No…Pangs Of Conscience
“…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.”
These are the words of Abigail, the wife of Nabal the Calebite (the fool). They are said at the end of a very powerful argument used by Abigail in discussion with David. David has one thing on his mind: the destruction of Nabal for refusing to help David and his men. David had sent some of his men to Nabal in the anticipation of receiving some food from the table of Nabal. Nabal was a very rich man with more than enough (vs. 2). David believed that he could do this because he and his men had often protected the shepherds and flocks of Nabal in the wilderness (vs. 7, 15, 16).
Nabal’s servants had experienced the kindness of David, so David desired some reciprocal hospitality from their master. Nabal accuses David of being unfaithful to King Saul (vs. 10), even remarking with a derogatory tone, “who is David?” Who does David think he is that I should help him? It would appear that he derides David also by using the term, “son of Jesse.” Both Saul and Doeg the Edomite had used this title in contempt of David (1 Sam. 20:27, 30; 22:8, 9, 13).
When David gets word of Nabal’s reply he orders his men (four hundred of them) to arm themselves (vs. 13). That David would be enraged is understandable. I often think that David’s kindness to Nabal’s shepherds was because he himself was a shepherd. He understood the difficulties and hardships of looking after sheep; you look for any help you can get. Nabal’s servants certainly were appreciative of David’s service to them (vs. 15). But not Nabal. He couldn’t care less. So now David is on the march to take out Nabal.
The servants of Nabal have a good relationship with his wife, Abigail, and they tell her what has happened (vv. 14–17). Abigail is the complete opposite of her husband. In view of the approaching peril to Nabal and herself and all their possessions (including their servants), she hurriedly prepares food for David and his men. This is food to sustain warriors. There is bread and wine, meat already prepared, parched grain, clusters of raisin and figs. This is food for men on a march. Abigail has thought seriously about this. She herself goes to meet David as intercessor. She has no doubt of his intent to destroy them all. David had probably, according to verse 21, just been saying to himself and his men that since he had received evil from Nabal in return for the good done to him, he was going to treat Nabal as he did all his enemies.
David is intent on destroying Nabal and every male belonging to Nabal thus blotting out all possible descendants. The phrase “God do so to the enemies of David and more also…” is a common covenant conditional curse formula (1 Sam. 3:17; 14:44). David has invoked God against Nabal. The intent to destroy is in motion. All that remains is the actual carrying out of the planned curse. With such a frame of mind upon David, Abigail hurries to meet David.
In verses 23 – 31, Abigail presents her case to David when she meets him. It is a remarkable argument by a highly intelligent woman. The contrast between her and Nabal is stark. She is wise; he is foolish. Her argument ultimately centers on one fact: Why would David want to have his conscience prick him in future days, when he is the king of Israel?
Abigail presents herself as the guilty one on whom the blame should fall (vs. 24), but David can hardly kill her since she has arrived with all these provisions for his men. Not only this, but also her powerful reasoning skills are on display as she assumes that David’s anger has now been restrained by the Lord (through her arguments – see vs. 26). She tells David that if she had been there when his young men had come to Nabal, things would have been different. Abigail points out three times the serious issue of blood guilt (vs. 26, 31, 33). Blood guilt weighed heavily on David’s mind in his relationship to Saul. On a number of occasions, he refused to lift his hand against Saul because Saul was the anointed king. He would rather God take care of Saul which he did.
Abigail is convinced that David will be the next king and she seeks to point out the pain that a guilty conscience would bring. Since David is preparing for the kingship let him do so with a clear conscience. This is the voice of wisdom. Abigail issues some beautiful phrases, such as “the bundle of the living” (vs. 29) and the lives of David’s enemies being slung out as from the hollow of a sling by God (vs. 29).
These statements point out that David has a responsibility under God to care for all people. God will take care of David’s enemies in his own good time. Abigail seems aware that David shall be king (vs. 30) because God had promised such. In view of what God is doing for David, she urges him to use caution and wisdom. This is a godly admonition. David receives the admonition as from the Lord because he is a spiritual man (vv. 32–35). David proves to truly be the man God has chosen by accepting Abigail’s advice. He will restrain himself and let God take care of him. In the rest of the story, Nabal dies and Abigail becomes David’s wife (vv. 36–42).
Having a guilty conscience is a terrible thing yet it is a gift from God. We should strive always to have a clear conscience between ourselves and God (Acts 24:16; 1 Tim. 3:9; 2 Tim. 1:3; Heb. 13:18). Paul said that he had lived his life in all good conscience before God (Acts 23:1; 1 Tim. 1:5, 19; 1 Pet. 3:16, 21). The conscience is the “sheriff of God” as the Puritans liked to say. It accuses and condemns, and it also excuses (Rom. 2:15). Paul refers to those who had weak wounded consciences in Corinth (1 Cor. 8:7, 10, 12). It is only the blood of Jesus that cleanses and purifies the conscience (Heb. 9:14). We cannot draw near to God with an evil conscience (Heb. 10:22). We must confess sin and forsake sin and rely on the atoning blood of Jesus to clear the conscience.
Paul warns against having a seared conscience (1 Tim. 4:2). These are people who have departed from the faith. They are deceivers who follow demons and deceitful spirits. The apostates have defiled consciences (Tit. 1:15). A guilty conscience strikes us with pangs of regret, guilt and sorrow. John Calvin said that “conscience stands between us and God as we appear before the tribunal of God” (Inst. 3.19.15). Every person has a conscience. The Puritan Samuel Ward saw conscience as the soul’s God-given ability to reflect upon itself. The conscience provides moral self-knowledge. It is awakened through the preaching of the Word of God, and through reading the Word of God. As in David’s case, the conscience can be stirred by someone else, namely, Abigail.
The conscience only finds peace through our Lord Jesus Christ. We must apply all of our doubts to the work of Christ on our behalf. If conscience accuses you, go to Jesus Christ. When the pangs of conscience strike, then run to Christ. Just as the priests hurried Uzziah the king out of the Temple because God had struck him with leprosy (2 Chron. 26:20), so too, when conscience strikes, we must flee to the Cross and apply the blood of the Lamb. Do not doubt the work of Jesus on your behalf. He intercedes for you as your High Priest. God the Father will never deny his Son what he requests. The blood always avails for us. If your conscience is pricking you, then heed the Word and return to the Lord. Better to listen as David did than regret later.