Abigail

We are in the First Book of Samuel. David is not yet king and continues to flee from King Saul who, blinded by jealousy, persecutes him relentlessly. Abigail, wife of Nabal, a rich sheep farmer, with her wisdom and prudence prevents David from making a useless bloodshed and speaks to him with great foresight about his future.

In the thriving Carmel region, Nabal celebrates sheep shearing with food and dance. Not far away in the desert of Paran David hides with his men; he lacks everything and sends Nabal "ten servants" with a precise message "give as much as you can give to your servants and to your son David". The humble request was based on the protection and assistance he offered to Nabal's shepherds when they were grazing their flocks in his territory. Nabal replies in a contemptuous tone, arousing the anger of David who prepares to attack him with 400 men, "girded with the sword", ready for total extermination. At this point Abigail appears who, informed by a servant of what was about to happen, rushes to curb David's anger with words and gifts: all kinds of provisions. The two traveled on the same path in the opposite direction: one, a messenger of peace, went down to meet David who, blinded by anger and vengeance, went up against Nabal. They meet, the woman leaps off the donkey and prostrates herself at David's feet, in humility she confesses guilty of not having seen David's servants arrive and assumes the sin of her husband, a foolish man as his own name denounces (Nabal in Hebrew designates the foolish who behaves badly towards God and men).

He asks for forgiveness, offers the gifts he had brought and prophesies a "stable home" for him who fights "the battles of the Lord" while explaining to him that "self-righteousness" could be a cause for remorse when the Lord will make him head of Israel, as he promised him. David understands and thanks that woman for having prevented him from so much violence, while he praises the Lord «Blessed be the Lord, God of Israel, who sent you today to meet me. Blessed are your senses and blessed are you who have managed to prevent me today from getting to the blood and from doing justice to me ".

The Lord thought of doing him justice: Nabal died after ten days and David invited Abigail to be his wife. She accepted. "Behold, your slave will become a servant to wash the feet of my lord's servants." Words difficult to understand in our modern language, which express all the devotion of this wise woman who recognized in David the man chosen by God to be the guide of his people. He is the true "Anointed of the Lord" who walks according to his ways and goes to meet his destiny, remaining faithful to his vocation as king "according to the heart of God".
We can conclude that, thanks to Abigail's wisdom and humility, David has retained his dimension of nobility, an innocent persecuted who does not accept the perverse logic of violence and oppression.


Anna Maria Del Prete
NP October 2020