Verse of the Day: 1 Samuel 25:40-41, When the servants of David had come to Abigail at Carmel, they spoke to her saying, “David sent us to you, to ask you to become his wife.” 41 Then she arose, bowed her face to the earth, and said, “Here is your maidservant, a servant to wash the feet of the servants of my lord.”
This is a very interesting proposal by David, and acceptance by Abigail, who was married to a very wealthy man, and was now a widow. We may not think much of what is written here, but stop and ponder what is happening and how it pictures us and our Savior. David, who was already anointed to be king of Israel was running and hiding from Saul, who sought to take his life. Abigail, who had everything she could want, as far as the world is concerned, left all to accept David’s proposal and be with him in the wilderness. Why would she do such a thing? Why not stay and live comfortably, rather than turn to a life of suffering with a man who has not offered her much in exchange for a “yes” to his proposal? The answer is found in what Abigail said to David in verses 30-31, “And it shall come to pass, when the LORD has done for my lord according to all the good that He has spoken concerning you, and has appointed you ruler over Israel, 31 that this will be no grief to you, nor offense of heart to my lord, either that you have shed blood without cause, or that my lord has avenged himself. But when the LORD has dealt well with my lord, then remember your maidservant.” It was obvious that Abigail had already heard that someday David would officially be crowned king of Israel. Although all that she could gain for the moment was a life of wandering and hiding in the wilderness, she was willing to suffer and leave her earthly possessions behind to be joined to a man who would someday be king; not because he made the promise, but because she was relying on God’s promise to elevate David. That is an acceptance of a proposal by faith. All that was visible to Abigail was a man who was running for his life. Yet, by faith she trusted that God would be faithful to the promise made to David. Note her humble response to said proposal. She did not become arrogant or self-righteous about her standing as the wife of a future king. No, instead, she immediately humbled herself to be a servant to those who serve her future husband (a servant to servants). Wow! Would that not transform us as followers of Jesus if we had the same attitude in respect to leaving the world behind and serving the Lord with humility? Those of us who have called upon Jesus, the Lamb who laid down His life for us, have yet to see what the Lord has in store for us. We accepted His proposal to be His bride, looking ahead to the promise of eternal life and His coming Kingdom, when He will return, not as a Lamb, but as a Lion, the King of kings and Lord of lords. Knowing that God is faithful to His Word and keeps every promise, do we now serve Him with humility, willing to be a servant to whomever He chooses for us to serve? Do we see others as better than ourselves, with a willingness to perform the lowest of duties in order to be obedient in our service to the Lord? Do we serve with the humility stated in Philippians 2:3-4, “Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. 4 Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.”? Have we truly forsaken the world and its worthless offerings now that we are following Jesus or are we still friends of the world (James 4:4)? Are we taking up our cross daily and following the Lord (Luke 9)? Abigail was truly a woman to be admired, and David was blessed to have her as his wife. He wisely recognized her inner beauty. Outer beauty fades, but inner beauty is lasting. So it should be with us as followers of Jesus. We must allow the Holy Spirit to change us and make us beautiful from the inside out. As we will see in future devotionals, Abigail was choosing to follow a man who, although was a man after God’s own heart, was far from perfect. She would nonetheless not waver in her role as his wife and would continue to follow him, even in those days when his faith would falter and he would make choices that were not the wisest. Yet, she was willing to suffer in order to see the promise fulfilled of her husband becoming the future king. Are we enduring, by faith, the suffering we are called to endure for the glory of God? Are we willing to walk through wilderness times, being steadfast, and continuing to serve, even though what we see may seem hopeless? Are we holding on to the hope we have in the promises made to us by the Lord Himself and not turning back to the comforts of the world? The bottom line is that as we walk with the Lord, whatever we are called to endure will not compare to what lies ahead for us who have inherited the Kingdom in Christ. Romans 8:18 states it best, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” Are we looking ahead to the promise?
Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).
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