Quick Thinking

Quick Thinking

Q: What woman’s quick actions saved her household from David’s vengeance?

• a. Abigail’s
• b. Esther’s
• c. Rachel’s

There was a rich but foolish man named Nabal who had large flocks of sheep and many shepherds. While they were in the field, David’s men, who were still hiding from Saul, didn’t raid the flocks for food like so many men did at the time. In fact, they helped protect the flocks.

During sheep-shearing time Nabal provided abundant food and drink for the shearers. David sent a messenger to Nabal asking for food for his hungry men too. But Nabal insulted David and sent the messenger away empty handed.

When the messenger told David this, David was ready to go to Nabal’s house and kill him, along with all the other males in the household. Thankfully, a servant who had heard Nabal’s conversation with David’s messenger quickly went to find Nabal’s wife, Abigail, to tell her what had happened.

Abigail got to work and prepared food for David and his 600 men. This was no easy task, but Abigail was a quick thinker and a hard worker. She and her servants met David and his men as the men were on the way to destroy Nabal. Abigail gave David the food for his men. She told him, “I know Nabal is a wicked and ill-tempered man; please don’t pay any attention to him. He is a fool, just as his name suggests. But I never even saw the young men you sent.”

Abigail’s quick thinking saved David from acting in haste out of hurt feelings, and it saved the men in her household. She was a wise woman and a peacemaker. Abigail married David after her husband, Nabal, died.

For You

Rather than reacting to a situation, step back and look at the whole picture. What can you do to be the peacemaker or the problem solver?

Answer: a

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! Bless you for keeping me from murder and from carrying out vengeance with my own hands.”   1 Samuel 25:32-33

(The Whole Story: 1 Samuel 25)