Merciful Direction part 2
Notes
Transcript
Roger’s Text..
A. Rapport for the time
B. Reading of the text
Will be done while we go over text
C. Review of the text
D. Relevance of the text
1. Approaching Chaos with Courage
1. Approaching Chaos with Courage
23 When Abigail saw David, she hurried and got down from the donkey and fell before David on her face and bowed to the ground.
As we come to the encounter between Abigail in David it begins by hew bowing before him showing her respect for him and also pleading for Mercy before she says a word. What Abigail is about to speak is the longest speech by a woman in Old Testament amounting to 153 Hebrew words. vs. 24-31
She establishes 3 goals in her talk with David
She successfully interceded on behalf of her husband
She prophetically revealed David’s destiny as the founder of a dynasty & vanquisher of enemies
She prevented David from bringing judgement down on himself through an egregious violation of the Torah.
24 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.
25 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.
26 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.
At first you could think that maybe Abigail is just doing all this to benefit herself somehow but she immediately takes the guilt of the situation upon herself. The confession of her husbands sin as her own is an an understanding from her that the choices that her husband have made are going to effect the entire house. She truly sees herself as a servant of David’s.
vs. 26 Providence—hand of God in the life of David HIS Servant. Abigail let’s David know that she is hear because the Lord is keeping David from sinning against him.
13 “You shall not oppress your neighbor or rob him. The wages of a hired worker shall not remain with you all night until the morning.
15 You shall give him his wages on the same day, before the sun sets (for he is poor and counts on it), lest he cry against you to the Lord, and you be guilty of sin.
But there is no statute for Vengence to come from the hand of David. Vengence is the Lord’s
18 You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.
15 You shall give him his wages on the same day, before the sun sets (for he is poor and counts on it), lest he cry against you to the Lord, and you be guilty of sin.
35 Vengeance is mine, and recompense, for the time when their foot shall slip; for the day of their calamity is at hand, and their doom comes swiftly.’
1 Samuel—Looking for a Leader Second Request: A Prayer (v. 26)
Since the Lord had kept David from this disaster, Abigail seemed to argue, let all David’s enemies, including Nabal (and implicitly Saul), be dealt with by the Lord.
27 And now let this present that your servant has brought to my lord be given to the young men who follow my lord.
28 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.
She gives the gifts that Nabal should have provided for David’s men in the first place.
Abigail then makes a huge statement in vs. 28
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.
Sure house—-David’s house has not been established on the thrown yet but Abigail seems to know that the Lord of the universe is going to do this very thing for David. This would not come till later in
11 from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel. And I will give you rest from all your enemies. Moreover, the Lord declares to you that the Lord will make you a house.
12 When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom.
13 He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.
14 I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. When he commits iniquity, I will discipline him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men,
15 but my steadfast love will not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you.
16 And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever.’ ”
29 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.
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,
31 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, 2 Samuel (10) The Lord Spares David from Sin against Nabal (25:2–44)
Abigail encouraged David to put the recent events in perspective; David could tarnish or destroy God’s future plans for him if he acted foolishly in the present. Besides, David had no need to defend himself in such matters because the Lord would watch over him: “David’s life will be bound securely in the bundle of the living by the LORD your God”
The Lord our God sends Abigail to prevent David from sinning out of the rashness of his heart.
What a God we serve that would care for us this way. God is protecting his own name by protecting David. Do you realize God cares for you the same way. The trials and things that are before you this very minute. Gospel...
T.S.
2. Attentive Hearts in Harmony
2. Attentive Hearts in Harmony
32 And David said to Abigail, “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who sent you this day to meet me!
33 Blessed be your discretion, and blessed be you, who have kept me this day from bloodguilt and from working salvation with my own hand!
34 For as surely as the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, who has restrained me from hurting you, unless you had hurried and come to meet me, truly by morning there had not been left to Nabal so much as one male.”
35 Then David received from her hand what she had brought him. And he said to her, “Go up in peace to your house. See, I have obeyed your voice, and I have granted your petition.”
Abigail was the messenger but make no mistake this was a work done by our God.
32—blessed
33—blessed...blessed
A word of Praise from David to God. There are time in which the Lord makes himself so obvious in our life that you have no choice but to praise him for loving you that much. Honestly, we should walk around in a perpetual state of honor and glory to God but we seem to forget in times of looking at self and can miss just how great our God is to us.
T.S.
3. Awaiting Divine Justice
3. Awaiting Divine Justice
36 And Abigail came to Nabal, and behold, he was holding a feast in his house, like the feast of a king. And Nabal’s heart was merry within him, for he was very drunk. So she told him nothing at all until the morning light.
37 In the morning, when the wine had gone out of Nabal, his wife told him these things, and his heart died within him, and he became as a stone.
38 And about ten days later the Lord struck Nabal, and he died.
36—no reason to try and reason with someone when they are drunk.
37—Not completely sure what happened. some believe he had a heart attack and died.
38—The Lord took care of Nabal..David never needed to lift a finger
19 Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.”
35 Vengeance is mine, and recompense, for the time when their foot shall slip; for the day of their calamity is at hand, and their doom comes swiftly.’
T.S.
4. Acknowledging God’s Work
4. Acknowledging God’s Work
39 When David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, “Blessed be the Lord who has avenged the insult I received at the hand of Nabal, and has kept back his servant from wrongdoing. The Lord has returned the evil of Nabal on his own head.” Then David sent and spoke to Abigail, to take her as his wife.
40 When the servants of David came to Abigail at Carmel, they said to her, “David has sent us to you to take you to him as his wife.”
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.”
42 And Abigail hurried and rose and mounted a donkey, and her five young women attended her. She followed the messengers of David and became his wife.
43 David also took Ahinoam of Jezreel, and both of them became his wives.
44 Saul had given Michal his daughter, David’s wife, to Palti the son of Laish, who was of Gallim.
Michal first wife
Ahinoam of Jezreel
Abigail
3 Wives...Michal had been given away to another by Saul
