1. Abigail: A Type of Christ.

Introduction

After King Saul tried to kill David, David and his soldiers moved from place to place to avoid Saul’s army. David’s movements brought his men to a small village near a nobleman called Nabal. Nabal had about 6,000 flocks. After David watched the flocks of Nabal, he requested that Nabal give something for him and his men to eat, but Nabal refused. David determined to kill Nabal for what he did. The story is in 1 Samuel 25.

1. Meaning of Their Names.

Abigail means one who causes joy. In Christ, we rejoice. Jesus is our Joy. Psalm 5:11 says, “But let all those rejoice who put their trust in You; let them ever shout for joy, because You defend them; let those also who love Your name be joyful in You. Psalm 32:11 “Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, you righteous; and shout for joy, all you upright in heart. Philippians 4:4 says, “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!”

2. Abigail rode a donkey on the way to make atonement.

1 Samuel 25:20 “So it was, as she rode on the donkey, that she went down under cover of the hill; and there were David and his men, coming down toward her, and she met them.” John 12:14-15 “And Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, just as it is written, “Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, your king is coming, sitting on a donkey’s colt!” (quoting Zechariah 9:9). Abigail rode on a donkey on the way to make atonement for Nabal’s sin, just as Jesus rode on a donkey on His way to make atonement for our sin.

3. Abigail sought to bear Nabal’s iniquity.

1 Samuel 25: 21-24. “Now David had said, “Surely in vain I have protected all that this fellow has in the wilderness so that nothing was missed of all that belongs to him. And he has repaid me evil for good. May God do so, and more also, to the enemies of David if I leave one male of all who belongs to him by morning light.” When Abigail saw David, she dismounted quickly from the donkey, fell on her face before David, and bowed down to the ground. So she fell at his feet and said: “On me, my lord, on me let this iniquity be! And please let your maidservant speak in your ears and hear the words of your maidservant.” Abigail took Nabal’s sin on herself. Jesus took our sin on Himself. 1 Pet 2:21-24 says, “For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps: “Who committed no sin, nor was deceit found in His mouth”; who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously; who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed.” Isaiah 53:5: “But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes, we are healed.” Isaiah 53:11b  “For He shall bear their iniquities.” Just as Abigail took Nabal’s sin, Jesus also took our sins.

4) Abigail saved a foolish man.

1 Samuel 25:25. “Please, let not my lord regard this scoundrel Nabal. As his name is, so is he: Nabal is his name, and folly is with him! But I, your maidservant, did not see the young men of my lord whom you sent.” Nabal was a foolish man, as his name implies. He was stupid for pretending not to know David. In verses 10 and 11, we read, “Then Nabal answered David’s servants, and said, “Who is David, and who is the son of Jesse? There are many servants nowadays who break away each one from his master. Shall I then take my bread, water, and meat that I have killed for my shearers and give it to men when I do not know where they are from?” Let us look at a parallel here: In Exodus 5:2, Pharoah said, “Who is the Lord, that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I do not know the Lord, nor will I let Israel go.” Psalms 14:1, “The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.” In other words, the fools ask, “Who is God?” That query alone is an attack on God. Later, you will see that Nabal is a type of Satan. We will come to it shortly.

We Were Foolish Before We Met God.

• Jeremiah 4:22, “For My people are foolish; they have not known Me. They are silly children, and they have no understanding. They are wise to do evil, but to do good; they do not know.”
• Nabal was foolish for not knowing David, and we are stupid for not knowing God.

1 Corinthians 1:27 “But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty.” Jesus said to His two disciples on the road to Emmaus in Luke 24:25, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken!” According to the Scriptures, we are technically called fools if we don’t believe a spiritual truth. Even though we are foolish, God chose us to confound the wise.

5) Abigail provided an offering for Nabal’s sin.

1 Samuel 25: 26-28. “Now, therefore, my lord, as the Lord lives and as your soul lives, since the Lord has held you back from coming to bloodshed and from avenging yourself with your own hand, now then, let your enemies and those who seek harm for my lord be as Nabal. And now this present which your maidservant has brought to my lord, let it be given to the young men who follow my lord.” Ephesians 5:2. “And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.” Titus 2:13-14, “Looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ, Who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.” Abigail gave an offering for her husband’s sin, and Jesus offered Himself as an offering for our sins.

6) Abigail was accepted as an Intercessor.

1 Samuel 25:32. “Then David said to Abigail: “Blessed is the Lord God of Israel, who sent you this day to meet me!” We can see three people here. God, Abigail and David. Abigail became the mediator between God and David. In other words, her intercession saved her husband, Nabal.

• 1 Timothy 2:5. “For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus.
• Colossians 1:19-20. “For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.”
• 2 Corinthians 5:18-19. “Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.”

7) Abigail turned away wrath.

1 Samuel 25: 33-34. “And blessed is your advice, and blessed are you because you have kept me this day from coming to bloodshed and from avenging myself with my own hand. For indeed, as the Lord God of Israel lives, who has kept me back from hurting you, unless you had hurried and come to meet me, surely by morning light no males would have been left to Nabal!” God turns away wrath if we believe in Jesus His Son. John 3:36 “He who believes in the Son has everlasting life, and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.” 1 Thessalonians 5:9, “For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

8. Abigail established Peace.

1 Samuel 25:35a. “So David received from her hand what she had brought him and said to her, “Go up in peace to your house.” There was going to be a judgment on Nabal, but Abigail brought peace. Isaiah 52:7. “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, proclaims peace, brings glad tidings of good things, proclaims salvation, and says to Zion, “Your God reigns!” Isaiah 53:5. “But He was wounded for our transgressions; He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes, we are healed.” Chastisement means punishment. Jesus brought peace by taking our punishment.

9)  Abigail had a good character.

1 Samuel 25: 35b. “See, I have heeded your voice and respected your person.” In other words, David was pleased with Abigail. Matthew 3:17. “A voice came from heaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

10. Abigail withheld some information from the devil (Nabal).

1 Samuel 25:17. “Now, therefore, know and consider what you will do, for harm is determined against our master and against all his household. For he is such a scoundrel that one cannot speak to him.” 1 Samuel 25:25 “Please, let not my lord regard this scoundrel Nabal. For as his name is, so is he.” Scoundrel is the same Hebrew word for Belial, which means fool. (2 Corinthians 6:15). 1 Sam 25:18-19, “Then Abigail made haste and took two hundred loaves of bread, two skins of wine, five sheep already dressed, five seahs of roasted grain, one hundred clusters of raisins, and two hundred cakes of figs, and loaded them on donkeys. And she said to her servants, “Go on before me; see, I am coming after you.” But she did not tell her husband, Nabal.” If she had told her husband, she wouldn’t have allowed her to do it. In other words, she did not let Satan know what she was doing. 1 Corinthians 2:7-8, “But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory, which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.”

11. God Will Kill Their Enemies.

1 Samuel  25:38. “Then it happened, after about ten days, that the Lord struck Nabal, and he died.” Rev 20:10. “The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.” Nabal was a fool that God struck dead because of his foolishness. Satan is a fool, and God will punish him in the Lake of Fire for his foolishness.

12. Abigail desired to wash feet.

1 Samuel 25: 39-41. “So when David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, “Blessed be the Lord, who has pleaded the cause of my reproach from the hand of Nabal and has kept His servant from evil! For the Lord has returned the wickedness of Nabal on his own head.” And David sent and proposed to Abigail, to take her as his wife. When the servants of David had come to Abigail at Carmel, they spoke to her, saying, “David sent us to you to ask you to become his wife.” Then she arose, bowed her face to the earth, and said, “Here is your maidservant, a servant to wash the feet of the servants of my lord.” John 13:5. “After that, He poured water into a basin, washed the disciples’ feet, and wiped them with the towel with which He was girded.”

13. She was elevated to a position of honour.

1 Samuel 25:42. “So Abigail rose in haste and rode on a donkey, attended by five of her maidens, and she followed the messengers of David and became his wife.” Abigail became a queen mother. She was promoted to a position of honour.

 Acts 5:31, “Him God has exalted to His right hand to be Prince and Saviour, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins.” Philippians 2:9. “God has highly exalted Him and given Him a name above every other name.”