How to Make Amends

I have come to realize that its difficult to make amends when you a have wrong someone. Again as we move towards being repairers of the breach we must know when we have wronged someone and how to say I’m sorry.

Saying I’m sorry is apart of making amends. Amend means to correct.

In we are introduce to a foolish man named Nabal. This man was a wealthy businessman in Carmel. Now Carmel was known for the City where Saul erected a monument following the defeat Amalekites. Now Nabal was a decedent of Caleb. The Bible describes him as a man who was harsh and badly behaved. Now out of all the things to be known for is that you were harsh and badly behaved.

That’s a warning for us. What will we be known as? Surely you don’t want to know as harsh and badly behaved! That word harsh means unpleasantly rough or jarring to the senses. cruel or severe! I learned that you can attract more bees with honey than vinegar. Many people have to work on that these days. Society have become so harsh one to another. A little kindness is appreciated.

So this Nabal who was rich had man in had men in the wilderness who David and his men looked after.

Verse 5 shows us that David made a request of Nabal. So David sent ten young men. And David said to the young men, “Go up to Carmel, and go to Nabal and greet him in my name. 6 And thus you shall greet him: ‘Peace be to you, and peace be to your house, and peace be to all that you have. 7 I hear that you have shearers. Now your shepherds have been with us, and we did them no harm, and they missed nothing all the time they were in Carmel. 8 Ask your young men, and they will tell you. Therefore let my young men find favor in your eyes, for we come on a feast day. Please give whatever you have at hand to your servants and to your son David.’ ” (). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

Reading closely you will see the graciousness of David

(). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

David instructs his men to great Nabal in such a manner pronouncing blessings of peace on him and his house. They are instructed to go as ambassadors of David. Great him in my Name. David a man after God own heart knew that God favour was on his life. We know he was anointed by God to be the next King of Israel. The Lord had protected David while he was on the run from Saul and had even showed Saul that the Lord was with him. Its in chapter 24 that Saul encounters David in the cave and David spares his life. It was after that encounter that Saul asked David to remember his offspring and not destroy his name.

So David had favour with God. It was evident he would be King but maybe Nabal did not get the news. The sad thing is Nabal was definitely familiar with David because of how he responds sarcastically.In verse 10 he responds Who is David? Who is the son of Jesse? Well first of David was the next anointed King of Israel, secondly he was his kinsmen being of the tribe of Judah, thirdly he had been providing protection to Nabal herdsmen.

It was a simple request show favour to my young men with what ever you can. Look especially since they have come on a feast day.

Now this may not have been necessarily a festival day but it was a day set aside for feasting. celebration. Let me help you. It could have been like how our Sundays use to be. It was on Sundays when you could stop by the saints house and always get a good meal. A feast day a day of celebration. This is the day that the Lord has man we should rejoice and be glad in it! Today is Super Sunday. There will be a lot of Super bowl celebrations going on! I’m sure there will be a lot of food served. Can a brother get a plate?

It was a time when we shared and care but today we have too many Nabals being raised up.

Hebrew 13:1 and 2 Let brotherly love continue. 2 Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. (). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

Are we forgetting how to share? Are we forgetting how to care of the stranger?

So David heard that Nabal was shearing his sheep in Carmel and it was a good opportunity to send his men to allow Nabal to show some gratitude. Davids expectations are shattered by Nabal’s response. David was so offended that the purposed in his heart to destroy Nabal and every male in his camp. This had to be shocking! Look at Nabals response 11 Shall I take my bread and my water and my meat that I have killed for my shearers and give it to men who come from I do not know where?” (). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles. First of all he did know where these men came from. They spoke on behalf of David. It was told that Davis and his men made sure your shepherds were safe. If he didn’t want to do it don’t fabricate some excuse. Just say no! Yet he was living up to his name. The name Nabal literally means foolish or senseless. He didn’t have much sense. I learned early in life when someone does some nice for you that you can at least say THANK YOU!

(). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

That’s why I love to praise the Lord! He has been too good to me! Over and over when I look back over my life I have to say Thank you!

(). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

The first thing I see is Cruel Fool

Nabal was just a fool. I told you he was described ad harsh. One translation was surly. Just mean.

There was no reason I can find that Nabals should have beed so uninviting and mean to Davids men. He had every reason to show hospitality. He owe David for protecting his shepherds, there was a tribal connection and the news was out that David was the next King. He was a fool. He stupidity put him at a disadvantage. He was on David hit list but we will find out he lost favour with God.

One thing you better recognize is that what ever you have God gave it to you! You better be careful thinking and leading with the pronoun I or my I did this it my stuff! Please! There is a doxology we use to sing in the church after the offering “All things come of thee oh Lord!” That use be a reminder that we would not be able to give if it was not for the Lord.

Secondly I see a discerning wife.

Abigail get news of what her husband did from one of the servants. She did not even address that fool.She went into action. Wives sometimes you will have to be the wiser of the two and make some intercessions on behalf of your foolish husbands. And then sometimes you husbands may have to do the same thing. Abigail spring into action. She had discernment. She knew that David was wronged and she had to make it right. The next time the Lord tells you to make it right do it. She had to make amends. She had to correct this situation. The servant told her “David sent messengers from the desert to give our master his greetings, but he hurled insults at them. 15Yet these men were very good to us. They did not mistreat us, and the whole time we were out in the fields near them nothing was missing. 16Night and day they were a wall around us all the time we were herding our sheep near them.

David and his men offered these men the same thing the Lords does for us. The Lord will never mistreat us! He will watch over us day and night! So we should not hurl insults at the Lord. When we walk around and act like that it wasn’t the Lord that kept us we throw insults at him! Listen this servant said to Abigail. 17Now think it over and see what you can do, because disaster is hanging over our master and his whole household. He is such a wicked man that no one can talk to him.”

She was a woman of action she got work. Hey we need to appreciate the women of the church. While some of these men are wasting time its been the woman who have leaped into action! 18Abigail lost no time. She took two hundred loaves of bread, two skins of wine, five dressed sheep, five seahs of roasted grain, a hundred cakes of raisins and two hundred cakes of pressed figs, and loaded them on donkeys. 19Then she told her servants, “Go on ahead; I’ll follow you.” But she did not tell her husband Nabal.

She knew she had to do something and whatever she did she did need to involve her foolish husband.

David had purposed in his heart to destroy Nabal. All i did for him . He has paid me back evil for good.

David was so mad he said my the Lord be more severe on me If by morning I don’t destroy him and every male !

Bergen, R. D. (1996). 1, 2 Samuel (Vol. 7, p. 244). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.

Now David was just a man but Abigail show us a lesson on how to make amends.

First Come with gifts

Second be prepared to worship

Thirdly show humility and ask for forgiveness

Fourthly recognize the Lords power

Finally ask the Lord to remember you

23When Abigail saw David, she quickly got off her donkey and bowed down before David with her face to the ground. 24She fell at his feet and said: “My lord, let the blame be on me alone. Please let your servant speak to you; hear what your servant has to say. 25May my lord pay no attention to that wicked man Nabal. He is just like his name—his name is Fool, and folly goes with him. But as for me, your servant, I did not see the men my master sent.

26“Now since the LORD has kept you, my master, from bloodshed and from avenging yourself with your own hands, as surely as the LORD lives and as you live, may your enemies and all who intend to harm my master be like Nabal. 27And let this gift, which your servant has brought to my master, be given to the men who follow you. 28Please forgive your servant’s offense, for the LORD will certainly make a lasting dynasty for my master, because he fights the LORD’S battles. Let no wrongdoing be found in you as long as you live. 29Even though someone is pursuing you to take your life, the life of my master will be bound securely in the bundle of the living by the LORD your God. But the lives of your enemies he will hurl away as from the pocket of a sling. 30When the LORD has done for my master every good thing he promised concerning him and has appointed him leader over Israel, 31my master will not have on his conscience the staggering burden of needless bloodshed or of having avenged himself. And when the LORD has brought my master success, remember your servant.”

Finally I see a King that knows the Lord

32David said to Abigail, “Praise be to the LORD, the God of Israel, who has sent you today to meet me. 33 May you be blessed for your good judgment and for keeping me from bloodshed this day and from avenging myself with my own hands. 34 Otherwise, as surely as the LORD, the God of Israel, lives, who has kept me from harming you, if you had not come quickly to meet me, not one male belonging to Nabal would have been left alive by daybreak.”

35Then David accepted from her hand what she had brought him and said, “Go home in peace. I have heard your words and granted your request.”

Don’t worry about foolish people and evil doers. When Nabal got this news the next morning after having a lavish banquet the word said his heart failed and he became like stone. He was sorrowful. Yet his remorse comes to late. The word said 10 days later he died.

David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, “Praise be to the LORD, who has upheld my cause against Nabal for treating me with contempt. He has kept his servant from doing wrong and has brought Nabal’s wrongdoing down on his own head.” See the Lord will fight your battles! He is still Lord!

Bergen, R. D. (1996). 1, 2 Samuel (Vol. 7, p. 245). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.

After that David sends for Abigail and takes her as his wife.

Bergen, R. D. (1996). 1, 2 Samuel (Vol. 7, pp. 244–245). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.