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Sun am 24th May 2015 – Shane Egypt
1 Sam. 7:15; 1 Sam. 8:6-7, 19-20; (1 Sam. 15:26); Eph. 4:18; Eph. 1:18; 1 Sam. 25:1-41;
Heb. 11:1; Rom. 8:25 (Amp); Phil. 2:5-8
After the death of Samuel a massive shift took place for the people of God. That which God instituted, His rulership as it was executed through the prophet, had changed. Samuel was part of the judiciary of God. He moved in places like Gilgal, Mizpah and Bethel. He always returned to his home in Ramah but he functioned through God and in what God instituted. The people of God were not happy. The elders came to Samuel with a request for a king to be over them (1 Sam. 8:6). According to them Samuel was getting too old and there were problems in his household, his sons did not walk in God’s ways. That which God instituted did not seem to work for them anymore, they felt it was outdated and they needed something else. The request had been taken from the prevailing spirit of that age and it was a system God was not happy with. They rejected God’s rulership and they chose a system devoid of God’s presence (1 Sam. 8:7). Even after God had spoken concerning their desire, they did not take heed. It did not take long for the system and the people’s desire to fail (1 Sam. 15:26). The Lord had sought out for Himself a man after His own heart. This had not come to fruition yet in the eyes of the people. It seemed that the old, which was part of Saul’s household, could function without restraint while the new was still in obscurity. God’s heart was grieved by this and even the old sought to kill off what God was doing. God looks at the heart, for God does not see as man sees. Even Samuel lamented over what had transpired. God came to him saying, Samuel how long will you grieve over Saul since I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and be on your way. I will send you to Jesse of Bethlehem for I have chosen a king for myself among his sons (1 Sam. 16:1).
We see God’s heart for His people and His provision. A certain man in Maon, who had property there at Carmel, was very wealthy. He had a thousand goats and three thousand sheep, which he was shearing in Carmel. His name was Nabal and his wife’s name was Abigail. She was an intelligent and beautiful woman, but her husband, a Calebite was surly and mean in his dealings (1 Sam. 25:2). Nabal was of the house of Caleb. Caleb had a different spirit and that is what his household represented. You would expect a heart attitude from Nabal and his household of discernment and understanding, but you see a characteristic of this house which is only for themselves. It could not be compared to household of Caleb which he was from. David was in the wilderness and he took care of the possessions of Nabal and his people. The house of Nabal was prosperous as they were shearing the sheep. David decided to protect this man. He then asked for things which could be of benefit to his house and to his people. David sends a blessing. Have a long life, peace be to you, and peace be to your house, and peace be to all that you have (1 Sam. 25:6). But Nabal answered David’s servants and said, “Who is David? And who is the son of Jesse? There are many servants today who are each breaking away from his master. Shall I then take my bread and my water and my meat that I have slaughtered for my shearers, and give it to men whose origin I do not know?” (1 Samuel 25:10-11). There was no recognition or understanding of the grace that God had placed upon David and what he had become in God’s scheme of things (Ephesians 4:18). Nabal utterly rejected David and his request.
The ending of this man was when David wanted to avenge himself. His heart died within him and he became a paralyzed and as helpless as a stone. Ten days later Nabal died (1 Sam. 25:37-38). I want you to see the heart of Abigail in the context of what the people of God had gone through. Also what she had to go through living with this man and in the house of this man. We also see the desire of Abigail within this narrative. We see a different spirit in her. She was a woman of good understanding. If we understand we see things from a different perspective, from a different vantage point. So what do we see? Faith is the substance of things hoped for, that which is unseen (Heb. 11:1). If we are without hope it brings utter despair. Understanding makes you think of situations differently. When the enemy wants to bring times of discouragement and when you feel there is no hope for the situation, you still have hope in God, not false hope. If we understand, we do not react in a situation. We wait with patience and composure (Rom. 8:25-Amp).
When Abigail saw David, she hurried and dismounted from her donkey, and fell on her face before David and bowed herself to the ground. She fell at his feet and said, “On me alone, my lord, be the blame” (1 Samuel 25:23-24). We see a nature that is in Christ; she did not look at the reaction of Nabal but asked that his iniquity be on her. That is the nature of Christ. We that were by nature children in wrath, Christ took our iniquity upon Himself. She humbled herself. In these times we need to stay soft and broken before the Lord. Humility brings that (Phil. 2:5-8). Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus. She prostrated herself and honoured giving recognition and brought gifts (1 Samuel 25:29-39). She understood the grace and understood what was happening. She humbled herself. She had the desire to be part of what God was doing in the house of David because she saw what the house of Saul was doing. Remember God had removed rulership and His presence from Saul. Abigail even said that she would be a servant to wash the feet of David’s servants (1 Sam. 25:41). That was her heart and humility. Her ending was that she became part of the new thing, something that God placed His approval on. She became part of the house of rulership and she was exalted to marriage status with the king. She had a heart of understanding of what the Lord was doing.
I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints (Eph. 1:18). Let us have the heart of an Abigail in the time when there is a transition, in a time of difficulty, a time where it seems there is no hope. You see the desire of the people of God and the elders, you also see a desire of an Abigail who is part of the house of Nabal, but her heart before God brought her to the place where she wanted to be.