Today we are joined by another beautiful woman with a beautiful mind: Abigail. She lived approximately 970 years before Christ. Here is her story:
Abigail lived in a very unhappy home. Her husband, Nabal, was described as being "surly and mean" (1 Samuel 25:3). He thought only of his possessions and he was also a drunken scoundrel. We can also add "stupidity" to his list of faults. Nabal means "fool," and Abigail has to plead with King David because of her husband's foolishness. Nabal had insulted the upcoming king of Israel and David was very angry. He had every intention to destroy Nabal and his entire household.
Abigail had brains as well as beauty. Loveliness and intelligence went hand in hand. We can learn a lot from her. Many of us ladies are always working on our outer beauty but we neglect our inner beauty. We must take care of both. The inner should be even more important than the outer. When we are beautiful on the inside, it will reflect on the outside.
Added to her charm and wisdom was her faith in God. Even though the Bible doesn't say anything about Abigail's genealogy, her religious witness and knowledge of Jewish history testify that she probably came from a godly home which taught her about the true God and His values. She knew who David was and she knew the God he served. Therefore she combined her wisdom with her wealth and she went out to meet the future king of Israel.
When Abigail met David, she didn't say a word. She prostrated herself before him, bowing herself to the ground. Falling at his feet, she delivers a humble plea to David asking for his mercy in order to save her household. She reminded David that his life was in God's hands. She reminded him that his God was a God of justice. He had a plan for David and He would destroy David's enemies. The only thing that she asked of David is that he remembers her when God's plans come to fruition.
David's heart was moved by Abigail's humble request. He realized the grave sin he was about to commit. Living in exile had turned him impatient and angry. He was about to destroy an entire household simply because Nabal had insulted him.
How many times do we act impulsively when we are angry? As we approach the end of our Lenten journey, it may be a good idea to seek the gift of reconciliation. All the anger that we carry within our hearts doesn't hurt anyone except ourselves. Let's offer up our anger to God and ask Him to heal us. Let's work on making ourselves beautiful from within.
Tomorrow we will find out how David responded to Abigail.
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