"So she fell at his feet and said: "On me, my lord, on me let this iniquity be! And please let your maidservant speak in your ears, and hear the words of your maidservant. Please, let not my lord regard this scoundrel Nabal. For as his name is, so is he: Nabal is his name, and folly is with him! But I, your maidservant, did not see the young men of my lord whom you sent." 1 Samuel 25:24-25
Above is a brief account of Abigail's intercession before David on behalf of her husband and household. This story of Abigail, the wife of Nabal, the fool, when first read, gives one the feeling that her action was not consistent with the loyalty required of a wife to her husband. Consider the following choice of words she used to describe her husband: "...this scoundrel Nabal. For as his name is, so is he: Nabal is his name, and folly is with him!" Someone may say that these are not words that a loyal wife should use to describe her husband, yet, they are true descriptions of the man.
How do we classify her action in the light of what the Apostle Paul wrote concerning the wife's submission to her husband IN ALL THINGS? When the words, "all things," are not understood in the context of the Bible, it will seem that Abigail's action was outside the perimeter of loyalty to her husband. So, let's try and understand those words, "in all things." Every time the Bible commands the doing of all things, it must be understood as being all things that are consistent with the will of God. A husband who does not make this distinction will naturally expect his wife to do whatsoever he demands of her whether or not it agrees with what God's word says.
With this in mind, let's now examine the action of Abigail and determine whether or not it was consistent with a wife's loyal commitment to her husband as required by God. Her husband, whom the Bible described as a fool, had incurred the wrath of David, and the lives of every member of his household was in danger. David was on his was to avenge himself of the dishonour and wickedness of Nabal. Then, Abigail gets a wind of what her husband had done to David, and in a bid to save her household, including her husband, she goes to meet David with all the food she had prepared. She was successful in her mission to deliver her household, including her husband, even though he died of his folly.
The question is, was her action, when viewed from the lens of Paul's writing commanding the wife to be subject to her husband, right or wrong? I believe that her action was a noble one, from whatever point it is viewed. It was a service to her husband, even though he was unworthy of such, as the end of the story shows. If Paul wrote in the days of Abigail, it is my opinion that he may have had very kind words to say about what she did. But you may think differently.
Toni
