“Streams of mercy, never ceasing, call for songs of loudest praise.”
The lyrics throughout the beloved hymn “Come, thou fount of every blessing” speak to different ways God shows his mercy toward us…Mercy that rescues us from danger and Mercy that rescues us from ourselves. From our own wandering.
Mercy is something that King David had experienced on countless occasions. He wrote of God’s mercy all over the Psalms. Not just mercy in the form of rescue from his enemies, but mercy in the form of rescue from himself…God’s protection that kept him from doing evil.
There is a story from David’s life that I’ve been drawn to recently where God showed his mercy, provision and deliverance when David was tempted to do evil…
Devotional:
Let’s set the scene…
Saul is pursuing David, seeking to kill him. David is fleeing from Saul in the wilderness and is about to go through a time of testing (A time of testing in the wilderness…where have we heard that one before?). David has been guiltless in his actions up to this point. In 1 Samuel 24, David has already had the opportunity to kill Saul who was in a vulnerable position inside a cave. He could easily have chosen to take vengeance…but David spares Saul.
When David’s men try to push him to take the opportunity and kill his enemy, David replies with this:
He said to his men, “The Lord forbid that I should do this thing to my lord, the Lord’s anointed, to put out my hand against him, seeing he is the Lord’s anointed.” 7 So David persuaded his men with these words and did not permit them to attack Saul. And Saul rose up and left the cave and went on his way. – 1 Samuel 24:6-7 ESV
David shows mercy and will not bring guilt on himself by killing one who had been anointed by God. Vengeance is not his to take for himself…he knows that vengeance belongs to the Lord in His time. David passes this test. But watch what happens in the very next chapter…
Then David rose and went down to the wilderness of Paran. 2 And there was a man in Maon whose business was in Carmel. The man was very rich; he had three thousand sheep and a thousand goats. He was shearing his sheep in Carmel. 3 Now the name of the man was Nabal, and the name of his wife Abigail. The woman was discerning and beautiful, but the man was harsh and badly behaved; he was a Calebite. 4 David heard in the wilderness that Nabal was shearing his sheep. -1 Samuel 25:1b-4 ESV
Nabal, a man with vast resources, is approached by David’s men after they had been traveling through the wilderness. This is a feast day where there would have been an abundance of food to spare. David instructs his men to ask for some provisions. David felt this was a reasonable request, especially considering that while they were in the wilderness…David and his men had acted as protection for Nabal’s shepherds. Nabal’s shepherd even confirm this saying:
Yet the men were very good to us, and we suffered no harm, and we did not miss anything when we were in the fields, as long as we went with them. 16 They were a wall to us both by night and by day, all the while we were with them keeping the sheep. -1 Samuel 25:15-16 ESV
Despite this kindness and protection David (A shepherd himself) provided for Nabal’s flocks, Nabal responds with this:
And Nabal answered David’s servants, “Who is David? Who is the son of Jesse? There are many servants these days who are breaking away from their masters. 11 Shall I take my bread and my water and my meat that I have killed for my shearers and give it to men who come from I do not know where?” -1 Samuel 25:10-11 ESV
Nabal has no interest in hospitality or showing appreciation for David and his men. When David hears of this, he is furious and tells his men to strap on their swords…David is about to take vengeance into his own hands. David had taken a step forward in chapter 24…but is about to take two steps back.
Abigail, Nabal’s wife hears of David’s intentions. She comes to David bearing an abundance of provisions for David and his men and takes it upon herself to talk David out of the evil he is planning. David’s own words to Abigail show his anger and frustration…
Now David had said, “Surely in vain have I guarded all that this fellow has in the wilderness, so that nothing was missed of all that belonged to him, and he has returned me evil for good. 22 God do so to the enemies of David and more also, if by morning I leave so much as one male of all who belong to him.” -1 Samuel 25:21-22 ESV
Read carefully, Abigail’s profound response:
When Abigail saw David, she hurried and got down from the donkey and fell before David on her face and bowed to the ground. 24 She fell at his feet and said, “On me alone, my lord, be the guilt. Please let your servant speak in your ears, and hear the words of your servant. 25 Let not my lord regard this worthless fellow, Nabal, for as his name is, so is he. Nabal is his name, and folly is with him. But I your servant did not see the young men of my lord, whom you sent. 26 Now then, my lord, as the Lord lives, and as your soul lives, because the Lord has restrained you from bloodguilt and from saving with your own hand, now then let your enemies and those who seek to do evil to my lord be as Nabal. 27 And now let this present that your servant has brought to my lord be given to the young men who follow my lord. 28 Please forgive the trespass of your servant. For the Lord will certainly make my lord a sure house, because my lord is fighting the battles of the Lord, and evil shall not be found in you so long as you live. 29 If men rise up to pursue you and to seek your life, the life of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of the living in the care of the Lord your God. And the lives of your enemies he shall sling out as from the hollow of a sling. 30 And when the Lord has done to my lord according to all the good that he has spoken concerning you and has appointed you prince[d] over Israel, 31 my lord shall have no cause of grief or pangs of conscience for having shed blood without cause or for my lord working salvation himself. And when the Lord has dealt well with my lord, then remember your servant.” -1 Samuel 25:23-31 ESV
David immediately sees that God has sent Abigail to restrain him…to protect him from the guilt that he would incur upon himself.
And David said to Abigail, “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who sent you this day to meet me! 33 Blessed be your discretion, and blessed be you, who have kept me this day from bloodguilt and from working salvation with my own hand! 34 For as surely as the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, who has restrained me from hurting you, unless you had hurried and come to meet me, truly by morning there had not been left to Nabal so much as one male.” -1 Samuel 25:32-34 ESV
God shows his mercy in many ways. Sometimes it is to rescue us from danger or bodily harm. But sometimes it is to rescue us from our own evil intentions.
What is truly fascinating, is that in the very next chapter (1 Samuel 26) …David spares Saul’s life a 2nd time! This Is a beautiful story structure that is used throughout scripture. A story that is bookended by similar parallel stories…highlighting a truth or lesson that the biblical author is trying to convey. The structure looks like this…
A: David shows mercy to Saul. Spares his life and remains guiltless (1 Samuel 24)
B: The Lord shows mercy to David by restraining him from incurring guilt on himself (1 Samuel 25)
A’: David shows mercy to Saul. Spares his life and remains guiltless (1 Samuel 26)
David’s accusation toward Nabal was that he would not show hospitality to his men, despite the protection they provided over Nabal’s flocks and shepherds. What is truly ironic, is that in reality…God in His sovereignty is actually providing protection for David by restraining him from guilt and sin.
What can we take away from this story? Some thoughts to wrestle with…
-Where have I seen God’s mercy in restraining me from sin in my life? Have I praised and acknowledged Him for it?
-When we are confronted by someone for doing wrong or intending to do wrong…like Abigail confronted David…how do we respond? Do we admit wrongdoing and correct our course?
David, a man after God’s own heart learned a lesson in the wilderness about provision, forgiving trespasses and deliverance from evil. So as we consider this…may we also pray as Jesus taught us to pray:
Give us this day our daily bread,
12 and forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil. – Matthew 6:13 ESV