Folly on the Throne, Wisdom at the Gate Text: 1 Samuel 25:2-17
Introduction: Two Ways to Live
The book of Proverbs lays out two paths for us, and only two. There is the way of wisdom, and there is the way of folly. These are not abstract concepts. They are not philosophical leanings. They are embodied realities, and in the book of Proverbs, they are personified as two women: Lady Wisdom, who builds her house, and Dame Folly, who tears it down with her own hands. Every day, in every decision, every one of us is walking down one of these two roads.
But Scripture does not just give us the abstract principle; it gives us flesh and blood examples. It shows us what wisdom and folly look like when they get married. It shows us what they look like when they are running a business. It shows us what they look like under pressure. And there is perhaps no clearer snapshot of this collision between wisdom and folly than the story of Nabal and Abigail. This is not just a quaint historical episode. It is a diagnostic manual for fools, a master class in godly wisdom, and a profound foreshadowing of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Here we have a man, Nabal, whose name literally means "fool," and he lives up to his name with gusto. He is a man defined by his churlishness, his greed, and his breathtaking stupidity. And he is married to a woman, Abigail, who is the very picture of shrewdness, courage, and godly discernment. We are watching a collision in this story, a train wreck in slow motion. And in the middle of it stands David, the Lord's anointed, who is himself tempted to descend into a foolish and bloody rage. This story is a high-stakes drama that forces us to ask ourselves some very pointed questions. When confronted with insolent folly, how do we respond? When authority is abused, what is the duty of those under that authority? And where do we see the gospel in the midst of such a mess?
We live in an age that despises true authority and celebrates folly as a virtue. Men are told that their brutishness is strength, and women are told that their submission to such men is piety. This story comes to us as a bucket of cold water in the face. It teaches us that no human authority is absolute, that godly wisdom sometimes requires courageous intervention, and that a fool is a man who thinks the world revolves around him, right up to the moment that God stops his heart.
The Text
Now there was a man in Maon whose work was in Carmel; and the man was very great, and he had three thousand sheep and one thousand goats. And it happened, while he was shearing his sheep in Carmel (now the man’s name was Nabal, and his wife’s name was Abigail. And the woman was good in insight and beautiful in appearance, but the man was harsh and evil in his dealings, and he was a Calebite), that David heard in the wilderness that Nabal was shearing his sheep. So David sent ten young men; and David said to the young men, “Go up to Carmel, come to Nabal, and greet him in my name; and thus you shall say, ‘Have a long life; peace be to you, and peace be to your house, and peace be to all that you have. So now I have heard that you have shearers; now your shepherds have been with us; and we have not dishonored them, nor have they missed anything all the days they were in Carmel. Ask your young men, and they will tell you. Therefore let my young men find favor in your eyes, for we have come on a festive day. Please give whatever you find at hand to your servants and to your son, to David.’ ” Then David’s young men came and spoke to Nabal according to all these words in David’s name. Then they waited. But Nabal answered David’s servants and said, “Who is David? And who is the son of Jesse? There are many servants today who are each breaking away from his master. Shall I then take my bread and my water and my meat that I have slaughtered for my shearers, and give it to men whose origin I do not know?” So David’s young men went back on their way and returned; and they came and told him according to all these words. Then David said to his men, “Each of you gird on his sword.” So each man girded on his sword. And David also girded on his sword, and about four hundred men went up behind David, and two hundred stayed with the baggage. But one of the young men told Abigail, Nabal’s wife, saying, “Behold, David sent messengers from the wilderness to greet our master, and he rushed at them angrily. Yet the men were very good to us, and we were not dishonored, nor did we miss anything as long as we went about with them, while we were in the field. They were a wall to us both by night and by day, all the time we were with them shepherding the sheep. So now, know and see what you should do, for evil is decided against our master and against all his household; and he is such a vile man that no one can speak to him.”
(1 Samuel 25:2-17 LSB)
A Fool and His Fortune (vv. 2-3)
We are introduced to our central characters with remarkable efficiency.
"Now there was a man in Maon whose work was in Carmel; and the man was very great, and he had three thousand sheep and one thousand goats... now the man’s name was Nabal, and his wife’s name was Abigail. And the woman was good in insight and beautiful in appearance, but the man was harsh and evil in his dealings, and he was a Calebite" (1 Samuel 25:2-3)
The first thing we learn about Nabal is that he was "very great." But the greatness described here is purely material. He is a man of immense wealth. He has a fortune in livestock. But this is the world's definition of greatness, not God's. The Scripture immediately undercuts this evaluation by telling us his name and his character. His name is Nabal, Fool. And he was "harsh and evil in his dealings." The Hebrew word for harsh can be translated as hard, severe, or cruel. This is not just a grumpy man; this is a hard man, a wicked man. His wealth has not softened him; it has calcified him. He is a man whose soul is as barren as the wilderness his sheep graze in.
And to top it off, he was a Calebite. This is a detail dripping with irony. He is a descendant of Caleb, the great hero of faith who, along with Joshua, stood against the ten faithless spies and urged Israel to take the Promised Land. Caleb was a man of courage, faith, and integrity. Nabal is a man of cowardice, greed, and belligerence. He inherited Caleb's land and Caleb's wealth, but none of Caleb's character. This is a stark reminder that grace is not genetic. You can be born into a great heritage and still be a first-rate fool.
In stark contrast stands his wife, Abigail. She is described with two qualities. First, she was "good in insight," or intelligent, discerning. She has a sharp mind and good judgment. Second, she was "beautiful in appearance." The Bible is not a Gnostic book; it does not shy away from acknowledging physical beauty. But notice the order. Her primary quality is her wisdom. Her beauty is secondary. This is the biblical pattern. "Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised" (Proverbs 31:30). Abigail's beauty is not the source of her worth, but rather an adornment to her true substance, which is her wisdom. The contrast is complete: a brutish, foolish man married to a wise and beautiful woman. This is a household at war with itself.
A Reasonable Request, A Foolish Rebuke (vv. 4-11)
The conflict begins with a very reasonable and respectful request from David.
"Please give whatever you find at hand to your servants and to your son, to David." (1 Samuel 25:8b)
David is in the wilderness, on the run from Saul. He and his 600 men are acting as an unofficial border patrol, protecting the Israelites in the south from Philistine raids and other marauders. Nabal's shepherds have been under this umbrella of protection. David's men have been a "wall" to them (v. 16). Now, at the time of sheep shearing, which was a festive and prosperous time, like a harvest festival, David sends a delegation to request provisions. This was not extortion. This was a customary and honorable request for a gift in return for services rendered. David's tone is exceedingly polite. He greets Nabal with a threefold blessing of peace, he refers to himself as Nabal's "son," and he appeals to the festive nature of the day.
Nabal's response is a masterwork of foolish insolence.
"Who is David? And who is the son of Jesse? There are many servants today who are each breaking away from his master. Shall I then take my bread and my water and my meat that I have slaughtered for my shearers, and give it to men whose origin I do not know?" (1 Samuel 25:10-11)
First, he feigns ignorance. "Who is David?" This is absurd. David is the giant-slayer, the hero of Israel, the most famous man in the country. Nabal knows exactly who he is. This is a calculated insult, a way of saying, "You are a nobody." He then compounds the insult by calling David a runaway slave, a rebel. This is not only a personal attack on David but a treasonous swipe at the Lord's anointed. Saul is David's master, and Nabal is siding with the corrupt, rejected king against the one God has chosen.
Second, he reveals his selfish, materialistic heart. "Shall I then take my bread and my water and my meat...?" Notice the possessive pronouns. This is the fool's creed. It's all mine. He sees his wealth not as a stewardship from God, but as his personal possession to do with as he pleases. He has no sense of obligation, no sense of gratitude, no sense of community. He is a black hole of self-interest. He is the rich fool in Jesus' parable who builds bigger barns for all his grain, only to have his soul required of him that very night (Luke 12:16-21). Nabal's churlishness is not just bad manners; it is a theological statement. He is a functional atheist, living as though God does not exist and has no claim on him or his stuff.
Righteous Anger, Unrighteous Response (vv. 12-13)
David's reaction to this insolence is swift and severe.
"Then David said to his men, 'Each of you gird on his sword.' So each man girded on his sword. And David also girded on his sword, and about four hundred men went up behind David..." (1 Samuel 25:13)
Now, we must be careful here. Was David's anger justified? Yes. He had been publicly dishonored. His men had been insulted. Nabal had shown himself to be an enemy of God's anointed. There is a place for righteous anger. But David's intended response was sinful. He was about to engage in personal vengeance. He swears an oath to kill every male in Nabal's household (v. 22). This was disproportionate. It was rash. It was an attempt to take into his own hands the vengeance that belongs to God alone (Romans 12:19).
This is a critical lesson for us. David, the man after God's own heart, is on the brink of committing mass murder out of wounded pride. Even the best of men are still men. David had just shown remarkable restraint with Saul in the cave at Engedi, refusing to lift his hand against the Lord's anointed. But here, a rich fool's insults nearly push him over the edge. It is often easier to bear the persecution of our great enemies than the insolent contempt of insignificant fools. David was about to stain his own hands with blood and bring guilt upon his future reign. He was about to act like a warlord, not a king. And God, in His mercy, sends an unlikely intervention.
A Wise Intervention (vv. 14-17)
The intervention comes not from a prophet or a priest, but from a servant, who has the wisdom to go to the right person.
"But one of the young men told Abigail, Nabal’s wife... 'So now, know and see what you should do, for evil is decided against our master and against all his household; and he is such a vile man that no one can speak to him.'" (1 Samuel 25:14, 17)
This young man is a model of loyalty and wisdom. He is loyal not to his master's folly, but to his master's house. He sees the catastrophe coming. He knows David's reputation and he knows Nabal's character. He gives Abigail a clear, factual report. He confirms that David's men were protectors, not predators. They were a "wall to us." He then lays the problem squarely in Abigail's lap: "know and see what you should do."
And notice his final, devastating assessment of Nabal: "he is such a vile man that no one can speak to him." The Hebrew says he is a "son of Belial," a worthless man. This is the ultimate mark of a fool. A wise man is open to reproof (Proverbs 9:8), but a fool is unteachable. You cannot reason with him. You cannot appeal to him. He is a closed system of pride and arrogance. When a man in authority becomes so hard that his own people cannot speak to him, he has sealed his own doom. He has cut himself off from counsel, from correction, and from reality itself.
This places Abigail in an impossible situation. Her husband, the head of her household, has committed a suicidal act of folly that threatens to destroy everyone. The authority structure is broken. To submit to her husband's foolishness would be to participate in the destruction of her entire household. Her duty to God and to the preservation of life requires her to act. This is not rebellion. This is not a wife usurping her husband's authority because she thinks she could do a better job. This is a crisis intervention. This is a godly woman stepping into the breach created by a foolish man in order to save lives. No human authority is absolute. When a husband becomes a Nabal, a wife must become an Abigail. She must appeal to a higher authority, and in this case, she will appeal directly to the coming king, David, and through him, to the God of Israel.
Conclusion: The Wisdom of the Cross
This story sets the stage for one of the most brilliant acts of diplomacy and intercession in all of Scripture. Abigail will go out to meet David, taking the provisions her husband refused to give. She will fall at his feet, take the blame upon herself, and appeal to David's character and his destiny as king. She will, in effect, act as a mediator, turning away the wrath that is justly deserved.
And in this, she is a beautiful type of Christ. We, like Nabal, are fools. We have insulted the Son of David. We have hoarded the gifts God has given us and said, "Who is the Lord, that I should obey Him?" We have acted as sons of Belial, worthless and rebellious. And the wrath of the Greater David, Jesus Christ, was kindled against us. The sword was drawn, and judgment was determined against our house.
But our Mediator, one who is both wise and beautiful, stepped into the breach. Jesus Christ did what Abigail did, but infinitely more. He did not just bring provisions; He brought Himself. He did not just take the blame figuratively; He took the guilt upon Himself literally. He stood between us and the wrath of God and said, "On me alone, my Lord, be the blame." He absorbed the full force of the judgment we deserved. He turned away the sword of justice by receiving it in His own body on the cross.
Abigail saved a household from a temporal wrath. Christ saves His people from an eternal wrath. The wisdom of Abigail points us to the ultimate wisdom of God, which is Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to us who are being saved, the power of God and the wisdom of God (1 Corinthians 1:23-24). This story calls us to forsake all our Nabals, all our foolish pride and self-reliance, and to flee to the one who is our true Abigail, our wise and beautiful advocate, the Lord Jesus Christ.