Growing Through God’s Word
When I was a new believer in 1979 I was eager to find role models. I wanted to see how a Christian woman should live out her faith. My first attempt to grow as a godly woman was when I signed up for women’s Bible study at our church. It was truly a BIBLE STUDY! We studied God’s word book by book chapter by chapter. It was through the sufficiency of God’s word, not topical felt needs subjects with God’s word attached to it, that I began to grow.
Abigail: A Biblical Example of Wisdom and Courage
As I was eager to find women in God’s word to help me live out the scriptures, one such woman was Abigail. Her story takes up one chapter in the Bible but her example speaks volumes. 1 Samuel 25 describes one woman’s obedience to God. The choices she made in a moment of crises reveal her godly character that could only be forged over the long haul.
Bible Hub summarizes this chapter for us. “After the death of Samuel this story introduces us to the folly of Nabal, the wisdom of his wife, Abigail, and the anger of David, who has been slighted by Nabal’s disrespect. It is a riveting account of tension, strategy, and divine intervention, painting a vibrant picture of character contrasts and the workings of divine justice.”
With that as a brief backdrop and I hope you will read the chapter for yourself, what can we learn from Abigail? God’s word tells us that she was married to a man who was rich in material things but poor in character. He was difficult to deal with and behaved badly. The marriage was probably arranged as was the custom in this culture. As a result we can only imagine, that however wealthy Abigail may have been her wealth could not help her hardship. Nonetheless, she held to her godly convictions!
Interceding With Godly Conviction
When her husbands life was on the line she interceded. She went to David to stop him from slaughtering Nabal and all he owned. In the heat of the moment Abigail reminded David of God’s sovereign plan and encouraged him not to take matters into his own hands. She pointed David to the future and the over arching wisdom and faithfulness of the Lord.
Here is what David said when he listened to this virtuous woman. “Bless the Lord God of Israel who has sent you to meet me today! Thank God for your good sense! Bless you for keeping me from murdering the man and carrying out vengeance with my own hands.” 1 Samuel 25:32-33
This could have been Abigail’s opportunity to escape her misery and be set for life. But no, she chose to do the noble and right thing. How? Because her heart was set for the glory of God and his people bearing in mind the unveiling of His purposes in due time.
Learning From Abigail Today
As women of the 21st century what are we after? How do our goals and ambitions compare with Abigail’s? Do we even look to Biblical role models any longer.
First and foremost let us constantly look to Jesus in His word. He is the author and perfecter of our faith (Hebrews 12). Second only to our Savior, we can glean much help and wisdom from what Hebrews calls that great cloud of witnesses (Hebrews 11). Those men and women of the Bible who worked out their faith on the anvil of life.
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