A Man Who Sought Revenge
BY GENE A. GETZ
In many ways the story of David is a story of contrasts. Though he was evidently a man small in stature, he was known in the kingdom for his largeness of heart, his great love for God and his unique compassion for mankind. Though he was uninitiated in normal battle techniques, he became a hero when he slew Goliath and led Israel into numerous victories over the Philistines. Though a man of great faith, he at times was paralyzed with fear.I Samuel 25 In this study we are going to see a contrast in his personality, a contrast that is frequently seen in great Christians: though David was a man after God's own heart, he sometimes failed the Lord miserably. To be specific, in I Samuel 25 we see an event where David, after having demonstrated great patience and love toward Saul, the man who had repeatedly tried to take his life, allowed himself to become very angry and resentful just because he was rejected by a rich fool.
The Story of a Fool
Following Samuel's death David and his men headed south to the wilderness of Paran, a sparsely populated area. For a time, at least, David felt safe from his enemy, King Saul. But it was here that David encountered a more subtle enemy, a man whose selfish and greedy behavior was that which David wasn't mentally, emotionally, or spiritually prepared to handle. This man's name was Nabal, which literally means "fool". And a fool he was!Though the story of Nabal in itself forms the basis for some great lessons for Christians and non-Christians alike, I'm more interested in the way David reacted to this man's foolish and selfish behavior.
By all standards Nabal was a rich man. "He had three thousand sheep and a thousand goats" (25:2). But perhaps his greatest asset was a beautiful and intelligent wife named Abigail who, unlike her husband, was a sensitive and unselfish person.
Good neighbors. For many days David's men had lived in the area where Nabal's shepherds grazed his sheep. In fact, they had often protected these shepherds and their animals from harm and danger.
One of Nabal's own shepherds stated it well: "The men were very good to us, and we were not insulted, nor did we miss anything as long as we went about with them, while we were in the fields. They were a wall to us both by night and by day, all the time we were with them tending the sheep" (25:15,16).
The time came when the sheep were to be sheared. It was time, in other words, for their owners to cash in on their investments. For most people this was a season of liberality and goodwill, a time to share one's blessings with others. So, David sent ten of his men to talk with Nabal about his army's need for food and clothing.
A polite request. "Go up to Carmel," said David, "visit Nabal and greet him in my name; and thus you shall say, 'Have a long life, peace be to you, and peace be to your house, and peace be to all that you have...Please give whatever you find at hand to your servants and to your son David'" (25:5-8).
And then we read in verses 10,11: "Who is David? And who is the son of Jesse?" he queried. "There are many servants today who are each breaking away from his master. Shall I then take my bread and my water and my meat that I have slaughtered for my shearers, and give it to men whose origin I do not know?"
To refuse to share his produce was insult enough in the light of what David had done for him. But to actually deny any knowledge of who David was and to classify him as a runaway slave was indeed a horrible put-down that infuriated the future king of Israel. David's anger reached fever pitch. He grabbed his sword and ordered 400 men to do the same. He vowed he would kill every man associated with Nabal, which no doubt included Nabal himself.
A wise wife. Fortunately, one of Nabal's servants was perceptive enough to discern how dangerous the situation was. Knowing that Abigail would understand what was about to transpire, he lost no time finding her and telling her the whole story. And understand she did! Hurriedly, and without consulting her husband, she prepared an abundance of food and went out to meet David. Humbling herself at his feet, she took the blame for her husband's irresponsible actions and begged for mercy.
David's heart was touched and humbled by this woman's behavior. He immediately recognized God's hand in what was happening. "Blessed be the Lord God of Israel," David said, "who sent you this day to meet me, and blessed be your discernment, and blessed be you, who have kept me this day from bloodshed, and from avenging myself by my own hand" (25:32,33).
David received Abigail's gift of food and sent her on her way in peace.
Ironic ending. When Abigail returned home she discovered that Nabal had over-celebrated on this festive occasion. He was too drunk with wine to carry on an intelligent conversation. In the morning, when he was sober, Abigail told him what she had done. It so gripped Nabal emotionally (there was either anger or fear or both) that he experienced a stroke. "His heart died within him so that he became as a stone" (v. 37).
Ten days later the Lord struck Nabal and he died (v. 38).
The last scene in this dramatic story is even more poignant. When David heard of Nabal's death, he proposed to Abigail and she accepted. Thus, Nabal not only lost his life but his wife to the man he refused to help.
Many valuable lessons can be learned from the hasty way David reacted to Nabal:
1. David lost control of himself for a comparatively minor offense.
David had demonstrated great patience and love toward the man who was determined to kill him. David could have killed King Saul, but he didn't. By comparison, Nabal's offenses were minor. Anyone would expect this kind of behavior from a fool. But in response, David almost committed mass murder.As a twentieth-century Christian, have you ever passed the big test in your life and then failed the little one? Be careful. We are most vulnerable when we are coming off our most successful experiences in the Christian life. Paul warned, "So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall!" (I Cor. 10:12)
2. David's uncontrolled anger related to an attack on his self-image.
All of us are most vulnerable to anger when we are personally put down. Often we can handle physical threat reasonably well. But let someone puncture our ego and we are liable to lose control of our emotions.3. David made his decision to act in an angry state of mind.
Anyone in David's position would no doubt have experienced anger. He was a human being like all of us. David's mistake, however, was to make a decision and to act on that decision while he was in that emotional state.All human beings, even Christians, tend to make this mistake. Hence, Paul warned the Ephesian Christians: "In your anger do not sin: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold" (Eph. 4:26,27).
Paul in effect acknowledged that not all anger is sin. It becomes sin when we act improperly. This was David's mistake. If it were not for the grace of God, he would have committed a serious crime against humanity.
4. David allowed himself to be quick-tempered.
David flew off the handle, to use a common expression of yesteryear. Stated in more contemporary fashion, he lost his cool. This kind of quick-temperedness is a mark of immaturity in the Christian life.In his pastoral epistles to Timothy and Titus, Paul warned them not to appoint men to leadership in the church who have this problem. Quoting Paul specifically, he said, "Since an overseer is entrusted with God's
work, he must be blamelessnot overbearing, not quick-temperednot violent" and so on (Titus 1:7).David failed the test in this area of his life on this particular occasion. All of us periodically have this same problem even as spiritual leaders. Our goal should be to eliminate this behavior from our life-style, to learn to control our temper and, above all, to correct a situation when it happens, asking forgiveness and making amends when we have hurt someone in the process.
5. David took revenge into his own hands.
David's pride was definitely hurt. He was out to avenge himself. He even generalized his anger to include innocent people. Though one man was the source of his hurt and his anger, David was going to wipe out all of Nabal's menservants.Fortunately, Abigail intervened. And David was eternally grateful. By his own confession he realized he had sought revenge, and he knew it would have been a terrible sin. In this case God brought judgment upon Nabal.
Though all such incidents cannot be classified as God's specific acts of wrath, there will come a day when God will settle all accounts of wrongdoing. Apart from crime that should be cared for and settled by the law courts, we are not to avenge ourselves for personal injuries. If we cannot settle such problems through mature dialogue and communication, we must leave them to God. It is His prerogative to eventually settle these matters.
Give it to God. So, whenever we find ourselves in such a situation, remember God's word in Romans 12:17-19:
Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right inDr. Gene A. Getz is pastor of Fellowship Bible Church, 200 Chisholm Place, Suite 234, Plano, TX 75075.
the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord. o