Now David had just finished saying, "In vain I have protected all that belonged to this man in the wilderness. Nothing that belongs to him has gone missing, yet he has paid me back evil for good. Now David had just saidDavid, the future king of Israel, is in a period of exile, fleeing from King Saul. This phrase indicates a moment of reflection and decision-making. David's words are a response to the insult and refusal of hospitality by Nabal, a wealthy but foolish man. This context highlights David's human emotions and the challenges he faces in leadership and justice. “In vain I have protected all that belonged to this man in the wilderness.
David and his men had been acting as a protective force for Nabal's shepherds and flocks in the wilderness of Paran. This protection was not a formal agreement but a common practice of mutual benefit in ancient Near Eastern culture. David's statement of "in vain" reflects his frustration and sense of betrayal, as he expected some form of compensation or gratitude for his services. Nothing that belongs to him has gone missing,
David emphasizes the integrity and effectiveness of his protection. In a time and place where theft and raids were common, David's assurance that nothing was lost under his watch speaks to his leadership and the discipline of his men. This also underscores the righteousness of David's actions compared to Nabal's ingratitude. yet he has paid me back evil for good.
This phrase captures the moral and ethical tension in the narrative. David's good deeds are met with Nabal's evil response, a theme that resonates throughout Scripture. This concept of repaying evil for good is addressed in other biblical passages, such as Romans 12:17 and 1 Peter 3:9, which encourage believers to respond to evil with good. David's reaction here foreshadows the teachings of Jesus Christ, who exemplified forgiveness and grace. Persons / Places / Events 1. DavidThe future king of Israel, anointed by Samuel, who is currently on the run from King Saul. In this chapter, he is dealing with the insult from Nabal. 2. NabalA wealthy but foolish man whose name means "fool" in Hebrew. He refuses to provide for David and his men, despite their protection of his shepherds and flocks. 3. AbigailNabal's wise and discerning wife who intervenes to prevent David from taking vengeance on Nabal and his household. 4. The WildernessThe region where David and his men are hiding and where they have been protecting Nabal's shepherds and flocks. 5. CarmelThe place where Nabal's business and wealth are centered, and where the events of this chapter unfold. Teaching Points The Danger of Impulsive ReactionsDavid's initial reaction to Nabal's insult is one of anger and a desire for revenge. This serves as a reminder of the importance of self-control and seeking God's guidance before acting. The Role of Wise CounselAbigail's intervention highlights the value of wise and discerning counsel. Surrounding ourselves with godly advisors can prevent us from making rash decisions. Repaying Good for EvilDavid's experience with Nabal teaches us the importance of not repaying evil for good. As Christians, we are called to a higher standard of conduct, reflecting God's grace and mercy. God's Sovereignty in JusticeUltimately, God deals with Nabal, demonstrating that vengeance belongs to the Lord. Trusting in God's justice can free us from the burden of seeking personal revenge. Bible Study Questions 1. How does David's initial reaction to Nabal's insult reflect our own tendencies when wronged, and what can we learn from his experience? 2. In what ways does Abigail's intervention demonstrate the importance of wise counsel in our lives? 3. How can Romans 12:17-21 and Proverbs 25:21-22 guide us in responding to those who wrong us? 4. What does this passage teach us about God's role in justice and how we should respond to perceived injustices? 5. How can we apply Jesus' teaching in Matthew 5:44 to our daily interactions with those who may oppose or insult us? Connections to Other Scriptures Romans 12:17-21This passage advises believers not to repay evil for evil but to overcome evil with good, echoing the lesson David learns through Abigail's intervention. Proverbs 25:21-22These verses encourage showing kindness to one's enemies, which aligns with the resolution of the conflict between David and Nabal. Matthew 5:44Jesus' teaching to love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, which reflects the higher standard of conduct that David is called to. People Abigail, Ahinoam, Caleb, David, Israelites, Jesse, Jezreel, Laish, Maon, Michal, Nabal, Palti, Paltiel, Phalti, Samuel, SaulPlaces Carmel, Gallim, Hebron, Maon, Paran, RamahTopics Anything, Belonged, Care, David, Desert, Evil, Fellow, Fellow's, Goods, Guarded, It's, Kept, Loss, Man's, Missed, Missing, Nothing, Paid, Pertained, Property, Requited, Returned, Surely, Taking, Turneth, Useless, Vain, Waste, Watching, WildernessDictionary of Bible Themes 1 Samuel 25:21 5501 reward, human
5889 ingratitude 1 Samuel 25:2-35 5745 women 1 Samuel 25:4-35 5325 gifts 1 Samuel 25:14-28 6206 offence 1 Samuel 25:14-31 8458 peacemakers 1 Samuel 25:14-35 5744 wife
5922 prudence Library If Then to Sin, that Others May not Commit a Worse Sin...
21. If then to sin, that others may not commit a worse sin, either against us or against any, without doubt we ought not; it is to be considered in that which Lot did, whether it be an example which we ought to imitate, or rather one which we ought to avoid. For it seems meet to be more looked into and noted, that, when so horrible an evil from the most flagitious impiety of the Sodomites was impending over his guests, which he wished to ward off and was not able, to such a degree may even that just …
St. Augustine—Against LyingJeremiah, a Lesson for the Disappointed.
"Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the Lord."--Jeremiah i. 8. The Prophets were ever ungratefully treated by the Israelites, they were resisted, their warnings neglected, their good services forgotten. But there was this difference between the earlier and the later Prophets; the earlier lived and died in honour among their people,--in outward honour; though hated and thwarted by the wicked, they were exalted to high places, and ruled in the congregation. …
John Henry Newman—Parochial and Plain Sermons, Vol. VIII How the Meek and the Passionate are to be Admonished.
(Admonition 17.) Differently to be admonished are the meek and the passionate. For sometimes the meek, when they are in authority, suffer from the torpor of sloth, which is a kindred disposition, and as it were placed hard by. And for the most part from the laxity of too great gentleness they soften the force of strictness beyond need. But on the other hand the passionate, in that they are swept on into frenzy of mind by the impulse of anger, break up the calm of quietness, and so throw into …
Leo the Great—Writings of Leo the Great Appendix xix. On Eternal Punishment, According to the Rabbis and the New Testament
THE Parables of the Ten Virgins' and of the Unfaithful Servant' close with a Discourse on the Last Things,' the final Judgment, and the fate of those Christ's Righ Hand and at His Left (St. Matt. xxv. 31-46). This final Judgment by our Lord forms a fundamental article in the Creed of the Church. It is the Christ Who comes, accompanied by the Angelic Host, and sits down on the throne of His Glory, when all nations are gathered before Him. Then the final separation is made, and joy or sorrow awarded …
Alfred Edersheim—The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah Letters of St. Bernard
I To Malachy. 1141.[924] (Epistle 341.) To the venerable lord and most blessed father, Malachy, by the grace of God archbishop of the Irish, legate of the Apostolic See, Brother Bernard called to be abbot of Clairvaux, [desiring] to find grace with the Lord. 1. Amid the manifold anxieties and cares of my heart,[925] by the multitude of which my soul is sore vexed,[926] the brothers coming from a far country[927] that they may serve the Lord,[928] thy letter, and thy staff, they comfort …
H. J. Lawlor—St. Bernard of Clairvaux's Life of St. Malachy of Armagh The Exile Continued.
"So David fled, and escaped and came to Samuel to Ramah, and told him all that Saul had done unto him. And he and Samuel went and dwelt in Naioth" (1 Sam. xix. 18)--or, as the word probably means, in the collection of students' dwellings, inhabited by the sons of the prophets, where possibly there may have been some kind of right of sanctuary. Driven thence by Saul's following him, and having had one last sorrowful hour of Jonathan's companionship--the last but one on earth--he fled to Nob, whither …
Alexander Maclaren—The Life of David Barzillai
BY REV. GEORGE MILLIGAN, M.A., D.D. "There is nothing," says Socrates to Cephalus in the Republic, "I like better than conversing with aged men. For I regard them as travellers who have gone a journey which I too may have to go, and of whom it is right to learn the character of the way, whether it is rugged or difficult, or smooth and easy" (p. 328 E.). It is to such an aged traveller that we are introduced in the person of Barzillai the Gileadite. And though he is one of the lesser-known characters …
George Milligan—Men of the Bible; Some Lesser-Known The Section Chap. I. -iii.
The question which here above all engages our attention, and requires to be answered, is this: Whether that which is reported in these chapters did, or did not, actually and outwardly take place. The history of the inquiries connected with this question is found most fully in Marckius's "Diatribe de uxore fornicationum," Leyden, 1696, reprinted in the Commentary on the Minor Prophets by the same author. The various views may be divided into three classes. 1. It is maintained by very many interpreters, …
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament The Promise in 2 Samuel, Chap. vii.
The Messianic prophecy, as we have seen, began at a time long anterior to that of David. Even in Genesis, we perceived [Pg 131] it, increasing more and more in distinctness. There is at first only the general promise that the seed of the woman should obtain the victory over the kingdom of the evil one;--then, that the salvation should come through the descendants of Shem;--then, from among them Abraham is marked out,--of his sons, Isaac,--from among his sons, Jacob,--and from among the twelve sons …
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament Samuel
Alike from the literary and the historical point of view, the book[1] of Samuel stands midway between the book of Judges and the book of Kings. As we have already seen, the Deuteronomic book of Judges in all probability ran into Samuel and ended in ch. xii.; while the story of David, begun in Samuel, embraces the first two chapters of the first book of Kings. The book of Samuel is not very happily named, as much of it is devoted to Saul and the greater part to David; yet it is not altogether inappropriate, …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament Links 1 Samuel 25:21 NIV1 Samuel 25:21 NLT1 Samuel 25:21 ESV1 Samuel 25:21 NASB1 Samuel 25:21 KJV
1 Samuel 25:21 Commentaries
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