Read 1 Samuel 24 and 25.
We are studying the life of David in our Sunday School class. And so far, we've all liked (for the most part) what we've discovered about the second king of Israel. We've found a brave, proud, and loyal servant of the Lord. We've found a man who refuses to kill the same mad man who has tried to kill him on several occasions. We've found a young man who honors the Lord and the Lord's anointed--even at the risk of his own life.
But then we come to 1 Samuel 25. The story of David, Abigail, and Nabal.
There are some things that we know from this story:
1) Nabal is a rude, arrogant, and foolish man.
2) Abigail is a smart, wise, and diplomatic woman.
3) David is ready to kill a man, and his entire village--just because Nabal spoke rudely towards him.
David sends his men to tell Nabal, "Look, we've protected your sheep even though we didn't have to, and we've not harmed your shearers (even though we could have), and we are tired and hungry, and we want your food from your farm. Furthermore, we want it now." (my paraphrase and emphasis).
David had no right to "call in this favor." Sure, David was fleeing from Saul, and was running for his life: tired, exhausted, probably afraid and depressed.
David had witnessed the horror of Saul's murdering of an entire city of priests because they didn't cooperate with his scheme--or even knew anything about it. But now David was willing to wipe out an entire community--just because an arrogant farmer was rude to him.
It's truly amazing how much of SAUL is in David's heart. Gene Edwards' masterpiece A Tale of Three Kings truly assists us in understanding just how much "humanity" this soon-to-be-great King really possessed.
David is probably not 25 years old now, but he's bent on wiping out innocent people--just for giving him an answer he didn't like. How very, very like the man he would replace: King Saul.
So how much of "Saul" do I have in me?
What about you?
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