Here is something I taught at our Ladies Bible study. It was written for the intent of being translated from English to Oromo verbally.
Do you ever think you are too unimportant to do something
important?
This is the story of
Abigail. Abigail was not a queen; she did not have an important career. But she
loved the Lord, and she had wisdom. This is her story:
Abigail was married to a man named Nabal. Nabal means ‘fool’,
and he was a fool. He was also very wealthy. He had a thousand goats and three
thousand sheep, which he was shearing at Carmel.
A man named David was in the desert at Carmel as well. David
and about 600 men were camping around Nabal’s goats and sheep, but they never
stole from him and they never treated his shepherds badly. David was told Nabal
was at Carmel, so he sent ten men to go greet Nabal. They asked Nabal to feed
David and his men. Nabal was very wealthy so he could afford to do it. But Nabal
was known to be rude and mean in his dealings. He rudely refused to feed David
and his men. When the ten men told David what happened, he became angry because
they had been protecting Nabel’s flocks. David told his men, “Put on your
swords!” They were going to kill every male in his family.
We can read what happened next: read 1 Samuel 25: 14-17. It says:
"One of the servants told Abigail, Nabal’s wife, “David sent messengers from the wilderness to give our master his greetings, but he hurled insults at them. Yet these men were very good to us. They did not mistreat us, and the whole time we were out in the fields near them nothing was missing. Night and day they were a wall around us the whole time we were herding our sheep near them. Now think it over and see what you can do, because disaster is hanging over our master and his whole household. He is such a wicked man that no one can talk to him.”
Immediately Abigail took two hundred loaves of bread, two
skins of wine, five dressed sheep, 37 liters of roasted grain, a hundred cakes
of raisins and two hundred cakes of pressed figs, and loaded them on donkeys.
She did not tell her husband what she was doing. As she rode her donkey into
the ravine, she met David and 400 of his men coming off the mountain. We can
read what happened in 1 Samuel 25:21-25.
Abigail was very wise
with her words. She knew that if David killed Nabal and the men in her family,
he would no longer be righteous. Not only was she protecting her family, but
also the soon to be king and ancestor of Jesus. Abigail continued talking to
David in verses 26-31. It says:
"
David’s response is in the next few verses. Read verses
32-35: "
David listened to Abigail because of her wisdom. He was very
thankful for the wisdom of Abigail.
Abigail returned home to Nabal having a huge party, and he
was very drunk. Being wise, Abigail waited to tell Nabal of what happened until
he was sober. In the morning, when he was sober, Abigail told him how she saved
his life, and the lives of every male in their family because of his foolish
ways. Then his heart failed him and became like stone. About ten days later,
the Lord struck Nabal and he died.
When David heard Nabal died he asked Abigail to marry him.
And so she did.
Even though she was not a queen or someone important she
played a very important role. We see great wisdom in her story. It is important
to have wisdom.
Can you think of a time when you made a wise
decision? How often do you seek wisdom from loved ones, the Bible, from the Lord?
Scripture is filled with gaining wisdom. All kinds of different people had wisdom. Many people strove for wisdom. People today strive for wisdom. Wisdom is not always easy to gain, but so important to have. Proverbs continually teaches on how important it is to gain
wisdom. Here are two passages on wisdom from Proverbs:
Proverbs 8:17-21 (Wisdom is speaking)
"I love those who love me, and those who seek me find me. With me are riches and honor, enduring wealth and prosperity. My fruit is better than fine gold; what I yield surpasses choice silver. I walk in the way of righteousness, along the paths of justice, bestowing a rich inheritance on those who love me and making their treasuries full."
Proverbs 8:32-36 (Wisdom is still speaking)
“Now then, my children, listen to me; blessed are those who keep my ways. Listen to my instruction and be wise; do not disregard it. Blessed are those who listen to me, watching daily at my doors, waiting at my doorway. For those who find me find life and receive favor from the Lord. But those who fail to find me harm themselves; all who hate me love death.”
As situations arise, it is important to seek wisdom. Ask God to fill you with his wisdom. Constantly seek to find wisdom; you will find it when you seek wisdom in the Lord.
Blessings.
