She Acted With Discretion - "He Screamed Rebukes at Them"

 Nabal had just made Abigail's situation harder than ever.  The man he had insulted as none other than David.  This was the faithful servant of Jehovah whom Samuel the prophet had anointed, revealing David as God's choice to succeed Saul as king.   (1 Samuel 16:1, 2, 11-13) On the run from the jealous and murderous King Saul, David was in the wilderness with his 600 loyal warriors.  

Nabal lived in Maon but worked and likely owned land in nearby Carmel.  Those towns lay amidst grassy  uplands for raising sheep, of which Nabal owned 3,000.  All around, though, was wild country.  To the south lay the vast wilderness of Paran.  To the east, the approach to the Salt Sea led through  the desolate wastelands riddled with ravines and caves.  In these regions David and his men  struggled to survive. no doubt hunting for their food and enduring many hardships.  They often encountered the young men who worked as shepherds for the wealthy Nabal.  

How did those hardworking soldiers treat the shepherds?  It would  have been easy for them to help themselves to a sheep now and then, but did nothing of the kind. On the contrary, they were like a protective wall around Nabal's  flocks and servants.  (Read 1 Samuel 25:15, 16) Sheep and shepherds faced plenty of dangers.  Predators abounded, and Israel's southern border was so close that bands of foreign marauders and thieves frequently attacked. 

Next time: She Acted With Discretion - "He Screamed Rebukes at Them"- Conclusion

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