Passage of the Day: Reference of Today’s Chronological Bible Study: 1st Samuel 25-27 … To study these chapters, go to this link -
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Highlight Passage of the Day #1: 1st Samuel 25: 23-24 … 23 When Abigail saw David, she quickly got off her donkey and bowed down before David with her face to the ground. 24 She fell at his feet and said: “Pardon your servant, my lord, and let me speak to you; hear what your servant has to say [intervening for her husband, Nabal].”
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Highlight Passage of the Day #2: 1st Samuel 25: 39 … When David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, “Praise be to the LORD, who has upheld my cause against Nabal for treating me with contempt. He has kept his servant from doing wrong and has brought Nabal’s wrongdoing down on his own head.” Then David sent word to Abigail, asking her to become his wife.
My Journal for Today: These days, it’s of interest to find that Christians often name their kids from the Bible based upon character names of those people who were honorable in God’s sight. No one names their kids “Ahab or Jezebel or, most certainly, Judas” because of the dishonorable character traits of these people; but quite often we hear children named after very honorable characters in the Bible, … like “David or Joseph, or maybe after one of the Apostles, like Peter.” Now, some of these characters may not have been perfect people; but their lasting positive character traits in the Bible often motivate people to name their children after these characters which were honored by God in His word.
ABIGAIL is one of those positive biblical names. And we read of her in the first of the three chapters, I was led to read of in today’s chronological reading passages; and if you’re following along with me or this year-long study plan, I hope you take the time to read all of Chapter 25 of 1st Samuel; and if you do, you’ll see why people are so positively inclined to name their little girls “Abigail” today.
ABIGAIL was a woman, who, in a culture where women were not listened to or to whom much attention was given, especially my men of power in those days, got David’s attention; and, when her husband, who was a fool and a reprobate, made David angry with his lack of hospitality, intervened to try to save her husband from being killed by David. And David listened to Abigail’s pleas, sparing Nabal, Abigail’s husband, even though he refused to offer David and his men the normal hospitality of the day, which could have lead to Nabal’s demise at the hand of David.
And later, when Nabal died at the hands of God’s judgment, as we read in this chapter, David was so impressed by Abigail’s character and forthright intervention for her husband that he, the anointed king-to-be, married Abigail when she was widowed; and in this story we have a lesson in life worthy of noting. And it’s no wonder that people these days name their girls “Abigail” after this strong and positive woman in the Bible.
The name ABIGAIL has come to represent a woman who was willing to stand up for her husband even when he was weak and foolish; and I’m here to tell you, if you’re reading along with me today, I’m one of those husbands who has an “Abigail” type wife. Though people don’t know the name “Elly” like they might the name “Abigail” from the Bible, there are many times when my “Elly” has stepped forward and saved the day for me when I was making poor, even impulsively selfish choices; and one of those times (too long of a story for now), it was my “Elly’s” loyalty and forgiving spirit which literally saved me from spiritual death.
So, in reading about “Abigail” today, I was led to remember and try to honor with this journal entry a wife (and a woman of God) who, like Abigail, was willing to stand in the gap for her husband; and I pray the name of “Elly” gets great honor by God as He has honored the name of “Abigail” in His word. And I hope that any married man who might be reading this takes a few moments to honor and recognize your wife this day … especially if, like me, you’ve been given a wife who is willing to be patient and stand up for you, … even when you don’t deserve such loving patience and loyalty.
Today, I will have my wife, with the Godly honored name “Elly,” read this as my tribute to a loving woman and wife in my life who has helped me grow in the Lord and has cared for me and kept me in spite of times of foolishness and selfishness. And I thank my Lord, and declare it openly here in this journal entry today, for giving me an “Abigail” type of wife.
My Prayer Today: … Praise You, Lord, for my dear and loving wife, Elly!!! Amen
Showing posts with label Abigail. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Abigail. Show all posts
Monday, April 16, 2012
Wednesday, May 06, 2009
2009 – Day 125.May 06 – Patiently Waiting
2009 – Day 125.May 06 – Patiently Waiting
Passage of the Day: 1st Samuel 25: 29 - 34 … Link to 1st Sam. 25 for study ...
My Journal for Today: If you’ve been following this interaction between David and Abigail in these past few days, we are learning some lessons from this wise woman. The character lessons are obvious, such as her loyalty to her husband and family and her courage in confronting an angry king-to-be with a force of 400 men who were bent on taking out her household. But beyond this, Swindoll points out three lessons in wisdom which we can glean from today’s passage.
And the first of these is stated this way, “When conflicts arise, … be wise.” And I’d go a step further, I’d say, “Be Godly wise!” And my dear fellow believer, take it from my personal record of failures, when we’re in a conflict, the NATURAL reaction will be to act according to our flesh or our feelings; and this is almost always NOT the wise way to go. I learned a long time ago that I need to resist letting feelings dictate my choices or decisions. Rather, instead of reacting, I need to respond. And that means I need to make choices which are consistent with God’s way, not my own way.
In any conflict, there are always at least two sides; and Swindoll is right when he writes, “Weigh the differences” before responding. Hence, I’ve learned, whenever I can, to run any decision or action through the truth of Phil. 4: 6-7 to seek God’s peace from prayer before I go off half-cocked and react in the flesh. In other words, when in doubt, seek God’s route and deny self. And again, I refer – as I do so often – to Christ’s formula for discipleship in Luke 9: 23. God’s way is always THE WAY.
Next Swindoll writes about this scenario, “Take each conflict as it comes; … and treat it separately.” Each conflict and situation may require a different approach or decision. And that’s the reason the flesh can so often lead us astray. When we react in the flesh rather than to respond with Godly wisdom, we have a tendency to do handle varying situations with the way our flesh dictates; and that will often be with similar, selfish motives. The battle you won yesterday may not need the same approach as a conflict which arises today. So, we must take on each situation as it arises … one at a time!
And finally, there is great wisdom in letting time help us dictate our decision making. And so, Swindoll points out, “Whenever you realize there’s nothing more you can do, … WAIT.” And actually, this wisdom melds with the other advice we’ve been covering these past few days. If David had acted brashly, in the flesh, he would have killed Abigail’s husband and all the males in that household. He would have reacted in the flesh rather than to respond with Godly wisdom. But by waiting and listening to Abigail’s wise counsel and teaching, God’s way was found and the Lord’s wisdom prevailed. Often – well, whenever possible – it’s best to take some time to make a decision, seeking God’s will and His way, rather than letting our feelings or our flesh overcome our faith. And, oh, how the enemy desires for us to listen to our deceitful flesh (again, always remember the ever prevalent truth of Jer. 17: 9) rather than to take the time to respond to God’s leading.
As I meditate here about Abigail and her advice and counsel for David, I think about how I’ve learned to take time, when I need to make a decision, seeking and listening to the advice of my God-given wife, Elly. I may not always take her counsel [though if I’m honest, I usually do]; but I’d be a fool not to let God use her Spirit-given gifts to temper my feelings or leanings on any given matter. And often, when I’m listening to my wife, I’ve heard her return to her favorite Bible verse; and she will say “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; and lean not on your own understanding.” And I know the rest from Prov. 3: 5 – 6, which is always the best advice, “In all your ways, acknowledge [God’s way], and He will keep your paths straight.” [My emphasis added.]
The advice we read above, which comes from this biblical encounter, is a good teaching; and it’s one we’d all be wise to learn and implement, especially when we’re confronted with decisions which weigh our feelings and our faith. Let’s let Abigail be our teacher and let David’s surrender to God’s wisdom be our guide.
My Prayer for Today: Father, thank You for Your word which teaches me Your way rather than following my way. Amen
Passage of the Day: 1st Samuel 25: 29 - 34 … Link to 1st Sam. 25 for study ...
My Journal for Today: If you’ve been following this interaction between David and Abigail in these past few days, we are learning some lessons from this wise woman. The character lessons are obvious, such as her loyalty to her husband and family and her courage in confronting an angry king-to-be with a force of 400 men who were bent on taking out her household. But beyond this, Swindoll points out three lessons in wisdom which we can glean from today’s passage.
And the first of these is stated this way, “When conflicts arise, … be wise.” And I’d go a step further, I’d say, “Be Godly wise!” And my dear fellow believer, take it from my personal record of failures, when we’re in a conflict, the NATURAL reaction will be to act according to our flesh or our feelings; and this is almost always NOT the wise way to go. I learned a long time ago that I need to resist letting feelings dictate my choices or decisions. Rather, instead of reacting, I need to respond. And that means I need to make choices which are consistent with God’s way, not my own way.
In any conflict, there are always at least two sides; and Swindoll is right when he writes, “Weigh the differences” before responding. Hence, I’ve learned, whenever I can, to run any decision or action through the truth of Phil. 4: 6-7 to seek God’s peace from prayer before I go off half-cocked and react in the flesh. In other words, when in doubt, seek God’s route and deny self. And again, I refer – as I do so often – to Christ’s formula for discipleship in Luke 9: 23. God’s way is always THE WAY.
Next Swindoll writes about this scenario, “Take each conflict as it comes; … and treat it separately.” Each conflict and situation may require a different approach or decision. And that’s the reason the flesh can so often lead us astray. When we react in the flesh rather than to respond with Godly wisdom, we have a tendency to do handle varying situations with the way our flesh dictates; and that will often be with similar, selfish motives. The battle you won yesterday may not need the same approach as a conflict which arises today. So, we must take on each situation as it arises … one at a time!
And finally, there is great wisdom in letting time help us dictate our decision making. And so, Swindoll points out, “Whenever you realize there’s nothing more you can do, … WAIT.” And actually, this wisdom melds with the other advice we’ve been covering these past few days. If David had acted brashly, in the flesh, he would have killed Abigail’s husband and all the males in that household. He would have reacted in the flesh rather than to respond with Godly wisdom. But by waiting and listening to Abigail’s wise counsel and teaching, God’s way was found and the Lord’s wisdom prevailed. Often – well, whenever possible – it’s best to take some time to make a decision, seeking God’s will and His way, rather than letting our feelings or our flesh overcome our faith. And, oh, how the enemy desires for us to listen to our deceitful flesh (again, always remember the ever prevalent truth of Jer. 17: 9) rather than to take the time to respond to God’s leading.
As I meditate here about Abigail and her advice and counsel for David, I think about how I’ve learned to take time, when I need to make a decision, seeking and listening to the advice of my God-given wife, Elly. I may not always take her counsel [though if I’m honest, I usually do]; but I’d be a fool not to let God use her Spirit-given gifts to temper my feelings or leanings on any given matter. And often, when I’m listening to my wife, I’ve heard her return to her favorite Bible verse; and she will say “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; and lean not on your own understanding.” And I know the rest from Prov. 3: 5 – 6, which is always the best advice, “In all your ways, acknowledge [God’s way], and He will keep your paths straight.” [My emphasis added.]
The advice we read above, which comes from this biblical encounter, is a good teaching; and it’s one we’d all be wise to learn and implement, especially when we’re confronted with decisions which weigh our feelings and our faith. Let’s let Abigail be our teacher and let David’s surrender to God’s wisdom be our guide.
My Prayer for Today: Father, thank You for Your word which teaches me Your way rather than following my way. Amen
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