PART 3 – EXPLORE THE PLOT LINES
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Chapter 16 - DAVID AND ABIGAIL: changing the scenery
There are many stories from the Bible that have been adapted as stage plays or films. But most of the stories in the Bible are quite capable of being dramatized, and it can be very effective to imagine how any story – such as the story of David and Abigail – would be produced as a film or stage version.
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One of the very useful exercises that we have done when teaching the art of Biblical storytelling is to have folk imagine that the story they are looking at is performed as a stage play. Where in the story would you have to drop the curtain and change the scenery? Where would be a good place to take an interlude, because of a time lapse or a change of direction in the story-line?
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There are generally three main reasons why you would need to drop the curtain and mark a change of scene if you were performing on stage.
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Change of place – probably the most obvious reason, as you would need the time to change stage scenery and props.
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Change of characters – may not always need a change of scenery, but could mark a significant change of direction in the story. Consider for example the story of the wise men, when Herod consults his advisers about the prophecies of Jesus’ birth, and then sends them away and calls in the wise men for a secret meeting. The place is the same, but the story takes on a different and rather more sinister turn.
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Gap in the time sequence – where a significant length of time may have passed between the end of one scene and the beginning of the next..
In most cases, you will find a combination of more than one factor indicating a change of scene. It often happens (though not inevitably) than when you change the place where the action happens, you also shift to a different set of characters on stage.
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Anyway, here I will lay out the story of David and Abigail, showing my own analysis of the scene breaks (there are some places where you could argue for further breaks, but the ones I have indicated are fairly certain).
Note how there is often a specific reference at the beginning of each scene that tells us when the action takes place and where it happens, although the information is not always explicit.
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We will discuss the advantages of this kind of analysis later, but for this first reading, just think about the way that recognizing the changes of scene, and identifying the characters on stage in each scene, helps you visualize the story and keep track of the story development.
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You might also ask yourself where the crisis point and resolution of the story occur.
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DAVID AND ABIGAIL (from 1 Samuel 25:1-44)
INTRODUCTION (v.1-3)
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The action of the story doesn’t start until v.4. What we have in the first 3 verses is very similar to the “stage directions” at the beginning of a theatrical performance. The introduction here tells us:
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When the story takes place – both within the overall historical context of the Old Testament (after the death of Samuel) and in the immediate context in relation to the farming calendar (at sheep-shearing time).
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Where the action takes place (at Nabal’s home near Carmel)
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Who are the main participants – (David, Nabal, Abigail) with some general background information about their characters.
Now Samuel died. People from all over Israel gathered for his funeral, and they buried him at his home in Ramah. After this David (who was hiding from Saul) moved his camp to a wilderness area near to Carmel.
There was a wealthy property owner who lived near the town of Carmel who had 3,000 sheep and 1,000 goats. The man's name was Nabal. He was a descendant of Caleb. His wife, Abigail, was an intelligent and beautiful woman. But Nabal himself was uncouth and miserly.
Now it happens that it was sheep-shearing time.
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Cultural note: sheep-shearing time would be a very important time in the farming year. The fleeces would be bought by traders for commercial sale, and would bring in a significant financial reward, which would be an opportunity for feasting and celebration. This is exactly what Nabal was doing when Abigail returned from her meeting with David – celebrating, feasting, and getting very drunk.
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As you read on, note how much the story emphasizes the benefit that Nabal had gained from David and his men, who had protected Nabal’s flocks from harm (which would have included attacks by wild animals and sheep rustling) and justly deserved a share of the reward. David and his men had proved their honesty and trustworthiness, and in no way deserved the insults thrown at them by Nabal.
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SCENE 1 (v.4-11)
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PLACE: Nabal’s home in Carmel
TIME: Sheep-shearing time
CHARACTERS: Nabal
David’s young men
When David heard that Nabal was shearing his sheep, he sent ten of his young men to Nabal’s home in Carmel with this message for him:
"May God give peace and prosperity to you, your family, and everything you own! I am told that it is sheep-shearing time. While your shepherds were pasturing the sheep near to our camp in Carmel, we never did them any harm, and nothing was ever stolen from them. Ask your own men, and they will tell you this is true. So I ask you be kind to us, as you enjoy the rewards from your labour. Please share with us from whatever provisions you have on hand and be generous to your friend David."
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David's young men gave this message to Nabal in David's name, and waited politely. But Nabal sneered at the young men.
“Who is this upstart David? He’s just the son of a commoner! There are lots of low-class ruffians these days who are on the run from their masters. Should I take my hard-earned provisions and the meat that I've slaughtered for my shearers and give it to a band of outlaws who come from who knows where?"
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SCENE 2 (v.12-13)
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PLACE: David’s Camp
TIME: After David’s young men returned
CHARACTERS: David
David’s young men
David’s warriors
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So David's young men returned to their camp and told David what Nabal had said.
David called his men to arms. He strapped on his sword, and set off with 400 of his men to deal with Nabal, leaving 200 men behind to guard their equipment.
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SCENE 3 (v.14-19)
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PLACE: Nabal’s home in Carmel
TIME: At the same time as the previous scene
CHARACTERS: Abigail
Nabal’s servants
Meanwhile (i.e. at the same time as the previous scene) one of Nabal's servants went to Abigail and told her,
"David sent messengers from his camp in the wilderness to greet our master, but he flew into a rage and hurled insults at them. These men have been very good to us. They never did us any harm, and nothing was stolen from us the whole time they were with us. In fact, they protected us and the sheep day and night. You need to be aware of this and figure out what to do about it, because there is going to be trouble for our master and for all of us who are associated with him. He's so mean and ill-tempered there’s no point talking to him about it!"
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Abigail wasted no time. She quickly gathered a generous supply of provisions, including five of the sheep that had been slaughtered, packed them on donkeys and sent her servants straight away to take them to David, telling them,
"Go on ahead. I will follow you very shortly."
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But she didn't say a word to her husband Nabal about what she was doing.
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SCENE 4 (v.20-35)
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PLACE: On the way to David’s camp
TIME: As Abigail was on the way to find David
CHARACTERS: David
Abigail
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As Abigail was riding her donkey towards David’s mountain hideout, she saw David and his men coming toward her. David had just been saying to his men.
"A lot of good it did us helping this fellow! We protected his flocks in the wilderness, and made sure that nothing he owned was lost or stolen. But he has repaid me evil for good. I swear to God, not one man of his men will be alive by tomorrow morning!"
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When Abigail saw David, she quickly got off her donkey and bowed low before him. She fell at his feet and said,
"My Lord… I accept all blame in this matter. Please don’t pay any attention to Nabal. He’s a wicked and ill-tempered man. He’s a fool, as his name suggests. I am sorry that I was not there when your young men arrived. Please forgive me and accept these gifts that I have brought for you now.
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I know for sure that all your enemies and those who seek to harm you will be punished by God – and that includes Nabal. But I praise God that he has kept you from committing murder and taking vengeance into your own hands. I know that you are fighting God’s battles, and have kept yourself from committing any wrong. Even when you are hunted down by those who seek to kill you, your life is safe in His care. God will surely reward you with a lasting dynasty. But the lives of your enemies will be cut short and have no enduring influence.
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I beg you, when God has done all that he promised and has made you king of Israel, don't let this situation be a blemish on your record. You don’t want to have the guilt of needless bloodshed and revenge on your conscience for the rest of your life. When the LORD has fulfilled his purpose for you, and established you as king, please remember me, your servant!"
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David replied to Abigail,
"Praise the LORD, the God of Israel, who has sent you to meet me today! Thank God for your good sense! God bless you for keeping me from committing murder and from taking revenge with my own hands. For I swear by God, who has kept me from harming you, that if you had not hurried out to meet me, not one of Nabal's men would still be alive by tomorrow morning."
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Then David accepted her present and told her,
"Go home in peace. I have taken account of everything you said. We will not kill your husband."
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SCENE 5 (v.36-38)
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PLACE: Nabal’s home in Carmel
TIME: After Abigail arrives home
CHARACTERS: Nabal
Abigail
When Abigail arrived home, she found that Nabal was having a big party, feasting and celebrating like a king. He was very drunk, so she decided not to tell him about her meeting with David until the next day.
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The next morning Nabal was sober, so she told him what had happened. As a result he had a stroke, and became paralyzed, unable to move a limb, and about ten days later he died as a result of God’s punishment on him.
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SCENE 6 (v.39)
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PLACE: David’s Camp (?)
TIME: When David hears that Nabal is dead
CHARACTERS: David
When David heard that Nabal was dead, he said,
"Praise the LORD. He has vindicated me for the insult I received from Nabal and has kept me from taking revenge with my own hands. Nabal has received the just punishment for his sin."
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Then David sent a message to Abigail asking her to become his wife.
(NB: We don’t know for sure whether David was still based in the same camp, or whether he had moved on. The wording at the beginning of the next scene, “When David’s servants arrived in Carmel” suggests that David may no longer be in the area of Carmel but have moved some distance away. But where exactly David was located at this time isn’t relevant to the story.)
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SCENE 7 (v.40-42)
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PLACE: Nabal’s home in Carmel
TIME: When David’s servants arrived
CHARACTERS: David servants
Abigail
When David’s servants arrived at Carmel, they told Abigail,
"David has sent us to take you back to marry him."
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She bowed low to the ground and replied,
"I, your servant, would be happy to marry David. I would even be willing to become a slave, and wash the feet of his servants!"
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Abigail quickly got ready, choosing five of her servant girls to come with her as attendants. She mounted her donkey, and went with David's men. And so she became his wife.
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All this information may be very useful in itself to help us visualize, and consequently internalize and remember the story to greater effect. But it can also help us to understand the overall purpose of the story, and to appreciate the message and follow it’s example.
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We may profitably use the scene-by-scene analysis to dig more deeply into the development of the story and think about the crisis point, and the subsequent resolution.
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In Scene 1, the confrontation between Nabal and David’s men creates a potential for escalating into a full-scale armed conflict.
In the culture of the day (and the same still applies in Middle East culture today) Nabal had a duty of hospitality to David and his men, as a reward for their protection. His refusal, and the very nature of his insults, shamed and dishonoured David by labelling him a low-caste ruffian and outlaw. This kind of dishonourable behaviour leads to this day to revenge – the normal way to restore the personal honour that has been threatened by such behaviour.
Scenes 2 and 3 focus on the immediate reactions of David and Abigail. These two scenes happen alongside each other:
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In David’s camp, David and his men are preparing for armed confrontation to revenge themselves for Nabal’s insult.
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In Nabal’s house, Abigail learns of the situation, and with her intelligence and good sense weighs up the situation and sets out to meet David with a peace offering and a negotiation strategy.
So the nature of the crisis has been subtly changed.
By scene 4, we are no longer looking at a general conflict between David’s men and Nabal’s, but at a personal encounter between David and Abigail. The question now is, which strategy will succeed:
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David’s intent on armed response?
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Or Abigail’s bid for a negotiated peace?
This is a question which is so relevant to many situations in the world today, and we can learn a great deal from Abigail’s very intelligent and diplomatic negotiating strategy.
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In a very shame/honour oriented society, Abigail focuses strongly on shaming her husband Nabal (at first reading we may be shocked at the way Abigail speaks about her husband) and restoring honour to David. David's purpose in reacting with a violent confrontation would be to restore his own honour, which Nabal has taken away. Abigail is seeking to restore David's honour with words instead of the sword, and to do that she has to demolish Nabal's honour at the same time as restoring David's.
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We can identify the components of Abigail's strategy as
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demolishing the honour of Nabal
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putting herself in Nabal's place by giving David the hospitality (gifts of food and wine) and the respect he deserves
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promoting David's honour by acknowledging him as God chosen and future king (which shows considerable spiritual discernment)
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reminding him of the consequences that would result from shedding blood and taking revenge into his own hands
Abigail’s strategy wins out, and David responds:
“God bless you for keeping me from committing murder and from taking revenge with my own hands. For I swear by God, who has kept me from harming you, that if you had not hurried out to meet me, not one of Nabal's men would still be alive by tomorrow morning."
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By the end of scene 4 we have a resolution to the crisis which developed in scene 1, and in due course focused onto a personal confrontation between David and Abigail.
Scenes 5, 6 and 7 deal with the consequences for the three main characters involved in the story.
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Scene 5: Nabal received the just punishment for insulting and shaming God’s chosen and future king.
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Scene 6: David acknowledges that God has vindicated his honour, and that it was God’s prerogative, not his, to exact revenge.
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Scene 7: Abigail is rewarded for her wisdom, and for preventing David from shedding blood.
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The bigger narrative context
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We need to remember that this story is itself one episode in a bigger story – the story of God’s choice of David to replace Saul as King of Israel, of his time in Saul’s service, his escape from Saul’s jealousy, and time fleeing from Saul’s army and hiding in caves and in wilderness hideouts, before his eventual enthronement as King.
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David’s position as “King in Waiting”
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The story of David and Abigail occurs during the time when David is fleeing from Saul. David has been chosen and anointed by Samuel as future king of Israel, but rather than taking the throne from Saul by force, he is waiting for God to fulfil his purpose and waiting for God's time. Meanwhile, David still considers Saul as God's appointed king, and refuses to cause him any harm. We know from the Biblical account of at least two occasions where he has the opportunity to take Saul's life, but refuses to harm him in any way. Abigail reminds David:
I know that you are fighting God’s battles, and have kept yourself from committing any wrong. Even when you are hunted down by those who seek to kill you, your life is safe in His care.
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So far, David has resisted the temptation to take things into his own hands, but has been content to rely on God to be his shield and protection. And that characteristic is an essential part of God's choice for David as his chosen king. David is referred to as "a man after God's own heart". It is in David's best interests to maintain his integrity and righteousness, and not to spoil his relationship with God.
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So the questions raised by the potential confrontation between David and Nabal are not just about David's personal honour. They concern David's suitability and his future position as Israel's future king. David could well lose his chosen position, as well as his close friendship with God, by committing murder and being guilty of shedding blood.
Potential escalation and implications for David’s future rule
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The Old Testament society was very much focused on shame and honour - and the same is true of Palestine at the time of Jesus, and the culture of the Middle East today. In the region of the Middle East where my wife and I lived for many years, the majority of violent deaths are connected with ongoing feuds between opposing families or villages. So often what starts as a fairly small argument or disagreement can quickly escalate. One person is insulted or attacked by someone from a neighbouring family, the offended family responds by attacking member(s) of the family assumed to have committed the offence, and before long you have a full-scale confrontation, which may continue for generations.
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David's response to being insulted and abused by Nabal was totally in line with normal shame-honour behaviour. His personal honour had been assaulted, and the way to restore his honour was to take revenge. And it would have been (and still is) normal behaviour to revenge oneself on the entire family from where the insult had come, not just the individual concerned.
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But would David's revenge on Nabal's household have been the end of the matter?
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We are told at the beginning of the story that Nabal was a descendant of Caleb. Now Caleb was one of the most important and influential leaders of the children of Israel when they conquered and divided up the land of Canaan under Joshua's leadership. Caleb himself was appointed as the representative from the tribe of Judah, when the leaders from each of the tribes met to share out the inheritance of the Promised Land (Numbers 34). Caleb's descendants were allotted the towns, villages and pastureland around the town of Hebron in the land of Judah. So they were a well-respected, influential and powerful family. If David had carried out his revenge attack against Nabal and his household, then Nabal's wider family - the children of Caleb - would have been honour-bound to join in the confrontation and a tit-for-tat exchange between Caleb's men and David's men would almost certainly have escalated into a full-scale tribal war.
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If David's relationship with God would have been threatened by his revenge action, so would his relationship with other families and clans within the tribe of Judah. And it was the tribe of Judah which was to support his claim for the throne against Saul's family and be the first to anoint him king in Jerusalem. All that would have been ruined if David had been at war with one of the most powerful of Judah's families.
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Questions for consideration or discussion
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So with this additional information about the larger narrative context, how can we restate the nature of the crisis and resolution points of the story?
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What would have been the practical implications of a violent confrontation between David and Nabal?
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How would it have affected David’s relationship with God?
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How would it have affected his suitability for becoming God’s chosen king?
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What might have been the result of the confrontation escalating, and involving the house of Caleb?
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What might have happened to the nation of Israel if David had been rejected by God, as had Saul before him?
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You might say there is no point asking “What if?” questions, but looking at the potential outcome of this confrontation shows just how essential it is for God to step in and defuse the situation. If David goes ahead with his revenge attack, the whole history of the children of Israel would be different. Instead, Abigail prevents disaster and sets David back on God's intended course.
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So this story is not just a diversion from the general progress of the Old Testament story, but a critical turning point in David's progression towards God's ultimate purpose for David's life, and for the history of His chosen people. David almost succeeds in sabotaging God's plan. God steps in, through the wisdom and courage of Abigail, to rescue his plan from disaster.
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How many times has God graciously stepped into our own lives and rescued us from our own selfishness or impulsive actions?
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