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   LESSON 5   
   *October 23 - 29   
   Abigail: No Victim of Circumstances   
      
   SABBATH AFTERNOON   
      
   Read for This Week's Study:   
      
   1 Samuel 25, Isa. 28:23, 53:12, Dan. 9:15-19, Matt. 15:10, Rom. 8:34.   
      
   Memory Text:   
      
   "Wisdom rests in the heart of him who has understanding, But what is in the   
   heart of fools is made known" (Proverbs 14:33, NKJV).   
    Have you ever felt a victim of circumstances? Have you ever wished you could   
   be somewhere else? Or that you were someone else? Consider, then, the   
   character for this week: Abigail.   
      
   She was an intelligent and beautiful woman but, unfortunately, married a   
   selfish, short-sighted, and mean man, Nabal--a descendant of Caleb, but   
   nothing like his esteemed forefather. Nabal may have been wealthy, but his   
   name or nickname, which means "fool" or "foolish," accurately reflected his   
   character.   
      
   In the time of Abigail and Nabal, marriages were prearranged, and so Abigail   
   probably had no choice in the matter. Circumstances seemed to speak against   
   her in such a marriage as this. Conditions were not favorable, but in the   
   glimpse that we are given into the life of Abigail, we are encouraged not to   
   become victims of circumstances.   
      
   Abigail did not try to escape reality. She was realistic about her situation   
   (1 Sam. 25:25), but she did not let circumstances ruin her. She decided to   
   grow where she was planted.   
      
   *Study this week's lesson to prepare for Sabbath, October 30.   
   SUNDAY   
   October 24   
      
   Someone Who Will Listen   
      
   Most folk have no problem talking. If the truth be known, most of us talk too   
   much. How much better would it be if we learned to be good listeners. There   
   are seminars given on how to be better listeners. After all, a lot is going on   
   around us. How important, then, for us to listen.   
      
   Read Isaiah 28:23, Matthew 15:10, and James 1:19. What are they telling us to   
   do, and why?   
      
   David and his men were on the run from Saul. While living in the wilderness of   
   Paran, they met up with the herdsmen and animals of the wealthy landowner   
   Nabal. Instead of helping themselves to the animals, David and his men   
   protected the herdsmen and animals. At last, the sheep- shearing time arrived,   
   and a festive spirit was in the air. This was the time for saying thank you   
   and giving gifts. Knowing this, David sent ten of his men to ask for   
   provisions.   
      
   Read 1 Samuel 25:1-11. Why is David so insulted by Nabal's reply? What does   
   David hear?   
      
   Nabal is truly making good on his name. He sneeringly calls David's men   
   runaway slaves and sends them packing empty-handed. Nabal makes it very clear   
   that he thinks David is a nobody. In his mind, David is so insignificant that   
   knowing where he comes from or what he is doing is not really worth the   
   asking. Though David has demonstrated amazing self-restraint with murderous   
   King Saul, he, like us, feels deeply wounded when told that he is a nobody and   
   amounts to nothing. This is compounded by the fact that he had shown kindness   
   and was being rewarded with insults and humiliation.   
      
   Nabal is totally unaware of who he is dealing with. He does seem to know some   
   of the facts. He knows who David's father was and that David is on the run   
   from Saul, but Nabal is so self-centered and conceited that he is unable or   
   unwilling to listen to his servants. Nabal's servants have lived near David's   
   men and know that they are a fighting force to be reckoned with. The servants   
   recognize that their master " 'is such a wicked man that no one can talk to   
   him' " (1 Sam. 25:17, NIV). And so they turn to someone who will   
   listen--Abigail.   
   When was the last time your lack of attentive listening caused you or others   
   trouble? How can you learn from your mistakes?    
   MONDAY   
   October 25   
      
   Actions Speak Louder Than Words   
      
   Read 1 Samuel 25. What is the essence of the story? What lessons immediately   
   can be drawn from it? What questions remain?    
   After having heard the report of the servant, Abigail immediately begins   
   preparations. Abigail does more than listen; she acts. The narrator in 1   
   Samuel 25:18, 19 details the list of supplies she readies: raisins, figs,   
   sheep ready to be cooked, roasted grain, bread, and wine. These supplies were   
   luxurious and probably more than David's ten men had expected.   
      
   The next part of the story is full of movement and action. The writer of the   
   passage moves between different scenes, building the tension. We wait and hold   
   our breath for the moment of contact. In the heat of the moment, without   
   pausing to listen to God or reason, David and his men march out to take   
   revenge because of an insult. The number of men that David takes with him   
   reflects just how angry he is. David is pulling out two-thirds of his fighting   
   force.   
      
   When we react in anger, it is very difficult to make an appropriate response;   
   we normally overreact. Abigail does not just send the gifts off and then wait   
   to see what happens. She saddles up and rides to meet David. Despite the fact   
   that she has been married to an overbearing and rash man, she has not allowed   
   him to crush her spirit. She has not let herself be victimized. She still   
   holds to her sense of self-worth and is ready to risk her life in order to   
   protect her household. The odds are something like the young David facing   
   Goliath: a woman with donkey-loads of food and a few servants, going to face   
   400 armed and angry men.   
      
   Meanwhile Nabal, the fool, is also busy. While his brave wife is going out to   
   face an angry army, he is at home having a dinner party and getting drunk.   
      
   What do the following verses teach about the significance of our actions?   
   Matt. 7:21, 25:31-46, James 2:14-17.    
   Talk may be cheap, but our actions confirm or contradict our speech. The   
   actions of Abigail, David, and Nabal speak volumes about what they thought,   
   who was important to them, and which spirit motivated their actions.   
   If someone were to draw conclusions about you and the kind of person you are   
   solely by your actions, what conclusions would they draw, and why? What does   
   your answer tell you about yourself?    
   TUESDAY   
   October 26   
      
   A Time to Talk   
      
   In a mountain valley or ravine, Abigail meets up with David's forces. She bows   
   before David and treats him as though he were already king.   
      
   Read carefully Abigail's speech in 1 Samuel 25:23-31. Contrast that to Nabal's   
   reply (vss. 10, 11). What does this tell us about the difference between the   
   two of them?    
   Abigail addresses David as "my lord." Perhaps this in itself serves as a   
   reminder to David that he should behave as would befit God's anointed king and   
   not as the leader of a marauding band. Abigail is able to promote nobleness in   
   David, because she has not lost her own sense of self-worth. This enables her   
   to see the best in David and encourage godly behavior in him.   
      
   What is the first thing Abigail says to David? What do her words remind you   
   of? What is she attempting to do? Exod. 32:32, Esther 7:2-4, Isa. 53:12, Dan.   
   9:15-19, Rom. 8:34.    
   Intercession is marked by one common denominator: the person interceding must   
   closely identify with the person he or she is interceding for, whether or not   
   the interceding person stands to gain anything from the transaction. The   
   person must be willing to put aside his or her own selfish interests and ask   
   for what would be best for someone else. Abigail could have seen this threat   
   on Nabal's life as a way of getting rid of her husband and regaining her   
   freedom; instead, she chooses to identify herself with him and pleads for his   
   undeserving life.   
      
   Perhaps the very best form of intercession is intercessory prayer. We pray for   
   people who are unable or unwilling to pray for themselves. We have to put our   
   own wants, needs, and wishes aside and talk to God for these people. Our   
   prayers give God the excuse to move deep into Satan's territory. It is in   
   praying for others that we realize the immense compassion that God has for us.   
   We can learn how to bless those who curse us and pray for those who mistreat   
   us (Luke 6:28).   
   Have you ever had someone ever intercede for you in a situation where you   
   couldn't take care of yourself? How did that situation help you to understand   
   better what it means that we have Jesus interceding in our behalf?    
   WEDNESDAY   
   October 27   
      
   What Abigail Won't Do   
      
   People often are afraid of an abusive person. They are ready to cover for the   
   abuser and will lie and pretend in order to appease the abuser.   
      
   Read 1 Samuel 25:25, 26. What does it say about Abigail that she was so open   
   about her husband's faults? How does this make her intercession in his behalf   
   that much more remarkable? If someone were interceding for you right now   
   (which there is), what might be said about you?    
      
      
   Although Abigail is ready to risk her life to save her household, she also has   
   personal integrity. She does not lie for Nabal. She knows that he is the one   
   with the problem, and she is not afraid to say so even in public.   
      
   Someone in an abusive relationship often begins to feel responsible for the   
   abuser's actions and feels guilty. Abigail does not do this. She has a strong   
   sense of self-worth. This sense of worth is grounded in her sense of mission.   
   She does not give herself credit for intercepting David and bringing the gift   
   but sees herself simply as God's instrument in changing David's mind. Because   
   Abigail knows who she is, she is able to encourage David to be all he can be.   
   She reminds him that he is to fight the Lord's battles and not waste his time   
   and energy in seeking revenge for personal insults. Abigail's observation that   
   "evil [has] not been found" in David (1 Sam. 25:28, NKJV) is both a statement   
   and a warning that David has not (yet) disqualified himself from the great   
   office that he has been anointed for--to be king.   
      
   Abigail also reminds David that with his life firmly bound up in God, he has   
   no need to "save face" or defend his honor. God would do it for him.   
      
   Remember, too, that in Abigail's world divorce and even separation were not   
   options for a woman. From an earthly point of view, she would "belong" to her   
   husband until the day of her death. However, Abigail does not see her life as   
   useless or as a permanent prison. She believes that God will deal with her   
   husband in His own good time.   
      
   Abigail's speech shows that wisdom can be found in any life situation where we   
   surrender ourselves to God. Wisdom is not a theory but a practical way of   
   living and reacting to the people around us.   
   What does it mean to surrender ourselves completely to God? How does one do   
   it? If someone were to say to you, "I want to give myself completely to the   
   Lord, but I don't know how," how would you respond?    
   THURSDAY   
   October 28   
      
   In and Out   
      
   Unlike many of us, David could take constructive criticism, and he observes in   
   Abigail's words the workings of God. In a moment he sees the consequences of   
   his proposed actions in perspective, and he is thankful that God has   
   intervened to prevent a bloodbath. Abigail arrives home to discover that her   
   husband is once again in no condition to listen, and so she wisely waits until   
   the next morning to inform him of what has happened.   
      
   Nabal is terror-stricken. He most likely suffers a stroke and dies ten days   
   later. David has not forgotten Abigail and sends men to make a marriage   
   proposal for him.   
      
   Consider Abigail's last recorded words in the context of this week's study (1   
   Sam. 25:41). What do they tell us about Abigail? What other biblical examples   
   can you find of the same principle in action?    
   Abigail was a woman of influence. She had five maids; and yet, she was willing   
   to serve. Much later Jesus would say, " 'the Son of Man did not come to be   
   served, but to serve' " (Matt. 20:28, NKJV).   
      
   Abigail's life was no fairytale, even after her marriage to David. As was the   
   custom in those days, David had many wives, and family life was far from God's   
   ideal. Abigail was David's second wife and had to be constantly on the run   
   from King Saul. At Ziklag she, along with the other men's families, was   
   captured by the Amalekites and later rescued. It is here where Abigail finally   
   disappears from the biblical narrative. We would all expect to see this wise   
   and beautiful woman at King David's side, playing an important role as David's   
   story develops further, and there's only silence instead. All we know about   
   her further is that she had a son called Daniel (1 Chron. 3:1) or Chileab (2   
   Sam. 3:3), who was second in line to the throne by birth order.  However, both   
   Abigail and her son disappear from the picture. Some scholars believe that   
   both she and her son died violently. Given the later rapes, murders, revolts,   
   and rebellions that David's oldest sons were involved in, an early death was   
   perhaps not the worst that could happen.   
      
   As followers of Jesus, our lives are not necessarily fairytales, either. God   
   knows the end from the beginning, and so all the turns of our lives do not   
   need to make sense to us. We need, instead, to trust in the goodness of God.   
   Submission to others, even when appropriate, is not usually easy, for it   
   requires a sense of humility and dependency. How well do you fare in that   
   area? How can you learn to submit when necessary? How can we learn from   
   Christ's incredible examples of submission?    
   FRIDAY   
   October 29   
      
   Further Study:   
      
      
   "[Abigail's] words could have come only from the lips of one who had partaken   
   of the wisdom from above. The piety of Abigail, like the fragrance of a   
   flower, breathed out all unconsciously in face and word and action. The Spirit   
   of the Son of God was abiding in her soul. Her speech, seasoned with grace,   
   and full of kindness and peace, shed a heavenly influence. Better impulses   
   came to David, and he trembled as he thought what might have been the   
   consequences of his rash purpose. 'Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall   
   be called the children of God.' Matthew 5:9. Would that there were many more   
   like this woman of Israel, who would soothe the irritated feelings, prevent   
   rash impulses, and quell great evils by words of calm and well-directed wisdom.   
      
   "A consecrated Christian life is ever shedding light and comfort and peace. It   
   is characterized by purity, tact, simplicity, and usefulness. It is controlled   
   by that unselfish love that sanctifies the influence. It is full of Christ,   
   and leaves a track of light wherever its possessor may go. Abigail was a wise   
   reprover and counselor. David's passion died away under the power of her   
   influence and reasoning. He was convinced that he had taken an unwise course   
   and had lost control of his own spirit.   
      
   "With a humble heart he received the rebuke, in harmony with his own words,   
   'Let the righteous smite me; it shall be a kindness: and let him reprove me;   
   it shall be an excellent oil.' Psalm 141:5. He gave thanks and blessings   
   because she advised him righteously. There are many who, when they are   
   reproved, think it praiseworthy if they receive the rebuke without becoming   
   impatient; but how few take reproof with gratitude of heart and bless those   
   who seek to save them from pursuing an evil course."--Ellen G. White,   
   Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 667.    
   Discussion Questions:   
      
     Spouse abuse is a big problem. As a church we have a responsibility to help.   
   That's why every year, on the Seventh-day Adventist calendar, the fourth   
   Sabbath of August is "Abuse Prevention Day," which gives us a special   
   opportunity to educate fellow members and create awareness about this problem.   
   What can we do to help those who are suffering from this terrible scourge?    
    "Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God"   
   (Matt. 5:9). Drawing on this week's lesson, what are the characteristics of   
   peacemakers? How can we make peace without compromising our principles?   
      
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