I Sam 25 - Abigail, an example of godliness


Call to worship: I Chron 16:8-14

NT Reading: I Peter 3:1-12

Hymns: “When Morning Guilds the Skies,” “Like a River Glorious”

Songs: “On Bended Knee I Come,” “I will Worship - with all of my Heart”

Confession of Sin: Jer. 14:19-22


How to get something out of the Bible every time you read it: look for a:

Sin to avoid

Promise to claim

*Example to follow

Command to obey

Knowledge to remember


3 Character traits of Abigail that make her an example

1. Wisdom (“intelligent”)

a) Took advice (v.14-17 “Now therefore know this and consider what you should do, for harm is determined against our master and against all his house, and he is such a worthless man that one cannot speak to him.”) - unlike Nabal (v.8-10) v.17 implies that the servant did not feel he could talk to Nabal whereas he knew he would get an audience with Abigail.
* Are you easy to approach with advice?

b) Accepted blame that wasn’t hers (v24 “On me alone, my lord, be the guilt.”, v28 “Please forgive the trespass of your servant.”) and gave gifts to appease David (v.18 “two hundred loaves and two skins of wine and five sheep already prepared and five measures of parched grain and a hundred clusters of raisins and two hundred cakes of figs”)
* Are you willing to take blame for something you didn’t do and let your reputation go?

c) Knew when to talk to Nabal (v.36 sober after feast) and when not to (before she took action when he could have stopped her - v.19)

d) Knew how to speak persuasively (v.26 before David makes a decision to stop pursuing Nabal, she speaks of it in the past tense, and she also attributes her action to God: “because the Lord has restrained you from bloodguilt,” v. 31 “my lord shall have no cause of grief or pangs of conscience for having shed blood without cause,” even speaking of a slingshot v.29). It seems God tends to naturally gift women in speech. This gift can be used for good or for evil. See how Abigail used it for good!


Wisdom is good, but it can lead to pride when a person feels able to meet the challenges of life without God by their own wits and when a person thinks himself better than others. Not so with Abigail. Her wisdom was tempered with humility.


2. Humility (servant attitude)

a) Haste - mentioned 4 times in this one chapter (v. 18 in preparing the food, v.23, “hurried down from her donkey” upon first seeing David, v.34 - David speaks of her haste in coming out to him, v.42 - she hurried to David when he asked to marry her.)

b) Bowing, calling David “lord” and herself “servant” (v.23 “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.’”)

c) Wash feet (v.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.’")
*
Would you be willing to wash 600 soldier’s feet for the rest of your life?


Abigail’s wisdom and humility are wonderful, but there is one more essential ingredient to her character. There are, many wise and humble people who will not be in heaven because they do not have faith in God. Abigail’s faith completes the picture of an exemplary woman.

3. Faith

a) in God as sovereign over:

b) in God’s anointed


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