Ahinoam and Abigail | Gleaning The Scriptures

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Abigail, Ahinoam and Abigail, Ahinoam the jezreelitess, Nabal's widow, queen of Israel, Woman of The Bible, yeshua

Hi everyone. I hope you are all having a really great day and that The Messiah is pouring His goodness into you and around you. I have been working on several different Bible Meditations for about one to two years now. The Meditation on Leviticus is nearly in it’s final draft, and it’s current form can be downloaded and printed for free at http://www.gleaningtheScriptures.com. It is planned to be on sale on Amazon for $45 or so. As an appreciation to my intimate, core group of supporters, it is free for you as of the writing of this post. If you have any trouble downloading it, get in touch with me.

The publication I am currently working on is an exploration of David’s life from a much different perspective than most of us are use to: exploring how similar David is to The Savior. Don’t get me wrong, pointing out that God uses even dreadfully sinful sinners to do His work is a theme throughout the Bible, and has it’s place and produces fruit. It is so wonderful how God works. In our meditation we start with the Ruth scroll. Before God even introduces us to David, He starts by giving us the story of how one of David’s great grandads (Boaz) came to know one of his great grandmothers (Ruth). This buffer of introduction can be seen in David. David’s life is used to bring us to be introduced to The Savior. These layers of introductory characters are much like how a great man from a great house has several layers of servants to bring a newcomer to be brought before the master of the house. The master of the house will not answer the door, but a servant within the house would most likely welcome the newcomer, bringing the new comer to an opulent, ornate room to wait for the master. In some instances the secretary or assistant directly under the master might bring the new comer to the master’s study, office, or table to discuss the matters at hand. It is concepts like this one that the Meditation aims to help you focus on through giving you meaningful questions to ask yourself while reading His scrolls.

The suggestion is that Ruth’s story plays a servile part for David, if you will. More importantly however, David’s life plays that part for God. Thus, they all work together in serving the introduction of God to His people. With that foundation laid, I bring you an excerpt from the David Meditation. The setting is as follows: the capture of Ahinoam and Abigail, when they are taken by the Amalakites, while David was living with the Philistines as a result of Saul needing some room because he was intent on killing David. This excerpt is a commentary marking a transition in the meditation. Enjoy!

“That marks the end of Part Two of the Meditation. It might seem abrupt or out of place, huh? This is a dramatic place in the gospel that leaves the reader wanting to know more; but, that is not why we pause here: This being a meditation, note that there is a lot to meditate on at this part.

The parallels between The Messiah’s work on the cross, and Ahinoam and Abigail being taken captive are garish.” (ch. 29 of 1 Samuel) “We know that a man and a woman becoming married makes them one flesh (Mark 10:8; 1 Corinthians 7:4). There is a reason The Creator designed the covenant of marriage that way. Abigail, it seems from the story, understood this covenantal concept. Much of the Scripture that supports that structure had not been penned yet and it is doubtful that Abigail had access to the Scriptures that had been penned during this historical event. She came to David in the integrity of Messiah, telling him that she would take the blame for her husband’s treachery, and asked for forgiveness. Those were not empty words, she repented in both word and action: taking David the goods he needed even though her husband would likely rail her for doing so. She also asked for mercy from David on her husband, and honestly spoke that God would take care of the situation in His mercy and justice.

She being servile to her husband and a servant to God knew it was partially her responsibility (which is slightly different than it being her fault) that her husband was a “scoundrel”, as she put it. Her patience and integrity did not pay out for her unfortunately: her husband was not wise enough to see his new man. Instead, God justly killed him 10 days post circumstance, saving David from having to do so, and Abigail the trouble of serving an obtuse spouse.

With Abigail becoming David’s wife in the wake of Nabal’s untimely death, without divorce, but through death (Romans 7:2), David and Abigail were made one flesh, and the flesh of Nabal was no longer spiritually bound to Abigail. Abigail had a lot of baggage, though. Sure there was baggage from her past marriage, but the story subtly, sonorously focuses on baggage from her own personal nature and propensity to be in rebellion to God’s ways. She had this baggage nestled in the deep dark caverns of her heart. These caverns were difficult to get to as they required traversing many treacherous tunnels and passes. This is not something only Abigail faced, but is the human condition that God sent a Savior for, such that man “might” be saved, as He eloquently, eloquently and honestly puts it (John 3:16). This, Abigail needing to foster her subsistence (or H: nefesh; meaning “being”), can be assumed in that twice or more since Nabal’s death God referred to Abigail as “Nabal’s widow”. Her very words before King David attested to the dark cloud that followed Nabal’s name. The Father having used this title to describe her when there were several other options is a clue to the attentive reader that she had some work to do. He chastens those that He loves and He had worked all things for the good of Abigail.

So God was calling Abigail “Nabal’s widow” and indeed she must have been. As a result, with God being a good Father, He allowed the enemy nation to sweep her up and take her away. Where was David during all this? Preparing for battle. With the Philistines. Although David was a strong man of God, it is within the realm of possibilities that he was not strong enough to let the Amalekites take his new wife without a fight. Following that line of thinking, God did him a solid and distracted him with the battle preparation ceremony he and all of his city’s men were partaking in. This put David in a place where he was more or less “asleep” to the circumstance happening at home, leaving God able to complete His work with His daughters Abigail and Ahinoam.

This, Nabal’s widow, being swept away by the enemy nation, surrounded the woman with, and threatened to make her part of the enemy nation. Most likely putting her in a very similar, albeit much worse circumstance than what God had just saved her from in serving her wicked husband. Out of the pan and into the fire as they say. That would have hit home to any woman of faith, recognizing in prayer and much soul searching that, if explored objectively, her own behaviors could be found in the enemy who had captured her. God was giving her a refinement opportunity. That picture of the enemy’s stronghold within is very powerful for those who have ears to hear and eyes to see. The Savior was working on tearing down the stronghold and it would indeed fail if she would listen, pray, and obey. And continue in faith, which is obedience.

Humility was the key for Abigail. Without it, she would have never seen her faults and been able to allow Father to fix her. There are two main veins of thought I have been shown in prayer and spiritual guidance from on High. I lean towards the vein that says she was humble. Her previous actions showed humility, courage, willingness to long-suffer, honor and integrity. But did she continue in faith, which is obedience? She was being chastened to let “Nabal’s widow” die, so she could become “David’s wife”, a queen of the house of Israel: a high high calling, with responsibilities well beyond what any man could handle. Did she accept even this chastening? On the other hand it might be that none of this entered Abigail’s mind during or after the capture, and instead she came to respect David as her knight in shining armor without accepting The Savior’s chastening as it was presented to her. David’s action with the wife of Uriah supports this other vein of thought. It takes loneliness to drive a good man into an adulterous relationship. David always accepted God’s chastening, which could have left him lonely in his marriage if his wife (wives) was not in the same place as Him spiritually. With that addressed, I do stand (albeit waveringly) believing Abigail continued in humility. If Abigail had accepted continued chastening, the depth of fellowship between man and wife that would have resulted, although awesome, does have it’s weaknesses. The world’s god is satan don’cha (don’t ya) know (2 Corinthians 4:4)?

The parallels to The Messiah in Abigail’s story are unquestionable. Yeshua on the cross is swept away by the enemy as He “takes on the sins of the world”, “despising the shame” (1 John 2:2; Hebrews 12:2). Shame being something He most likely had not experienced before, being guiltless. His friends were “asleep” when He needed them most (Matthew 26:40). Furthermore, apropos The Messiah was not yet seated on The Throne, at the right hand of The Almighty. To be King of all, He had yet still to go to the place of the dead and maintain His integrity even there, where He “preached the gospel to the lost souls” after descending to the “lower parts of the earth” (1 Peter 3:19; Ephesians 4:9).

Once the entire mission was accomplished, The Scriptures chronicle that The Messiah rose from the dead (1 Corinthians 15:3-4); was made known on earth, preaching the gospel 40 days still more (Acts 1:3); then, rose to His rightful place, having lived by faith, on His throne (Hebrews 12:2): much like Abigail experienced in her hellish capture, going from serving Nabal’s house (a man of the world, descended from Caleb) to being threatened to have to serve the Amalekites (a nation of the world’s depths) to becoming Queen of Israel (seated on a proverbial throne of majesty next to her King and husband David): the microcosm of the story of Messiah she may have experienced in it’s fullness. God declared and declares in your hearing that He is God, even when made subject to the weakness of the flesh. This meditation’s questions are meant to help you use your body’s energy to focus on and anchor to thought processes like this. If you have found solace and strength in this place that the mind of Messiah has to offer, praise Him for your renewing.”

I hope you enjoyed and will continue to enjoy that excerpt from The Bible Meditation focusing on David’s life. If you have, encouragements and constructive criticisms, please. The comment section on my blog is severely underused and I am happy to respond to all your wonderful comments! I am also not offended when you take my comment section as an opportunity to have your own conversation threads between yourselves. Many of you have been reading my blog for more than five years now. You must have something in common! If I find that this excerpt is well received, I may consider posting more like this. The Savior bless you all, and protect you in today’s world. You are to be the head and not the tail. Make disciples of men through the power of Messiah.

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