I’ve neglected this blog and I’ve decided that I am going to comment on some of the stories found within the books of the Tanakh and Brit Hadashah (New Testament).
1 Samuel 25: 1 – 44
P’shat Level (Plain sense of the text):
The 25th chapter begins with the death of Samuel. Samuel dies Israel gathers to eulogize him and he’s buried in his home of Ramah. David leaves and descends to the Wilderness of Paran. Here we are introduced to Nabal and his wife Abigail.
Nabal lived in Maon but his business was in Carmel. He was very wealthy, having three thousand sheep and one thousand goats. His wife Abigal is described as intelligent and beautiful. Nabal however was difficult and an evildoer. He was a descendant of Caleb. (The same Caleb who along with Joshua were the only two to wander in the wilderness for 40 years AND enter into the promise land).
David heard that Nabal was shearing his sheep. David sent 10 attendants and told his servants to inquire after Nabal’s welfare, in David’s name. David told them to remind Nabal that his servants stayed with David’s servants and they were not ill-treated nor molested while they sheared together. And to also speak a blessing over him and all that he has. And to ask if there is anything that he can give to David.
David’s servants asked just as David asked them too. Nabal replied to David’s servants. “Who is David and who is the son of Jesse? These days the rebellios servants have increased, each against his wmaster! Should I take from my bread and my water and my meant that I have slaughtered for my shearers and give them to men about whose origin I do not know?”
David’s servants returned to David to tell them what Nabal had said and questioned. David tells his servants to get their swords. Each man got his sword and so did David and 400 men went after David and 200 men stayed with their belongings.
One young man from the attendants told Abigail, Nabal’s wife saying. “Behold! David sent messenges from the wilderness to gereet our master and he drove them off. These men were very good to us; we were not shamed, nor were we lakcing anythigs all the days taht we traveled with them, when we were in the field. They were a [protective] wall over us, both by night and by day, all the days w were with them tending the sheep. And now be aware and detemien what to do, for the eveil [devree] has been made final against our master and agiainst his entire household, and he himself is too base a person even to talk to.”
Abigail hurried and took 2oo breads, 2 containers of wine, 5 cooked sheep, 5 se’ahs of toasted grain, a 100 raise clusters, and 200 cakes of pressed fig and she put them on donkeys. She to her attendants to go be fore her and I will be behind you. She didn’t tell Nabal her husband. As she was riding ont eh donkey, descending the mountain, behold David and his men were descending the mountain toward and she met the.
Now David said, “It was for naught taht I guarded all of this man’s possesions in the desert and there was not missing anything frrom all that belonged to him; yet he has repaid my kindness with evil. Such shall God do to David’s enemies and such shall He do further, if I leaver over until morning of all that belongs to him so muchas as a dog!”
Abigail upon seeing David dismounts from her donkey. Seh falls on her face before David an dpostrates herself. She emplores him to not set is heart against Nabal. for his he is a base man as his name implies. She asked for forgiveness and wasn’t there when his servants initially came to meet and speak to Nabal. She asked for forgiveness on behalf of her husband and explained that YHVH has prevented David from coming to bloosdhed and from avenging his own hand.
David sees the truth in her words and blesses her and Nabal’s household instead of cursing. He says that had she NOT come that he would have destroyed all of Nabal house that not even a dog would have been left. He tells her to go up in peace to her house. That he’s heeded her voice and has show her grace.
Abigail returned home and found Nabal having a feast, fit for a king. Nabal was pleased with himself and was very drunk. So Abigail didn’t bother in telling Nabal anything that had previously happened. In the morning when Nabal was sober, she told him of these matters. His heart [seemed to have] died within him, and he was stunned.
After ten days, YHVH struuck Nabal and he died. When David hear that Nabal had died, he said, “Blessed is YHVH, Who has taken up the cause of my disgrace from the hand of Nabal, and has prevented His servant from wrongdoing; and YHVH has returned Nabal’s evil upon his head.”
David then sent agents to ask Abigal to become his wife. Abigal arose and prostrated herself to the ground and said, “Your maidservant is merely a handmaid to wash the feet of the servants of my lord.”
Abigail then hurried and arose and mounted the donkey. Her 5 maids traveled with her. She followed DAvid’s messengers and became David’s wife. David also married Ahinoam of Jezreel and both of them were his wives. Saul had given his daughter Michal, David’s [intended] wife, to Palti son of Laish of Gaillim.
Name meanings:
Samuel: His name is El
Israel: Wrestled with God or Prince of God
Ramah: Hill
David: Beloved
Paran: Place of caverns
Maon: Habitation
Carmel: Garden land
Nabal: fool
Abigail: My father is joy
Caleb: Dog (from the sense of faithful)
Jesse: Wealthy or Gift
Ahinoam: My brother is delight
Jezreel: YHVH sows
Saul: Desired
Michal: Who is like God
Palti: My deliverance
Laish: Lion
Gallim: Springs
Drash: (Truth and Principal) Yokes. YHVH tells us in Lev 26:13 (paraphrased) that the bonds of the yoke have been broken that we may now go upright. Matthew 11:29 says, “Take my yoke upon you and learn of me…..” Verse 30 “For my yoke is easy and my burden light.” Galations 5:1 “….Christ hath made us free and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.” Truth: being yoked to someone or something that you are not to be yoked to is bondage.
Remez: (Theme of story)
Unequally yoked. Abigail was a good and virtuous woman. Despite being married to a descendant of Caleb, Nabal himself was “difficult and an evil doer”. This theme of yoking yourself to someone or something that was never to be paired with is repeated through out the Tanakh and Brit Hadasha. In this case it focus on the woman being good and the man being evil, but Proverbs speaks several times of a virtuous women and unrighteous women. See Proverbs 9:13 – 18; 14:1 31:10-31. Proverbs also speaks of wise and foolish men. See Proverbs 10:1, 13:1: 14:16: 16:27-29 28:7. Out of her wisdom and wise heart, despite the man she was married to, Abigail interceded on his behalf to restrain David’s wrath.
Sod: (Hidden/Mysterious)
5 times during the story do we see the word Behold. This word means that a mystery or something hidden is being revealed.
1 Sam 25:14, 19, 20, 36, 41.