Read today’s scripture.  See how God “keeps” David’s heart righteous.

Who has God used to help YOU in your Christian walk?

1 Samuel 25.

Now Samuel died. All Israel mourned him. (The prayed-for baby, the hearer of God’s voice, the anointer of kings, a prophet, judge, and prayer-warrior for Israel…dead.)

And life goes on.  David and his 600 men had been living in the wilderness of Paran. They had been passively protecting the many flocks of sheep (3K) and the shepherds of a wealthy man named Folly (Nabal), from marauders and wild animals.  At the end of the winter, when the flocks were being sheared, David sent men to Folly asking for a show of appreciation.

“Peace to you! We hear you are shearing now. Your shepherds have been with us. We protected them and allowed none of your sheep to go missing. (Ask them, they’ll tell you.)  And so, let us find favor in your eyes. It’s a celebration day. Please give whatever you have on hand to your servants and to your “son” David.”

But Folly showed his true selfish colors. “Who is David?  Many servants have run away from their masters and are begging for bread. Shall I take MINE and give it to men who come from I don’t know where???

Wrong response, dear Nabal.  David responds in anger, arming his men to take revenge.

BUT… the wise, caring, and beautiful wife of Folly hears what he’s done and hurries to remedy his grave mistake.  She packs up a remarkable amount of food and supplies on donkeys and goes to meet (and perhaps calm down) David.  She does so, humbly, presenting the food, and basically tells David that she KNOWS he will be king one day, and that the LORD is leading him. Does he want this foolish act of vengeance on Folly to be a black spot on his record (and conscience)?

David is wowed.  And calmed down.  He graciously accepts the food and blesses the lady.

Abigail returns to her husband in a fury.  He’s feasting and jolly (Jolly Folly), and drunk.  But, in the morning she lays it on heavy about how foolish a fool he was.

He had a stroke? Heart attack?  And ten days later he is struck dead by the LORD. So much for all that wealth he was so greedy and foolish to keep for himself.  (Doesn’t this remind you of Jesus’ parable of The Rich Fool in Luke 12:16-21? Perhaps Jesus had Nabal in mind…)

David was happy that the LORD had “taken care of” Nabal and kept him back from taking revenge.  Then he sent for his widow, Abigail, and made her his wife. She was more than pleased and hurried to him, with her five “ladies in waiting.”  WOW. What a contrast in the way she’d been living.  Wealthy but despising her foolish husband then. And now, she lived meagerly, dangerously, with a man pursued by the king and the armies of Israel, but whom she believed would one day be the king of Israel, by God’s hand.

1 Samuel 26.

Abagail soon gets a taste of that dangerous living with an exile. 

Word comes to King Saul that David is hiding in a certain spot near the Dead Sea. He takes 3K choice soldiers with him to find and kill David. They camp in a plain nearby. 

Stealthily David spies on the camp, and sure enough, Saul is right in the middle, surrounded by soldiers.  At night when all are asleep (actually a VERY deep sleep caused by the LORD), David and a volunteer creep down into the camp … carefully walk through the sleeping soldiers … and come to the king and his commander, Abner.  They are deeply asleep and “sawing logs.” 

“God has given your enemy into your hand this day,” said the volunteer, Abishai. “Please let me pin him to the earth. I can do it with one spear thrust.” 

But David held him back. “Do not destroy him, for who can kill the LORD’s anointed and be guiltless?  As the LORD lives, 1) the LORD will strike him, or 2) his day will come to die, or 3) he will go into battle and perish.”

But like before with the corner cut from the king’s robe, David takes Saul’s spear and water bottle to prove HIS OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE KILLED THE KING was not taken.

Back up on the hill, David calls to and berates Abner for not protecting the king.  They are astonished. How could this have happened?

And again, Saul acknowledges David’s righteousness. “I have sinned. I have acted foolishly. I have made a great mistake.  I will no more do you harm because MY life was precious in YOUR eyes today.”

David gives the spear back to Saul’s servant who comes to collect it. 

“Blessed be you, my son, David,” Saul says. “You will do many things and will succeed in them.”  And they both return to their places.

1 Samuel 27.

But David did not trust the words of King Saul. (And the king did keep pursuing him.)

And so, David, his men, and their families went to Gath and talked to the Philistine king, Achish.  When Saul heard he was living with the enemy, he no longer pursued David.  David asked Achish for a town for himself and his men, “For why should your servant dwell in the royal city with you?”  King Achish gave him Ziklag, which would belong to the kings of Judah ever afterward.  David stayed there for 16 months.

He and his men would make raids on Israel’s enemies, like the Amalekites, kill all the people, and take the animals. He told King Achish that he was raiding places in southern Judah (true, but…).  Since there was no one alive to say differently, the king was satisfied.

“Ha! David has made himself a stench to his people Israel,” thought Achish. “So, he shall always be MY servant.”

Think again, O king of the Philistines at Gath!.

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• LORD, thank you for the people you put in my life to keep me accountable and help me not to be foolish or brash.  I think of the people in our Care Group, my family, and the women at our church.