1Sam 25 David’s men had protected Nabal’s sheep and his men, but Nabal, whose name means fool, does not consider this worthy of reward and in anger sends David’s men back to him. David reacts with a vengeance in his heart, but God protects him from taking innocent blood, and it came through Nabal’s wise servants and his wife, Abigail. She quickly organized and sent provisions to those who had protected her husband and his sheepherders while Nabal was foolishly partying. As Abigail comes to David, he is instantly humbled and recognizes God had saved him and his men from his rash decision. In the end, God protected David, Abigail, and the household but struck Nabal because he was wicked, and he died.
Sometimes, like David, we are our own worst enemy when we react in a moment of anger, but God sees, and He lovingly, we might say, protects us from ourselves. For example, how often have I stepped back from a decision I might have made and later seen that was God? In that time, did I thank God for protecting me from doing something that would have been disastrous or foolish in hindsight?
Learn from David how NOT to react. Learn from Abigail how wisdom reacts. Abigail’s response humbled David, and he thanked God for protecting him from taking innocent lives. Do I stop and thank God for how He has lovingly protected me from myself?
