Life-Lessons Every Woman Can Learn From Abigail

Hello Everyone!

The Month of March marks International Women's Day and Mother's Day and I believe this post is timely therefore today's blog post is dedicated to women all over the world.

My blog post today is about Abigail in the Bible. No matter what your beliefs are, there are lessons to be learned from this story. If you have never read this story before, you can check it out, even google it. It is taken from 1Samuel Chapter 25.

A quick summary of the story is that it was Sheep shearing period in Carmel (A place in Israel) and King David sent his servants to Nabal  who was a wealthy man at the time rich in goats and sheep- about three thousand sheep and a thousand goats, appealing to Nabal to show some generosity to the King by sparing some of the products of his shearing.  Sheep shearing is basically the removal of wool from the body of  mainly an adult Sheep- The wool is used for commercial purposes like making clothes, bags, furniture, just like Cow or Crocodile skin is used (leather).

When Nabal heard the plea, rather than honouring the King's request, he mocked and insulted him. Now David heard of this and ordered Nabal to be killed for his disregard however, one of David's servants who knew of his intentions hurried to Abigail (David's wife) to resolve the situation which brings me to my points for today. Here are a few things the Bible has to say about Abigail and how she resolved the situation.

1. "She was a woman of good understanding and beautiful appearance" 1Samuel 25:3
The Bible describes Abigail quite simply as a combination of brains and beauty. Believe it or not, a woman's appearance is just as important as her intelligence. I like how The Bible uses the word 'and' rather than 'or' it shows that a woman should strike a balance between both qualities. Either one of them is important but the combination of both is more important. While a woman's appearance is visually stimulating, her intellect is mentally stimulating and a combination of both makes a statement- even without words.

2. She was approachable. 1 Samuel 25:14
David's servant was certain that if he approached Abigail with the issue, she will resolve the situation. The fact that she was approachable made it easier for the workers to trust her and run to her- they trusted her sense of judgment and reasoning. Ask yourself "as a woman will i be able to handle a critical situation effectively"? "can the people around me trust me enough with their lives"? A woman should be the calm in the midst of the storm- ever ready and always with a solution which brings me to my next point.

3. She was deliberate and intentional about her actions. 1 Samuel 25: 18-19.
A woman should be able to carefully calculate her actions. She is conscious that her actions can make or break, uplift or degrade just imagine what would have happened if she had made the wrong move. Therefore as a woman, be conscious of your actions because they can go a long way in affecting the lives of others.

4. She was respectful  1 Samuel 25:23
When Abigail saw David, she paid him due respect- what her husband failed to do. A woman ought to be respectful and treat others with respect.

5. She was soft-spoken and understood the power in her words. 1Samuel 33:34
She approached David with really tender words which melted his anger- in fact, David said she had prevented him from bloodshed and avenging himself. The Bible says in Proverbs 15:1 "A soft answer turns away wrath but grievous words stir up anger" you can't use fire to quench fire. A woman's words should have a calming effect. Bickering, nagging and the likes are very unflattering in a woman.

6. She was a peacemaker
It is amazing what a single act of wisdom can do during a war- I need not say much about this.

7. She understood her spouse- not capitalising on his weakness. 1Samuel 25:37
After resolving the mess Nabal had created, Abigail came home and found him drunk. Rather than rebuke him for the mess he created, she waited till the next morning for him to be sober. When he realised what he had done, he became really sad. I like this part because throughout the story, Abigail was careful with her actions. Knowing the kind of husband she had, she resolved the problem before informing him about her resolve.  Being a wife means you understand your husband's strengths and weaknesses, making up (complimenting) where your husband is lacking and appreciating him when he makes effort. Because of the way she was able to resolve the situation, Nabal felt guilty and sad about the situation. The guilt came naturally.

Whether you're a Mum, Wife, single lady, or even a teenage girl, we can all do with the lessons from this story as we continuously strive to add value to ourselves as women.

 I hope Pee's blog has been insightful today.

To every woman, you are more powerful than you will ever know! use the gift that God has given you to bless the lives of people around you.

To every Mother, I can't celebrate you enough. thanks for being selfless, thanks for the endless sacrifices, the love and the prayers. Tongues as hairs will not be enough to say thank you but from our heart of hearts, Happy Mother's Day!

Love Always,
Pee!