the sons of Boanerges, not the meekness of Him Who was David's great Antitype. And so God kept His

servant from presumptuous sin.220 Once more God's interposition came in the natural course of events. A

servant who had overheard what had passed, and naturally dreaded the consequences, informed Abigail.

Her own resolve was quickly taken.

Sending forward a present princely in amount,221 even in comparison with that which at a later period

Barzillai brought to King David when on his flight from Absalom (2 Samuel 17:27-29), she hastily followed.

Coming down the hollow of a hill ("the covert of a hill"), she found herself of a sudden in the presence of

David and his armed men. But her coura ge was not shaken. With humblest Oriental obeisance, she

addressed David, first taking all the guilt on herself, as one on whom David would not stoop to wreak

vengeance. Surely one like Nabal was not a fit object for controversy; and, as for herself, she had known

nothing of what had passed.

But there were far weightier arguments for David's forbearance. Was it not evidently God's Providence

which had sent her for a high and holy purpose? "And now, my lord, as Jehovah liveth, and as thy soul

liveth, that (it is) Jehovah who has withheld thee from coming into blood-guiltiness, and from thy hand

delivering thyself." This twofold sin had been averted. Such was her first argument. But further, was it not

well to leave it to God -would not Jehovah Himself avenge His servant, and make all his enemies as Nabal -

showing them to be but "Nabal," "fools" in the Scriptural sense, with all the impotence and ruin which this

implied? It was only after having urged all this, that Abigail ventured to ask acceptance of her gift, offering

it, as if unworthy of him, to David's men rather than to himself (ver. 27). Then returning to the prayer for

forgiveness, she pointed David to the bright future which, she felt assured, was reserved for him, since he

was not pursuing private aims, nor would he afterwards charge himself with any wrong in this matter. How

closely all this tallied with her former pleas will be evident. In pursuance of her reasoning she continued:

"And (though) a man is risen to pursue thee, and to seek thy soul, and (yet) the soul of my lord is bound up

in the bundle of life with Jehovah thy God; and the soul of thine enemies shall He sling out from the hollow

of the sling." Finally, she reminded him that when God had fulfilled all His gracious promises, this would not

become a "stumbling-block" to him, nor yet be a burden on his conscience, that he had needlessly shed

blood and righted himself.

Wiser speech, in the highest as well as in a worldly sense, than that of Abigail can scarcely be imagined.

Surely if any one, she was fitted to become the companion and adviser of David. Three things in her speech

chiefly impress themselves on our minds as most important for the understanding of this history. The fact

that David was God's anointed, on whom the kingdom would devolve, seems now to have been the

conviction of all who were godly in Israel. They knew it, and they expected it. Equally strong was their belief

that David's present, as his future mission, was simply to contend for God and for His people. But most

important of all was the deep feeling prevalent, that David must not try to right himself, nor work his own

deliverance. This was a thoroughly spiritual principle, which had its foundation in absolute, almost childlike

trust in Jehovah the living God, whatever might were arrayed against David, and however the probabilities

might seem other to the outward observer. Viewed in this light, the whole contest between David and Saul

would assume spiritual proportions. There was nothing personal now in the conflict; least of all, was it to be

regarded as an attempt at rebellion against, or dethronement of Saul. The cause was altogether God's; only

David must not right himself, but in faith and patience await the fulfillment of God's sure and steadfast

promises. To have the matter thus set before him, was to secure the immediate assent of David's conscience.

Recognizing the great spiritual danger from which he had just been delivered, he gave thanks to God, and

then to the wise and pious woman who had been the instrume nt in His hand.

Meantime Nabal had been in ignorance alike of what had threatened him, and of what his wife had done to

avert it. On her return, she found him rioting and in drunkenness. Not till next morning, when he was once

more capable of understanding what had passed, did she inform him of all. A fit of impotent fury on the part

of one who was scarcely sobered, resulted in what seems to have been a stroke of apoplexy. If this had been

brought on by himself, the second and fatal stroke, which followed ten days later, is set before us as sent