"What Was God Thinking?" (41)

Have you ever read a story in the Bible and upon finishing it, you readjust yourself in your seat and think Is that really in the Bible?

A noble man of humble beginnings but with a bright future and a legacy to behold - provided his pursuer, the King, doesn’t succeed in killing him first - comes in contact with another man, a man of great wealth due his business prowess. His shrewdness is so impressive that it proves great profit but sours him to the core and ruins his personal relationships. Yet despite his ability to make everyone within his circle detest him, their loyalty is surprisingly faithful. Why are they so faithful to him? Does he possess control and leverage to depose them? Do they have the ability to go anywhere else?

When the hopeful, future King sends message to the wealthy man that he needs some of his supplies, has been peaceful by not commandeering any of his assets, and explains there are witnesses that can attest to this claim, the man responds harshly to the messengers. “Who is this man? How do I know where he comes from?”

The future King in his righteous judgment decides quickly that the man and his wealth, legacy, and nearly everyone living with him must come to an end; bloodshed is the only course of action. However, the servants of the compound relay word to the wife, a beautiful woman with extraordinary wisdom, that her husband has disrespected the King’s messengers and sent them away without any of their needs fulfilled; she knows peril will come soon. So behind her husband’s back, she gathers supplies - hundreds and thousands of items - and quickly proceeds out hoping to meet the King and his servants before they bring justice. She succeeds in meeting the King’s party and falls down in reverence pleading her case. Her wisdom is quickly revealed as she understands the circumstances of the future King and paints a picture of how this meeting and his decision may indeed prove worth reviewing again as it could impact him and his legacy if he saves the people from peril.

The future King is impressed and lets her go back and when she goes back intending to tell her husband that evening what she had done, she finds him drunk and living like a king. She decides to wait. When morning arrives, she finally tells him. His heart immediately fails him and he freezes like stone. 10 days later he dies.

When word comes back to the future King that the wicked businessman has died, he sends word to have the beautiful woman become his wife. She answers his message and offers herself wholly to him. This would be the future King’s second wife; however, his current wife was being taken from him from the current King to be given to another man.

So again, what was God thinking? This story seems more like something written by a playwright: The future King is being pursued by the current King, and when in need of help and asks a wealthy man for help, he is disrespected and makes plans to kill the man and all around him. The beautiful wife persuades him not to pass judgment and when she succeeds and tells her husband, the man mysteriously dies from a heart attack. I mean can you easily see His glory in this story? I know I couldn’t. This is nothing like a story of God’s providential wonders or a miracle Jesus performs. As you read more of the Old Testament, you will find many more stories like this, stories that don’t make much sense and yet have been canonized into God’s living and breathing Word.

Maybe we need to take on the wisdom of Abigail, the beautiful wife of Nabal in this story, who saw the big picture. You see this story is not a story all in itself, but just a clip out of the entire story of God’s providential work with David, the line of Israel, and to conclude many years later with the coming of the true King and Messiah.

My take on this, don’t be stuck on the little details that confuse us about God. It usually is because we just haven’t spent enough time getting to know Him. I encourage you to read this chapter and then go back and read the entire book of I Samuel. May He impart the wisdom of Abigail to you.

39b 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, “Here is your maidservant, ready to serve you and wash the feet of my master’s servants.” 42 Abigail quickly got on a donkey and, attended by her five maids, went with David’s messengers and became his wife. 43 David had also married Ahinoam of Jezreel, and they both were his wives. 44 But Saul had given his daughter Michal, David’s wife, to Paltiel son of Laish, who was from Gallim.

~1 Samuel 25: 39b-44

41 days!...and Happy Mother's Day!