IIT UBF - University Bible Fellowship at IIT

Daily Bread

David Takes Abigail As His Wife

Date: Jul. 23, 2024

Passage

1 Samuel 25:32-44 (ESV)

32 And David said to Abigail, “Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, who sent you this day to meet me! 33 Blessed be your discretion, and blessed be you, who have kept me this day from bloodguilt and from working salvation with my own hand! 34 For as surely as the LORD, the God of Israel, lives, who has restrained me from hurting you, unless you had hurried and come to meet me, truly by morning there had not been left to Nabal so much as one male.” 35 Then David received from her hand what she had brought him. And he said to her, “Go up in peace to your house. See, I have obeyed your voice, and I have granted your petition.”

36 And 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, for he was very drunk. So she told him nothing at all until the morning light. 37 In the morning, when the wine had gone out of Nabal, his wife told him these things, and his heart died within him, and he became as a stone. 38 And about ten days later the LORD struck Nabal, and he died.

39 When David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, “Blessed be the LORD who has avenged the insult I received at the hand of Nabal, and has kept back his servant from wrongdoing. The LORD has returned the evil of Nabal on his own head.” Then David sent and spoke to Abigail, to take her as his wife. 40 When the servants of David came to Abigail at Carmel, they said to her, “David has sent us to you to take you to him as his wife.” 41 And she rose and bowed with her face to the ground and said, “Behold, your handmaid is a servant to wash the feet of the servants of my lord.” 42 And Abigail hurried and rose and mounted a donkey, and her five young women attended her. She followed the messengers of David and became his wife.

43 David also took Ahinoam of Jezreel, and both of them became his wives. 44 Saul had given Michal his daughter, David’s wife, to Palti the son of Laish, who was of Gallim.

Daily Bread

Key Verse: 25:33

Blessed be your discretion, and blessed be you, who have kept me this day from bloodguilt and from working salvation with my own hand!

David was impressed with Abigail’s good judgment in persuading him not to shed unnecessary blood. They parted in peace. When Abigail told Nabal what had happened, his cowardly heart failed him. He was paralyzed and died – the LORD struck him (38). God is the giver and taker of life.

When David heard the news, he realized the LORD had brought his revenge upon Nabal. When he restrained himself from retaliating out of his rage, the LORD brought the wicked man the judgment he deserved. (Ps 7:11)

David proposed to Abigail to be his wife, and she accepted. It was a romantic story of a future king and a beautiful and wise woman. But Abigail was not David’s only wife. Saul had given David his daughter Michal as his wife, and now David also took another woman, Ahinoam of Jezreel, as his wife. The Bible does not encourage polygamy, yet it tells the history as it happened. Besides David's troubles from the many sons he had from different wives, this chapter describes David’s human character. He had a hot temper although he desired to be right before God (22). He responded well to spiritual advice based on truth (32). He also tended to take whomever he liked as his wife (43).

Prayer: Father, you know my strengths and weaknesses. Discipline me to make me a useful servant.

One Word: The Lord is in control.

Daily Bread

Holy to the Lord

Zechariah 14:1-21

Key Verse: 14:20

And on that day there shall be inscribed on the bells of the horses, “Holy to the LORD.” And the pots in the house of the LORD shall be as the bowls before the altar.

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