DAVID TAKES ABIGAIL AS HIS WIFE

Passage: 1 Samuel 25:32-44

Key verse: 33

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

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.