Saul Consults a Medium (Part 2)

Read the entire chapter.

Don’t miss the point of this story by getting hung up on something that you don’t understand.

This is certainly not a “satanic” séance that it started out to be.

1 Samuel 28:12-25 NLT
Saul Consults a Medium (Part 2)

From the previous lesson:
¹¹ Finally, the woman said, “Well, whose spirit do you want me to call up?”
“Call up Samuel,” Saul replied. 

¹² When the woman saw Samuel, she screamed, “You’ve deceived me! You are Saul!”
¹³ “Don’t be afraid!” the king told her. “What do you see?”
“I see a god coming up out of the earth,” she said.
¹⁴ “What does he look like?” Saul asked.
“He is an old man wrapped in a robe,” she replied. Saul realized it was Samuel, and he fell to the ground before him.
¹⁵ “Why have you disturbed me by calling me back?” Samuel asked Saul.
“Because I am in deep trouble,” Saul replied. “The Philistines are at war with me, and God has left me and won’t reply by prophets or dreams. So I have called for you to tell me what to do.”
¹⁶ But Samuel replied, “Why ask me, since the Lord has left you and has become your enemy? ¹⁷ The Lord has done just as he said he would. He has torn the kingdom from you and given it to your rival, David. ¹⁸ The Lord has done this to you today because you refused to carry out his fierce anger against the Amalekites. ¹⁹ What’s more, the Lord will hand you and the army of Israel over to the Philistines tomorrow, and you and your sons will be here with me. The Lord will bring down the entire army of Israel in defeat.”
²⁰ Saul fell full length on the ground, paralyzed with fright because of Samuel’s words. He was also faint with hunger, for he had eaten nothing all day and all night.
²¹ When the woman saw how distraught he was, she said, “Sir, I obeyed your command at the risk of my life. ²² Now do what I say, and let me give you a little something to eat so you can regain your strength for the trip back.”
²³ But Saul refused to eat anything. Then his advisers joined the woman in urging him to eat, so he finally yielded and got up from the ground and sat on the couch.
²⁴ The woman had been fattening a calf, so she hurried out and killed it. She took some flour, kneaded it into dough and baked unleavened bread. ²⁵ She brought the meal to Saul and his advisers, and they ate it. Then they went out into the night.

Examine the Scriptures
Saul Consults a Medium (Part 2)
1 Samuel 28:12-25 NLT

From the previous lesson:
¹¹ Finally, the woman said, “Well, whose spirit do you want me to call up?”
“Call up Samuel,” Saul replied. 

¹² When the woman saw Samuel,

More than 50 translations say, “… when the woman saw Samuel …”.

• We cannot say with certainty who or what the woman saw when she called up the spirit of Samuel.

She may have seen Samuel. (A literal translation of verse 12.)

She may have seen the “spirit of Samuel”. (See verse 13.)

She may have seen an apparition (a ghostlike image of a person) of Samuel.

This does not seem to be a good fit for this passage.  It is more likely to be true in a “satanic” séance. 

she screamed, “You’ve deceived me! You are Saul!”

It appears that this was an extraordinary event for the woman, one in which she was not in control.

Things were happening that were far beyond the expectations of the medium.

By whatever means, the medium became aware of the fact she was dealing with Saul.

The medium understood her inability to raise the dead in this manner and she must have known that it must have happened by the power of God and that her disguised inquirer must be Saul.

Mediums and spiritists do not have access to the dead but communicate with evil spirits posing as people who have died, not the people themselves.

• Recognizing Saul for who he really was meant that the life of the medium was in danger.

• God was allowing things to happen in this séance that would be out of the control of any medium.

The medium would have expected to contact a demon who was impersonating Samuel.

Whatever the explanation of this séance, the medium was used in some way to communicate to Saul the impending battle that would bring about his death, would dash his hopes for a dynasty, and would conclude his reign with a devastating defeat of Israel that would leave the nation at the mercy of the Philistines. All this would come, as Samuel had previously announced. (NIV notes)

Note:  God revealed Moses and Elijah to Peter, James, and John at Jesus’ Transfiguration.
(Mark 9:1-13 and Matthew 17:1-9) 

¹³ “Don’t be afraid!” the king told her. “What do you see?”
“I see a god coming up out of the earth,” she said.

“A God” is a term used to describe a spirit of the dead in ancient Near Eastern texts.

At this time in history, pagans believed that a person becomes a god – a spirit possessing supernatural abilities – after death. (NLT notes)

• The medium saw something that she perceived to be a “spirit” of a former living person.

The medium and Saul were seeing either Samuel or a likeness of Samuel. 

¹⁴ “What does he look like?” Saul asked.
“He is an old man wrapped in a robe,” she replied. Saul realized it was Samuel,

• Saul’s response makes us think that he believed he was seeing Samuel.

God made Saul believed that he was seeing Samuel, or the spirit of Samuel.

An old man wrapped in a robe would have been as Saul remembers Saul.

1 Samuel 15:27 NLT
²⁷ As Samuel turned to go, Saul tried to hold him back and tore the hem of his robe.

and he fell to the ground before him.

Saul recognized Samuel and bowed before him out of respect.  This was hypocritical since Saul had not previously obeyed Samuel. 

¹⁵ “Why have you disturbed me by calling me back?” Samuel asked Saul.

Samuel had good reasons to feel disturbed.

Deuteronomy 18:9-14 NLT (previous lesson)
A Call to Holy Living
⁹ “When you enter the land the Lord your God is giving you, be very careful not to imitate the detestable customs of the nations living there. ¹⁰ For example, never sacrifice your son or daughter as a burnt offering. And do not let your people practice fortune-telling, or use sorcery, or interpret omens, or engage in witchcraft, ¹¹ or cast spells, or function as mediums or psychics, or call forth the spirits of the dead. ¹² Anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord. It is because the other nations have done these detestable things that the Lord your God will drive them out ahead of you. ¹³ But you must be blameless before the Lord your God. ¹⁴ The nations you are about to displace consult sorcerers and fortune-tellers, but the Lord your God forbids you to do such things.” 

Leviticus 20:6 NLT
⁶ “I will also turn against those who commit spiritual prostitution by putting their trust in mediums or in those who consult the spirits of the dead. I will cut them off from the community.

• “Calling forth the spirits of the dead” is detestable to the Lord.

God told the Israelites not to consult the Spirit world.  He promised to reveal to them what they needed to know through the prophets.

Deuteronomy 18:18
I will raise up a prophet like you from among their fellow Israelites. I will put my words in his mouth, and he will tell the people everything I command him. 

Note:
Mediums are successful, at times, communicating with evil (Satanic) spirits posing as people who have died, not the people themselves.

Samuel may have felt that he was involved in an activity that was detestable to the Lord.

Or Samuel just didn’t want to be bothered by someone who didn’t listen to him while he was still alive. (My thoughts) 

“Because I am in deep trouble,” Saul replied. “The Philistines are at war with me, and God has left me and won’t reply by prophets or dreams. So I have called for you to tell me what to do.”

• Saul’s response makes us think that he believed he was talking to Samuel.

Saul was desperate for divine guidance.

Samuel’s appearance here could be explained as the intervention of the Lord who graciously permitted Saul one last encounter with the prophet whom he had first so long ago in pursuit of his father’s lost donkeys (1 Samuel 9:6-9). (The Bible Knowledge Commentary) 

¹⁶ But Samuel replied, “Why ask me, since the Lord has left you and has become your enemy? 

Saul’s real enemy is not the Philistines or the Amalekites (v. 18), it is God himself.

God had ceased speaking to Saul because Saul had stopped listening to God.

¹⁷ The Lord has done just as he said he would. He has torn the kingdom from you and given it to your rival, David. ¹⁸ The Lord has done this to you today because you refused to carry out his fierce anger against the Amalekites. ¹⁹ What’s more, the Lord will hand you and the army of Israel over to the Philistines tomorrow, and you and your sons will be here with me.

The “spirit” raised up by the medium speaks much as Samuel had spoken to Saul during his lifetime.

1 Samuel 16:14 NLT
¹⁴ Now the Spirit of the Lord had left Saul, and the Lord sent a tormenting spirit that filled him with depression and fear.

1 Samuel 15:28 NLT
And Samuel said to him, “The LORD has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today and has given it to someone else—one who is better than you. 

1 Samuel 16:13 NLT
¹³ So as David stood there among his brothers, Samuel took the flask of olive oil he had brought and anointed David with the oil. And the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David from that day on. Then Samuel returned to Ramah.

1 Samuel 15:17-19 & 23 NLT
¹⁷ And Samuel told him, “Although you may think little of yourself, are you not the leader of the tribes of Israel? The Lord has anointed you king of Israel. ¹⁸ And the Lord sent you on a mission and told you, ‘Go and completely destroy the sinners, the Amalekites, until they are all dead.’ ¹⁹ Why haven’t you obeyed the Lord? Why did you rush for the plunder and do what was evil in the Lord’s sight?” 

²³ Rebellion is as sinful as witchcraft,
and stubbornness as bad as worshiping idols.
So because you have rejected the command of the Lord,
he has rejected you as king.”

1 Samuel 31:6 NLT
⁶ So Saul, his three sons, his armor bearer, and his troops all died together that same day.

and you and your sons will be here with me.

Saul and his sons will be dead and will be with those who died before him (Samuel).

The Lord will bring down the entire army of Israel in defeat.”

• Verses 1-19 appear to be a divine revelation from God to Saul, not a message from demonic spirits.

The Israelites were told not to consult the spirit world.  God promised to tell them everything he wants them to know.

Deuteronomy 18:9-18 NLT
A Call to Holy Living
⁹ “When you enter the land the Lord your God is giving you, be very careful not to imitate the detestable customs of the nations living there. ¹⁰ For example, never sacrifice your son or daughter as a burnt offering. And do not let your people practice fortune-telling, or use sorcery, or interpret omens, or engage in witchcraft, ¹¹ or cast spells, or function as mediums or psychics, or call forth the spirits of the dead. ¹² Anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord. It is because the other nations have done these detestable things that the Lord your God will drive them out ahead of you. ¹³ But you must be blameless before the Lord your God. ¹⁴ The nations you are about to displace consult sorcerers and fortune-tellers, but the Lord your God forbids you to do such things.”
True and False Prophets
¹⁵ Moses continued, “The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your fellow Israelites. You must listen to him. ¹⁶ For this is what you yourselves requested of the Lord your God when you were assembled at Mount Sinai. You said, ‘Don’t let us hear the voice of the Lord our God anymore or see this blazing fire, for we will die.’
¹⁷ “Then the Lord said to me, ‘What they have said is right. ¹⁸ I will raise up a prophet like you from among their fellow Israelites. I will put my words in his mouth, and he will tell the people everything I command him. 

An evil spirit would not deliver a true prophecy. Whatever the limits on a medium’s power normally were, in this case it appears that the Lord let her raise the spirit of Samuel himself. 

²⁰ Saul fell full length on the ground, paralyzed with fright because of Samuel’s words.

Saul was already “frantic with fear” before meeting with this medium.

1 Samuel 28:5 NLT
⁵ When Saul saw the vast Philistine army, he became frantic with fear.

Samuel’s words to Saul now left him completely “paralyzed with fright”.

• Saul was already “frantic with fear” before meeting with this medium. Samuel’s words to Saul now left him completely “paralyzed with fright”.

He was also faint with hunger, for he had eaten nothing all day and all night.
²¹ When the woman saw how distraught he was, she said, “Sir, I obeyed your command at the risk of my life. ²² Now do what I say, and let me give you a little something to eat so you can regain your strength for the trip back.”
²³ But Saul refused to eat anything. Then his advisers joined the woman in urging him to eat, so he finally yielded and got up from the ground and sat on the couch.
²⁴ The woman had been fattening a calf, so she hurried out and killed it. She took some flour, kneaded it into dough and baked unleavened bread. ²⁵ She brought the meal to Saul and his advisers, and they ate it.

Saul had a similar meal with Samuel just before his being anointed as king.

1 Samuel 9:22-24 NLT
²² Then Samuel brought Saul and his servant into the hall and placed them at the head of the table, honoring them above the thirty special guests. ²³ Samuel then instructed the cook to bring Saul the finest cut of meat, the piece that had been set aside for the guest of honor. ²⁴ So the cook brought in the meat and placed it before Saul. “Go ahead and eat it,” Samuel said. “I was saving it for you even before I invited these others!” So Saul ate with Samuel that day.

• This meal with an outlawed medium came shortly before Saul’s death.

Then they went out into the night.

• After reluctantly accepting refreshment from the medium, Saul and his advisors arose and walked out into the night.

 

 

Saul Consults a Medium

1 Samuel 28:1-11 NLT
Saul Consults a Medium
^28:1 About that time the Philistines mustered their armies for another war with Israel. King Achish told David, “You and your men will be expected to join me in battle.”
² “Very well!” David agreed. “Now you will see for yourself what we can do.”
Then Achish told David, “I will make you my personal bodyguard for life.”
³ Meanwhile, Samuel had died, and all Israel had mourned for him. He was buried in Ramah, his hometown. And Saul had banned from the land of Israel all mediums and those who consult the spirits of the dead.
⁴ The Philistines set up their camp at Shunem, and Saul gathered all the army of Israel and camped at Gilboa. ⁵ When Saul saw the vast Philistine army, he became frantic with fear. ⁶ He asked the Lord what he should do, but the Lord refused to answer him, either by dreams or by sacred lots or by the prophets. ⁷ Saul then said to his advisers, “Find a woman who is a medium, so I can go and ask her what to do.”
His advisers replied, “There is a medium at Endor.”
⁸ So Saul disguised himself by wearing ordinary clothing instead of his royal robes. Then he went to the woman’s home at night, accompanied by two of his men.
“I have to talk to a man who has died,” he said. “Will you call up his spirit for me?”
⁹ “Are you trying to get me killed?” the woman demanded. “You know that Saul has outlawed all the mediums and all who consult the spirits of the dead. Why are you setting a trap for me?”
¹⁰ But Saul took an oath in the name of the Lord and promised, “As surely as the Lord lives, nothing bad will happen to you for doing this.”
¹¹ Finally, the woman said, “Well, whose spirit do you want me to call up?”
“Call up Samuel,” Saul replied.

Examine the Scriptures

1 Samuel 28:1-11 NLT
Saul Consults a Medium 

^28:1 About that time the Philistines mustered their armies for another war with Israel. 

Another war.

War between the Israelites and Philistines was becoming routine.

2 Samuel 11:1 NLT
David and Bathsheba
^11:1 In the spring of the year, when kings normally go out to war, David sent Joab and the Israelite army to fight the Ammonites. They destroyed the Ammonite army and laid siege to the city of Rabbah. However, David stayed behind in Jerusalem.

• In Old Testament times, in the Near East, war with surrounding nations was a common occurrence.

• The Philistines decided to attack Israel. Apparently they wanted to gain control over the northern Jezreel Valley, a wide agriculturally rich plain. (v. 4) 

King Achish told David, “You and your men will be expected to join me in battle.” 

As mercenaries paid by Achish, David and him men would be expected to do as Achish requests.

Also, in ancient Near East accepting sanctuary in a country involved obligations of military service.

• In ancient Near East countries accepting sanctuary involved obligations of military service. 

² “Very well!” David agreed. “Now you will see for yourself what we can do.”

David’s response was ambiguous.

The same verse in other translations.

David said to Achish, “Very well, you shall know what your servant can do.” (ESV) 

David said, “Then you will see for yourself what your servant can do.” (NIV) 

“Excellent,” David answered Achish. “Now you’ll see for yourself what your servant can do.” (CEB)

• David’s response to King Achish was ambiguous. 

Then Achish told David, “I will make you my personal bodyguard for life.”

Clearly, Achish mistakenly believed David was going to be loyal to the Philistines for the rest of his life.

David may have been doing some things for the benefit of Israel, but he was in fact living a life of deception and lies.

Proverbs 6:16-19 NLT
¹⁶ There are six things the Lord hates—
no, seven things he detests:
¹⁷ haughty eyes,
a lying tongue,
hands that kill the innocent,
¹⁸ a heart that plots evil,
feet that race to do wrong,
¹⁹ a false witness who pours out lies,
a person who sows discord in a family.

Proverbs 12:22 NLT
²² The Lord detests lying lips,
but he delights in those who tell the truth.

If King Achish had learned what was really happening, David would have found himself in a very precarious situation.

• David was living a life of deception and lies.

• King Achish mistakenly believed David was going to be loyal to the Philistines for the rest of his life.

Back to Saul

³ Meanwhile, Samuel had died, and all Israel had mourned for him. He was buried in Ramah, his hometown.

The person Samuel was no longer an option available to Saul for counsel. 

And Saul had banned from the land of Israel all mediums and those who consult the spirits of the dead.

Here Saul did something right in the eyes of the Lord.

Saul would have known that Mosaic Law spoke against mediums and those who consult the spirits of the dead.

Leviticus 19:31 NLT
³¹ “Do not defile yourselves by turning to mediums or to those who consult the spirits of the dead. I am the Lord your God.

Leviticus 20:27 NLT
²⁷ “Men and women among you who act as mediums or who consult the spirits of the dead must be put to death by stoning. They are guilty of a capital offense.” 

Deuteronomy 18:9-13 NLT
A Call to Holy Living
⁹ “When you enter the land the Lord your God is giving you, be very careful not to imitate the detestable customs of the nations living there. ¹⁰ For example, never sacrifice your son or daughter as a burnt offering. And do not let your people practice fortune-telling, or use sorcery, or interpret omens, or engage in witchcraft, ¹¹ or cast spells, or function as mediums or psychics, or call forth the spirits of the dead. ¹² Anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord. It is because the other nations have done these detestable things that the Lord your God will drive them out ahead of you. ¹³ But you must be blameless before the Lord your God.

• Saul had banned from the land of Israel all mediums and those who consult the spirits of the dead.

Question

Are people able to practice fortune-telling, or use sorcery, or interpret omens, or engage in witchcraft, ¹¹ or cast spells, or function as mediums or psychics, or call forth the spirits of the dead?

Note:
Mediums are successful, at times, communicating with evil (Satanic) spirits posing as people who have died not the people themselves.

Demonic practices do take place. 

⁴ The Philistines set up their camp at Shunem,

Repeat: Apparently, they wanted to gain control over the northern Jezreel Valley, a wide agriculturally rich plain. 

and Saul gathered all the army of Israel and camped at Gilboa. 

Gilboa was in the vicinity of Mount Gilboa. 

⁵ When Saul saw the vast Philistine army, he became frantic with fear.

Saul faced overwhelming odds as the Philistines prepared to attack.

Being estranged from the Lord would have added anxiety to Saul’s emotions.

If the Philistines successfully gained control over the northern Jezreel Valley, the nation of Israel would be cut in half geographically.

• When Saul saw the vast Philistine army, he became frantic with fear. 

 ⁶ He asked the Lord what he should do, but the Lord refused to answer him, either by dreams or by sacred lots or by the prophets. 

Dreams, sacred lots (Urim), or prophets were allowable means of determining the will of the Lord.

Saul knew of a time earlier in his life when God refused to answer him and at that time he suspected the reason for God’s refusal to answer his request.

1 Samuel 14:37 NLT
³⁷ So Saul asked God, “Should we go after the Philistines? Will you help us defeat them?” But God made no reply that day.
³⁸ Then Saul said to the leaders, “Something’s wrong! I want all my army commanders to come here. We must find out what sin was committed today. ³⁹ I vow by the name of the Lord who rescued Israel that the sinner will surely die, even if it is my own son Jonathan!” But no one would tell him what the trouble was.

1 Samuel 15:23 NLT
²³ Rebellion is as sinful as witchcraft,
and stubbornness as bad as worshiping idols.
So because you have rejected the command of the Lord,
he has rejected you as king.” 

• Saul asked the LORD what he should do, but the LORD refused to answer him.

⁷ Saul then said to his advisers, “Find a woman who is a medium, so I can go and ask her what to do.”

Saul turns to a pagan practice that he himself had outlawed.

Saul chooses to do something that he knows is wrong.

Saul is acting like a hypocrite, by saying one thing and doing something different.

Choices have consequences.

1 Chronicles 10:13-14 NLT
¹³ So Saul died because he was unfaithful to the Lord. He failed to obey the Lord’s command, and he even consulted a medium ¹⁴ instead of asking the Lord for guidance. So the Lord killed him and turned the kingdom over to David son of Jesse.

Saul’s behavior was not only wrong, but it was also foolish!

His advisers replied, “There is a medium at Endor.”

Saul’s advisors knew where to find a medium.

The location of the ancient site of Endor is widely debated and many locations have been suggested. From the biblical accounts, an Endor that is located on the south edge of the Jezreel Valley seems to fit best. (Wikipedia) Our map locates Endor north of Shunem.

• Saul turns to the pagan practice of consulting mediums that he himself had outlawed. Saul’s behavior was not only wrong, it was foolish! 

⁸ So Saul disguised himself by wearing ordinary clothing instead of his royal robes. Then he went to the woman’s home at night, accompanied by two of his men.

If Endor was located north of Shunem, as our map shows, Saul would have had to pass through the territory occupied by the Philistines.

“I have to talk to a man who has died,” he said. “Will you call up his spirit for me?”

⁹ “Are you trying to get me killed?” the woman demanded. “You know that Saul has outlawed all the mediums and all who consult the spirits of the dead. Why are you setting a trap for me?”

The woman knew that Saul had banned all mediums and those who consult the spirits of the dead from the land of Israel.

Mediums caught “consulting the spirits of the dead” faced execution.

Leviticus 20:27 NLT
²⁷ “Men and women among you who act as mediums or who consult the spirits of the dead must be put to death by stoning. They are guilty of a capital offense.” 

¹⁰ But Saul took an oath in the name of the Lord and promised, “As surely as the Lord lives, nothing bad will happen to you for doing this.”

While blatantly walking in disobedience to God, Saul uses the phrase “As surely as the Lord lives.”  An oath like this invokes the Lord’s involvement.  Saul really doesn’t want this.

Scripture tells us not to take an oath.

James 5:12 NLT
¹² But most of all, my brothers and sisters, never take an oath, by heaven or earth or anything else. Just say a simple yes or no, so that you will not sin and be condemned.

Repeat Leviticus 20:27

Apparently Saul’s oath put the woman at ease. 

¹¹ Finally, the woman said, “Well, whose spirit do you want me to call up?”
“Call up Samuel,” Saul replied.

 

 

Introduction:

A lesson for us and a lesson to pass on to the next generation.

1 Samuel 27 NLT
David among the Philistines
^27:1 But David kept thinking to himself, “Someday Saul is going to get me. The best thing I can do is escape to the Philistines. Then Saul will stop hunting for me in Israelite territory, and I will finally be safe.”
² So David took his 600 men and went over and joined Achish son of Maoch, the king of Gath. ³ David and his men and their families settled there with Achish at Gath. David brought his two wives along with him—Ahinoam from Jezreel and Abigail, Nabal’s widow from Carmel. ⁴ Word soon reached Saul that David had fled to Gath, so he stopped hunting for him.
⁵ One day David said to Achish, “If it is all right with you, we would rather live in one of the country towns instead of here in the royal city.”
⁶ So Achish gave him the town of Ziklag (which still belongs to the kings of Judah to this day), ⁷ and they lived there among the Philistines for a year and four months.
⁸ David and his men spent their time raiding the Geshurites, the Girzites, and the Amalekites—people who had lived near Shur, toward the land of Egypt, since ancient times. ⁹ David did not leave one person alive in the villages he attacked. He took the sheep, goats, cattle, donkeys, camels, and clothing before returning home to see King Achish.
¹⁰ “Where did you make your raid today?” Achish would ask.
And David would reply, “Against the south of Judah, the Jerahmeelites, and the Kenites.”
¹¹ No one was left alive to come to Gath and tell where he had really been. This happened again and again while he was living among the Philistines. ¹² Achish believed David and thought to himself, “By now the people of Israel must hate him bitterly. Now he will have to stay here and serve me forever!”

Examine the Scriptures

1 Samuel 27 NLT
David among the Philistines 

^27:1 But David kept thinking to himself, “Someday Saul is going to get me.

Two other translations:

Then David said in his heart, “Now I shall perish one day by the hand of Saul. (ESV) 

But David thought to himself, “One of these days I will be destroyed by the hand of Saul. (NIV)

• David falters in his faith.

Sometimes we falter in our faith.

Events David needed to remember:

1 Samuel 16:13 NLT
¹³ So as David stood there among his brothers, Samuel took the flask of olive oil he had brought and anointed David with the oil. And the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David from that day on. Then Samuel returned to Ramah.

1 Samuel 23:14 NLT
¹⁴ David now stayed in the strongholds of the wilderness and in the hill country of Ziph. Saul hunted him day after day, but God didn’t let Saul find him.

1 Samuel 23:17 NLT
¹⁷ “Don’t be afraid,” Jonathan reassured him. “My father will never find you! You are going to be the king of Israel, and I will be next to you, as my father, Saul, is well aware.”

1 Samuel 24:20 NLT
²⁰ And now I (Saul) realize that you are surely going to be king, and that the kingdom of Israel will flourish under your rule.

1 Samuel 26:25 NLT (previous passage)
²⁵ And Saul said to David, “Blessings on you, my son David. You will do many heroic deeds, and you will surely succeed.” Then David went away, and Saul returned home.

1 Samuel 25:29-31 NLT Abigail
²⁹ “Even when you are chased by those who seek to kill you, your life is safe in the care of the Lord your God, secure in his treasure pouch! But the lives of your enemies will disappear like stones shot from a sling! ³⁰ When the Lord has done all he promised and has made you leader of Israel, ³¹ don’t let this be a blemish on your record. Then your conscience won’t have to bear the staggering burden of needless bloodshed and vengeance. And when the Lord has done these great things for you, please remember me, your servant!” 

REMEMBER all that God has done for you in the past.

David’s own words:

1 Chronicles 16:11-12 NLT
¹¹ Search for the Lord and for his strength;
continually seek him.
¹² Remember the wonders he has performed,
his miracles, and the rulings he has given,

Psalm 78:4 NLT (A psalm of Asaph.)
⁴ We will not hide these truths from our children;
we will tell the next generation
about the glorious deeds of the Lord,
about his power and his mighty wonders.                                                  

• Remind yourself of everything God has done for you.

 The best thing I can do is escape to the Philistines. Then Saul will stop hunting for me in Israelite territory, and I will finally be safe.”

David does not appear to be seeking God’s guidance like he has done in the past.

One example of this.

1 Samuel 23:2-4 NLT
² David asked the Lord, “Should I go and attack them?”
“Yes, go and save Keilah,” the Lord told him.
³ But David’s men said, “We’re afraid even here in Judah. We certainly don’t want to go to Keilah to fight the whole Philistine army!”
⁴ So David asked the Lord again, and again the Lord replied, “Go down to Keilah, for I will help you conquer the Philistines.”

David does not refer to God anywhere in this chapter.

We all need to remember to:

Proverbs 3:5-6 NLT
⁵ Trust in the Lord with all your heart;
do not depend on your own understanding.
⁶ Seek his will in all you do,
and he will show you which path to take.

A reminder for us here today.

• • • Seek God’s will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.

• David decides that he can no longer stay in Israel. 

² So David took his 600 men and went over and joined Achish son of Maoch, the king of Gath. 

For the second time David seeks refuge in the land of the Philistines. (David is now known by the Philistines as a formidable adversary of Saul.) 

³ David and his men and their families settled there with Achish at Gath.

Gath was one of the five great Philistine cities.

This was the final stage of David’s “outlaw” career.

David and his men present themselves to king Achish as mercenaries.

Mercenaries are soldiers who fight for money, not loyalty or ideology. They have been hired by kings, empires, and warlords throughout history. 

David brought his two wives along with him—Ahinoam from Jezreel and Abigail, Nabal’s widow from Carmel. 

David and his 600 men and their families move to Gath.  Though David is the rightful king of Israel, he believes that he must remain in exile for the time being. 

⁴ Word soon reached Saul that David had fled to Gath, so he stopped hunting for him.

Saul would now have to take on the Philistines to get to David.

With David out of the country he would not appear to be as much of a threat to Saul.

• Saul stops hunting for David. 

⁵ One day David said to Achish, “If it is all right with you, we would rather live in one of the country towns instead of here in the royal city.”

David wanted to get away from the watchful eye of Achish.  He wanted the freedom to act without interference. 

⁶ So Achish gave him the town of Ziklag (which still belongs to the kings of Judah to this day), ⁷ and they lived there among the Philistines for a year and four months.

At this point in time Ziklag was a Philistine town.

In Ziklag David could come and go without constant observation by the Philistines.

David lived in Ziklag until the time of Saul’s death.

• David and his men move to Ziklag, away from the watchful eye of Achish. 

⁸ David and his men spent their time raiding the Geshurites, the Girzites, and the Amalekites—people who had lived near Shur, toward the land of Egypt, since ancient times. 

David pretends to be loyal to Achish by attacking various non-Israelite people in the area while giving Achish that he is attacking Israel itself.

The Geshurites, living in an area south of Philistia, were not defeated at the time of the conquest of the Promised Land.

The Girzites are not mentioned anywhere else in the Old Testament.

The Amalekites were bitter foes of Israel.

All three groups were troublesome to both the Philistines and the Israelites.

David was clearing the Promised Land of Israel’s enemies so that the Israelites could occupy the land.

• David pretends to be loyal to Achish by attacking various non-Israelite people in the area while giving Achish that he is attacking Israel itself. 

⁹ David did not leave one person alive in the villages he attacked.

¹¹ No one was left alive to come to Gath and tell where he had really been.

Deuteronomy 20:16-18
¹⁶ In those towns that the Lord your God is giving you as a special possession, destroy every living thing. ¹⁷ You must completely destroy the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, just as the Lord your God has commanded you. ¹⁸ This will prevent the people of the land from teaching you to imitate their detestable customs in the worship of their gods, which would cause you to sin deeply against the Lord your God.

He took the sheep, goats, cattle, donkeys, camels, and clothing before returning home to see King Achish.

This would provide David and his men additional resources necessary for his men and their families to survive. (refer to comments under verse 3)

¹⁰ “Where did you make your raid today?” Achish would ask.

And David would reply, “Against the south of Judah, the Jerahmeelites (on friendly terms with David – descendants of Judah), and the Kenites (on friendly terms with the Israelites).”

David lied.

• Achish believed that David was attacking the outposts of Israel itself. He believed that David was being loyal to the Philistines.

¹¹ No one was left alive to come to Gath and tell where he had really been. This happened again and again while he was living among the Philistines.  

¹² Achish believed David and thought to himself, “By now the people of Israel must hate him bitterly. Now he will have to stay here and serve me forever!”

At this point in time David had Achish fooled.

Proverbs 1:32 NLT
Fools are destroyed by their own complacency.

If David had been raiding the southern portions of Judah, he would have alienated himself from the Israelites and would have become dependent on the Philistines.

David Spares Saul Again

1 Samuel chapter 26 resembles chapter 24, but it is clearly talking about a different event.

1 Samuel 26 NLT
26 Now some men from Ziph came to Saul at Gibeah to tell him, “David is hiding on the hill of Hakilah, which overlooks Jeshimon.”
² So Saul took 3,000 of Israel’s elite troops and went to hunt him down in the wilderness of Ziph. ³ Saul camped along the road beside the hill of Hakilah, near Jeshimon, where David was hiding. When David learned that Saul had come after him into the wilderness, ⁴ he sent out spies to verify the report of Saul’s arrival.
⁵ David slipped over to Saul’s camp one night to look around. Saul and Abner son of Ner, the commander of his army, were sleeping inside a ring formed by the slumbering warriors. ⁶ “Who will volunteer to go in there with me?” David asked Ahimelech the Hittite and Abishai son of Zeruiah, Joab’s brother.
“I’ll go with you,” Abishai replied. ⁷ So David and Abishai went right into Saul’s camp and found him asleep, with his spear stuck in the ground beside his head. Abner and the soldiers were lying asleep around him.
⁸ “God has surely handed your enemy over to you this time!” Abishai whispered to David. “Let me pin him to the ground with one thrust of the spear; I won’t need to strike twice!”
⁹ “No!” David said. “Don’t kill him. For who can remain innocent after attacking the Lord’s anointed one? ¹⁰ Surely the Lord will strike Saul down someday, or he will die of old age or in battle. ¹¹ The Lord forbid that I should kill the one he has anointed! But take his spear and that jug of water beside his head, and then let’s get out of here!”
¹² So David took the spear and jug of water that were near Saul’s head. Then he and Abishai got away without anyone seeing them or even waking up, because the Lord had put Saul’s men into a deep sleep.
¹³ David climbed the hill opposite the camp until he was at a safe distance. ¹⁴ Then he shouted down to the soldiers and to Abner son of Ner, “Wake up, Abner!”
“Who is it?” Abner demanded.
¹⁵ “Well, Abner, you’re a great man, aren’t you?” David taunted. “Where in all Israel is there anyone as mighty? So why haven’t you guarded your master the king when someone came to kill him? ¹⁶ This isn’t good at all! I swear by the Lord that you and your men deserve to die, because you failed to protect your master, the Lord’s anointed! Look around! Where are the king’s spear and the jug of water that were beside his head?”
¹⁷ Saul recognized David’s voice and called out, “Is that you, my son David?”
And David replied, “Yes, my lord the king. ¹⁸ Why are you chasing me? What have I done? What is my crime? ¹⁹ But now let my lord the king listen to his servant. If the Lord has stirred you up against me, then let him accept my offering. But if this is simply a human scheme, then may those involved be cursed by the Lord. For they have driven me from my home, so I can no longer live among the Lord’s people, and they have said, ‘Go, worship pagan gods.’ ²⁰ Must I die on foreign soil, far from the presence of the Lord? Why has the king of Israel come out to search for a single flea? Why does he hunt me down like a partridge on the mountains?”
²¹ Then Saul confessed, “I have sinned. Come back home, my son, and I will no longer try to harm you, for you valued my life today. I have been a fool and very, very wrong.”
²² “Here is your spear, O king,” David replied. “Let one of your young men come over and get it. ²³ The Lord gives his own reward for doing good and for being loyal, and I refused to kill you even when the Lord placed you in my power, for you are the Lord’s anointed one. ²⁴ Now may the Lord value my life, even as I have valued yours today. May he rescue me from all my troubles.”
²⁵ And Saul said to David, “Blessings on you, my son David. You will do many heroic deeds, and you will surely succeed.” Then David went away, and Saul returned home.

Examine the Scriptures

1 Samuel 26 NLT
David Spares Saul Again

^26:1 Now some men from Ziph came to Saul at Gibeah to tell him, “David is hiding on the hill of Hakilah, which overlooks Jeshimon.”

• David and his men, still hiding from Saul, moved back to the wilderness of Ziph.

The wilderness of Ziph with its hilly terrain, dotted with numerous caves, provided many good hiding places.

The Ziphites betrayed David to Saul for the second time.

Previously:
1 Samuel 23:19 NLT
¹⁹ But now the men of Ziph went to Saul in Gibeah and betrayed David to him. “We know where David is hiding,” they said. “He is in the strongholds of Horesh on the hill of Hakilah, which is in the southern part of Jeshimon.

The Ziphites do not want David staying in their territory. 

² So Saul took 3,000 of Israel’s elite troops and went to hunt him down in the wilderness of Ziph. 

• Once again, despite his earlier remorse, Saul pursued David, hoping to kill him.

As far as we know, this is Saul’s final pursuit of David. 

³ Saul camped along the road beside the hill of Hakilah, near Jeshimon, where David was hiding. When David learned that Saul had come after him into the wilderness, ⁴ he sent out spies to verify the report of Saul’s arrival.
⁵ David slipped over to Saul’s camp one night to look around. Saul and Abner son of Ner, the commander of his army, were sleeping inside a ring formed by the slumbering warriors. 

In chapter 24 David was on the defensive.  Here in chapter 26 David is more on the offensive.

⁶ “Who will volunteer to go in there with me?” David asked Ahimelech the Hittite and Abishai son of Zeruiah, Joab’s brother.
“I’ll go with you,” Abishai replied. 

Abishai was a son of David’s sister Zeruiah. Abishai was a skilled and faithful soldier.

Abishai and Joab were David’s nephews.

Joab later became David’s commander-in-chief.

Ahimelech was a Hittite.  The Hittites lived in Canaan but were not driven out by the Israelites when they conquered the Promised Land.

David’s band of men included family members, Israelite men, and it even included men from other nations. 

⁷ So David and Abishai went right into Saul’s camp and found him asleep, with his spear stuck in the ground beside his head.

Three times previous to this, Saul had used his spear to attack David.  The spear was an instrument of death.  The spear was also a symbol of Saul’s rule, similar to a scepter, a traditional sign of authority.

This traditional sign of authority still exists among some Bedouin Arabs today. (Dr. Constable)

1 Samuel 22:6 NLT
⁶ The news of his arrival in Judah soon reached Saul. At the time, the king was sitting beneath the tamarisk tree on the hill at Gibeah, holding his spear and surrounded by his officers.

Abner and the soldiers were lying asleep around him.

David arrived at Saul’s camp during the night. 

⁸ “God has surely handed your enemy over to you this time!” Abishai whispered to David. “Let me pin him to the ground with one thrust of the spear; I won’t need to strike twice!” 

⁹ “No!” David said. “Don’t kill him. For who can remain innocent after attacking the Lord’s anointed one? ¹⁰ Surely the Lord will strike Saul down someday, or he will die of old age or in battle. ¹¹ The Lord forbid that I should kill the one he has anointed!

Once again David refused to harm the Lord’s anointed.

In David’s mind, it was up to God to decide when Saul would die.

But take his spear and that jug of water beside his head, and then let’s get out of here!”

Saul’s spear was an instrument of death, or a symbol of Saul’s authority.

A jug of water represented a life-giving vessel.

¹² So David took the spear and jug of water that were near Saul’s head. Then he and Abishai got away without anyone seeing them or even waking up, because the Lord had put Saul’s men into a deep sleep.

• David and Abishai went right into Saul’s camp and found him asleep. They took Saul’s spear and his jug of water and got away without anyone seeing them.

¹³ David climbed the hill opposite the camp until he was at a safe distance. ¹⁴ Then he shouted down to the soldiers and to Abner son of Ner, “Wake up, Abner!”
“Who is it?” Abner demanded.
¹⁵ “Well, Abner, you’re a great man, aren’t you?” David taunted. “Where in all Israel is there anyone as mighty? So why haven’t you guarded your master the king when someone came to kill him? ¹⁶ This isn’t good at all! I swear by the Lord that you and your men deserve to die, because you failed to protect your master, the Lord’s anointed! Look around! Where are the king’s spear and the jug of water that were beside his head?”

Abner was Saul’s cousin.

• David addressed Abner because he was responsible for leaving the Lord’s anointed unprotected.

David, rather than Saul’s bodyguard, Abner, was responsible for sparing Saul’s life.

Abner and his men deserved to die for their failure in duty.

¹⁷ Saul recognized David’s voice and called out, “Is that you, my son David?”

Again Saul calls David his son.

And David replied, “Yes, my lord the king. 

This time, however, David does not address Saul as “father”.

At this point in time David, technically, was no longer Saul’s son-in-law. 

¹⁸ Why are you chasing me? What have I done? What is my crime? ¹⁹ But now let my lord the king listen to his servant. If the Lord has stirred you up against me, then let him accept my offering. But if this is simply a human scheme, then may those involved be cursed by the Lord.

• David questioned Saul’s motives for chasing him.

David was asking if Saul’s was acting in obedience to God or was he simply acting on his own.

If Saul’s actions were prompted by God, David was ready to ask God to forgive him for the wrong he had done.

If Saul was acting on his own, David felt that he and his men should be cursed by God. 

For they have driven me from my home, so I can no longer live among the Lord’s people, and they have said, ‘Go, worship pagan gods.’  

²⁰ Must I die on foreign soil, far from the presence of the Lord?

Saul’s actions had forced David to leave his home and live like a fugitive.

• To be expelled from the Lord’s land was to be separated from the Lord’s sanctuary.

Hosea 9:3 NLT
³ You may no longer stay here in the Lord’s land.
Instead, you will return to Egypt,
and in Assyria you will eat food
that is ceremonially unclean. 

Why has the king of Israel come out to search for a single flea? Why does he hunt me down like a partridge on the mountains?”

A flea is essentially harmless but annoying.

A partridge is a harmless bird that darts from one tree to another when pursued by a hunter, but tires rather quickly and then can be easily caught.

²¹ Then Saul confessed, “I have sinned. Come back home, my son, and I will no longer try to harm you, for you valued my life today. I have been a fool and very, very wrong.”

• Again Saul confesses that he has sinned. Saul states “I have been a fool and very, very wrong.”

Saul’s behavior was both foolish and ungodly.

“I have been a fool” is an accurate autobiography of Saul’s life.

There is no indication in scripture that Saul ever tried again to interfere with God’s plans for David. 

²² “Here is your spear, O king,” David replied. “Let one of your young men come over and get it. 

• David returns Saul’s spear symbolizing the fact that Saul still the King of Israel.

David does not return the water jug. (The life giving vessel.) 

²³ The Lord gives his own reward for doing good and for being loyal, and I refused to kill you even when the Lord placed you in my power, for you are the Lord’s anointed one. ²⁴ Now may the Lord value my life, even as I have valued yours today. May he rescue me from all my troubles.”

• Once again David stated that his trust was in the Lord, and the Lord would reward him for his loyalty.

David may have written Psalm 54 at this point in time. 

²⁵ And Saul said to David, “Blessings on you, my son David. You will do many heroic deeds, and you will surely succeed.”

• Once again Saul recognized that David was destined to become the king of Israel.

This is the last recorded words of Saul to David. 

Then David went away, and Saul returned home.

David moves into the territory of the Philistines. (1 Samuel 27:1)

 

 

 

 

 

Abigail Intercedes for Nabal

The Story of a Peacemaker (Part 2)

1 Samuel 25:23-44 NLT
(reread 1 Samuel 25:1-22)
1 Samuel 25:1-22 NLT
The Death of Samuel
^25:1 Now Samuel died, and all Israel gathered for his funeral. They buried him at his house in Ramah.
Nabal Angers David
Then David moved down to the wilderness of Maon. ² There was a wealthy man from Maon who owned property near the town of Carmel. He had 3,000 sheep and 1,000 goats, and it was sheep-shearing time. ³ This man’s name was Nabal, and his wife, Abigail, was a sensible and beautiful woman. But Nabal, a descendant of Caleb, was crude and mean in all his dealings.
⁴ When David heard that Nabal was shearing his sheep, ⁵ he sent ten of his young men to Carmel with this message for Nabal: ⁶ “Peace and prosperity to you, your family, and everything you own! ⁷ I am told that it is sheep-shearing time. While your shepherds stayed among us near Carmel, we never harmed them, and nothing was ever stolen from them. ⁸ Ask your own men, and they will tell you this is true. So would you be kind to us, since we have come at a time of celebration? Please share any provisions you might have on hand with us and with your friend David.” ⁹ David’s young men gave this message to Nabal in David’s name, and they waited for a reply.
¹⁰ “Who is this fellow David?” Nabal sneered to the young men. “Who does this son of Jesse think he is? There are lots of servants these days who run away from their masters. ¹¹ Should I take my bread and my water and my meat that I’ve slaughtered for my shearers and give it to a band of outlaws who come from who knows where?”
¹² So David’s young men returned and told him what Nabal had said. ¹³ “Get your swords!” was David’s reply as he strapped on his own. Then 400 men started off with David, and 200 remained behind to guard their equipment.
¹⁴ Meanwhile, one of Nabal’s servants went to Abigail and told her, “David sent messengers from the wilderness to greet our master, but he screamed insults at them. ¹⁵ These men have been very good to us, and we never suffered any harm from them. Nothing was stolen from us the whole time they were with us. ¹⁶ In fact, day and night they were like a wall of protection to us and the sheep. ¹⁷ You need to know this and figure out what to do, for there is going to be trouble for our master and his whole family. He’s so ill-tempered that no one can even talk to him!”
¹⁸ Abigail wasted no time. She quickly gathered 200 loaves of bread, two wineskins full of wine, five sheep that had been slaughtered, nearly a bushel of roasted grain, 100 clusters of raisins, and 200 fig cakes. She packed them on donkeys ¹⁹ and said to her servants, “Go on ahead. I will follow you shortly.” But she didn’t tell her husband Nabal what she was doing.
²⁰ As she was riding her donkey into a mountain ravine, she saw David and his men coming toward her. ²¹ David had just been saying, “A lot of good it did to help this fellow. We protected his flocks in the wilderness, and nothing he owned was lost or stolen. But he has repaid me evil for good. ²² May God strike me and kill me if even one man of his household is still alive tomorrow morning!”
Abigail Intercedes for Nabal
²³ When Abigail saw David, she quickly got off her donkey and bowed low before him. ²⁴ She fell at his feet and said, “I accept all blame in this matter, my lord. Please listen to what I have to say. ²⁵ I know Nabal is a wicked and ill-tempered man; please don’t pay any attention to him. He is a fool, just as his name suggests. But I never even saw the young men you sent.
²⁶ “Now, my lord, as surely as the Lord lives and you yourself live, since the Lord has kept you from murdering and taking vengeance into your own hands, let all your enemies and those who try to harm you be as cursed as Nabal is. ²⁷ And here is a present that I, your servant, have brought to you and your young men. ²⁸ Please forgive me if I have offended you in any way. The Lord will surely reward you with a lasting dynasty, for you are fighting the Lord’s battles. And you have not done wrong throughout your entire life.
²⁹ “Even when you are chased by those who seek to kill you, your life is safe in the care of the Lord your God, secure in his treasure pouch! But the lives of your enemies will disappear like stones shot from a sling! ³⁰ When the Lord has done all he promised and has made you leader of Israel, ³¹ don’t let this be a blemish on your record. Then your conscience won’t have to bear the staggering burden of needless bloodshed and vengeance. And when the Lord has done these great things for you, please remember me, your servant!”
³² David replied to Abigail, “Praise the Lord, the God of Israel, who has sent you to meet me today! ³³ Thank God for your good sense! Bless you for keeping me from murder and from carrying out vengeance with my own hands. ³⁴ For I swear by the Lord, the God of Israel, who has kept me from hurting you, that if you had not hurried out to meet me, not one of Nabal’s men would still be alive tomorrow morning.” ³⁵ Then David accepted her present and told her, “Return home in peace. I have heard what you said. We will not kill your husband.”
³⁶ When Abigail arrived home, she found that Nabal was throwing a big party and was celebrating like a king. He was very drunk, so she didn’t tell him anything about her meeting with David until dawn the next day. ³⁷ In the morning when Nabal was sober, his wife told him what had happened. As a result he had a stroke, and he lay paralyzed on his bed like a stone. ³⁸ About ten days later, the Lord struck him, and he died.
David Marries Abigail
³⁹ When David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, “Praise the Lord, who has avenged the insult I received from Nabal and has kept me from doing it myself. Nabal has received the punishment for his sin.” Then David sent messengers to Abigail to ask her to become his wife.
⁴⁰ When the messengers arrived at Carmel, they told Abigail, “David has sent us to take you back to marry him.”
⁴¹ She bowed low to the ground and responded, “I, your servant, would be happy to marry David. I would even be willing to become a slave, washing the feet of his servants!” ⁴² Quickly getting ready, she took along five of her servant girls as attendants, mounted her donkey, and went with David’s messengers. And so she became his wife. ⁴³ David also married Ahinoam from Jezreel, making both of them his wives. ⁴⁴ Saul, meanwhile, had given his daughter Michal, David’s wife, to a man from Gallim named Palti son of Laish.

Examine the Scriptures

David and Nabal
1 Samuel 25:23-44 NLT

• Abigail Intercedes for Nabal.

One of Nabal’s servants had gone to Abigail asking her to intercede for Nabal.

The servant told Abigail that she needed to know what has happened between David and Nabal and figure out what to do, for there would be trouble for Nabal and his whole family. The servant told Abaigail that Nabal is so ill-tempered that no one can even talk to him!”

²³ When Abigail saw David, she quickly got off her donkey and bowed low before him. 

It took a great deal of courage, boldness, and wisdom for Abigail to take her life into her hands to do what she was doing.

²⁴ She fell at his feet and said,

As soon as Abigail met up with David, she treated him with respect.

“I accept all blame in this matter, my lord. Please listen to what I have to say. 

Abigail was accepting the blame for something she had not done.

• Abigail displayed qualities of courage, boldness, wisdom, respect, and humility.
  

²⁵ I know Nabal is a wicked and ill-tempered man; please don’t pay any attention to him.

Proverbs 4:19 NLT
¹⁹ But the way of the wicked is like total darkness.
They have no idea what they are stumbling over.

Luke 23:34
³⁴ Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.”

He is a fool, just as his name suggests.

Abigail called her husband a fool.

Abigail response may have appeared to be the actions of a disloyal spouse, but in reality her actions prevented the senseless murder of her husband and all of the (innocent) men of his household.

• In a roundabout way Abigail was protecting her husband. 

But I never even saw the young men you sent.

Abigail may have acted sooner if she had been aware of what was happening.

²⁶ “Now, my lord, as surely as the Lord lives and you yourself live, since the Lord has kept you from murdering and taking vengeance into your own hands, let all your enemies and those who try to harm you be as cursed as Nabal is. 

“since the Lord has kept you from murdering and taking vengeance into your own hands,”

• It appears that Abigail knew that the Lord was using her to prevent David from doing something foolish.

At this point in time David was, in fact, on his way to kill Nabal and his men.

In David’s mind, the Lord had not “kept him from murdering and taking vengeance into his own hands”.

• It appears that Abigail understood the sovereignty of the Lord.

• Abigail knew that vengeance should come from the Lord. (More about this later in the lesson.)

Note:  Don’t miss the fact that the Lord is using Abigail in amazing ways.

The Lord really is making Abigail the hero of this story.

• God uses common, ordinary, everyday people to change the course of history. 

²⁷ And here is a present that I, your servant, have brought to you and your young men. 

Verse 18
200 loaves of bread, two wineskins full of wine, five sheep that had been slaughtered, nearly a bushel of roasted grain, 100 clusters of raisins, and 200 fig cakes. 

²⁸ Please forgive me if I have offended you in any way. 

• Abigail had good people skills. 

The Lord will surely reward you with a lasting dynasty, for you are fighting the Lord’s battles.

Earlier in this chapter, Nabal acted as if he did not know who David was.

¹⁰ “Who is this fellow David?” Nabal sneered to the young men. “Who does this son of Jesse think he is?

Abigail: 

Abigail believed that David would become the King of Israel

Abigail stated:

you are fighting the Lord’s battles. And you have not done wrong throughout your entire life.

Abigail would have known about David’s victories over the Philistines.

• Abigail knew some of David’s history.

Husband and wife had two totally different understandings as to who David was. 

And you have not done wrong throughout your entire life. 

• David had a good “track record” with most of the people of Israel.

1 Samuel 18:5-7 NLT
⁵ Whatever Saul asked David to do, David did it successfully. So Saul made him a commander over the men of war, an appointment that was welcomed by the people and Saul’s officers alike.
⁶ When the victorious Israelite army was returning home after David had killed the Philistine, women from all the towns of Israel came out to meet King Saul. They sang and danced for joy with tambourines and cymbals.^[a] 7 This was their song:
“Saul has killed his thousands,
and David his ten thousands!” 

²⁹ “Even when you are chased by those who seek to kill you, your life is safe in the care of the Lord your God, secure in his treasure pouch!

God cares for His own as a man would care for his valuable treasure.

But the lives of your enemies will disappear like stones shot from a sling! 

God flings our enemies away like a stone in a sling.

David and Goliath?

• Abigail had good spiritual insights. 

³⁰ When the Lord has done all he promised and has made you leader of Israel, 

Abigail was certain that God would make David the leader of Israel. 

³¹ don’t let this be a blemish on your record. Then your conscience won’t have to bear the staggering burden of needless bloodshed and vengeance.

Don’t blemish your record by the needless bloodshed of Nabal and the men of his household.

Romans 12:19 NLT
¹⁹ Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say,
“I will take revenge;
I will pay them back,”
says the Lord.

Ezekiel 25:17 NLT
¹⁷ I will execute terrible vengeance against them to punish them for what they have done. And when I have inflicted my revenge, they will know that I am the Lord.”

Hebrews 10:30 NLT
³⁰ For we know the one who said,
“I will take revenge.
I will pay them back.”
He also said,
“The Lord will judge his own people.” 

Matthew 5:38-39 NLT
Teaching about Revenge
³⁸ “You have heard the law that says the punishment must match the injury: ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’ ³⁹ But I say, do not resist an evil person! If someone slaps you on the right cheek, offer the other cheek also.

• The needless bloodshed of Nabal and the men of his household would have been a blemish on David’s record. 

And when the Lord has done these great things for you, please remember me, your servant!”

³² David replied to Abigail, “Praise the Lord, the God of Israel, who has sent you to meet me today! ³³ Thank God for your good sense! Bless you for keeping me from murder and from carrying out vengeance with my own hands. ³⁴ For I swear by the Lord, the God of Israel, who has kept me from hurting you, that if you had not hurried out to meet me, not one of Nabal’s men would still be alive tomorrow morning.” 

• David realized that the lord, the God of Israel had sent Abigail to intervene in this matter. Here again we see the sovereignty of God at work.

³⁵ Then David accepted her present and told her, “Return home in peace. I have heard what you said. We will not kill your husband.”

• David accepted the food Abigail had brought as well as following her advice.

David broke the vow he made in verse 22.

Deuteronomy 23:21-23 NLT
²¹ “When you make a vow to the Lord your God, be prompt in fulfilling whatever you promised him. For the Lord your God demands that you promptly fulfill all your vows, or you will be guilty of sin. ²² However, it is not a sin to refrain from making a vow. ²³ But once you have voluntarily made a vow, be careful to fulfill your promise to the Lord your God.

Leviticus 5:4-6 NLT
⁴ “Or suppose you make a foolish vow of any kind, whether its purpose is for good or for bad. When you realize its foolishness, you must admit your guilt.
⁵ “When you become aware of your guilt in any of these ways, you must confess your sin. ⁶ Then you must bring to the Lord as the penalty for your sin a female from the flock, either a sheep or a goat. This is a sin offering with which the priest will purify you from your sin, making you right with the Lord.

Ecclesiastes 5:5
⁵ It is better to say nothing than to make a promise and not keep it. (NLT) 

⁵ It is better not to make a vow than to make one and not fulfill it. (NIV) 

³⁶ When Abigail arrived home, she found that Nabal was throwing a big party and was celebrating like a king.

Nabal was not a king.

He was very drunk, so she didn’t tell him anything about her meeting with David until dawn the next day. ³⁷ In the morning when Nabal was sober, his wife told him what had happened. As a result he had a stroke, and he lay paralyzed on his bed like a stone. 

Abigail’s words to Nabal had a devastating effect.

³⁸ About ten days later, the Lord struck him, and he died.

³⁹ When David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, “Praise the Lord, who has avenged the insult I received from Nabal and has kept me from doing it myself. Nabal has received the punishment for his sin.”

• Nabal’s death was God’s punishment for his sin. David was not responsible for a “vengeful murder”.

David Marries Abigail
Then David sent messengers to Abigail to ask her to become his wife.

David lost no time in asking Abigail to become his wife.

Abigail, was a sensible and beautiful woman. (v.3)

⁴⁰ When the messengers arrived at Carmel, they told Abigail, “David has sent us to take you back to marry him.”
⁴¹ She bowed low to the ground and responded, “I, your servant, would be happy to marry David. I would even be willing to become a slave, washing the feet of his servants!” ⁴² Quickly getting ready, she took along five of her servant girls as attendants, mounted her donkey, and went with David’s messengers. And so she became his wife.

• David asks Abigail to become his wife.

 ⁴³ David also married Ahinoam from Jezreel, making both of them his wives. 

Ahinoam was also the name of Saul’s wife.

⁴⁴ Saul, meanwhile, had given his daughter Michal, David’s wife, to a man from Gallim named Palti son of Laish.

David most likely had not seen Michal since she had helped him escape from Saul (chapter 19).

After Saul died in a battle against the Philistines, David demanded Michal back as his wife as a condition of his becoming king of Judah. His condition was met (2 Samuel 3:13–16).

FYI

According to the Bible, King David had eight wives. The names of his wives are mentioned in 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel, and 1 Chronicles. Here are the names of his wives:

1. Michal
2. Abigail
3. Ahinoam
4. Maacah
5. Haggith
6. Abital
7. Eglah
8. Bathsheba

2 Samuel 5:13 NLT
¹³ After moving from Hebron to Jerusalem, David married more concubines and wives, and they had more sons and daughters.

1 Chronicles 3:9 NLT
⁹ These were the sons of David, not including his sons born to his concubines.

Food for thought: 

Deuteronomy 17:17 NLT
¹⁷ The king must not take many wives for himself, because they will turn his heart away from the Lord. 

 

 

Introduction:

David and Nabal

The Story of a Peacemaker (Part 1)

1 Samuel 25:1-22 NLT
The Death of Samuel
^25:1 Now Samuel died, and all Israel gathered for his funeral. They buried him at his house in Ramah.
Nabal Angers David
Then David moved down to the wilderness of Maon. ² There was a wealthy man from Maon who owned property near the town of Carmel. He had 3,000 sheep and 1,000 goats, and it was sheep-shearing time. ³ This man’s name was Nabal, and his wife, Abigail, was a sensible and beautiful woman. But Nabal, a descendant of Caleb, was crude and mean in all his dealings.
⁴ When David heard that Nabal was shearing his sheep, ⁵ he sent ten of his young men to Carmel with this message for Nabal: ⁶ “Peace and prosperity to you, your family, and everything you own! ⁷ I am told that it is sheep-shearing time. While your shepherds stayed among us near Carmel, we never harmed them, and nothing was ever stolen from them. ⁸ Ask your own men, and they will tell you this is true. So would you be kind to us, since we have come at a time of celebration? Please share any provisions you might have on hand with us and with your friend David.” ⁹ David’s young men gave this message to Nabal in David’s name, and they waited for a reply.
¹⁰ “Who is this fellow David?” Nabal sneered to the young men. “Who does this son of Jesse think he is? There are lots of servants these days who run away from their masters. ¹¹ Should I take my bread and my water and my meat that I’ve slaughtered for my shearers and give it to a band of outlaws who come from who knows where?”
¹² So David’s young men returned and told him what Nabal had said. ¹³ “Get your swords!” was David’s reply as he strapped on his own. Then 400 men started off with David, and 200 remained behind to guard their equipment.
¹⁴ Meanwhile, one of Nabal’s servants went to Abigail and told her, “David sent messengers from the wilderness to greet our master, but he screamed insults at them. ¹⁵ These men have been very good to us, and we never suffered any harm from them. Nothing was stolen from us the whole time they were with us. ¹⁶ In fact, day and night they were like a wall of protection to us and the sheep. ¹⁷ You need to know this and figure out what to do, for there is going to be trouble for our master and his whole family. He’s so ill-tempered that no one can even talk to him!”
¹⁸ Abigail wasted no time. She quickly gathered 200 loaves of bread, two wineskins full of wine, five sheep that had been slaughtered, nearly a bushel of roasted grain, 100 clusters of raisins, and 200 fig cakes. She packed them on donkeys ¹⁹ and said to her servants, “Go on ahead. I will follow you shortly.” But she didn’t tell her husband Nabal what she was doing.
²⁰ As she was riding her donkey into a mountain ravine, she saw David and his men coming toward her. ²¹ David had just been saying, “A lot of good it did to help this fellow. We protected his flocks in the wilderness, and nothing he owned was lost or stolen. But he has repaid me evil for good. ²² May God strike me and kill me if even one man of his household is still alive tomorrow morning!”

Examine the Scriptures
1 Samuel 25:1-22 NLT
The Death of Samuel 

^25:1 Now Samuel died, and all Israel gathered for his funeral. They buried him at his house in Ramah. 

“all Israel assembled and mourned for him;” NIV

1 and 2 Samuel are named after the person God used to transition Israel from a federation of tribes to a centralized kingdom.

• This was a critical period of history for Israel. God’s chosen people were transitioning from judgeship to monarchy, from loose tribal affiliation to strong central government.

Samuel was the last of the Judges.

This was the end of an era for Israel.

What had happened up to this point?  How had God used Samuel?

The Lord had called Samuel.

Samuel had served as a priest, prophet, and judge.

God reopened the lines of communication with Israel through Samuel.

In those days messages from the Lordwere very rare, but God did speak to Samuel.

Samuel was God’s spokesman for all of Israel.

Samuel was recognized as a leader of national prominence.

The Lord had turned away from Saul. (1 Samuel 18:12)

God commissioned Samuel to anoint David as the next king of Israel. (1 Samuel 16:12-13)

God’s plans haven’t changed. It was always God’s intention for David to become king and for Jesus to come from the line of David.

David was a descendent of Judah.

Saul recognized that David was going to be the next king of Israel and that the kingdom would flourish under David’s rule. (1 Samuel 24:20)

David took his place as God’s major channel of blessing to the nation.

David was about to become the next king of Israel.

Samuel’s work on earth was completed.

Nabal Angers David

This story comes between two accounts of Saul pursuing David.

• David is not the hero of this chapter. A woman named Abigail is the hero of this story. Once again God used a woman to avert a tragedy in Israel’s history. 

Then David moved down to the wilderness of Maon. (refer to a map)

• David is still on the run, hiding from Saul.

Again, David is on the move.

Think about the fact that it takes a lot of provisions to sustain 600 men.

David was in dire need for provisions.

Life for David and his men was hard.

Psalm 63, a psalm of David, talking about a time when David was in the wilderness of Judah, says in verse one: 

¹ O God, you are my God;
I earnestly search for you.
My soul thirsts for you;
my whole body longs for you
in this parched and weary land
where there is no water.

It would be easy to understand why David and his men could become discouraged.

This could account for the fact that David did not conduct himself completely honorably at this time.

• It takes a lot of provisions to sustain 600 men. 

² There was a wealthy man from Maon who owned property near the town (village) of Carmel.

What do we already know about Carmel?

1 Samuel 15:12 NLT
¹² Early the next morning Samuel went to find Saul. Someone told him, “Saul went to the town of Carmel to set up a monument to himself; then he went on to Gilgal.”

7 miles south of Hebron.

Saul was giving himself, not God, credit for the military victories over the surrounding nations.

Pride

Self-centered.

Saul commemorated his own accomplishments by erecting a monument to himself. 

Later when Samuel found Saul.

1 Samuel 15:26 NLT
²⁶ But Samuel replied, “I will not go back with you! Since you have rejected the Lord’s command, he has rejected you as king of Israel.”

Here God has rejected Saul as king of Israel.

He had 3,000 sheep and 1,000 goats, and it was sheep-shearing time. ³ This man’s name was Nabal, 

• The scriptures tell us that Nabal was a wealthy man.

Nabal clearly had more resources than he needed for himself. 

and his wife, Abigail, was a sensible and beautiful woman. 

More about Nabal’s wife, Abigail, later in the story. 

But Nabal, a descendant of Caleb, was crude and mean in all his dealings. 

Nabal’s name must have been a nickname, since it means “Fool” or “boorish” in Hebrew.

Nabal was a descendant of Caleb, one of the 12 spies, who had received Hebron and the surrounding area as his inheritance from Joshua (Josh. 15:13).

Nabal was unlike his ancestor in many ways.

He was foolish, but Caleb was wise.

Nabal did not take God into account, but Caleb counted on God’s promises.

Nabal opposed God’s purposes and died prematurely, but Caleb cooperated with God and lived long.

Nabal did not possess the spiritual qualities of his illustrious forefather.

**Note: Our offspring do not automatically possess the faith we have.

• Nabal was crude and mean in all his dealings.

Simply put, Nabal was a nasty person.

⁴ When David heard that Nabal was shearing his sheep, 

Sheep-shearing time for herdsman was like harvest time for farmers.

Sheep-shearing was a festive occasion, (see verse 8) a time of celebration, feasting, and thankfulness. 

⁵ he sent ten of his young men to Carmel with this message for Nabal: 

⁶ “Peace and prosperity to you, your family, and everything you own! ⁷ I am told that it is sheep-shearing time. While your shepherds stayed among us near Carmel, we never harmed them, and nothing was ever stolen from them. ⁸ Ask your own men, and they will tell you this is true. So would you be kind to us, since we have come at a time of celebration? Please share any provisions you might have on hand with us and with your friend David.” 

whatever you can find for them NIV

whatever you have at hand ESV

whatever you have on hand CEB

Asking for “any provisions you might have on hand” implies that David was not expecting something from Nabal that he was unable to give.

However, sending ten young men suggests that David was asking for a substantial handout.
We did say earlier that it takes a lot of provisions to sustain 600 men.

It is likely that, from time to time, other farmers and shepherds contributed supplies to David and his men.  David and his men may have also raided Philistine communities to obtain supplies.

• David asked Nabal to share any provisions he might have on hand with himself and his men.

This is certainly a reasonable request. 

⁹ David’s young men gave this message to Nabal in David’s name, and they waited for a reply. 

¹⁰ “Who is this fellow David?” Nabal sneered to the young men. “Who does this son of Jesse think he is? There are lots of servants these days who run away from their masters. ¹¹ Should I take my bread and my water and my meat that I’ve slaughtered for my shearers and give it to a band of outlaws who come from who knows where?”

Nabal, for no good reason, refuses David’s request and he treats David’s men with contempt.

Nabal almost certainly would have known who David was, but he refused to recognize God’s anointed servant.

On the other hand, Nabal’s servant had a lot of good to say about David (verses 14-16).

• Nabal refused David’s request and treated David and his men with contempt.

¹² So David’s young men returned and told him what Nabal had said. ¹³ “Get your swords!” was David’s reply as he strapped on his own. Then 400 men started off with David, and 200 remained behind to guard their equipment.

David overreacted to Nabal’s insulting rebuff. He prepared to attack and kill every male in Nabal’s household that very night (vv. 22, 34).

When Nabal refused to comply with David’s request for food, David decided to take what he needed by force.

Pride?? Ego??   Anxious??

Philippians 4:6-7 NLT (This may be difficult to do.)
⁶ Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. ⁷ Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

• David overreacted to Nabal’s insulting rebuff. 

¹⁴ Meanwhile, one of Nabal’s servants went to Abigail and told her, “David sent messengers from the wilderness to greet our master, but he screamed insults at them. ¹⁵ These men have been very good to us, and we never suffered any harm from them. Nothing was stolen from us the whole time they were with us. ¹⁶ In fact, day and night they were like a wall of protection to us and the sheep. 

David and his men had protected Nabal’s shepherds and flocks from pillage.

David’s armed followers had been patrolling the wilderness where Nabal’s shepherds had been tending his flocks. They had made that area safe from raiding Amalekites, Philistines, and occasional wild animals that might have harassed Nabal’s shepherds. It was only common courtesy that wealthy Nabal would have expressed his appreciation to David by providing some food for David’s men.

¹⁷ You need to know this and figure out what to do, for there is going to be trouble for our master and his whole family. 

• One of Nabal’s servants went to Abigail asking her to intervene.

He’s so ill-tempered that no one can even talk to him!”

Nabal was a wicked man.  His unwillingness to seek the counsel of others ultimately led to his demise.

Proverbs 22:24 NLT
²⁴ Don’t befriend angry people
or associate with hot-tempered people,

Proverbs 15:18 NLT
¹⁸ A hot-tempered person starts fights;
a cool-tempered person stops them.

Proverbs 14:17 NLT
¹⁷ Short-tempered people do foolish things, … 

¹⁸ Abigail wasted no time.

Abigail – my father rejoices or my father was delighted.

She quickly gathered 200 loaves of bread, two wineskins full of wine, five sheep that had been slaughtered, nearly a bushel of roasted grain, 100 clusters of raisins, and 200 fig cakes. She packed them on donkeys ¹⁹ and said to her servants, “Go on ahead. I will follow you shortly.” But she didn’t tell her husband Nabal what she was doing.

• When Abigail learned of Nabal’s response to David she decided to intervene.

Abigail choose to do the right thing.

Acts 5:29 NLT
²⁹ But Peter and the apostles replied, “We must obey God rather than any human authority.

The contrast between Nabal and Abigail could not be clearer.

Nabal was foolish; Abigail was wise.
He was evil; she was good.
He was repulsive; she was attractive.
He was arrogant; she was humble.
He was ungodly; she was godly.
He was antagonistic; she was peacemaking.
They were a mismatched couple but there are other mismatched couples in scripture as well as in our lives today. 

²⁰ As she was riding her donkey into a mountain ravine, she saw David and his men coming toward her.  

²¹ David had just been saying, “A lot of good it did to help this fellow. We protected his flocks in the wilderness, and nothing he owned was lost or stolen. But he has repaid me evil for good.  

David’s thinking is off track.

Luke 6:35 NLT
³⁵ “Love your enemies! Do good to them. Lend to them without expecting to be repaid. Then your reward from heaven will be very great, and you will truly be acting as children of the Most High, for he is kind to those who are unthankful and wicked.

Galatians 6:10 NLT
¹⁰ Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone—especially to those in the family of faith. 

²² May God strike me and kill me if even one man of his household is still alive tomorrow morning!” 

David invokes a curse on himself.

This comment is a bit extreme but was a conditional curse that we heard previously. (Which doesn’t make it right.)

1 Samuel 3:15-18 NLT
¹⁵ Samuel stayed in bed until morning, then got up and opened the doors of the Tabernacle as usual. He was afraid to tell Eli what the Lord had said to him. ¹⁶ But Eli called out to him, “Samuel, my son.”
“Here I am,” Samuel replied.
¹⁷ “What did the Lord say to you? Tell me everything. And may God strike you and even kill you if you hide anything from me!” ¹⁸ So Samuel told Eli everything; he didn’t hold anything back. “It is the Lord’s will,” Eli replied. “Let him do what he thinks best.”

1 Samuel 14:43-44 NLT
⁴³ “Tell me what you have done,” Saul demanded of Jonathan.
“I tasted a little honey,” Jonathan admitted. “It was only a little bit on the end of my stick. Does that deserve death?”
⁴⁴ “Yes, Jonathan,” Saul said, “you must die! May God strike me and even kill me if you do not die for this.”

• David’s vengeful attitude toward Nabal displays his natural tendency.

This story magnifies David’s restraint toward Saul, the Lord’s anointed.

 

To be continued.