IN TOUCH DAILY DEVOTIONAL 23 MAY 2024 BY DR. CHARLES STANLEY, THURSDAY MESSAGE
TOPIC: Learning to Pause
SCRIPTURE: 1 Samuel 25:20-35
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20 It came about as she was riding on her donkey and coming down by the hidden part of the mountain, that behold, David and his men were coming down toward her; so she met them.
21 Now David had said, “Surely in vain I have guarded all that this man has in the wilderness, so that nothing was missed of all that belonged to him; and he has returned me evil for good.
22 “May God do so to the enemies of David, and more also, if by morning I leave as much as one male of any who belong to him.”
23 When Abigail saw David, she hurried and dismounted from her donkey, and fell on her face before David and bowed herself to the ground.
24 She fell at his feet and said, “On me alone, my lord, be the blame. And please let your maidservant speak to you, and listen to the words of your maidservant.
25 “Please do not let my lord pay attention to this worthless man, Nabal, for as his name is, so is he. Nabal is his name and folly is with him; but I your maidservant did not see the young men of my lord whom you sent.
26 “Now therefore, my lord, as the LORD lives, and as your soul lives, since the LORD has restrained you from shedding blood, and from avenging yourself by your own hand, now then let your enemies and those who seek evil against my lord, be as Nabal.
27 “Now let this gift which your maidservant has brought to my lord be given to the young men who accompany my lord.
28 “Please forgive the transgression of your maidservant; for the LORD will certainly make for my lord an enduring house, because my lord is fighting the battles of the LORD, and evil will not be found in you all your days.
29 “Should anyone rise up to pursue you and to seek your life, then the life of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of the living with the LORD your God; but the lives of your enemies He will sling out as from the hollow of a sling.
30 “And when the LORD does for my lord according to all the good that He has spoken concerning you, and appoints you ruler over Israel,
31 this will not cause grief or a troubled heart to my lord, both by having shed blood without cause and by my lord having avenged himself. When the LORD deals well with my lord, then remember your maidservant.”
32 Then David said to Abigail, “Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, who sent you this day to meet me,
33 and blessed be your discernment, and blessed be you, who have kept me this day from bloodshed and from avenging myself by my own hand.
34 “Nevertheless, as the LORD God of Israel lives, who has restrained me from harming you, unless you had come quickly to meet me, surely there would not have been left to Nabal until the morning light as much as one male.”
35 So David received from her hand what she had brought him and said to her, “Go up to your house in peace. See, I have listened to you and granted your request.”
In Touch Daily Devotional 23 May 2024 – MESSAGE
How do you respond when someone mistreats you? Are you quick to judge that person, cataloging all the reasons you didn’t deserve to be treated so unfairly? That was David’s initial response when the fair treatment he expected was denied.
David, while still on the run from Saul, sent men from his army to request provisions from Nabal, a rich man in the area. David felt sure Nabal would look favorably on him and meet the needs of his army. Not only would that have been customary, but David had also earned the favor by protecting Nabal’s flocks. Yet the request, though reasonable, was scornfully rejected.
When we feel spurned, mistreated, or unappreciated, it can cause us to respond in a way that only makes the situation worse. In David’s case, his anger flared and he set out for revenge. But before he and his 400 warriors could make it to their destination, Nabal’s wife Abigail intercepted them, falling on her face to apologize for her husband’s behavior and to reason with David.
In that moment, David had a choice to make. He could either charge right past her, fueled by his own rage and need for justice, or he could pause (James 1:19). God gave him the wisdom to make the better choice. The next time anger erupts in your heart, will you follow David’s example and stop to listen to wisdom?
Bible in One Year: Ezra 1-4
Thought for Today: When anger flares, stop to ask for God’s wisdom.
For more biblical teaching and resources from Dr. Charles Stanley, please visit www.intouch.org.
