Wives of the Bible: Abigail, Part 1

I’ve jumped forward quite a bit chronologically speaking to study Abigail. She is perhaps one of my most favorite Bible women because I understand to some degree what it was like to be married to a Nabal. (For those of you who don’t know my whole story, I am NOT referring to my current husband.  I was married before and that marriage ended scripturally, enabling me to be with the man of God who has my heart now.)

Abigail’s account in 1 Samuel 25 is a relatively short read, but she has so many remarkable qualities that an in-depth study reveals just how far I have left to grow and mature. Her very name means “cause for joy” or "my father's joy". We can capture so many powerful truths from her account that it’s hard to focus in on just one or two things. For this lesson, I’m going to alliterate our study to highlight some of her most poignant characteristics and ask application questions to challenge myself to grow as a wife. Because there's SO much to learn about Abigail, I'm going to divide her study into two parts.  So here are some of the first observations:

💛Abigail was proactive.  Verse 18 tells how she "made haste" and verse 23 mentions how she "hurried".  She quickly goes to meet David and his men.  Abigail was not one to just wait around and let the chips fall where they may.  Once she learned of the dangerous situation brewing, she didn't wait for them to show up; she took it upon herself to resolve the issue.  Am I proactive or reactive?  Do I let problems simmer and fester, or do I communicate with my husband to resolve them as quickly as possible? 

💛Abigail was protective.  She did not stand idly by while there was a threat to her household.  It's so heartbreaking that her husband's servants couldn't go to him because he was such a worthless and unapproachable man (1 Sam. 25: 17), but they also knew that Abigail would do something to protect them.  They had faith in her and presented the situation to her when they knew approaching Nabal was out of the question.  Am I protective of what my husband and I build together?  Am I ready to fight Satan to preserve the unity of my family spiritually and physically?  (And as a side note to this, am I approachable?  Do people know that they can come to me?)

💛Abigail was prepared.  As soon as she starts getting things ready for David, the text mentions all the food she had ready and the sheep she'd "already prepared" (verse 18).  I've even heard another speaker talk about how nowhere in scripture do we read about Abigail fretting (as we women so often do) because she had her household in order!  She was organized and prepared.  She could respond so quickly in this situation because she knew what she had and she knew how to prioritize.  Do I keep my house in order that I’m ready to be responsive in an urgent situation?

💛Abigail was polite (respectful). When she comes to meet David, she prostrates herself before him to show honor and humility.  This woman had such tremendous courage and confidence!  You know she'd have been belittled and verbally abused being married to a man like Nabal, and she still was self-assured enough to be confidently humble before the future king.  Even the words she spoke about her husband ("...for as his name is, so is he. Nabal is his name, and folly is with him...", verse 25) aren't (in my opinion) disrespectful since David already knows the situation.  She just shoots straight and doesn't belabor the point; she's matter of fact and maintains her dignity in approaching David with respect.  Am I polite in how I communicate to my husband and to others?

Next time, I'll continue the alliteration with five more observations of Abigail's remarkable character.