Joy of the Father

It would seem that one of the many important questions that has emerged from this whole 2008 political campaign is how can and should a woman serve? Can she retain her femininity and be a strong player in the decisions and brokering that go on in the White House or the Senate chambers? Can we appreciate a woman who breaks the barriers and enters the arena of what traditionally, and especially in conservative Christian circles, has been the domain of men? What exactly does God call women to do, and how does He use them in history to accomplish His purposes? Where may they serve, and where may they not?

Two weeks ago, I rediscovered Abigail. I'd heard her story when I was a child and would see her name as I read through the Old Testament in later years, but it isn't one of those "big" Old Testament stories like Adam and Eve, Noah and the ark, David and Goliath, and Daniel and the lion's den, that gets much air time in the Sunday school curriculum. But our pastor, who is preaching through the life of David (and as someone who develops book ideas for a living, I can't help but think there's a great book in this sermon series), explained her role in such a beautiful way, that I've now come to admire her as one of my favorite women--even better than Sarah Palin and right up there with Ruth.

Abigail is one of those great women who affected lives and history--and yes, politics--not by being pushy or fighting for equal pay or even using her looks to get ahead. She rose to the fore by serving, by being wise, and just by being what God called her to be. Quietly tucked away in 1 Samuel 25, Abigail, whose name means "joy of the Father," is married to Nabal, a rich and powerful man whose name means "fool." Samuel has just died, and all Israel mourns his death. David, pursued by Saul, has moved into the Desert of Maon.

In the previous chapter, David had had an opportunity to kill Saul, and yet he spared his life. He's tired of being on the run, cut off from family and from corporate worship, literally fleeing for his life from a madman whose main purpose--despite the fact that he is king--seems to be destroying David. Into this story enters Abigail, who is described as intelligent and beautiful (my favorite feminine combination), and Nabal, who is "surly and mean in his dealings."

In his desperate, emotionally weakened state, David sends some of his men to provide protection for Nabal and his shepherds, hoping that Nabal will then provide a reward. When David's men propose this arrangement, Nabal shows his surliness, insults David and his men, and refuses them food and drink.

David is angry immediately, and he gathers his men and their swords and sets off to have his revenge. Bear in mind that this is the same man, who in the last chapter, has shown great strength in refusing to take revenge against Saul, a man who has made it his life's work to destroy David. Now he is ready to risk his reputation on Nabal, a fool, for simply refusing to meet David's demands for supplies.

From Nabal's servants Abigail learns of what her foolish husband has done. We're told that she loses no time in secretly pulling together a generous amount of food for David and his men. As she travels up the mountain, she meets David coming down, who has sworn not to leave any of Nabal's men alive. Abigail knows the importance of her mission. She believes that David is the Lord's anointed, that he will one day rule over the nation as king. She even makes reference to David's encounter with Goliath, when she reminds David that the lives of his enemies God "will hurl away as from the pocket of a sling." (Note: she's familiar with political and military history. And she's also aware of the Lord's promise to David, and she believes in its eventuality.) She knows that she has just prevented David from doing something foolish and rash, from damaging his reputation. She understands that she is God's instrument as she tells David, "the Lord has kept you from bloodshed and from avenging yourself."

David recognizes Abigail's wisdom. He immediately praises God for her good judgment, that she has kept him from bloodshed and vengeance. This future king understands that this woman has affected his life in a significant way: she has kept him from doing something wrong, something that would call his judgment and reputation into question; as our pastor pointed out, Abigail, in this sense, has become David's savior.

And the story ends well. It's hard to imagine that a smart woman like Abigail could have been happy and fulfilled being married to Nabal, a fool. Abigail bravely tells her husband what she has done, he has a heart attack, and ten days later "the Lord struck Nabal and he died."

And you probably know the rest. The fool's wife, who is anything but a fool and has saved David from becoming one, becomes David's wife. And to those who would claim that women in Old Testament culture were simply insignificant, unimportant, of little regard, would do well to look at how God used a beautiful, intelligent woman to counsel the man after His own heart, to preserve his reputation so that he could become a successful king who would lead his people to prosperity and would be the ancestor of the greatest King of all.