Immerse: Kingdoms Full Volume - Flipbook - Page 139
1S
| 24:16–25:15
S am u el – K I N G S
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When David had finished speaking, Saul called back, “Is that really you,
my son David?” Then he began to cry. And he said to David, “You are a
better man than I am, for you have repaid me good for evil. Yes, you have
been amazingly kind to me today, for when the Lord put me in a place
where you could have killed me, you didn’t do it. Who else would let his
enemy get away when he had him in his power? May the Lord reward you
well for the kindness you have shown me today. And now I realize that you
are surely going to be king, and that the kingdom of Israel will flourish
under your rule. Now swear to me by the Lord that when that happens
you will not kill my family and destroy my line of descendants!”
So David promised this to Saul with an oath. Then Saul went home, but
David and his men went back to their stronghold.
Now Samuel died, and all Israel gathered for his funeral. They buried him
at his house in Ramah.
Then David moved down to the wilderness of Maon. There was a wealthy
man from Maon who owned property near the town of Carmel. He had
3,000 sheep and 1,000 goats, and it was s heep-shearing time. This man’s
name was Nabal, and his wife, Abigail, was a sensible and beautiful woman.
But Nabal, a descendant of Caleb, was crude and mean in all his dealings.
When David heard that Nabal was shearing his sheep, he sent ten of his
young men to Carmel with this message for Nabal: “Peace and prosperity
to you, your family, and everything you own! I am told that it is sheep-
shearing time. While your shepherds stayed among us near Carmel, we
never harmed them, and nothing was ever stolen from them. Ask your own
men, and they will tell you this is true. So would you be kind to us, since we
have come at a time of celebration? Please share any provisions you might
have on hand with us and with your friend David.” David’s young men
gave this message to Nabal in David’s name, and they waited for a reply.
“Who is this fellow David?” Nabal sneered to the young men. “Who
does this son of Jesse think he is? There are lots of servants these days who
run away from their masters. Should I take my bread and my water and my
meat that I’ve slaughtered for my shearers and give it to a band of outlaws
who come from who knows where?”
So David’s young men returned and told him what Nabal had said. “Get
your swords!” was David’s reply as he strapped on his own. Then 400 men
started off with David, and 200 remained behind to guard their equipment.
Meanwhile, one of Nabal’s servants went to Abigail and told her, “David
sent messengers from the wilderness to greet our master, but he screamed
insults at them. These men have been very good to us, and we never suffered any harm from them. Nothing was stolen from us the whole time