“Praise
be to the Lord, who … has kept his servant from doing wrong.” (v.39)
Today's
passage is yet another example of God's providential care for David, but this
time God's protection has a twist. In previous chapters, God protected David
from the hand of others. In 1 Samuel 25, God protected David from
doing harm to others.
The
story is well-known. David's men asked the fool Nabal for provisions. Nabal
hurled insults, and David gathered his men for a vindictive slaughter. It all
would have been over quickly if not for the intelligent and resourceful
Abigail, who intervened with provisions and apologies. She convinced David to
rethink the matter.
While
David was set on exacting his own revenge (v.24), Abigail's wisdom brought God
back into the picture: “Since the Lord has kept you … from avenging yourself
with your own hands, … ” avoid “the staggering burden of needless bloodshed”
(vv. 26-31, 34). In other words, think about what you're doing; this is not the
way of God's anointed!
In
God's providence, He sent Abigail to bring David to his senses, and even David
realized the fact: “Praise be to the Lord, who … has kept His servant from
doing wrong” (v. 39). David saw God's providential hand and responded with
humility and gratitude for God's preventive care. In the end, Nabal's death
still occurred (v.37), but by God's means, not by David's rage. Through God's
restraining providence, David avoided the sin of needless bloodshed.
God's
providential care works not only to protect us from the harm of others, but also from ourselves. Scripture reminds us today that we should be just as thankful
for being kept from sinning as from being delivered from suffering.
The
Truth
“You
are my hiding place; You shall preserve me from trouble; You shall
surround me with songs of deliverance.” (Psalm 32:7)
