Do you know those days when you feel like you’ve got it all together? You know what needs to get done, and you know exactly how you’re going to do it. You’re motivated and focused; you’re on it, and everyone else better move out of the way.

 

This is how I imagine David is feeling in 1 Samuel 25. He is, after all, the anointed king of Israel; it’s the kind of title that makes planning his future easy. Marry a few beautiful women, read a couple how-to and leadership books, fight a few battles, and end up in the palace. And so, when a country bumpkin like Nabal doesn’t seem too impressed by his resume, what else can he do but put him in his place? He is, after all, the future king of the nation.

What about  when you know what needs to be done, but you don’t want to do it? The task or the words are difficult, and a good response is far from guaranteed. You have that feeling in the pit of your stomach; you’re dreading what is ahead.

This is how I imagine Abigail, Nabal’s wife, feeling as she approaches David and his men to intercede for her husband and his wrongful actions. He is, after all, the anointed king of Israel; he has God on his side. But when God’s justice is being shelved for vengeance of the human variety, what else can she do? Because she knows who God is, she knows that David’s pursuit of vengeance can’t be right. She knows that vengeance is the Lord’s alone. The truth of God’s character and the reality of what he is doing in the world motivate her to action.

“In my day to day, I can find myself keeping a mental list of grievances— tallying the injustices against me. The list varies from big to small offenses, but the scales are weighted in my favor nonetheless.”

David: Rushing to Justice

David is ready to act, but he’s acting for all the wrong reasons. He’s looking at life from a human perspective, and he has created his own definition for justice. Even as he is angered by the foolishness of Nabal, he is fooling himself. With his eyes on himself and his own power, he feels both justified and empowered to enact vengeance on Nabal and his household.

I find a lot of myself in David’s response. I don’t plan attacks on others or their homes, but I am often functioning out of my own definition of justice. In my day to day, I can find myself keeping a mental list of grievances— tallying the injustices against me. The list varies from big to small offenses, but the scales are weighted in my favor nonetheless.

And so, in a moment that requires sacrifice or personal inconvenience for the good of another, I find myself pulling out my list of offenses. In my self-absorption, my heart is eager for an excuse to remain comfortable, and I don’t mind the opportunity for someone else to “get what they deserve.” Then, I don’t have to give of myself, and a small platter of justice has been served.

Abigail: Moving in Obedience

I am quick to act when justice is in my favor. I’m willing to move towards the battle, as long as it’s my own. However, Abigail’s actions remind us that there is a different way— a way that is ultimately better.

Abigail’s action is timely and swift, and yet, at the same time, measured by humility and faith in God. She comes to David speaking words of truth. Rather than speaking in a self-serving way, her speech is powerful and compelling because it is truth that comes from someone greater than herself. Because her words are grounded in the reality of God’s character, they are in the best interest of everyone involved.

The words she speaks may be true, but they are certainly not easy. Abigail is risking much. Yet, Abigail can be faithful to God in this moment, because God is faithful first. Her actions are rooted in who God is, so she can move into this situation without the promise of success or even safety.

A Challenge for Us: Waiting on Justice

Because we are limited and weak beings, justice on our own is just that–finite and feeble. Limited by time and the insignificance of our power, our own efforts at justice are as effective and far-reaching as throwing a pebble into the Grand Canyon. When we seek justice on our own, our perspective is skewed; we focus on ourselves and the offense against us. We fail to realize the enormity of our own offense against a perfect and holy God. We are throwing our pebble into the proverbial canyon, all the while imagining it to be a boulder.

“When I insist on my own forms of justice, I am essentially boxing God out of my life. I am refusing to make myself vulnerable towards Him.”

Justice must come from God. We are fooling ourselves if we believe that we are strong enough to even lift the boulder— much less to do with it what needs to be done.

When I insist on my own forms of justice, I am essentially boxing God out of my life. I am refusing to make  myself vulnerable towards Him. When (or if) I place the full weight of my soul and my life on who God is, then I’ll have nowhere else to go. If God is not who He says He is, and if He is not going to do what He says He will do, then would my entire life come crashing down? Am I willing to live my life in such a way that it absolutely does not make sense if God is not who He says He is?

If God isn’t just, then David is a weak fool. If God isn’t just, then Abigail is a disillusioned communicator. And if God isn’t just, then Nabal is the one coming out on top. Because, without a God who is truly just and righteous and good, we are our highest power and our greatest good. But, if God’s character is true and His justice is righteous, then we are the fools if we choose to build our lives around anything or anyone less than Him alone.