The Cowboy King and the Fool

The Cowboy King and the Fool
Words of Faith 12-5-24
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2024
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL
www.faithfellowshipweb.com
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1 Samuel 25:1-13
[1] Now Samuel died, and all Israel assembled and mourned for him; and they buried him at his home in Ramah. Then David moved down into the Desert of Maon. [2] A certain man in Maon, who had property there at Carmel, was very wealthy. He had a thousand goats and three thousand sheep, which he was shearing in Carmel. [3] His name was Nabal and his wife's name was Abigail. She was an intelligent and beautiful woman, but her husband, a Calebite, was surly and mean in his dealings.
[4] While David was in the desert, he heard that Nabal was shearing sheep. [5] So he sent ten young men and said to them, "Go up to Nabal at Carmel and greet him in my name. [6] Say to him: 'Long life to you! Good health to you and your household! And good health to all that is yours! [7] "'Now I hear that it is sheep-shearing time. When your shepherds were with us, we did not mistreat them, and the whole time they were at Carmel nothing of theirs was missing. [8] Ask your own servants and they will tell you. Therefore be favorable toward my young men, since we come at a festive time. Please give your servants and your son David whatever you can find for them.'" [9] When David's men arrived, they gave Nabal this message in David's name. Then they waited. [10] Nabal answered David's servants, "Who is this David? Who is this son of Jesse? Many servants are breaking away from their masters these days. [11] Why should I take my bread and water, and the meat I have slaughtered for my shearers, and give it to men coming from who knows where?" [12] David's men turned around and went back. When they arrived, they reported every word. [13] David said to his men, "Put on your swords!" So they put on their swords, and David put on his. About four hundred men went up with David, while two hundred stayed with the supplies.

The story of David and Abigail is unusual. It begins with a polite request for provisions and ends with swords drawn!
David and his men functioned somewhat like cowboys in the Old West. Even though David was the anointed king of Israel, he and his men moved from place to place to find work or some provision.
David heard about a man named Nabal who had large herds of sheep and goats. It made sense to seek provisions from him. They had refrained from taking what they wanted and probably even provided some protection for Nabal's shepherds. They were not bandits, but the inquiry probably included an offer of protection and labor in shearing the sheep. Clearly, David and his men could have taken whatever they wanted and fed themselves from the ample flock of Nabal.
We don't want to miss the fact that the name Nabal actually means "fool" or "dolt" in Hebrew. The root of the word means literally "stupid, wicked, or vile." Most scholars suggest that this was not his actual name but rather a name given to him to describe his empty character and vile nature.
But the vile fool Nabal had married well. Abigail was an intelligent and beautiful woman. In many ways, we might see her as the classic "range woman" heroine of the old west movies. She was hard-working and faithful, kind and hospitable-- a beautiful and intelligent woman... who was married to a wealthy dolt.
It was the foolish and vile character of Nabal that almost got the entire family killed. When David's men came to inquire about food and provisions, Nabal could not have been more rude. He not only failed to offer hospitality to the king's men, but he insulted them by suggesting that they were nothing more than runaway slaves. In his arrogance, Nabal provoked the cowboys. There are some people you just don't insult in the Saloon.
Since David had recently become the hero of all the land after slaying Goliath the giant, it is hard to imagine that Nabal did not know who he was, but it is possible. Nabal's foolishness resulted in a near disaster. David sent a force of four hundred men back with swords ready to answer the insult. The conflict was now set up, and we will see what happens next in the verses ahead.
But this is an excellent place to stop and reflect. It is an interesting scenario. We have a beautiful and intelligent woman who is married to a rude and vile dolt. While this chapter is not a marriage manual, we will see some lessons in the verses ahead. What does one do when they are married to a rude and vile dolt?
For now, one observable lesson is that wealth and great possessions never develop character in a man. While a person of good character may be blessed with wealth, wealth is no guarantee of good character. And Wealth cannot compensate for a lack of character or wisdom. Proverbs 17:16 asks the question, "Of what use is money in the hand of a fool, since he has no desire to get wisdom?"
There are lessons ahead, but the prayer for this day is to stop and ask that we not fall into the same kind of foolishness. It is easy to be blinded by possessions and grow foolish in our wealth. We might think that we are not among the wealthy, but the sobering truth is that if we are using a computer and living in a domicile with only one family under the roof, we are among the wealthiest people in the world.
So it is good to stop and reflect upon the blessings that God has given and entrusted to us and ask the question: Have the blessings that I hold made me ruder or more hospitable? Have I held the blessings of God loosely or tightly? Have I grown arrogant or been blinded by the things entrusted to me as blessings?

Father God, I want to be a person of character. Help me to honor You by holding all of Your possessions carefully but not too tightly. Help me to express hospitality rather than reflect selfish arrogance. Open my eyes to those who come my way so that I may see the king's men who may visit and offer generously. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

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© Jeffrey D. Hoy 2024
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy - Faith Fellowship Church (EFCA)
2820 Business Center Blvd.
Melbourne, Florida 32940 (321)-259-7200
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
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The Words of Faith devotion is published five days a week by E-mail, excluding Federal holidays. Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend who might be blessed by this devotion. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2024 Jeffrey D. Hoy. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to forward this copyrighted material or use portions of it with appropriate notation of the source for non-profit purposes.