This document summarizes several passages from 1 Samuel 25 that describe an interaction between David, Nabal, and Nabal's wife Abigail. It describes how Nabal refused David's request for food and protection. Abigail took food to David without Nabal's knowledge to appease him and prevent bloodshed. When Abigail told Nabal what happened the next day, he died of fright. The document encourages readers to follow Abigail's example of overcoming evil with good and avoiding vengeance.

2. David and the Fool
1 Samuel 25

3. We love David in part
because he was imperfect.

4. 1 Samuel 25
(2) Now there was a man in
Maon whose business was in
Carmel; and the man was very
rich, and he had 3000 sheep
and 1000 goats. And it came
about while he was shearing
his sheep in Carmel

5. 1 Samuel 25
(3) (now the man’s name was
Nabal, and his wife’s name
was Abigail. And the woman
was intelligent and beautiful in
appearance, but the man was
harsh and evil in his dealings,
and he was a Calebite),

6. 1 Samuel 25
(4) that David heard in the
wilderness that Nabal was
shearing his sheep.

7. 1 Samuel 25
(8) Therefore let my young
men find favor in your eyes,
for we have come on a festive
day. Please give whatever
you find at hand to your
servant and to your son David.

8. 1 Samuel 25
(11) “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?”

9. 1 Samuel 25
(13) David said to his men,
“Each of you gird on his
sword.” And David also
girded on his sword, and
about 400 men went up behind
David while 200 stayed with
the baggage.

10. 1 Samuel 25
(18) Then Abigail hurried and
took 200 loaves of bread and 2
jugs of wine and 5 sheep
already prepared and 5
measures of roasted grain

11. 1 Samuel 25
and 100 clusters of raisins and
200 cakes of figs, and loaded
them on donkeys.
(19) … But she did not tell her
husband Nabal.

12. 1 Samuel 25
(24) [Abigail] fell at his feet
and said, “On me alone, my
lord, be the blame. And
please let your maidservant
speak to you, and listen to the
words of your maidservant.

13. 1 Samuel 25
(25) Please do not let my lord
pay attention to this worthless
man, Nabal, for as his name is,
so is he. Nabal is his name
and folly is with him; but I
your maidservant did not see
the young men of my lord
whom you sent.

14. 1 Samuel 25
(26) Now therefore, as the
LORD lives, and as your soul
lives, since the LORD has
restrained you from shedding
blood, and from

15. 1 Samuel 25
avenging yourself by your
own hand, now then let your
enemies and those who seek
evil against my lord, be as
Nabal.

16. 1 Samuel 25
[30] “And when the LORD
does for my lord according to
all the good that He has
spoken concerning you, and
appoints you ruler over Israel,

17. 1 Samuel 25
[31] this will not cause grief or
a troubled heart to my lord,
both by having shed blood
without cause and by my lord
having avenged himself. When
the LORD deals well with my
lord, then remember your
maidservant.”

18. 1 Samuel 25
[32] Then David said to
Abigail, “Blessed be the LORD
God of Israel, who sent you
this day to meet me, [33] and
blessed be your discernment,
and blessed be you, who have
kept me this day from

19. 1 Samuel 25
bloodshed and from avenging
myself by my own hand.
[34] “Nevertheless, as the
LORD God of Israel lives, who
has restrained me from
harming you, unless you had
come quickly to meet me,

20. 1 Samuel 25
surely there would not
have been left to Nabal
until the morning light
as much as one male.”

21. 1 Samuel 25
[35] So David received from
her hand what she had
brought him and said to her,
“Go up to your house in
peace. See, I have listened
to you and granted
your request.”

22. 1 Samuel 25
(36) Then Abigail came to
Nabal, and behold, he was
holding a feast in his house,
like the feast of a king.
And Nabal’s heart was
merry within him,

23. 1 Samuel 25
for he was drunk; so she did
not tell him anything at all
until the morning light.

24. 1 Samuel 25
(37) But in the morning, when
the wine had gone out of
Nabal, his wife told him these
things, and his heart died
within him so that he became
as a stone.

25. 1) We’re going to meet
some Nabals.

26. Matthew 5:43-47
(43) You have heard that it was
said, ‘You shall love your
neighbor and hate your
enemy.’

27. Matthew 5:43-47
(44) But I say to you, love
your enemies and pray for
those who persecute you.

28. Matthew 5:43-47
(45) so that you may be sons
of your Father who is in
heaven; for He causes His sun
to rise and the evil and the
good, and sends rain on the
righteous and the
unrighteous.

29. Matthew 5:43-47
(46) For if you love those who
love you, what reward do you
have? Do not even the tax
collectors do the same?

30. Matthew 5:43-47
(47) If you greet only your
brothers, what more are you
doing than others?
Do not even the Gentiles
do the same?

31. 2) Vengeance is God’s
job, not ours.

32. 1 Peter 2:21-23
(21) For you have been called
for this purpose, since Christ
also suffered for you, leaving
you an example for you to
follow in His steps,

33. 1 Peter 2:21-23
(22) who committed no sin,
nor was any deceit found in
His mouth;

34. 1 Peter 2:21-23
(23) and while being reviled,
He did not revile in return;
while suffering, He uttered no
threats, but kept entrusting
Himself to Him who judges
righteously;

35. Romans 12:19
[19] Never take your own
revenge, beloved, but leave
room for the wrath of God, for
it is written, “VENGEANCE IS
MINE, I WILL REPAY,”
says the Lord.

36. 3) We need more Abigails.

37. Matthew 5:9
(9) Blessed are the
peacemakers, for they shall
be called sons of God.

38. “Do not be
overcome by
evil, but
overcome evil
with good.”
- Paul, in
Romans 12:21
Final Thought