Abigail is a Hebrew name which means father’s source of Joy. Abigail in the Bible was one of the female personalities that received prominence in the Bible, married to Nabal who acted foolishly and selfishly.
The scripture in 1 Samuel 25:3 described Abigail as a beautiful woman imbued with the spirit of discernment. Because of her discerning spirit, Abigail saved her household from destruction.
She was proactive in her thoughts and actions. She is an example of a proverbs 31 woman worthy of emulation by 21st-century women.
Who was Abigail in the Bible?
Abigail is a name that was given to one of the female characters in the Bible. Abigail was married to a wealthy man, Nabal.
She had many remarkable characteristics that stood her out in that generation of women. After the death of Abigail’s first husband Nabal, she got married to king David, the king that saved the lives of her household
What did Abigail in the Bible do?
Abigail was proactive and this particular quality in her saved her household from David’s wrath and anger. The book of 1st Samuel chapter 25 says everything in its entirety about Abigail.
King David needed assistance from Nabal owing to how rich he was but he treated the king’s servant with disdain and this kindled the king’s wrath.
The king’s servant journeyed for the destruction of Nabal’s servants, and his entire family.
One of the King’s servants had told Abigail of the plan and she hastened to save her household from the destruction that was supposed to bury her entire family below six feet.
She was hasty and concise in decision-making despite the short period available for her to save her household.
Abigail had a descending spirit, she was generous.
Just like the Bible says, the gift of a man opens ways for him, Abigail’s gifts to King David didn’t only preserve her family, but she equally became David’s Queen after the demise of her husband.
She was a mediator between her husband and king David. She was discrete in her moves to save her family from the wrath of King David.
Despite the untoward nature of her husband, Abigail was submissive and respectful to her first husband, Nabal.
Is Abigail in the Bible Worthy of Emulation?
Of course, yes. Abigail’s characters are worth emulating by women in our contemporary society. She set enviable and remarkable examples that are pertinent to abide by and practice by Christian women.
There are striking characteristics of Abigail in the Bible that should be looked after and emulated by contemporary women.
These attributes can be learned from Abigail as lifeline guidance in the best decision-making, in urgent and complicated situations.
These characteristics can be emulated by both male and female folks; it is not gender specific. Read through, as we discuss what to learn from Abigail.
1. The Biblical Abigail was beautiful.
1st Samuel 25:3
“Now the name of the man was Nabal and the name of his wife Abigail. The woman was discerning and beautiful, but the man was harsh and badly behaved; he was a Calebite.”
1st Samuel 25:3 (ESV)
Abigail was beautiful even when she was married to a mean man.
She never allowed the characteristics of her husband to weigh her down and she did not allow her position as a rich man’s wife to kill the spirit of humility in her.
Abigail was not like the married women of nowadays that could have supported their husbands without hearing from both sides of the party.
She condemned in totality all of her husband’s acts and she said the truth as raw as it was and God touched king David’s heart to show her mercy. Abigail used her beauty to her advantage.
1st Samuel 25:17
“Now therefore know this and consider what you should do, for harm is determined against our master and against all his house, and he is such a worthless man that one cannot speak to him.”
1st Samuel 25:17 (ESV)
For the sake of her husband’s safety, Abigail considered the king more than her husband to save him and his household.
She swiftly swung into action and her household was saved.
2. Abigail in the Bible had a Discerning Spirit.
1st Samuel 25:18
“Then Abigail made haste and took two hundred loaves and two skins of wine and five sheep already prepared and five seahs of parched grain and a hundred clusters of raisins and two hundred cakes of figs, and laid them on donkeys.”
1st Samuel 25:18 (ESV)
The biblical Abigail had a quickening spirit. She was able to know and tell impending danger and she acted promptly. Immediately Abigail heard what the husband did, she envisioned the enormity of his actions.
To salvage the situation, she took appropriate steps to clean her husband’s mess and make amends for his actions and utterances.
Abigail did not delay. It can only be the directive of the Holy Spirit of God that can give the kind of instructions and directives she carried out.
3. Abigail was Hasty with her Decision making
1st Samuel 25:23
“When Abigail saw David, she hurried and got down from the donkey and fell before David on her face and bowed to the ground.”
1st Samuel 25:23 (ESV)
These Bible verses prove to us that Abigail understands the danger of procrastination, then, she made haste, and took the right decision that led to the preservation of her family and her entire household.
She reached out to king David and her generosity supersedes the expectations of king David.
She presented gifts commiserating to the standard of a king. This singular act of generosity instantly reversed the king’s heart and her household received the king’s favour.
4. Abigail was Discrete in her Utterances
1st Samuel 25:19
“And she said to her young men, “Go on before me; behold, I come after you.” But she did not tell her husband Nabal.”
1st Samuel 25:19 (ESV)
Abigail was discrete in her moves towards saving her family from danger. She concealed her moves and executed her plans effectively for the preservation of her family.
The husband Nabal probably would have stopped her from taking the right decision and making good moves.
She knew what was right, implement it and saved her entire household from the danger that could have befell them.
5. Abigail in the Bible was a Mediator, Bold and Courageous
1st Samuel 25:28
“Please forgive the trespass of your servant. For the LORD will certainly make my Lord a sure house, because my Lord is fighting the battles of the LORD, and evil shall not be found in you so long as you live.”
1st Samuel 25:28 (ESV)
As a woman, Abigail did not belittle herself in any way, she counted herself worthy of approaching and interceding on behalf of her husband before King David.
Her gender could have been a total turn-off because there was no man to stand in for her, Abigail was bold and courageous.
She played the role of a mediator in a very excellent way to the extent that the king’s heart was pacified.
6. Abigail in the Bible was Imbued with Wisdom
1st Samuel 25:38-41
“And about ten days later the LORD struck Nabal, and he died. When David heard that Nabal was dead, he said,
“Blessed be the LORD who has avenged the insult I received at the hand of Nabal, and has kept back his servant from wrongdoing. The LORD has returned the evil of Nabal on his own head.”
“Then David sent and spoke to Abigail, to take her as his wife. When the servants of David came to Abigail at Carmel, they said to her, “David has sent us to you to take you to him as his wife.”
“And she rose and bowed with her face to the ground and said, “Behold, your handmaid is a servant to wash the feet of the servants of my lord.”
1st Samuel 25:38-41 (ESV)
Abigail never supported nor encouraged the husband’s wrongdoing.
She spoke up and God saw the transparency in her heart and soul, God seeing her sincerity punished the husband, Nabal instead of the wife and the household.
Through wisdom, Abigail exempted herself and her family from the calamity that could have befallen her. She condemned her husband’s actions and God showed mercy on her.
There are so many women in our today’s society that could have worsened the situation by the words of their mouths and their actions but Abigail was different, she never allowed the king to take vengeance into his hands.
7. Abigail in the Bible was Respectful
1st Samuel 25:37
“In the morning, when the wine had gone out of Nabal, his wife told him these things, and his heart died within him, and he became as a stone.”
1st Samuel 25:37 (ESV)
Even when Abigail had known that her husband had done something wrong and out of place she waited for him to be out of wine to make the necessary corrections for the sake of her husband’s image and the image of her family.
Although she condemned the husband’s behavior in totality, she did not make a public display of her bravery, she did not seek any attention, that was wisdom in the display.
Although God punished him by taking his life, no other person knew the sin he committed, except his wife and king David.
Conclusion
As a wife and as a better half, what do you do when your husband or your wife is going off the scriptural track?
Abigail in the Bible could be likened to the Proverbs 31 woman. She was beautiful, and she with wisdom built her home and preserved her entire household.
She was submissive and imbued with the discerning spirit that amplified her mediating duty between her erring husband and King David.
Like the Proverbs 31 woman, Abigail in the Bible was generous, her gifts to the King saved her family from destruction. Even amid her husband’s misbehaviour, she respected him while interfering with her family.
Abigail is an example of a woman in the Bible whose character is worth emulating for the sake of the upcoming Christian wives.
It is pertinent for every Christian wife to learn from these excellent attributes and characteristics of Abigail in the Bible.
As we live every day to perfect our lives as Godly wives, may God imbue us with the right spirit of Abigail for the general benefit of our families, church, and community.