HEALING THE BREACH
J.Munro
This scripture suggested itself as illustrative of wisdom and skill and grace allied to a practical provision of what would heal a breach. This is one of the critical times in David's history when, showing what might be regarded as justifiable anger, he was on his way to satisfy his feelings of vengeance, and he is prevented in the most attractive and skilful way possible by the intervention of Abigail. The scripture has often been taken up for it is so rich. The Scriptures are wonderful; time after time they can be opened up and there is always something fresh, they are inexhaustible, and divine faithfulness will always give some impression. It may not be much but, if it is a divine one, it is capable of great expansion. Do not despise the very simplest impression that you get from the reading of the Scriptures, or from remarks based on them in readings or addresses, because if it is a divine impression it is capable of great expansion.
This woman, Abigail, comes suddenly to light, no doubt sovereignly, at this critical moment of David's history, for if David had had his way on this occasion there would have been much valuable material lost. I am thinking of Nabal's young men. It is quite evident that there were at least some of them who had right instincts and right desires, and who expressed them in the right quarter and, if David had had his way, these men would have been slain and the economy would have been the poorer because of it. I have no doubt that Abigail saw all this. How unspoiled this woman was! Although linked with a man like Nabal, yet she was superior and was in no way tainted by his characteristics, because she had an appreciation of David. Instinctively, I suppose, in her soul she would experience something of the process involved in the displacement of one and the enthronement of another, and in going through that she acquired substance and wisdom and the ability to save a desperate situation. She gives practical demonstration of it. Her words were very skilful and her works were in keeping with them. Her provision was large, it was adequate. It more than covered the needs of David and hi s men at the time. Two hundred loaves, two skin-bottles of wine, five sheep ready dressed, five measures of parched corn, a hundred raisin-cakes, two hundred fig-cakes - what an outlay there was with this woman! It was something that she herself had provided and that was used in a skilful way to deflect David from his purpose. I do not know what all these things would speak of, but certainly in a general way there was food, refreshment, stimulation and healing. The loaves would provide the food, the staff of life - simple, understandable. The wine would produce the stimulation. The sheep ready dressed would speak of what was provided on the principle of sacrifice. The fruits would be for refreshment and sustenance, and healing too in the two hundred fig-cakes. That is what the prophet instructed should be put on Hezekiah's boil: a cake of figs (see Isa 38: 2). Here are two hundred fig-cakes: plenty of healing there, healing on the principle of provision, the principle of food and refreshment. This was the first practical step that this woman took in order to resolve the situation. That is something positive, refreshing and stimulating which would build up the constitution so that an abnormal situation would be resolved and made normal. It was done through the provision of food, something real and palatable, because all these things would taste pleasant, they would build up and would be enjoyable. What a picture this is of the principle upon which God has acted towards us in providing and supplying, not demanding, not seeking to pass the thing by with something meagre that would just meet the requirement and nothing else; no, but something that was full and large and adequate for the situation. Abigail sends these on before; her faith was accompanied by works, there was something substantial that David and his men could take account of.
So she meets David on the way down. Much has been said as to this, the necessity to go down. Both of them were on a right course at this particular juncture. "As she was riding on the ass, and coming down by the covert of the hill, behold, David and his men came down opposite to her; and she met them". It shows the overruling hand that would direct the movements of people that were ready to be adjusted. One thing about David that stands out is that he was always ready to be adjusted. If David was found in a wrong position he always moved quickly and was ready for adjustment. So she comes and takes up this position of taking the blame. The first thing she says is "Upon me, my lord, upon me let the iniquity be". What a beautiful spirit! Personally, I suppose, she was guiltless but she identified herself with the position as it stood and she took the proper attitude in order to meet the condition that was in David's soul at that moment: Upon me let the iniquity be. That would draw out from David a desire to protect her. That is the kind of man that David was. He was basically a righteous man and when he met this sort of thing it would immediately arouse in him his sense of justice. So she goes on to speak about Nabal. She has a judgment of Nabal, as David has. Have we a judgment of the man that cannot be improved? God was going to deal with this man. That is what she tells David in principle. She says, Leave him with the Lord, He is able for this. We need to have a clear judgment as to the man that cannot be improved, that has been set aside, that is due for nothing else but judgment, and to be able to go on and identify ourselves with the movements of the Man that went down. What remarkable skill Abigail displays! "And now, my lord, as Jehovah liveth, and as thy soul liveth, seeing Jehovah has restrained thee from coming with bloodshed". She took up a position and she used words, no doubt in faith, that were effective in David's soul. Bent as he was on destruction, yet she says in effect, Look, the Lord has prevented you, the Lord is not going to allow this. She has taken up the attitude that he is not going to do it. He responds to it right away. She makes a suggestion, she makes it in faith and dependence and David in his soul responds to it at once and from that point the danger is past. "Seeing Jehovah has restrained thee from coming with bloodshed, and from avenging thyself with thine own hand, now let thine enemies, and they that seek evil to my lord, be as Nabal". What grace, what attractiveness in the way that Abigail speaks to David! "And now this blessing which thy bondmaid has brought to my lord, let it be given to the young men... And if a man is risen up to pursue thee and to seek thy life, the soul of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of the living with Jehovah thy God". She was occupied with divine thoughts; she took a positive approach. She did not take a middle course, she did not seek to defend an evil man, but she regulated the movements of David with the way she addressed him. I have the impression, dear brethren, that in principle David saw something of the assembly at this point, he saw something (I am speaking typically) of the system of life and blessing that he was going to have a prominent place in - "the bundle of the living". That included, it may be, some of these men that he might have destroyed, those who would be under the influence of AbigaiI. AbigaiI was to have a very special place, not only in David 's estimation, but in his affections. She is a type of the assembly and I believe David saw it in principle. Brethren, let us not lose sight of the assembly. I feel, in everything that comes in amongst saints, that we do not want to lose sight of the assembly; that in everything we should have that before us. There was a suggestion in 1972 that the brethren should stop breaking bread. That, in principle, would have been giving up the idea of the assembly. I was thankful it was resisted because it was going to put the matter on the basis of a quarrel between two parties, which it was not. So the idea of the assembly and the service of God going on was maintained. I believe in all things that happen, if we seek to maintain the idea of the assembly and that it is functioning somewhere with someone in a locality, we shall be preserved from putting things on party lines. The enemy would like us to get on to party lines. He would like us to lose sight of what the real thing is, that is Christ and the assembly. Satan is seeking to attack Christ through the assembly at all times. This, I believe, came before David's mind and heart, and it has such an effect on him that, not only was he restrained from doing what he had intended to do, but he was so impressed wit h the words and attitude of this dear woman that his affections reached out to her and, after the Lord had dealt with Nabal, he sent to make her his wife. What a wonderful picture it is of the skill and discernment and sensitivity of a sister, of a woman seeing what the dangers were! Something too was aroused in David, so that he was sensitive enough, and considerate, intelligent and spiritual enough to see all she was pointing out and to see that he was on a course that would end in disaster. Because of sensitivity on her part, and answering sensitivity on his part, things that might have been a blot on his position we returned to account for his own comfort and for the well-being not only of David's men but of Nabal's men, of such at least who were under the influence of Abigail.
Dear brethren, things are so easily made abnormal and we are so easily diverted because of personal feelings, it may be, or by feelings which, though not personal exactly, are nevertheless upset because of certain conditions. We want to seek that things are normal in our movements and attitude. If there is an extreme swing of the pendulum, let us wait until it is normal before we do anything. I am not suggesting for a moment that brethren should not take up matters, but let us see that things are normal, straight up and down, and that thoughts and feelings and tensions are not such that we would do anything in a wrong way because of an abnormal state. May we be before the Lord that the healing •hat He Himself has administered so bountifully may extend through all our localities and that each one of us may come under the benefit of it, so that things are dealt with in such a way that the ultimate end is, as Luke so constantly brings before us, that God should be glorified. May it be so for His Name's sake.
GRANGEMOUTH
15 March 1975