 Let me start with a question. What parts of the Bible would you turn to if you were seeking God's wisdom for your life? If your answer is Proverbs or maybe the Psalms, Ecclesiastes or Job, that's no surprise. Since these are known as the biblical wisdom books, books of biblical wisdom literature. Biblical wisdom literature typically has the following characteristics. Firstly, it often categorizes people according to their behavior into one of two categories at opposite extremes. The wise and the foolish or the righteous and the wicked or the lazy and the diligent. And these pairs are often juxtaposed in the same verse, which really brings out the contrast between them. The fool is used as a foil for the wise person that is to say he's like a dark background against which the brightness of the wise one can shine. Secondly, biblical wisdom literature has an ethical and a moral dimension. It's not just knowledge. It's about discerning between good and evil and knowing how to apply it in real life. And finally, biblical wisdom is either presented philosophically like contemplation that we see in Job or Ecclesiastes, or otherwise it's immensely pragmatic and down to earth like we see in the Proverbs. Today I want to examine a passage for the wisdom that conveys to us, but it's not found among the wisdom books. I'm talking about First Samuel and we're looking at chapter 25. The genre is historical narrative. Thanks, Michel, can we change slides? The story is set at Carmel in Judea, about here on the map. Well, you can see it on the map. And it's about 3,000 years ago and there are only three main characters, so it's easy to follow. The opening and closing verses are factual records. Verse 1 tells about Samuel's death and David's return to the wilderness. And at the end, closing verses, it speaks of David's wives. But these are just factual records and they form a frame around the main plot that we're going to examine today. That's the meat in the middle, verses 2 through 42. Now the narrative starts by speaking of the wealth of a farmer even before mentioning his name. Verse 3 tips us off that a drama is about to unfold. It's designed to create suspense and we see it right away. Thanks, Michel. The name of the man was fool and the name of his wife was my father rejoices. Now the woman was good of insight and beautiful of appearance. The first character's name is Nabal or in Hebrew, Naval. That could be read as Navel, which means a harp, the musical instrument. Probably that's what his parents had in mind when they named him. But the Masoretic scribes who added the vowel points weren't so kind. And pointed him as Naval, which means fool. His wife, on the other hand, brings joy to her father. In case one missed it, the writer hammers his message home with the starkly contrasting description of the couple. Whereas he's a fool, she's of good understanding. A phrase that is connected to the Psalms and the Proverbs that speak of wisdom. More than that, she's beautiful. And when you see that in the Bible, you meant to remember the matriarch, Sarah, Rebecca and Rachel, who were also beautiful. But it also speaks of their having special divine destinies. Thanks, Michel. And then in a chiastic sort of way, the last bit of this verse says the man was stubborn and evil of deeds. And he was Calibor. What does this mean? Literally Calibor means like his heart, or as his heart. Perhaps that was a way of saying, as his heart was, so was he. In other words, his boorish nature was evident in his behavior. Jewish scribes reckon it should say Calibi, Calibite. But the Septuagint interpreters took it as Kalev, the dog. So as an adjective. So it says he was dog-like. I doubt this reading. And I would suggest that the cup should be at bet. In which case it would say, Belibor in his heart. Keeping in mind that the word for he can also mean it. So, and it refers back to the evil in the previous phrase. So I'm saying that it evil was in his heart. And I think that probably works best in my understanding. Well, let's see how the characters develop. David and his men had predicted Naval's shepherds from raiders for a long time in the wilderness. But now they are in need and Naval is having a feast. Not a holy festival, but a booze up with copious amounts of food. David sends 10 youngsters to ask for food with humble and very gracious speech. He's very specific about how to greet Naval. Thanks, Michelle. But Naval replies like a wicked fool. Who's David? Well, this is absurd. He obviously knows who David is because David slew Goliath. And David had been anointed as Saul by Samuel, sorry, as the next king of Israel to replace Saul. And David's men were the ones who had been keeping Naval's men safe from the field. Note that Naval also implicitly slurs Jesse, dishonoring David's father. Naval goes even further, portraying David and his men as rebels, breaking away from the presence of their masters. Because David was on the run from Saul. The reality, as we know, was he was not a rebel, but the contrary. So we see that Naval has not cultivated the habit of giving a soft answer. Thank you, Michelle. Naval pretends that he's roughing it on bread and water. Though he admits also meat without enough food to provide for his own sheep shearers if he shares with David. Complete lie. Note the repeated use of the first person possess a pronoun. And may as well have said, mine, mine, mine. So David's men are sent back empty handed. Only Naval had good sense. He could have had a great destiny, but his pride and his greed got in the way. Thanks, Michelle. Fortunately, one of Naval's servants apprehended the danger of the situation and told Abigail what happened, adding, And so then know and consider what you should do for evil as we decided against our master and against all his household. And he is such a wicked man. Nobody can reason with him. I'm sure we've all had that kind of exasperation. So we can sense the urgency, but there's a real danger here. Thanks, Michelle. I'm skipping to verse 21. And David is outraged when he hears the response from Naval. He returned evil against me instead of in place of good. Well, as the proverb warns, evil will not depart from such a person's house. Thanks, Michelle. So David bound himself with an oath to wipe out Naval's entire camp. And he's coming with 400 armed men. The verse 13 tells us speaks three times of men strapping on their swords. But David's intention wasn't right. Vengeance belongs to the Lord. And we ought not to shortchange him by incurring guilt and incur a guilt by taking revenge ourselves. Thanks, Michelle. Back in verse 18, Abigail hasn't delayed. Without telling her husband, she goes out with an enormous amount of food, including five prepared sheep. She's taking these out without anyone even noticing. This is how much food they have. She wisely sends these ahead of her. Which reminded me of Jacob's strategy when approaching Esau after his exile in Iran. And Abigail's haste and her gift really exhibit her wisdom. As it is written, the prudent sees trouble coming and hides. The simple go on and they suffer for it. In today's English, we would say the fool is reactive while the wise person is proactive. Of course, Abigail isn't literally hiding, but by taking prompt action, she is hiding. She's hiding from danger. There are so many examples in scripture where wisdom is shown by someone taking prompt action to a virtual crisis, even if it's risky to themselves. It's very inspiring and it shows that wisdom. I submit to you that it takes divine wisdom to discern exactly when and how to act in those situations. And that courage that it takes can only be born of the conviction that we are God's agents for change in this world. Interestingly, verse 20 of our narrative says that Abigail approached David by setar pahar, which means either in the ravine of the mountain or it can be interpreted under the cover of the mountain and the secrecy of the mountain. You get the point. The verb form of that same word, str, is to hide. And we see it in that first proverb that I've given there. The prudent sees trouble coming and hides. The second proverb, 2114, uses exactly the same expression that was used of Abigail when she came down the mountain, the satyr, and it interprets it in secret. And Abigail's gift is a secret, at least to her husband. But the point really is that her gift quenched David's fiery anger. Then Abigail dismounted and felt prostrate before David. Never mind the mud in the bottom of the valley and the animal dung on her lovely dress and skin. Thanks, Michelle. Listen to the cadence of her confession in Hebrew. I don't know how I've worn. I'm sure she practiced it over again. She was humbling herself, crossing herself down on the ground. On me, my Lord, is the guilt. Excuse the pun, but her words were disarming. David's men were armed. We know that this guilt claim is untrue. But remember, she's an interceding, not only for her husband, but also for herself and for her entire household. So she continues, please let your female servant speak to you personally. Hear the words of your female servant. And then she proceeds to distance herself immediately from her husband. As Goldingé paraphrased her words, Naval is full by name and full by nature. And by contrast, Abigail reveals her Christ-like character, I would say, in her words and her actions. I put this together. She did not consider equality with David, something to be grasped, but emptied herself of her status and considerable estate. Taking on the form of a slave. Therefore, God exalted her and gave her a good name, wife of David, king of Israel. Wires in her ways, wires in her words, the exact opposite of her husband. While biblical wisdom literature constructs abstract stereotypes of the wires and the foolish. Abigail and Naval are incarnations of wisdom and folly. Thanks, Michelle. And Abigail's speech is not only humble, but it's cunning. And she seems to have prophetic insight. In verse 28, she starts by asking forgiveness of her transgression, though already expressed she never even heard about David's messages until it was too late. Then she continues, the Lord will surely make for my Lord a lasting dynasty. Thus she prophesied that the house of David would endure forever. Indeed, the very first claim in the New Testament is that Jesus is the son of David. In the Gabriel whom Gabriel had announced, the Lord will give him the throne of his father, David. And he will reign over the house of Jacob forever. And of his kingdom, there will be no end. Abigail also acknowledged that David was already effectively Israel's military commander. My Lord is fighting the battles of the Lord. Thanks, Michelle. In verse 29, Abigail alludes to two of David's enemies in sharp contrast to him. Could a man arise to pursue you and to seek your life? Well, that would be King Saul. And then by reference to a sling and an enemy, she alludes also to Goliath. As for the life of your enemy, he will sling it from within the pouch of the sling. And sandwiched in between these two effective curses of David's enemies, she pronounces a blessing of David. May the life of my Lord be wrapped in the bag of the living with the Lord your God. Thanks, Michelle. Well, Abigail's prophetic insight continues in verse 30. When the Lord does for my Lord all the good he promised and appoints you ruler over Israel, dot, dot, dot. And she ends with, when the Lord does good to my Lord, then remember your servant. Well, the plot reaches a climax in the transition to David's response starting verse 32. What's he going to do? With his very first words, thanks, Michelle, David breaks the suspense. Blessed be the God, the Lord God of Israel. David has perceived Abigail's intervention as divine providence. He quickly sprouts out three blessings and succession. He blesses the Lord. He blesses Abigail's discernment, a reference to her wisdom. And he blessed Abigail herself. Her confession on her husband's behalf was enough for him to overturn his vow to wipe out Naval's household. By making another vow that annulls the first one. And this is an opportunity to repent and he's quick to take it. And he explicitly credits God with this intervention. But he also credits Abigail as the one who served as God's agent in this deliverance. David's first blessing reminds me of the prophetic words, prophetic blessing of Zechariah regarding Jesus who was in the womb at the time, which begins with exactly the same words. Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel. Because he has visited and redeemed his people. And he goes on to say, it has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant, David. Still alluding to Abigail's wording regarding the enduring house. The lasting dynasty. David received Abigail's gift and sent her home in Shalom. He says, see, I've heard your voice and I've lifted up your face. This is mirroring perhaps the actual physical actions of lifting her from the ground. Abigail had fallen on her face. She was bowed down to the ground at David's feet. But now she can lift her head up high and go home in peace and safety. But the wisdom is not in her alone. David's repentance from his fury and intended murders would prove to be a wise move. Because then he could ascend to the throne with a clean track record. Thanks, Michelle. David said, Blessed be your discretion. And blessed are you who have prevented me this day from blood guilt and from delivering myself by my own hand. David's blessings convey wisdom in a somewhat liturgical formula. Even as Elizabeth filled with the Holy Spirit cried out to Mary, blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And blessed is she who believed that there will be a fulfillment to what was spoken to her from the Lord. Blessings are in fact among the literary forms of biblical wisdom. Actually Jesus Beatitudes and the Sermon on the Mount are most applicable. One to Abigail, blessed are the humble because they will inherit the earth. And to David, blessed are the merciful because they will be shown mercy. Thanks, Michelle. Well, we've passed the climax, but the story isn't over. Abigail is still stuck in a dead-end marriage. When she returns home, she finds the full drunken Mary feasting like a king. That was in verse 36. Did anyone notice that he hadn't even missed his wife? Well, wisely Abigail kept her mouth shut. And then in the morning, when the wine had gone out of Neval, she told him these words, what she had spoken with David. It says, then his heart died within him and he became like a stern. Thanks, Michelle. It seems that he had a heart attack or perhaps a stroke. In any case, he had time to repent, but it seems that he didn't because about 10 days later, the Lord struck Neval and he died. What was most striking for me in this passage was the time period. There are 10 days from the Festival of Trumpets to the Day of Atonement. From when the Shafar is heard in Israel, a call to repentance until judgment day. There are several other instances in the Bible where people are tried for 10 days. There's wisdom to be learned from the fool in our narrative. Repent while there's still time. Thanks, Michelle. So when David hears news of Neval's death, he responds with a second blessing of the Lord. Baruch Adonai Yashir Rav et Rive, blessed be the Lord who has vindicated the case of my reproach from the hand of Neval. And he has kept back his servant from evil. But the Lord has returned the evil of Neval on his own head. It's clever wording and it contains the last of seven mentions of evil in the passage, which are balanced by seven mentions of good in the same curriculum. The author has embedded these word pairs in the plot for a careful reader to note and learn wisdom from. The psalmist used similar wording. Riva Rive or Goleni plead my cause and redeem me. Quite inspiring. Let's go to the next slide, please. We reached near the end of this story. And in our last scene, David remembers in the Hebrew sense that is with action. He remembers Abigail and sends his messages to take her for his wife. Again, she's extremely humble and makes haste to respond. Her bowing down again face to the ground helped me to note something interesting in this story. First one said that David went down to the wilderness. Neval was in a higher location. In verse five, David tells his lads to go up to Carmel. Abigail comes down from Carmel, down into the ravine, down from the donkey, down into the mud, face down to the ground. And it's in this low point that she meets David and her destiny has changed. Whilst her husband, who's on the higher point, he falls from this loftier bird down into Sheol. There's a reversal of positions that invites us to humble ourselves, lest we fall from our own self-exaltation. Wisdom indeed. Thanks, Michelle. Our parochipi lacks philosophical reflections and pragmatic imperatives, so common in biblical wisdom literature. But if we step back from the fine details of the account, there's plenty of wisdom for us to take in as we look at the broad brushstrokes of the canvas. The plot and its characters, big reflection on our own lives, what kind of person we might be depicted as when all is said and done. On the other hand, as we zoom in to view the fine details, we see the down-to-earth responses of a true woman of valor, one who has to face real existential threats without the support of her no-good husband. We brought the trouble on in the first place. She had to take responsibility and make decisions in the moment, yet she does so with grace and cunning, pragmatism and virtue. Her words are eloquent and moving, and they show a devotion to God. She's gorgeous, which is at least partly to her credit, since she had to overcome the temptations that come with wealth, gluttony and drunkenness. Yet she remains humble even after she's been summoned to marry the king. So not only did David choose her, but God chose her too. Publical wisdom literature is not really a genre in and of itself. It is conveyed in diverse genres, most commonly the same type of proverb. We do see it in prose with dialogue and speeches and confessions and beatitudes. So we see these forms in 1 Samuel 25. But I would add that it's also woven into the fabric of the plot. What the characters actually do? So I'm left wondering if scholars haven't perhaps overlooked a genre of biblical wisdom literature, namely historical narrative. May the Lord fill our hearts with his wisdom so that the words of our mouths and the deeds of our hands become pleasing to him in every way. Amen. Thank you for your time.