Practical Lessons From Abigail

Feature 2 – May 2025 – Grace & Truth Magazine

Practical Lessons From Abigail

There was a man in Maon … The name of the man was Nabal, and the name of his wife Abigail. And she was a woman of good understanding and beautiful appearance; but the man was harsh and evil in his doings. —1 Samuel 25:2-3 NKJV

Their Marriage
How did two people of such differing character like Nabal and Abigail get together? Was it an arranged marriage where Abigail had no say as to whom she was given? Did she choose to marry Nabal because he was rich? There are many questions we could ask, but we do not have answers in the Bible for them. God, the Holy Spirit, had His servants record in the Scriptures only what we need to know.

Consider this: When looking for a life partner, character is much more important than good looks. We were given a glowing description of this lady: “She was a woman of good understanding and beautiful appearance.” Wow, what a complimentary evaluation – and that by the LORD! It is most likely that her character was listed before her physical attributes because character is more important than a person’s appearance. In fact, the beauty of a woman or handsomeness of a man can be deceiving and dangerous. Too often we may be attracted to a person for the wrong reason. Consider the proverb, “Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing, but a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised” (Prov. 31:30). Fools, like Nabal, may go for good looks, but the prudent appreciate good character.

There Is A Judgment Coming
It is important to see that the Bible makes no apology in providing an accurate description of people, like Abigail and her husband, who have been included in Holy Script. Nabal’s character of greed and stinginess, being observed by the Lord, was displeasing to God. There was an almost immediate judgment, causing him to be smitten so that he died within about a week’s time.

Consider this: A record in heaven is being written about each of us, including our thoughts, actions and intents. In most cases, thankfully, we do not suffer immediately for our selfish deeds and sins. But all Christians will appear before the judgment seat of Christ, and each one will be judged for the things done in the body, “whether good or bad” (2 Cor. 5:10). Nonbelievers will be judged at the great white throne (see Rev. 20:11-15) and condemned to eternal torment.

Abigail – A Beautiful Appearance
When Scripture describes Abigail as a beautiful woman, you better believe it! After all, the Bible not only records the good and bad acts of a person, but in some cases it describes their looks as well.1 We can accept this description because the Bible is true in all it says (Ps. 119:160).

Consider this: Do you think that you’re not a beautiful or handsome individual? Don’t worry about it. Each of us is made in the “image” of God (Gen. 1:27, 9:6). Furthermore, you and I should be able to praise our Creator about our looks for each of us was “fearfully and wonderfully made” (Ps. 139:14). He formed you and me to fit into the purpose of God’s eternal plan.

It was said of our Lord Jesus Christ, “He has no form or comeliness; and when we see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him” (Isa. 53:2). Yet, we come to “love Him because He first loved us” (1 Jn. 4:19). It is His character and work that has made Him to be most beautiful in our eyes! John, the Lord’s disciple, stated, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth” (Jn. 1:14). Where did they see this? It was in His face as well as His actions! Oh, that our faces would reflect more of that beauty!

Abigail – A Wise Woman
This woman was “of good understanding” (1 Sam. 25:3). Based on verses 14-38, she can be esteemed as having had a worthy character in a number of ways:

• She acted in wisdom in saving her household from destruction;
• She was bold in the fact that she intercepted David and his 400 men;
• She was humble, despite being rich, in the way she addressed David. (This exemplary woman fell on her face before David, and gave a most amazing speech of humility, honor and respect. Read the account in verses 23-31);
• She showed faith in her God, recognizing David as the rejected king-to-be; and
• She was very generous in the largeness of her gift that she brought to David.

In these ways and others she exemplified the traits of a woman who fears the Lord, and yes, she shall truly “be praised” (Prov. 31:30). Is it any wonder that, when Nabal was dead, she accepted David’s proposal and became his wife? This too was a total act of faith, subjection and beauty, as she was willing to be associated with the rejected king.

Consider this: With the power of the Holy Spirit living in us, we also may cultivate a good Christian character and exemplify some of the same traits that we have just mentioned. We are encouraged to “walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God” (Col. 1:10). How many of us can show the same outstanding finesse of Abigail? But we, each of us, can seek to be attached to our rejected King – the Lord Jesus Christ – and in the power of the Holy Spirit develop a character worthy of Him.

Past Things Stick
While there is so much good seen in the character and actions of Abigail, she just could not seem to escape her previous association. Almost every time her name is mentioned in Scripture, the description “the wife of Nabal” is added. Her association with the “fool” seems to have stuck with her for the rest of her life. Was her marriage to Nabal the Carmelite an error that put this black spot on her character? We don’t know. But past associations can taint one’s reputation. Thankfully, Nabal’s personal character did not rub off on her! She was, and remained to be, a woman of good understanding and beautiful appearance.

Consider this: We have things in the past about which we are not proud – even things for which we are ashamed. Most Christians continue to have memories of sins, errors or embarrassing actions they have committed. Thankfully all sins that we have done have been wiped from the records in heaven. God, in Hebrews 8:12, says of them, “For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more!”

However, some people will act meanly and miserably toward us, not forgetting about certain deeds we have done.2 When comments are made about these misdeeds, we would be wise to neither retaliate nor ponder over them. Rather, we should bring these burdens to the Lord, who said, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Mt. 11:28). By God’s empowerment we can aim to be like Abigail: she went on to serve her rejected king. The New Testament makes a similar suggestion through the apostle Paul: “One thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead” (Phil. 3:13).

Hopefully, these few thoughts related to Abigail will prove helpful and encouraging to many readers and bring glory to the Lord. GT

ENDNOTES
1. Some other people whose good looks are recorded in the Bible include Sarai (Gen. 12:11), Rachel (29:17), David (1 Sam. 16:12) and Bathsheba (2 Sam. 11:2).
2. Other people who did things, good or bad, are Thomas who doubted, at first, that the Lord had risen (Jn. 20:24-28) and Judas Iscariot “who betrayed Him [the Lord]” (Mt. 10:4).

By G. H. B.

David was restrained from his evil purpose by the intervention of beautiful Abigail, the wife of Nabal. When she heard what her husband had done, she at once prepared a magnificent present for David and his men. It was a princely gift, including two skins filled with wine. She did all this without consulting her husband. The place she took before David, her supplications, her confession, her humble prayer for forgiveness, her delicate reference to the king’s sinful haste to shed blood, her faith in David’s coming exaltation and her concluding request, “then remember thine handmaid” (1 Sam. 25:31 KJV), are rich and beautiful. Abigail, the woman with understanding and of a beautiful countenance, typifies the true believer and may also be taken as a type of the Church. Nabal, to whom she was bound as wife, is typical of the old nature, the flesh. But, Nabal died and Abigail was then married to David, even as the believer is dead to sin and to the law and is now married to another – to Christ (Rom. 7:4). —Arno C. Gaebelein, The Annotated Bible (adapted).