Running into the Foolish

Writer David Brown calls the battle with sin the “war between our ears.” He successfully identified the start of sin—it begins in our minds and hearts.


Last week, biblical David received an “Honorable Mention” award in this column for his good behavior. This week, the gut-honest text in 1 Samuel 25 explores his inward battle. Still residing in the wilderness, David and his band of men kept busy by guarding people’s property. This is the same region where the later Good Samaritan story took place, a place of danger. Thick with wild things—lawbreakers and fierce prowling animals—hard working people and flocks needed protection.

During sheep shearing time, David and his band of men watched over flocks and shearers near Mount Carmel. Afterwards, farmers traditionally held a feast for their hired hands. One recipient was ultra-rich Nabal, who suffered no losses because of David’s grand gesture of protection.

During the festivities, David sent 10 messengers to Nabal to ask for provisions. David’s men must have been in pretty dire need. They didn’t ask for a lot, just whatever the rich man could spare. But sheep-owner Nabal—known for his surly and nasty temperament—refused to help. In fact he hurled insults at the men. One of Nabal’s own servants described him as “such a wicked man that no one can talk with him.”

Matthew Henry says some of the earlier writers describe Nabal as a “dogged man, of a currish disposition, surly and snappish, always snarling.” Confronted by Nabal’s instability, David’s mental battle began. How would he respond? He had revenge in mind as he journeyed toward Nabal’s homestead. He took four hundred men with him, perhaps getting more hot-headed as they journeyed. By the time, they neared Nabal’s ranch, David didn’t want to “leave alive one male of all who belong to him!”

Nabal’s wife Abigail—an intelligent and beautiful woman—heard that David approached and secretly gathered two hundred loaves of bread, two skins of wine, five dressed sheep, five bushels of roasted grain and three hundred sweets—cakes of raisin and pressed figs. She went out to meet David, with the fair gift of charity. Upon reaching him, she got off her donkey and bowed with her face to the ground and entreated David to spare her household.

David relented and said, “May you be blessed for your good judgment and from keeping me from bloodshed this day.” David went on to confess that he nearly avenged with his own hand, instead of standing back and allowing God to move in correction of Nabal if he chose to do so.

What happened to David is common among us today. Eugene Peterson said, “Nabal’s vulgarity provoked a like vulgarity in David.” When David lost his temper and marched toward Nabal’s home, he was pulled by grudge-gravity. Ever feel that tug to pay back someone after they’ve offended you? Do we want to get in at least a verbal dig to folk who insult us or tread on our sense of self-worth?

Nabal acted the fool. David responded foolishly. But Abigail reminded David of a higher calling: God had anointed David to be king and his life was “bound securely in the bundle of the living” by the Lord God.

Before we leave this earth, we’ll probably run into a whole pack of fools—unfortunately we meet most of them one at a time. Watch out for those who lack understanding and are thoughtless. A Jewish proverb advises, “Never approach a goat from the front, a horse from the back or a fool from any side.”

When we get wrapped up in ourselves, we sometimes forget how God wants us to respond to wicked behavior. Boom! The war between the ears starts. May God always send a messenger to steer us back to his way. Sometimes they show up as “Abigails.”

David and Goliath

Book Drawing: Leave a comment here or email me at writecat@consolidated.net and I’ll enter your name for the June book drawing to win a copy of The Stained Glass Pickup and announce the winner next week.


An Israelite father sent his young son David to a battlefield to check on his brothers who served there. As he arrived, home team soldiers formed ranks against the enemy.

A very rag-tag army, with only two swords, readied to fight oppressive Philistines. King Saul and his son alone had weapons because the oppressive Philistines didn’t allow blacksmith shops in Israel. Would I even crawl out of my tent to face an enemy if I only had a garden tool to defend country and self?

Despite Israel’s poor armory, soldiers left camp “shouting the war cry” (1 Samuel 17:20). David heard the rallying call and listened to stories about a defiant, tree-trunk giant, a champion Philistine who maligned God every day. Over nine feet tall, he’d bullied for 40 days, morning and evening.

David expected retaliation from his fellow Israelites, those brave soldiers he looked up to, but on that dewy morning, giant Goliath again bellowed threats and the entire army “ran from him in great fear” (1 Samuel 17:24).

Every day the same scene repeated itself. Israel’s soldiers gave battle whoops, thunderstorms making idle threats, but the army barometer read “low morale.” Who would rescue Israel?

That’s when Victory-Maker-God called a sturdy shepherd boy to carry out his purpose. David enlisted, and his bravery directed the soldiers back to their real champion against evil — God.

Although handy with a slingshot, the homemade tool and the shepherd boy’s skill were only a small part of the later success of routing enemies. David made a speech to Goliath that revealed his heart-set. He said, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty . . . whom you have defied.”

Goliath never ever taunted Israel again. His bravado fell with a thud, and God required Goliath to pay the wages for his sins. His enemy cohorts fled, too. On previous mornings, despite King Saul and all the Israelites being “dismayed and terrified” (17:11), the soldiers lined up and faced their enemies with homemade weapons and a battle cry.

Granted, not much changed, but they did show up each day. I think of the many people who get up each morning in poverty, sickness, or worse, and nothing ever seems to change. For those, remember that God sent a boy and a slingshot to shore up Israel’s faith in God. A seemingly small rescuer is often God’s way of helping out.

God is a courage grower. Whenever we face difficulties, he can change fear to faith and lift hope as a battlefield banner. God, of massive proportions, can rout doubt and our daily giants.