1Sa 25:38 | KingComments | STEP | When Abigail comes home, Nabal is very drunk. There are few things by which a man degrades himself so much as drunkenness. Excessive drinking deprives a person of his sound vision on life and makes him a senseless animal. God is not thought of at all. Nabal does not seem to have missed her and nothing of what she took with her. He lavishly celebrates. What he has begrudged to David, he uses to have a revelry himself. In his imagination he is a king. He sits on the throne, his own self reigns. Abigail realizes that it makes no sense to tell Nabal anything about what has been happening. Trying to tell drunken people the gospel is throwing pearls before swine. When Nabal is sober again the next day, Abigail tells him about her meeting with David. When he hears that, his heart dies within him and he becomes as a stone, that is, as a dead person. Several explanations have been given as to the cause. Some say that he suffered a cardiac arrest because he realized the death threat he had been exposed to by his heartless actions toward David and his men. He must have thought that this evil could still happen to him. A wicked man remains afraid of threat as long as he does not accept grace. Others say that he was particularly excited about the gift his wife brought to David without his knowledge. This loss has been shocking to him. It may also be that he, who was a hard, insensate man, realized that his wife has humiliated him by her actions in an extraordinary way. This was unbearable for him. In any case, about ten days later he really dies, because the LORD kills him. He has lived without mercy and dies without consolation. There is no one who grieves for him. We see that the LORD exercises justice between David and Nabal. Let it be an encouragement for us that He also arranges justice for us.

‏ 1 Samuel 25:38

The Death of Nabal

When Abigail comes home, Nabal is very drunk. There are few things by which a man degrades himself so much as drunkenness. Excessive drinking deprives a person of his sound vision on life and makes him a senseless animal. God is not thought of at all. Nabal does not seem to have missed her and nothing of what she took with her. He lavishly celebrates. What he has begrudged to David, he uses to have a revelry himself. In his imagination he is a king. He sits on the throne, his own self reigns.

Abigail realizes that it makes no sense to tell Nabal anything about what has been happening. Trying to tell drunken people the gospel is throwing pearls before swine. When Nabal is sober again the next day, Abigail tells him about her meeting with David. When he hears that, his heart dies within him and he becomes as a stone, that is, as a dead person.

Several explanations have been given as to the cause. Some say that he suffered a cardiac arrest because he realized the death threat he had been exposed to by his heartless actions toward David and his men. He must have thought that this evil could still happen to him. A wicked man remains afraid of threat as long as he does not accept grace. Others say that he was particularly excited about the gift his wife brought to David without his knowledge. This loss has been shocking to him. It may also be that he, who was a hard, insensate man, realized that his wife has humiliated him by her actions in an extraordinary way. This was unbearable for him.

In any case, about ten days later he really dies, because the LORD kills him. He has lived without mercy and dies without consolation. There is no one who grieves for him. We see that the LORD exercises justice between David and Nabal. Let it be an encouragement for us that He also arranges justice for us.