This document summarizes a passage from the Bible about David and Nabal. 1) David and his men had protected Nabal's shepherds from harm, but when David's men asked Nabal for food, the wealthy but foolish Nabal refused and insulted David. 2) Nabal insisted the food was his own to do with as he pleased, but the commentary notes that God provides all good gifts and we are merely stewards of what He gives us, not absolute owners. 3) We should use what God provides to glorify Him, not for our own purposes, as Nabal had done by refusing to share.

1. Stone
Creek
www.rossvillechurch.com
781 Salem Road, Rossville, GA 30741
October 28, 2012 1

2. Will be here December 29,
2012 to lead in worship.
Pure Heart will be
here Sunday morning,
January 13, 2013
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3. 1 Samuel 25 1a And Samuel died; and all the
Israelites were gathered together, and lamented
him, and buried him in his house at Ramah.
There is purpose in coming together to mourn for
loved ones who have died.
In coming together, the saints invite the Presence
of God’s Holy Spirit to be in our midst.
The Holy Spirit is our Comforter.
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4. Samuel had meant much to the nation of Israel:
Priest, Prophet, King-maker, Advisor to kings,
Prayer warrior, and more.
God had talked with Samuel from the time he was
a small boy, living and training with Eli the Priest.
His death was a grave loss to Israel, and David
came to Ramah with the others to mourn.
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5. 1b And David arose,
and went down to the
wilderness of Paran.
Ramah is north of
Jerusalem.
David moved far from
Saul, into a rather
empty area.
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6. 2 And there was a man in Maon, whose possessions
were in Carmel; and the man was very great, and
he had three thousand sheep, and a thousand goats:
and he was shearing his sheep in Carmel.
Rich man!
But not a smart man, as we shall see.
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7. 3 Now the name of the man was Nabal [dolt or
fool]; and the name of his wife Abigail: and she
was a woman of good understanding, and of a
beautiful countenance: but the man was churlish
and evil in his doings; and he was of the house of
Caleb.
Churlish = cruel, stubborn, hard-hearted
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8. So, Nabal was an
evil, stubborn, rich,
hard-hearted fool.
He will lose everything,
because he will die.
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9. But his wife, Abigail,
was beautiful, wise,
and hard-working.
She will be the wife of a king.
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10. 4 And David heard in the wilderness that Nabal did
shear his sheep. 5 And David sent out ten young
men, and David said unto the young men, Get you
up to Carmel, and go to Nabal, and greet him in my
name: 6 And thus shall ye say to him that liveth in
prosperity, Peace be both to thee, and peace be to
thine house, and peace be unto all that thou hast.
David is on the run in the wilderness, and he
still has to feed 600 men.
He tells his men to be diplomatic.
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11. 7 And now I have heard that thou hast shearers:
now thy shepherds which were with us, we hurt
them not, neither was there ought missing unto
them, all the while they were in Carmel. 8 Ask thy
young men, and they will shew thee. Wherefore let
the young men find favor in thine eyes: for we
come in a good day: give, I pray thee, whatsoever
cometh to thine hand unto thy servants, and to thy
son David.
David and his men were not free-loaders.
They had protected his men from bandits.
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12. 9 And when David's young men came, they spake
to Nabal according to all those words in the name
of David, and ceased. 10 And Nabal answered
David's servants, and said, Who is David? and who
is the son of Jesse? there be many servants now a
days that break away every man from his master.
Nabal “the fool” answered them harshly.
He even implied that David was a runaway slave.
He was greedy and did not want to share;
So he blamed David for his own need.
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13. 11 Shall I then take my bread, and my water, and
my flesh that I have killed for my shearers, and
give it unto men, whom I know not whence they
be?
“The Fool” was all about self.
Nabal went into a passion, as covetous men are apt
to do, when asked for anything, thinking thus to
cover one sin with another; and, by abusing the
poor, to excuse themselves from relieving them.
But God will not thus be mocked.
Matthew Henry
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14. Let this help us to bear reproaches and misrepre-
sentations with patience and cheerfulness, and
make us easy under them; it has often been the lot
of the excellent ones of the earth.
Matthew Henry
As Nabal did to David, people who are mean to us
are excusing their own sins.
Compassion is a defining trait of God.
His children are to be compassionate also.
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15. Nabal insists much on the property he had in the
provisions of his table. May he not do what he will
with his own?
We mistake, if we think we are absolute lords of
what we have, and may do what we please with it.
No; we are but stewards, and must use it as we are
directed, remembering it is not our own, but His
who entrusted us with it.
Matthew Henry Concise Bible Commentary .
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16. James 1 16 Do not err, my beloved brethren.
17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from
above, and cometh down from the Father of lights,
with Whom is no variableness, neither shadow of
turning.
Every good thing that we possess is God’s
Provision. He has entrusted us with it.
We are not even lords of our own selves.
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17. 1 Corinthians 6 19 What? know ye not that your
body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in
you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your
own? 20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore
glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which
are God's. Price: Jesus’ Blood
We each have an obligation unto God to use all that
we are and all He has provided for His Purpose.
Nabal was the fool – “MY, my, my, I, and my.”
Let us be wise in sharing and using God’s Provision.
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18. Whatever we have, whatever we can do
God provided.
Use it for the Glory of God.
Not for our own purposes.
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