ABIGAIL Overview
Christian women today face a major problem when they attempt to deliver themselves. Unfortunately the training in most churches today lacks in teaching the application of trusting God to deliver us. Many of us have heard and believed the phrase, “The Lord helps those who help themselves.” Some Christian women believe the Bible teaches this principle. We believe in God, “BUT” we feel that He expects us to do our part. This type thinking denies the “rest” that God wants us to find in Him. Watch out! Don’t be typically female and start complicating this. Go to the Word of God and find out just what it means to “rest” in Him.
HEBREWS 4:1,9–10
1. Therefore, let us fear lest while a promise remains of entering His rest, any one of you should seem to have come short of it. …….. 9. There remains therefore a Sabbath rest for the people of God. 10. For the one who has entered His rest has himself also rested from his works, as God did from His. [Underlining mine]
If we read the complete chapter of Hebrews 4 we will learn that our rest should be done each day and not just on the seventh day of the week. Why did God rest on the seventh day? Not because He was tired¾God is omnipotent. He rested because His work was finished. Why should we rest in faith each day? Because by faith we know that God is in control. There is nothing left for us to do. GOD DOESN’T NEED US TO FULFILL HIS PLAN. What He does do, is privilege us to participate. When He does privilege us, it will always be in accord with His perfect standard. Therefore we can know if our actions are not totally appropriate to God’s standard we are NOT RESTING. God never deviates from His standards. In examining the life of Abigail we will use this criterion.
Some who have heard of the story of Abigail assume she was an example of a godly woman and will immediately want to defend her. Please be patient as we develop her actions in comparison to the known standards of God. Understand here that it is not our intention to judge Abigail. God placed Abigail’s story in the Bible for the purpose of instruction, and thus we can be thankful. We can learn from her just as we can learn from observing the lives of others. However, for a student of the Word of God, all observation must be balanced or compared to what the Word of God says. If we do not do this, than we will be using human standards. Hopefully we all know that human solutions and standards will always fail us. Only God’s way will lead to the victory in life we all desire through Christ.
If you read the Biblical Text Studies youwill see Abigail had a lot going for her. She is extremely beautiful, intelligent, and apparently wealthy. God blessed her, but many times what God gives us in grace tends to make us feel self-sufficient. If we have been blessed with intelligence, then we depend on our quick thinking to deliver us. If we have been blessed with a beautiful appearance; then, as women, we learn to use it to deliver us. If we have been graced out with abundant means, then we start to depend on our wealth. Whatever God gives us in grace can be distorted. We call this getting our eyes off the Giver and onto the gift. Abigail exemplifies such a person. She uses her abundant blessings to deliver herself. Why would she do this? Abigail had a problem; a harsh and evil husband, and like most women, she didn’t like her problem. So, when the opportunity presented itself, she acted instead of resting in faith.
Abigail was obviously in an unhappy marriage. We evidence this by the fact that her husband didn’t miss her at his feast (read the Biblical Text Studies). Then she is told erroneously that she is in danger because of her husband. As a woman she came to a decision making place. Should she take steps to insure her future, or should she leave matters in God’s hands with faith? It is not easy to make the latter decision, and most women today would have done just exactly as Abigail did. They would do whatever they could think to do to save themselves. Many times they will also, just as Abigail, break the commandments of God in order to achieve this deliverance. God, in His grace, doesn’t “zap” them. Many times He will let them achieve their own deliverance. This is why the study of Abigail is so important. The importance comes so we can learn how God will deal with us. When we set our own goals, when we make our decisions that are opposed to God’s commands, He will not force us to change. God is such a God of free choice that it would be out of character for Him to do anything else. We need to know and understand this.
Once we understand that we have this freedom to choose then we recognize our own accountability as to why so many times our lives have gotten so miserable. Just as Abigail will not be fulfilled with her own deliverance, we will never be fulfilled and happy when we choose against the “faith/rest” life that God offers. Do we realize that had Abigail stayed out of the conflict, and God not intervened to keep David from taking revenge, that Nabal would have died ten days sooner? And, more importantly, Abigail would have had no part in contributing to this death. She would have been left a wealthy widow, free to marry again. It is a shame, but many Christian women are just like Abigail. They don’t want to wait, and let God work out the problems that they think are coming upon them. How many times each day do we think about what we expect to happen tomorrow, next week, and next month or anytime in the coming months? Then do we stop and think that God knows exactly what will happen? Do we tell ourselves that all we can do is make assumptions with our finite understanding about future events? Know this — for us to make decisions on assumptions is ludicrous when we can safely leave tomorrow and the future in God’s hands. Stop and realize that if WE get out of the way God will work all things to our good? This is what it means to develop a life of faith/rest.
Since Abigail used “flattery” to obtain favor with David it behooves us to take a scriptural look at what the Bible says about “flattery.”
DOCTRINE OF FLATTERY
1. Flattery is used for gain:
a. Approval of men. (Gal. 1:10, 1 Thess. 2:4–5, Jude 16)
b. Toward rich and powerful. (Prov. 14:20, 19:4)
2. Flattery is used to cover true motives. (Ps 5:8, 12:2, Luke 20:21–23)
3. Self-flattery hides ones own depravity. (Ps 36:2)
4. Flattery is a form of:
a. Deceit. (Ps 78:36 — promotes a lie)
b. Hypocrisy. (Ps 5:9 — used truth to cover evil)
5. Flattery is a tool of harlots and adulteresses. (Prov. 5:3, 7:5)
6. We are warned to avoid flatterers. (Prov. 20:19, 29:5; Fear approval of all men: Luke 6:26 — “Woe to you when all men speak well of you…”)
7. Flattery is destructive. (Prov. 26:28, 27:21)
8. Anti-Christ will deceive and gain power through flattery. (Dan.11:21)
a. Tool of false teachers. (2 Cor. 11:13–15)
b. New Age Movement uses flattery — “you can be God”
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Click Here to Read “Bible Text (1) — Abigail’s Conflict”
Click Here to Read “Bible Text (2) — Abigail’s Decision”
Click Here to Read “Bible Text (3) — Abigail’s Strategy for Deliverance
Click Here to Read “Bible Text (4) — Abigail Deals w/Nabal & End