(32) В¶ And David said to Abigail, Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, which sent thee this day to meet me: (33) And blessed be thy advice, and blessed be thou, which hast kept me this day from coming to shed blood, and from avenging myself with mine own hand. (34) For in very deed, as the LORD God of Israel liveth, which hath kept me back from hurting thee, except thou hadst hasted and come to meet me, surely there had not been left unto Nabal by the morning light any that pisseth against the wall.
I have often admired, and every renewed opportunity of reading these delightful words of David again makes me to admire, still more and more, the pious sentiments which David utters in contemplating the mercies he then was receiving. I desire the Reader to remark with me, how precious a strain of the most devout affections they breathe, while he reverenced the gracious hand of God in this sin-preventing providence. He first, as is most suitable and proper, looks up and acknowledges the hand of God. Blessed (says he) be the Lord God of Israel, which sent thee this day to meet me. Having blessed God as the Author, he next looks with gratitude to the means: Blessed (says he) be thy advice. And lastly he looks to Abigail as the honoured instrument in the Lord's hand to restrain, blessed be thou. Here's blessing upon blessing, in that he had been kept from sin, and his corrupt nature had not been suffered to embrue his hands in blood. I know not what the Reader's feelings are upon this occasion, while beholding the restraining grace and mercy of God towards his servant; but for my own part I desire to look up and ascribe the whole of my preservation and safety from the commission of all evil to the same source, the over-ruling and restraining grace of God in Christ Jesus. See 1 Peter 1:5. Sweet is that prayer of Jesus: John 17:11.