The Bible describes David as “a man after God’s own heart.” His character and actions reflected a genuine desire to obey and love the LORD. As a result, he was chosen by God to be the next king of Israel, replacing the dynasty of Saul, whose rebellious and defiant actions resulted in God’s rejection of him as king. Saul’s reign was noted afterward not for any achievements of renown but for being a madman, oppressed by evil spirits and obsessed with killing David.
The nation suffered because of Saul’s neglect of his royal duties and apparent loss of reason. In 1 Samuel 24, we read of the opportunity David had to kill Saul as he relieved himself in a cave where David and his men were hiding. David refrained from doing what could have brought him freedom from years of pursuit and harassment. He did not strike down “the LORD’S anointed” in order to hasten his own rise to the throne of Israel. He allowed Saul to live and even reached out to his enemy in love and forgiveness.
The events of 1 Samuel 25 show a different side to David. Here, he is in a totally different frame of mind. This text shows what anger does when it is allowed to control our lives.
The Bible has a lot to say on the topic of anger and controlling one’s temper (Psalm 37:8; Proverbs 14:29, 19:11; Ecclesiastes 7:9; Matthew 5:22; Ephesians 4:26). These verses warn us of the consequences brought upon us by uncontrolled anger.
The Bible says that Jesus got angry with the Pharisees and the ungodly conditions occurring in the Temple (Matthew 21:12-17, 23:2-36; Mark 11:15-19; Luke 19:45-48; John 2:13-22). His anger was based upon the fact that these religious hucksters had taken advantage of the people and had made the house of God nothing more than a place of business and commerce. Any holiness and reverence toward the LORD were gone, and the Temple had become nothing more than a building that housed ritual, routine, and empty devotion.
Jesus’ anger was justified, based upon righteous indignation toward what was originally a place of worship and love toward God. This was an entirely different situation than what we read about concerning David’s anger toward the arrogant words of a man named Nabal, whose name, ironically, means “fool” (1 Samuel 25:25).
What brought about David’s anger? The Bible says that David was still on the run from Saul (1 Samuel 25:2-13, 21-22). He and his men were hiding in the wilderness. While there, they were doing two things. First, they were fighting skirmishes with the wild tribes who inhabited the area (1 Samuel 23). Second, they were serving as a protective force for the shepherds in the area (v. 7), preventing the enemy from confiscating the sheep and harming the servants. David and his men probably took on this “sideline” in order to earn food and provisions while they lived in the wilderness. It was the custom of the day for the person who received the protection to reward the protector.
When David heard that it was time to shear the sheep, he sent some of his men to remind Nabal that they had been providing protection. As a result, none of his flock had been lost. David sent his request at shearing time because that was when the shepherds would sell their wool and make their profits. David sent his men to Nabal with a greeting of courtesy and kindness (vv.5-7), making no demands but simply asking Nabal to do that which was right (v.8). Instead of gratitude, Nabal answered David with harsh words (vv.9-11), bringing David’s integrity into question, calling him a rebel and refused to acknowledge the work of David and his men.
When David’s men returned to him and told him what happened, David lost his temper and vowed to eliminate Nabal and his entire household for this act of defiance and arrogance (vv.12-13). He prepared 600 of his men to exact revenge on Nabal. This is an example of “overkill” and shows the result of unchecked anger and what it could have done to David in terms of reputation and character. Nabal’s reputation was known (vv.2-3), and the response he gave to David should not have been that surprising.
However, David’s reaction was just as bad. He let blind rage almost get the better of him. Except for the wise actions of Nabal’s wife Abigail (vv.14-20), this episode in David’s life could have marred him for the rest of his life and established him not as a man after God’s own heart but instead as a barbaric fiend on the level of pagan kings who ruled their nations with fear and trepidation.
Abigail heard what Nabal had done and took the necessary steps to make things right, providing the food and supplies that David’s army needed. She went out to meet David with the hope that she could change his mind. She was determined to prevent what would be a massacre as well as save the life of her husband, foolish and mean as he was.
Abigail met David in the wilderness, humbling herself at his feet (vv.23-31). She came into his presence humble, open, and honest. She admitted that David and his men had suffered wrong at the hands of Nabal. She admitted that her husband was a wicked man and a fool. She asked for forgiveness and pled with David to accept her gift and spare Nabal and his household. Abigail appealed to Daivd’s reputation, telling him that if he murdered Nabal in his fit of anger, it would hang over his legacy like a dark cloud. If he carried out his angry threat, he would end up regretting it for the rest of his life. She appealed to David’s spiritual side.
As a result, David backed away from his plans, and a disaster was averted (v. 32). David backed down because he saw that God had worked in the situation to send Abigail to him to prevent him from committing a grievous sin. David accepted the things that Abigail brought and allowed her to return home with the promise that all was well.
What would have been so wrong if David had carried out his original intentions, giving Nabal what he deserved? The wrong would have been in the fact that God Almighty, not David, is the One who has the righteous and holy authorization to right all of our wrongs. Anytime we take matters into our own hands and seek to get revenge on those who did us wrong, we sin against the LORD, believing He will not take any action on our behalf. The Bible says that God has the best way to handle any situation where we feel that we have been wronged (Romans 12:17-21).
David’s anger had been conquered because he was open to the LORD, willing to do things God’s way. This plan works for any of us if we turn to Him and let Him handle the situation. Because David calmed down, we see that the LORD took action that resulted in a win for both David and Abigail. When she returned home, she found Nabal in a state of drunkenness. She did not tell him what she had done because, in his inebriated condition, he could have done something really foolish. She waited until the next morning to tell him what happened. When she did, Nabal had what many believe to be a stroke, and he died ten days later (vv.36-42).
The LORD had taken care of David’s problem. His hands were clean, and he enjoyed the victory over the foolish actions of Nabal. David married Abigail and probably came to possess what had belonged to Nabal. David received his rewards not due to his own anger but that he had refused anger to control his life and the consequences that could have followed.
The lesson that David learned is a lesson we can apply to ourselves. We need to bring our anger, no matter the reason, to the throne of the LORD and ask Him to help us act like Him toward those who offended or wronged us. We can be righteously angry over the godlessness occurring in our world today, but we do not have the right to take vengeance upon these people who seem to get away with mocking the holiness and character of God.
We live in a world where the vast majority of people are spiritually lost and heading to an eternal hell. We cannot allow hate, anger, rage, or sense of revenge overshadow the fact that while we are in this world, we are to be a light of righteousness in the power and authority of Jesus Christ to show people the way out of darkness and sin.
Anger solves nothing; it eats away the soul like a cancer if we do not give it over to the LORD and let Him handle it. It is hard not to carry a sense of rage against what we see and endure, but the Bible says that when Jesus returns to this world, He will judge the wicked and make all things new (Revelation 21:5). There is coming a time and place where anger and its fruits will never be allowed to fester or corrupt the souls of people ever again. Please, let go of whatever anger or hurt you are carrying today and give it to Jesus (Romans 10:9-10, 13). He is in the business of healing wounded hearts and filling empty souls (Matthew 11:28-30). Amen.
(My thanks to Alan Carr and The Sermon Notebook website for the basic outline of this message.)