Today on the verdict with Pastor John Monroe. When the Bible uses the word fool, It doesn't mean that Nabel is lacking in intelligence. No, here is a man, let's stop and think of this. Here is a man who's been tremendously blessed by God.
Furthermore, he's been helped by David's men. and is characterized by arrogance. greed, and also we would say sheer bad manners. Welcome to the verdict, featuring the Bible teaching of Pastor John Monroe. No matter how talented or dedicated you are, we're all human.
And there are times when even the best leader or the most well-meaning friend needs to be reproved. How do we handle those moments of godly correction? Today on the verdict, we're unpacking this important point as we continue our study on the life of David.
Now, to get us started. Here's Pastor John Monroe. Have you ever had to deal with a fool? In our series on the life of King David, we learned last time that David encounters a fool. His name?
Abel. means full. And he certainly acts like a fool. At this time in our story, David and his mighty men are in the wilderness. Living in exile as King Saul is trying to find and to kill David.
David and his men protect Nibel. and protect his flocks also from harm. and expect to be granted food and water. but Nabel refuses to help David. And David is furious and sets out to kill Nabel.
This of course is a very ungodly reaction. But God in His providence brings someone who's very wise into David's path.
Someone is going to persuade David that another response is much better. First Samuel twenty five, verse one. No, Samuel died. And all Israel assembled and mourned for him, and they buried him in his house at Roma. Then David rose and went down to the wilderness of Paran.
And there was a man in Maon whose business was in Carmel. The man was very rich. He had three thousand sheep. and the thousand gods. He was shearing his sheep in Carmel.
Now the name of the man was Nabel. and the name of his wife Abigail. The woman was discerning and beautiful, but the man was harsh and badly behaved. He was a Calabite. David heard in the wilderness that Nabal was shearing his sheep.
So David sent ten young men. And David said to the young men, Go up to Carmel and go to Nabal and greet him in my name. And thus you shall greet him. Peace be to you, and peace be to your house, and peace be to all that you have. I hear that you have shearers.
Now your shepherds have been with us and we did them no harm. And they missed nothing all the time they were in Carmel. Ask your young men and they will tell you. Therefore, let my young men find favor in your eyes, for we come on a feast day. Please give whatever you have at hand to your servants and to your son David.
When David's young men came, they sent all of this in Abel in the name of David, and then they waited. And Nabal answered, David's servants, who is David? Who is the son of Jesse? There are many servants these days who are breaking away from their masters. Shall I take my bread and my water and my meat that I have killed for my shearers and give it to men who come from I don't know where?
So David's young men turned away and came back and told him all this. And David said to his men, Every man strap on his sword. And every man of them strapped on his sword. David also strapped on his sword. And about 400 men went up after David, while 200 remained with the baggage.
Interesting, isn't it? He's going to kill Nabo. Notice how the story unfolds.
Now we have Abigail's provision. Verse 14. But one of the young men told Abigail, Nabel's wife. Remember, she's discerning and beautiful. Verse 3.
Behold, David sent messengers out of the wilderness to greet our master, and he railed at them. Yeah, the men were very good to us and we suffered no harm and we didn't miss anything when we were in the fields as long as we went with them. They were a wall to us both by day and by night, all the while we were with them keeping the sheep.
Now therefore know this and consider what you should do. For harm is determined against our master and against all his house, and he's such a worthless man that one can't speak to him. There's no point in speaking to Nabel. He won't listen to you. He's worthless.
He's harsh. Notice what his wife does. Verse 18, then Abigail made haste, took two hundred loaves and two skins of wine, and five sheep already prepared, and five sias of parched grain, and a hundred clusters of raisins, two hundred cakes of figs, and laid them on donkeys. And she said to her young men, Go on before me. Behold, I come after you.
But she did not tell her husband Nabel. And as she rode on the donkey and came down under cover of the mountain, behold, David and his men came down toward her, and she met them.
Now David had said, surely in vain Have I guarded all this fellow, all that this fellow has in the wilderness, so that nothing was missed of all that belonged to him, and he has returned. Me evil for good. God do so to the enemies of David, and more also, if by mourning I leave so much as one male of all who belong to him. David is fuming. And it's gonna kill he's gonna decimate Nabal and his family.
When Abigail saw David, she hurried and got down from the donkey, fell before David on her face and bowed to the ground. She fell at his feet and said, On me alone, my lord, be the guilt. Please let your servant speak in your ears and hear the words of your servant. Let not my Lord regard this worthless fellow, Nabel, for as is his name, so is he. Nabel is his name, and folly is with him.
But I, your servant, did not see the young men of my Lord whom you sent.
Now then, my Lord, as the Lord lives and as your soul lives, because the Lord has restrained you from blood guilt and from saving with your own hand, now then let your enemies and those who seek to do evil to my Lord be as an able. And now let this Present that your servant has brought to my Lord be given to the young men who follow my Lord. Please forgive the trespass of your servant, for the Lord will certainly make my Lord a surehouse, because my Lord is fighting the battles of the Lord. And evil shall not be found in you as long as you live. If men rise up to pursue you and to seek your life, the life of my Lord shall be bound in the bundle of the living in the care of the Lord your God.
And the lives of your enemies he shall sling out as from the hollow of a sling. And when the Lord has done to my Lord according to all the good that He has spoken concerning you, and has appointed you Prince over Israel. My Lord shall have no cause of grief or pangs of conscience for having shed blood without cause, or for my Lord taking vengeance himself. And when the Lord has dealt well with my Lord. Then remember Your servant.
Is that amazing, this woman? And what does she do? She bows to the ground as she knows that David is the anointed of God. And she confesses that her husband, verse 25, is a worthless fellow and that he's acted in accordance with his name. His name means fool, and he's acted like a fool.
And she asks for forgiveness. A wise woman. She knows that the Lord is on David's side. He's fighting the Lord's battles. But David, there is no need.
to murder my husband and his family. Her argument is a subtle one, it's a very wise one. David, you have been appointed to be prince over Israel, verse 30. And when the day comes that you are going to be king of Israel, do you really want your conscience to be haunted by the guilt of shedding blood without cause or for taking vengeance? David, do you want to wake up at 2.30 in the morning?
And think of how in your rashness You took this action. And killed not only a foolish man, but killed innocent people and wiped them out. Do you really want that on your conscience? Is her argument? In a sense, she's saying to David, you're a better man than this.
Don't do this. You're going to be crowned. King. You don't want to. Think back.
With this tremendous guilt. In the future of taking innocent Blood? Forgive my foolish husband. He's a fool! And with wisdom, She is reproving.
David. I think that's. Magnificent, isn't it? What is David's response? We saw David's response to Nabel.
Ah, but here there's a different response. Isn't there? Verse thirty-two. And David said to Abigail, Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who sent you this day to meet me. Uh He recognizes This is the voice of God to me through this woman.
Blessed be your discretion, and blessed be you who have kept me this day from blood guilt and from avenging myself with my own hand. 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 me, truly by morning, there had not been left in Nabel so much as one male. 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. He blesses the Lord. He recognizes that Abigail is sent by God, and he's thankful. For this reproof, because Abigail has kept him from blood guilt. and from avenging myself with my own hand.
Apart from her intervention, all of Nabel's house, all of the men. down to the smallest baby boy would have been slaughtered. David not only humbly listens to this reproof. But he humbly follows it and the slaughter. then does not.
Take. Place. Let me pause there. Talk to men. Men, yes, men in leadership.
need to be reproved from time to time. Don't we? And how do we respond to the proof? Tells a lot about us. None of us like being reproved, do we?
Fellow pastors, elders. Deacons, how do you respond? when you're approved. What would you listen to a woman? How sad, isn't it?
Is that what we think? that because we believe that men should lead, that a woman, a sister in Christ, that could come to a leader, to a man like David who's anointed by God. who's going to be Israel's greatest king. And God used this wise, discerning, beautiful woman to come to David. and to divert the course of the history Of Israel.
Would you have listened to Abigail? I asked myself that. I would like to think I would. See, all of us, without exception, are capable of doing foolish. and even sinful things.
And men, if you've got a godly wife, Who from time to time doesn't agree with you? and who from time to time reproves you. Be thankful for that. No, I don't like it when my wife tries to reprove me. My reaction, and I expect most of yours, is to be somewhat defensive.
And to think, you know, I really know more about this than my wife does. David is the anointed of God, he knows more than Abigail. Who is Abigail? Married to a fool to tell him what to do. Ah, but he's a man after God's own heart.
And in the providence of God, God brings into his life this woman to reprove him. Be thankful, men. And I am thankful. As a pastor here, For not only a godly wife who does reprove me from time to time, but for godly sisters in Christ. And when we as men are in danger of going off track, my dear sisters in Christ, Please have the courage.
and the wisdom. and the graciousness to communicate your concerns. to us. Abigail does. enables death.
There's Thirty seats. Abigail came to Nabal, and behold, he was holding a feast in his house, like the feast of a king. And Nabel's heart. was merry within him and he was very drunk.
So she told him nothing at all until the morning light. 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. cardiac arrest. And about ten days later, The Lord, notice this. The Lord struck Nabel.
And he died. 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. 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.
And she rose, 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. Notice her humility. And Abigail hurried and rose and mounted the donkey, and her five young women attended her. She followed the messengers of David and became his wife. David also took Ahinoam of Jezreel, and both of them became his wives.
Saul had given Michael, his daughter, David's wife, to Palti, the son of Laish, who was of Galim. Neighbourhood. The full. Proverbs says, answer a fool according to his folly.
Sometimes a fool simply will not listen to instruction.
Sometimes it's pointless to to try to interact. With a fool. And Nabel is that kind of fool. No point in speaking to him. Wouldn't listen to his wife, wouldn't listen to his servants, wouldn't listen to David.
He is a fool. And when Abigail goes to tell, Abel, he's drunk, he's celebrating his success. He's eating, he's drinking, he's having a good time, he's merry, and he's in no fit state to listen to his wife. And in the morning, when he's sobered up a bit, his wife speaks to him. And we read that his heart died within him and he became as stone and within ten days the Lord struck Nabal.
And he died. David recognizes that this came From the hand of God. No need, David, for you to take vengeance as you're about to do. Leave the matter to the Lord. Paul writes in Romans 12, verses 18 and 19, Behold, never avenge yourselves.
Did you hear that?
Someone's hurt you? Don't try and get even. Don't do that. Don't repay evil for evil. Leave it to the Lord.
Never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, vengeance is mine. I will repay, says the Lord. We thought this morning of God's justice. God is just. You don't need to worry about that person.
Leave it. to the Lord. All of us here, I'm sure, over the course of our life have been insulted, we've been criticized, we may have been gossiped about, spoken about behind our backs unfairly. How are we going to respond? Learn from 1 Samuel 25.
Listen to the words of Abigail. leave matters in the hands. of the Lord. David, there's just Going to write. In Psalm 37.
Fret not yourself because of evildoers. Be not envious of wrongdoers, for they will soon fade like the grass and wither like the green herb. Don't worry about Nabel. God will take him. Verse 3, trust in the Lord and do good.
Dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart. Verse 8: Refrain from anger.
Someone angered. You've been treated very, very badly, and you're furious, you've got anger. Refrain from anger and forsake wrath. Fret not yourself, it tends only to evil. For the evildoers shall be cut off, but those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land.
In just a little while, the wicked will be no more. Though you look carefully at his place, he will not be there. But the mee shall inherit the land and delight themselves in abundant peace. Leave it. to the Lord.
Is the point. We have, of course, the perfect example in David's greater son, our Lord Jesus Christ, when he was reviled, he reviled not again. When he suffered, he threatened not, Peter says. What does he do? 1 Peter 2.23?
He continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. I said this morning, and you repeated: one thing you can absolutely depend about God is that His judgment is just, isn't it? You can read the situation wrong. you may be too harsh. You may have responded in anger.
And yes, there is an injustice out there. There is something that needs to be remedied. But don't rush in and don't do it out of anger. Commit it to the Lord. Be patient.
God knows all about it. Don't retaliate. Don't repay evil with evil. Turn the other cheek, says Jesus, and keep your trust in God. The Lord, be a man, be a woman after God's own heart.
What about Nabel? You come across characters like him. I have over the course of my life, very successful people. People who are very proud of their success. But they're marked by greed.
Selfishness. covetousness. Materialism, arrogance. I've met many people. Who God has blessed tremendously.
And uh Some of them are the most humble people I've ever known. Others whom God has blessed and given them success in their particular field are the most arrogant. people. Jesus said in Luke 12 verse 15, take care and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions. And remember the story Jesus tells in Luke 12 about the man who was also a rich fool?
Do you remember the story? He was a farmer as well like Nabal. Didn't have sheep and goats so much, but he had barns and he had crops, and he'd done so well, he said, I'm going to. Demolish my barns and build bigger ones. And I'm going to say, take It easy.
Eat, drink and be merry. Carpi diem, seize the day, enjoy life. But he was not rich towards God. And God said to him, I'm quoting Luke 12, Fool. Here's the navel of the New Testament, perhaps Jesus in telling the story, is thinking of Nabel in 1 Samuel 25: fool this night.
Your soul is required of you. And the things you've prepared, whose will they be? Who's going to get the three thousand sheep and the thousand goats in our neighbour because you're gone? Jesus said, So is the one who lays up treasure for himself. And is not rich towards God.
Are you rich towards God? See how we handle our possessions. How we handle the blessings of God. Reveals a lot about us, doesn't it? We give.
We give a tithe as a reminder that everything we have belongs to God. and that we hold with open Hands. The Lord gives. And the Lord takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.
of the Lord. And as Paul says in 1 Timothy Six. Verses 16, verses 17 and 19. As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty. Not to be arrogant, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God.
who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. God has blessed your material. Don't apologize for that. God gives us everything to enjoy. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready To share.
I know people like that. They're always ready to share. I know there people who are always grasping, they're the last person that you would go to for help. Thus, storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so they may take hold of that which is truly. Life.
Do live like that. Fundamentally, is your life committed to Jesus Christ? It's your trust in Christ. Do you really trust Christ? Remember Jesus says In what we call the Sermon on the Mount, not to worry about what you eat, what you dress.
Take a look at the lilies, how they grow. They neither toil nor spin, yet Solomon, in all his glory, was not arrayed like one of these. Look at the birds. God takes care of the birds. Why are you worried?
No, you seek first the kingdom of God. and his righteousness and all of these things will be added to you. Put your trust in Christ, this magnificent God. Who in great love sends his son to us to redeem us, to rescue us from our foolishness and our sin. And they give us eternal life so that we would live lives.
Pleasing God. Reflecting the very grace of God. I often say that we who follow Christ should be the most generous of people on the planet. Why? Because we know something of the riches.
of his grace. Don't be a rich fool. Don't be a poor fool. Don't be a fool. Put your trust.
In Christ. This is the verdict with Pastor John Monroe and a message titled. David encounters a fool. John will wrap up with his closing remarks in just a moment. Today's lesson comes from our study on the life of David.
Where we're learning about the incredible faithfulness of God and the reliable truth of His Word as lived out in the life of His servant David. And we want to help you make the most of this exciting series with a complimentary listening guide from John. It'll walk you through each lesson of this meaningful study. Highlighting key points, providing thoughtful and personal questions to help you apply the material to your day-to-day life.
So take advantage of this special offer by downloading your free copy of the Life of David Listening Guide today. when you visit our website at the verdict.org. And then, please consider helping us continue sharing these daily biblical messages by giving a donation of any amount to the verdict. Your faithful support will help bring the gospel to new listeners in your local community and around the world. You can give your tax-deductible gift today by going online to theverdict.org.
And then don't forget to subscribe to the Verdict podcast. In addition to these programs, John presents a weekly podcast called Avizandam, where he shares his personal thoughts on relevant topics like church and politics, the uniqueness of Israel. how to engage the culture for Christ. You can hear it all by subscribing to the Verdict Podcast. And now, here's Pastor John Monroe with his final thoughts on today's study.
Well, what's your verdict? If you are a man, do you ever listen to your wife or do you listen to women in your church or at work? I've known men who never listen to women. This is the height of folly. Although Abigail is married to a fool, she's a very wise person and she gives very wise advice to David.
which in the grace of God he listens to, and follows. Don't get into an argument with a fool. Leave vengeance to the Lord.
Next time we'll think of David and the role of the Word of God in his life. Thanks for joining us today on The Verdict. I'm Michelle Davies. Today's program with Pastor John Monroe was produced and sponsored by Calvary Church in Charlotte, North Carolina. Mm.
