Abigail and Nabal

Well, you'd think it would be difficult to "share provisions" with an army of 600, but Abigail was able to quickly pull it together, indicating that Nabal had more than enough to share. Her decisive action, at great risk to herself given the temperament of Nabal, spared the lives of many men. And she also saved David from committing a huge sin. His anger and vengeance were not for the Lord's sake, as it had been with Goliath. He was simply angry that Nabal was acting like a fool and that his own plans were frustrated. Killing those men would have been wrong, and as Abigail put it, "a blemish on your record". Her wisdom and honesty impressed David, so much so, that when Nabal died 10 days later, he asked her to marry him, becoming his 3rd wife. David would go on to have hundreds of wives and concubines, as was customary for royalty at that time. Polygamy was apparently a practice that God tolerated then, despite it being contrary to His perfect plan for husbands and wives. This practice was virtually non-existent by the time of the Babylonian captivity.

Tomorrow's reading: 1 Samuel 26-29:11, 1 Chronicles 12:19; Psalm 56