Wednesday, May 10: 1Samuel 25- Nabal -how we should not live.

Reading the story of Nabal, I began wondering about people who are miserly and those who are generous. Clearly Nabal didn’t have to reward David and his men.  But it seems that there was some cultural convention, which dictated that given what David and his men did for the shepherds they should have been rewarded in some fashion. Nabal was miserly and he was clearly a rich miserly person. He may have spent as much on his party as it would have cost him to reward David and his men. In fact, some of the supplies Abigail sent might have been earmarked for the party, since it represents a good deal of food already prepared.

Whether it was for the party or just part of Nabal’s general supplies, it was food he had on hand and food he could spare.

In the New Testament, Jesus and Paul both laud generosity, generosity toward God and generosity in caring for the church and those in need. Nabal represents how we should not live, thinking only of self.

As is often the case the Lord begins to use the text as a mirror into my own life, causing me to consider my generosity and my miserliness. Sometimes I just don’t want to be generous… is it prudence or miserliness? This is the question of the morning. Thinking through some of the situations, I wonder if I have some situational biases… certain people, types towards whom I am prone not to be generous. Yikes, this raises the favoritism issues from James, chapter 2…

I am so filled with sin…

Lord, continue to search and probe me. Pick beneath the surface and root out sin from my life. Please, Lord, please. I desire to serve You fully.

Open my eyes to areas in my life that need to change so that I might grow in You. I pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.

 

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