The wise, the rash, & the fool

As we celebrate Mother’s Day this year, let us take a moment to reflect on the story of Abigail and Nabal from the Old Testament. Nabal, whose name literally means "fool," was a wealthy man who owned 3,000 sheep and 1,000 goats. He was married to Abigail, a sensible and beautiful woman, who was unfortunately married to a mean and foolish man.

David, who had just spared King Saul’s life, was on the run with 600 soldiers who were loyal to him. They had been staying in the vicinity of Nabal’s pastures, and David's men had protected Nabal’s flocks from Philistine raiding parties. As a result, David asked Nabal to share some of his surplus with him and his men, a reasonable request given their protection of Nabal's property.

However, Nabal responded rudely and refused to share any of his possessions with David and his men. David, who had just resisted the urge to kill King Saul, was now about to fail a little test. He was tired and weary, and Nabal had just touched on some of his biggest insecurities.

David instructed 400 of his men to get their swords and go teach "this fool" a lesson. But Abigail, being the wise woman that she was, heard about the situation and acted quickly. She gathered 200 loaves of bread, two skins of wine, five sheep, a bushel of roasted grain, 100 clusters of raisins, and 200 fig cakes and went to meet David and his men.

Abigail humbly apologized for her husband's behavior and begged David to spare Nabal's life. David was moved by Abigail's wisdom and spared Nabal's life.

This story teaches us that life is about so much more than just stuff. It also reminds us of the importance of honoring and respecting our mothers, especially on Mother's Day. Abigail was a wise and sensible woman who saved her family from destruction, and we can learn a lot from her example.

Let us take this Mother's Day as an opportunity to honor and thank our mothers for all that they have done for us. They are a blessing from God, and we should cherish and treasure them always.

- Adapted from sermons preached across our 3 campuses on Mother's Day 2023.