THE LORD WILL DO WHAT IS RIGHT

Passage: 1 Samuel 25:32-44

Key verse: 38

NIV

32 David said to Abigail, “Praise(A) be to the Lord, the God of Israel, who has sent you today to meet me. 33 May you be blessed for your good judgment and for keeping me from bloodshed(B) this day and from avenging myself with my own hands. 34 Otherwise, as surely as the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, who has kept me from harming you, if you had not come quickly to meet me, not one male belonging to Nabal(C) would have been left alive by daybreak.”

35 Then David accepted from her hand what she had brought him and said, “Go home in peace. I have heard your words and granted(D) your request.”

36 When Abigail went to Nabal, he was in the house holding a banquet like that of a king. He was in high(E) spirits and very drunk.(F) So she told(G) him nothing at all until daybreak. 37 Then in the morning, when Nabal was sober, his wife told him all these things, and his heart failed him and he became like a stone.(H) 38 About ten days later, the Lord struck(I) Nabal and he died.

39 When David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, “Praise be to the Lord, who has upheld my cause against Nabal for treating me with contempt. He has kept his servant from doing wrong and has brought Nabal’s wrongdoing down on his own head.”

Then David sent word to Abigail, asking her to become his wife. 40 His servants went to Carmel and said to Abigail, “David has sent us to you to take you to become his wife.”

41 She bowed down with her face to the ground and said, “I am your servant and am ready to serve you and wash the feet of my lord’s servants.” 42 Abigail(J) quickly got on a donkey and, attended by her five female servants, went with David’s messengers and became his wife. 43 David had also married Ahinoam(K) of Jezreel, and they both were his wives.(L) 44 But Saul had given his daughter Michal, David’s wife, to Paltiel[a](M) son of Laish, who was from Gallim.(N)

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Footnotes
  1. 1 Samuel 25:44 Hebrew Palti, a variant of Paltiel
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Source: BibleGateway

ESV

32 And David said to Abigail, (A)“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, (B)who have kept me this day from bloodguilt (C)and from working salvation with my own hand! 34 For as surely (D)as the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, (E)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, (F)“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, (G)he was holding a feast in his house, like the feast of a king. And Nabal's heart (H)was merry within him, for he was very drunk. So she told him nothing (I)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 (J)the Lord struck Nabal, and he died.

39 When David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, (K)“Blessed be the Lord who has (L)avenged the insult I received at the hand of Nabal, (M)and has kept back his servant from wrongdoing. (N)The Lord has returned the evil of Nabal on his own head.” Then David sent and (O)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 (P)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 (Q)Jezreel, (R)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.

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The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Source: BibleGateway
1. David's response to Abigail (32-35) David praised the LORD and blessed Abigail for her good judgment to keep David from bloodshed and vengeance. He accepted her gift and promised not to harm her. But the story doesn't end there. 2. Nabal's shocking death (36-38) Nabal was partying as if nothing was wrong. When Abigail told him that he had nearly been attacked and killed by David he had a heart attack or stroke. Ten days later the LORD struck Nabal and he died. The point is: this was God's doing, not David's. We don't need to take things into our own hands. God rewards the righteous but judges the wicked. 3. Abigail becomes David's wife (39-44) David again praised God for dealing with his enemies and preserving himself from wrongdoing. Then David asked Abigail to become his wife and she humbly accepted. God freed her from a wicked husband and these two people of faith were married in a legal and right way before God.

Prayer: Lord, in tough times, help me to wait on you and do what is right and not take things into my own hands, for you alone are Lord.

One Word: What the Lord does is right