unto her saying,
David sent us unto thee to take thee to him to be his wife. What was her reply? Did she say
who's David? Did she say who's the son of
Jesse? Look at verse 41. She arose and bowed herself on
her face to the earth and said, behold, let thy handmaid be a
servant. to wash the feet of the servants
of my Lord." I'm not worthy. I'm not worthy to wash his feet. Make me a servant. Just let me
wash his servant's feet. Make me a servant. Make me a
servant. And Abigail, look at verse 42.
She hasted. She didn't delay. She hasted
and arose and rode upon an ass with five damsels of hers and
went after her and she went after the messengers of David and she
became his wife. For the longest time, her husband
was a fool. Now she's married to the king.
She's his. Turn with me to one more passage
of scripture and I'll quit. Isaiah 54. That'd be a pretty
great story if it was just about Abigail, wouldn't it? But look
here at Isaiah 54 verse 5. What about the believer? Isaiah 54 verse 5, thy maker
is thine husband. The Lord of hosts is his name,
thy redeemer. The Holy One of Israel, the God
of the whole earth, shall he be called. Christ is the husband
of his bride, his church. And she's been his bride from
all eternity. She's always been his. And he's
redeemed her to himself. redeemed us from sin, redeemed
us from the law, redeemed us, redeemed his bride from every
enemy. He loves his bride perfectly. He's able to save her. He has
saved her. Is it any wonder, is it any wonder
when Abigail heard that message that she made haste? She couldn't get to him quick
enough, could she? No longer married to a fool, no. Thy maker
is thy husband. I pray the Lord would use his
word to comfort us, to instruct us, and chiefly to reveal Christ
to us, cause us to rest in him. All right.