ABIGAIL THE WOMAN OF FAITH AND ACTION

There are many heroes in the Bible who are given the title ‘heroes of faith’. One such woman, found somewhat hidden within the pages of the Old Testament, is Abigail, who was indeed a woman of great faith.

Abigail is one of the many women who could be considered as an underrated heroine. She is described as a woman of good understanding, of a beautiful countenance, and is introduced to us in 1 Samuel 25. Hers is an insightful, interesting and inspiring story of how the faith of one woman intercepted what could have been a story with a tragic ending.

This is how the story goes...

Abigail was married to a very wealthy man named Nabal. They owned property, servants and livestock, so they were doing very well for themselves. However, this beautiful woman of good understanding happened to be married to a fool. In one version of the Bible it literally says his name means ‘fool’ (1 Samuel 25:25 NIV).

In a nutshell, the story tells of an encounter that occurred between Nabal’s men and King David’s men, which was about to result in a potential ‘gang-style warfare’. David was raging when he heard about Nabal’s response to his request for assistance and, as a result, he devised a plan: to kill Nabal and everyone associated with him.

Abigail heard about the situation through one of her servants and was immediately forced to take action. It would be an act of great faith, considering her position as a woman in a male-dominated society. Her actions could have easily been interpreted as dishonouring and disrespectful to her husband; nevertheless, she was prepared to take that risk.

What is intriguing about the story is that Abigail clearly knew her husband because she didn’t confront him about what she had heard, neither did she consult him about her planned action. Instead, she used her intuition, her intellect and her ability to intercede to prevent the mass destruction of her household. (I urge you to read the entire chapter; it is a page-turner loaded with lessons about the power and purpose of a good woman.)

What I absolutely love about this story are the lessons it teaches us about FAITH. Abigail was a woman of great faith, and she exercised her faith in the most incredible way, fully embodying and executing what the Bible says when we are told in the book of James 2:17 about the importance of the covenant relationship between FAITH and WORKS.

‘Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone’ (James 2:17 KJV).

There are three things that stand out to me each time I read this story:

1. Abigail used her head

She had to think fast for a solution to the problem that was facing her and her household. She didn’t have the time to prolong or procrastinate.

2. Abigail used her hands

She had to use what she had within her reach to gather what she needed to get the job done. Everything she needed was right there.

3. Abigail used her heart

She pleaded with King David from the bottom of her heart. Abigail knew she didn’t have a strong case, but she had faith enough to do her best.

Abigail was faced with a life-or-death situation, literally. David was planning to annihilate her husband and everything that belonged to him, so she had to act, and fast. She activated her FAITH and got to WORK.

‘Then Abigail made haste, and took two hundred loaves, and two bottles of wine, and five sheep ready dressed, five measures of parched corn, a hundred clusters of raisins, and two hundred cakes of figs, and laid them on asses. And she said unto her servants, go on before me; behold, I come after you. But she told not her husband Nabal’ (1 Samuel 25:18-19 KJV).

The activation of Abigail’s faith makes her a legend, in my opinion. She was not prepared to allow her family or her household to be destroyed because of her husband’s foolishness, so she put her FAITH to WORK and, as a result, she won David’s favour and ultimately won his heart.

There is so much to be learned from the story of Abigail about using your head, hands and heart and doing the work. Though it may not be immediately obvious, her actions are a demonstration of great faith.