And that man's name was Nabal, and his wife's name was Abigail. She was that woman of good understanding and of beautiful appearance, but the man was hard and of bad works; and it was from Caleb's lineage. " (1Samuel 25: 3)
I enjoy so many stories that the Bible tells us and in particular I like it because the person who stands out is a woman. A woman who in addition to beauty possessed intelligence, grace and fear of God. It is scientifically proven that women can do more things than men because it works a part of the brain that men do not. Abigail was a woman who, thanks to her good judgment and judgment, acted with diligence and saved many from dying.
Some of the synonyms for the word prudence are: maturity, sanity, discernment, good sense, good judgment and wisdom. These are qualities that develop in our lives through the experience and circumstances that we have to live. If we are people subject to our emotions, we will be slaves to them and we will also expose ourselves to various problems. Because you do not always act with prudence, for example in the face of a crisis or a moment of courage. Maintaining control in situations of great stress and difficulty is not easy, it requires self-control, self-control. When we are exposed to feelings such as anger, sadness, revenge, the injustices that happen, he talks a lot about who we are as people and who lives in our lives. If we are subject to the things of the flesh or the Spirit. And with this I do not mean that we are going to walk with an aura and two wings. This does not mean that we invalidate what we often feel, but that we meditate well before acting.
They record the Sacred Scriptures that Nabal was a perverse man, in fact, his actions at David's request, show us what kind of person he was and where his heart was also. I think that I had very little intelligent and selfish much. However, the Bible takes time to detail in short words that Abigail had a good understanding. And we know that a wise person is one who knows how to use intelligence. It gives meaning and purpose to his behavior. And when one of the servants came to express to Abigail how her husband Nabal had come to David and his servants at the request they had made to her, she took immediate action.
And there are times when we can not wait long to act. When Moses went to cross the Red Sea, behind him came a multitude of enemies, and God told Moses that it was not the time to cry but to act. He had to cross the Red Sea and trust in the promises and faithfulness of God that he would protect all the people of Israel. Woman and man that you are reading to me, there are moments in which you have to act and stop being turning the matter around. If Abigail had not acted the way she did, even her life would have been exposed to danger, since David was planning revenge.
I think another quality Abigail possessed was that he knew how to talk. In other words, he knew how to use his words. In verse 17 of this chapter, one of the servants tells Abigail to reflect and see what to do in that situation. The reflection process involves detailed analysis of what is going to be done looking at the positive and negative points, taking into account the consequences of things. Neither short nor lazy let's see what Abigail did:
"Then Abigail took two hundred loaves of bread, two hides of wine, five sheepskins, five measures of toasted grain, a hundred clusters of raisins, and two hundred loaves of dried figs, and she loaded everything on donkeys. And he said to his servants, Go before me, and I will follow after you; and nothing said to her husband Nabal. And riding a donkey, he descended through a secret part of the mountain; and behold, David and his men came before her, and she met them. "
David was determined to collect revenge. He was really angry and indignant, he was on his way and he was not going to leave anyone alive. However, observe what the wise words used by this woman achieved and at the same time avoided: "And when Abigail saw David, she quickly got off the donkey, and fell on her face before David, bowed to the ground; And he fell at his feet, and said, My lord, let sin be upon me; But I beg you to let your servant speak to your ears, and listen to the words of your servant. Ignore now my lord of that wicked man, of Nabal; because according to his name, that's the way it is. He is called Nabal, and foolishness is with him; But I, your servant, did not see the young people you sent. Now therefore, my lord, the Lord lives, and your soul lives, that the Lord has prevented you from coming to shed blood and to avenge yourself by your own hand. Let your enemies be like Nabal, and all those who seek evil against my lord. And now this present that your servant has brought to my lord, be given to the men who follow my lord.
And now this present that your servant has brought to my lord, be given to the men who follow my lord. And I beg you to forgive your servant this offense; for Jehovah will certainly make a stable house for my lord, because my lord fights the battles of Jehovah, and evil has not been found in you in your days. Even if someone has risen up to persecute you and attempt against your life, yet, my lord's life will be bound in the beam of those who live before Jehovah your God, and he will throw the life of your enemies out of the midst of the palm of a sling And it will happen that when Jehovah does with my lord according to all the good that has spoken about you, and establishes you as prince over Israel, then, my lord, you will have no reason for sorrow or remorse for having shed blood without cause, or for haberte avenged by yourself. Beware, my lord, and when Jehovah does good to my lord, remember your servant. And David said to Abigail, Blessed be Jehovah, the God of Israel, who sent you so that you may find me today. And blessed is your reasoning, and blessed are you, who have hindered me today from going to shed blood, and to avenge myself by my own hand. Because Jehovah God lives of Israel who has defended me from doing you wrong, that if you had not hurried to come to meet me, from here to tomorrow would not have kept alive Nabal or a man. And David received from his hand what he had brought him, and said to him, Go up to your house in peace, and behold, I have heard your voice, and have had respect unto you. And Abigail returned to Nabal, and behold, he had a feast in his house as a king's feast; and Nabal's heart was cheerful, and he was completely drunk, for which she did not declare anything to him until the next day. But in the morning, when the effects of the wine had passed to Nabal, his wife told him these things; and his heart fainted in him, and he became like a stone. And ten days later, Jehovah struck Nabal, and he died. After David heard that Nabal was dead, he said: Blessed be Jehovah, who has judged the cause of my reproach received from the hand of Nabal, and has preserved his servant from evil; and Jehovah has turned the wickedness of Nabal on his own head. Then David sent to talk to Abigail, to take her for his wife. (1Samuel 25: 18-40)
Tremendous dissertation of this woman. Maybe he did not take much time to say it, but it was concise and convincing enough to get David right. As if to make him understand that God would fight his battle. The proverbist said "that soft response takes away anger". We see in this woman an example worth imitating. If God made us thinking beings, it is for us to examine and reason before acting. We have to have courage, this woman was willing to risk her life to be able to save her husband, her servants and herself.
How many arguments or fights could you avoid in your home if you just kept silent and listened? Or if you only meditate on what you are going to say can bring contribution or on the contrary it will be that the disagreement intensifies and a bigger barrier is created. How many injuries would not occur if we knew how to use well the words we use at different times? Those who love God do not allow themselves to be easily dragged by the currents of imprudence.