The Folly Of Nabal (‘Fool') And The Way That YHWH Dealt With Him While Providing For David And His Men Through Nabal's Wife (1 Samuel 25:1-44).
This is the second of three successive examples in which David reveals his obedience to YHWH in not taking his own vengeance on those who have sinned against him, and in consequence of this Abigail declares that he will be appointed ruler over Israel (1 Samuel 25:30). This declaration of David's ordained kingship is an important aspect of the story.
The incident fits aptly here as it gives a further indication of the way in which David made use of his men without harming Israelites, while at the same time as a result of the incident, events confirmed to him that YHWH would deal with fools (and therefore also with Saul) in His own good time. But it also brings out how easily he could have become like Saul, had YHWH not used Abigail to restrain him, and teach him an important lesson which he would carry into the future. It is a reminder to us that David also could be imperious and merciless, and that while he was certainly more merciful than his contemporaries, he could also at times be quite 1saless, as we shall have cause to discover later. It is a reminder that he was a good man, but still a man of his times, something which the writer does not try to hide from us (compare, for example, 1 Samuel 27:9; 2 Samuel 8:2, although it should be noted that in both cases they were regular occurrences of those violent times and were for reasons of safety).
Indeed the question of good in contrast to evil pervades the whole narrative. The Hebrew words for "good" and "evil" each occur seven times in the chapter, which is surely not a coincidence. It is the number of divine completion. See 1 Samuel 25:3; 1 Samuel 25:8; 1Sa 25:15; 1 Samuel 25:21; 1 Samuel 25:30-31; 1 Samuel 25:36, and 1 Samuel 25:3; 1Sa 25:17; 1 Samuel 25:21; 1 Samuel 25:26; 1Sa 25:34; 1 Samuel 25:39 (twice). And good is seen to triumph. Thus the incident is being used in order to demonstrate that David will in the end come through triumphantly, while Saul will perish.
In order to fully understand the story we need to understand the ceremony of sheep-shearing. Sheep-shearing was not just a time of hard work for the shearers, many of whom would have to be hired in, but also ended in a joyous festival to which the whole neighbourhood would be welcome. Compare how Absalom sought to invite the king, and if not him his own brothers, to the festivities at his sheep-shearing, (although in both cases it was because he was planning mischief during the festivities - 2 Samuel 13:23-26). It was a time when wine flowed freely, generosity abounded, and men got very drunk as they thanked God for the ‘harvest' of wool. It was because Jacob knew that Laban's attention would be taken up by the sheep-shearing festivities that he slipped away when he did, and the festivities explain why Laban did not learn of it for three days (Genesis 31:19-20). In some ways we might liken it to secular ideas about Christmas. Presents would often be exchanged, food and drink would be abundantly provided and a good time would be had by all.
But in the case of the shearing of larger flocks there was a clear temptation to wandering tribesmen and outlaws to wait until the shearing was nearly complete and then swoop down in order to claim their spoils. Thus neighbouring tribesmen, who showed their forbearance and friendship by not attacking the flocks or disturbing the activity of sheep-shearing, and by hanging around and ‘warning off' predators, would quite blatantly send their representatives in order to obtain some of the good things on offer, openly expecting them as an act of hospitality and a kind of return gesture of friendship. It was of advantage to both. A modern historian has written, ‘On such a festive occasion near a town or village, even in our own time, an Arab sheikh of the neighbouring desert would hardly fail to put in a word, either in person or by message, and his message both in form and substance, would be only the transcript of the message of David'. Thus David's action was not as unusual, nor as preposterous, as it might sound to us. It was a regular method of demonstrating mutual friendship in a violent world, through which each party would see himself as benefiting from the other on a friendly basis, in return for the friendliness that the other had also shown.
The whole chapter may be analysed as follows:
Analysis.
a Samuel dies, leaving David bereft of his beloved mentor (1 Samuel 25:1 a).
b David goes into the wilderness of Paran (1 Samuel 25:1 b).
c Introduction to Nabal the churl and Abigail the wise and beautiful (1 Samuel 25:2-3).
d David seeks for Nabal's hospitality and Nabal declares that in no way will he give David and his men hospitality (1 Samuel 25:4-11).
e David sets out to take vengeance (1 Samuel 25:12-13).
f A servant of Nabal pleads with Abigail to set matters straight (1 Samuel 25:14-17).
g Abigail hurries to prepare some of Nabal's hospitality for David and his men (1 Samuel 25:18-19).
h Abigail meets David who is coming to take vengeance and abases herself before him (1 Samuel 25:20-23).
g Abigail presents Nabal's hospitality to David's men (1 Samuel 25:24-27).
f Abigail sets matters straight with David (1 Samuel 25:28-30).
e David accepts Abigail's plea and decides to refrain from vengeance on Nabal (1 Samuel 25:32-35).
d Death of Nabal the churl as he and his guests feast on what he has refused to give to David and his men (1 Samuel 25:36-39 a).
c David weds Abigail who has revealed herself to him as wise and beautiful (1 Samuel 25:39-42).
b David finds love in the wilderness (1 Samuel 25:43).
a Saul gives Michal his daughter, David's wife, to Palti, the son of Laish, leaving David bereft of his beloved wife (1 Samuel 25:44).