“Now I hear that it is sheep-shearing time. When your shepherds were with us, we did not mistreat them, and the whole time they were at Carmel nothing of theirs was missing.” (1 Samuel 25:7)
The wonderful story of Nabal and Abigail is told in this chapter. It was the time of ‘sheep-shearing’ in practice, and in God’s economy of time, it was the exact same moment for Nabal, Abigail, David and his men.
Abigail, a wise woman, recognized not just her own husband’s foolishness, but the truth of what has been anointed by God - the new king, David.
Being in the Valley of Paran taught David and his men some things, namely that God had placed resources all around them, even in a place of wilderness.
They had spent plenty of time not just hiding from Saul, but also investing themselves in the discovery processes, learning how to walk skillfully on the edge between being equipped and becoming ‘helpless. And helpless, they were NOT.
Addressing an offense has its reasons and, in this, David sensed a response was required to Nabal’s slanderous words. David and his men rode into Carmel to address such an offense with Nabal, whose public cursing of David was certain to have reached many ears.
God’s intent was still underway, and in verse 30 we see that Abigail had ridden out to meet David with gifts in hand. After bowing down to the ground in humble repentance, Abigail said, “When the Lord has fulfilled for my lord every good thing He promised concerning him and has appointed him ruler over Israel”.
How did she know that statement to be truth? Where had she heard about David? The rumor mill in Carmel must have been thick with talk of the young upstart David and how he had defied Saul.
Abigail possessed a knowing that few others had and was bold enough to proclaim it - the truth that the Lord’s goodness would, at some point, be poured out in a larger way than even David could conceive as future King over Israel. And she proclaimed it, even at the risk of her life! Man did not tell this truth to Abigail, God had.
I believe Abigail had this revelation because she, too, had learned the art of taking the assets God had placed within her own person, and in the midst of a very difficult and abusive marriage (a type of wilderness), recognized the hearing of the voice of God.
She had discovered the power of digging out from under a huge pile of powerlessness to find a rich inheritance of treasure accrued and prepared for just this very season – it was within her.
What can we learn in our wildernesses, as David and Abigail did?
It’s time to enlarge our capacity to embrace not only the hardship to be endured, but also be given to God’s sheep-shearing season. Removing the limitations from our sight and being trained by the gift we carry within us – an invisible treasure. To take our focus off of what has ‘happened to us’ and invoke what God has already given to us. We should let focus, wisdom, and strength be our directors as we hear His voice and navigate a plan of action based on the unusual gems God has buried deep within the treasure chest of our own journey.
To traverse a wilderness is not just about getting to the other side, but is also about what we gain by having been there. Look to Jesus, our example, who Himself submitted to 40 days in the wilderness.
What lessons are we to learn in our current condition? It's sheep-shearing time...
What’s in it for God, and what is within us to gain?
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