As I was recently reading through 1 Samuel, my favorite book of the Bible, I was gripped by the run-in David had with Nabal (1 Samuel 25). David and his men were camped in a desert where Nabal was shearing his sheep. So he sent a message to Nabal, reminding him of how he had generously protected his shepherds in the past and did not steal anything from them. In return, David asked Nabal to give him and his men whatever supplies he could spare (vv.8-9).
Nabal was a “crude and mean” man who cared only about himself (v.3). When he heard David’s request, he completely snubbed him. Nabal acted as if he didn’t know who David was, and even went as far as to insult David, suggesting that he might have been a runaway servant (vv.10-11).
David was ticked off when he learned of Nabal’s reply. He ordered his men to get their swords as he strapped on his own. Armed and angry, he and 400 of his men set out to take by force what they needed from Nabal (vv.12-13).
When Nabal’s wife, Abigail, learned what her husband had said, she knew big trouble was brewing. So she immediately gathered a bunch of supplies and rode out to meet the incensed David (vv.20-22). She pleaded with David to overlook her husband’s foolishness and to avoid burdening his conscience with “needless bloodshed” (vv.23-31). David praised Abigail for her good judgment and called off the attack (vv.32-35). Were it not for her brave and wise intervention, he would have made a costly mistake.
Maybe you’re considering lashing out at someone who has wronged you? Don’t react rashly and make a costly mistake. Take Abigail’s wise advice to heart and let God deal with the one who has offended you (Romans 12:19-21).
NLT 365-day reading plan passage for today: Matthew 13:24-43
More:
It’s interesting that prior to his run-in with Nabal, David didn’t react and kill Saul in the cave when he had the chance (24:1-8). Why?
Next:
What happens when we ignore God’s instruction and attempt to right wrongs on our own? How is He glorified when we pursue peace instead of costly mistakes?
loananna on July 11, 2011 at 5:36 am
How do we forget wrongs done to us in the workplace? Trust has been violated…How should we handle this? I pray the Lord will open my eyes as to how to handle this person who has taken from me…Thanks for anybodies imput please
Jeff Olson on July 15, 2011 at 8:10 am
Loananna, sorry to hear of your struggles in your workplace. Working through a major violation of trust is difficult. Forgiveness doesn’t mean that you immediately forget what happened and trust the person who betrayed you. That person may not yet be worthy of any deep level of trust.
Even though we can’t and shouldn’t trust, we are still called to care about the welfare of such a person. We are called not to lose sight of the fact that they still matter as a person. They still have legitimate temporary and eternal needs, even if they haven’t owned the harm they’ve done to us. Keeping this is mind will keep us from coping an attitude towards them that would make it impossible for them to ever re-earn trust in our eyes.
Again, caring about another person doesn’t mean you have to be gullible and naive. Continue to honestly evaluate how that person is treating you and make decisions about trust based on what you see them do. I believe this approach is in the spirit of what Jesus had in mind when he encouraged his followers to be “wise as serpents and innocent as doves” (Matthew 10:16).
alli on July 13, 2011 at 12:59 pm
God is faithful this is on my mind because of a situation where someone is violent, it is good to know that God is in control. I went to go to the police station and found out it was closed. It was more of a reminder to let God handle the issue and those who are in authority. He is the only one who can deal it is not for us to take revenge but to pray for our enemies as hard as I find this to do