Brokenness: Learning to hear God through others
THEN David said to Abigail, “Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, 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.” - 1 Samuel 25:32-33
We have tracked David along the wildernesses of his life for quite a while now. His wilderness experiences were actually His encounters with God. It was in these times in the wilderness that David found God’s faithfulness and availed of God’s strength. In 1 Samuel chapter 25(I strongly recommend that you take time to read this full chapter), we find a unique kind of brokenness that taught David humility to listen to the voice of God’s rebuke through others. Here, the “others” is Abigail, a woman of wisdom and discernment.
Abigail is the wife of Nabal. Nabal means ‘fool’. His name speaks of his character ... an angry man, worthless, mean and brute; impossible to deal and to live with, refuses correction, a time-bomb just waiting to explode. With this description, why Abigail married him is a deep mystery to me. I can only agree with the statement “Some husbands don’t deserve their wives” while it is also true that other couples deserve each other.
Nabal refused David’s legitimate request for his share from his flock. It was shearing time and David sent his young men to get the collection from the very wealthy Nabal. You see, David protected his flocks from bandits and David did not take advantage of him by extortion. What he was asking for was legit and fair. Nabal, as expected, flared up and hurled insults at David’s men. When the news reached David’s ear, he was determined to slaughter Nabal at that very moment. He ordered his men to strap their swords—ready for the kill. Surely, Nabal and his men would be dead meat.
It was in this tense scenario that Abigail, led by God, intervened. Her wisdom calmed David and her request prevailed. David listened and did not kill Nabal. Here is the twist ... when Abigail returned home the next morning, she told Nabal everything while he was still having a hangover from drunkenness. Nabal had a heart attack, was in a coma for ten days ... then God struck Nabal ... and he died.
Nabals who are controlled by anger, and whose hearts are hardened are already dead ... only waiting for the last shoot-up of the blood pressure, to finalize their death. As you are reading this, please be warned ... it is not worth it to be a Nabal. Be a David, who, though imperfect, responded to the lessons of brokenness and humbly accepted correction from Abigail.
Pause for a while and review the events of your life these past few days. How many Abigails did God send to meet you and help you stop a foolish decision you were about to make? It is the blessing of being broken that one can accept correction, hearing the voice of God through others. Dr. Warren Wiersbe excellently gave this rich spiritual insight regarding this matter ... “David’s anger got the best of him—not stopping to consult the Lord, he just went out to satisfy his passion for revenge. Had he succeeded, he would have committed a terrible sin and would have done great damage to his character and career. Mercifully, the Lord stopped him.”
Maybe, God is doing the same to you but get this straight ... David did not naturally hear a correction, God must first break him through the series of wilderness experiences in his life where David learned to listen to God through others. David, through this experience, wrote Psalm 141:5 “Let the godly strike me. It will be kind-
ness, if they correct me, it is a soothing medicine. Do not let me refuse it.” As for Nabal, well, let us put it this way ... stay away from a time-bomb unless you are the bomb expert or be a part of the explosion of an unbroken man. Be broken like David, so that when God sends an Abigail, you will know how to listen and accept correction. Think and reflect, I always write from my heart.