Book Talk Thursday

Today we will continue reviewing Chapter 4: "Womanly Dominion In The Old Testament". I look forward to hearing your thoughts on this :)

This week's woman of dominion is Abigail. Next week we will take a look at The Excellent Wife of Proverbs.

In Samuel 25, we find Abigail, the wife of Nabal. Abigail had an intelligent mind (verse 3), a beautiful appearance (verse 3), a servant's heart (verse 41) and a dominion attitude (verses 18-24). Nabal was a rich but evil and harsh man. Abigail really saves the day for her husband. Chanski writes, "David's mighty men had acted as security guards protecting Nabal's flocks from harm, but Nabal insultingly scorned David's diplomatic request for compensation. David was furious. He ordered four hundred of his warriors to strap on their swords and follow him down the mountainside to slaughter every male in Nabal's household. That's when Abigail got the word that David was offended and was on the war path." (page 75-76)

As we read in Samuel 25:18-24, Abigail acted quickly. When she heard that David and his men were on their way she didn't hide and retreat in fear. She came up with a plan. "Abigail hurried and took two hundred loaves of bread and two jugs of wine and five sheep already prepared and five measures of roasted grain and a hundred cluster of raisins and two hundred cakes of figs and loaded them on donkeys" verse 18. She went on her way with her men before her and as she was going down the mountain she saw David approaching. "When Abigail saw David, she hurried and dismounted from her donkey, and fell on her face before David, and bowed herself to the ground. And she fell at his feet and said "On me alone, my lord, be the blame. And please let your maidservant speak to you, and listen to the words of your maidservant" (verse 23-24).

What was the result? David said to Abigail, "Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, who sent you this day to meet me, and blessed be your discernment, and blessed be you, who have kept me this day from bloodshed, and from avenging myself by my own hand" (I Samuel 25:32-33). Later David ends up proposing to Abigail after Nabal's death.

Chanski summarizes the characteristics of Abigail as a woman who knew how to tell time (she knew when to act) and knew how to remain sweet. He then uses real life examples of how we can be like Abigail in asserting our womanly dominion. He also addresses the question of how a woman can be assertive without being unsubmissive. He reminds us of the sin of "sharp-tongued argumentativeness" and encourages us with the example of Abigail's "bold assertiveness with humble sweetness".
"Better to dwell in a corner of a housetop, Than in a house shared with a contentious woman." Proverbs 21:9