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. (1 Samuel 25:25 NLT)

As his name suggests, Nabal was a fool. Often there is a very-hin line between willful and ignorant behavior. Grace is sometimes better served when we choose to look at people as being ignorant rather than intentional.

Nabal was evil and ill-tempered man, yet he had one thing going for him. He had a gracious wife, Abigail. Nabal had returned evil for good to David (1Samuel 25:1-12). David leaves with his men to teach Nabal a lesson (v.13). Abigail springs into action and puts together gracious gifts of food for David (v.18). Abigail shows respect for David and takes responsibility for her husband's wrong actions (v. 24). Though not personally responsible, she intercedes with David for Nabal. Nabal was a scoundrel, but he was still her husband. She then gives David a reason to be gracious. She suggests that Nabal is ignorant rather than just evil (v. 25). 

There is always some deception in our sin. If we understood the consequences, we would not have sinned. On the Cross, Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they don't know what they are doing."

Abigail was the heroine in this story, and Nabal was the villain. She prevented David from doing something he would later regret. David withheld the sword from Nabal, and God then took care of him as He struck him down. Fools often tempt us to act in foolish ways. Grace intervened in David's life. When looking upon sinners like the Nabal, it might behoove us to say, but for God's grace, there go I. 

I worked for seventeen years as a missionary with Youth With A Mission.  My missionary work has taken me to Mexico, Canada, Chile, Argentina, Bolivia, Spain, and Ukraine.  I hold a Masters of Education in curriculum and instruction from Virginia Commonwealth University.  [email protected]