Abigail

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Abigail was a strategic, compassionate, beautiful, and prophetic woman from Carmel, a region north of Israel. She was married to a wealthy man named Nabal, a Calebite rancher who was cruel and selfish in his dealings. Abigail protected the lineage of Jesus through David’s army by communicating the very words of God.

Nabal's shepherds were in the wilderness nearby, guarding their sheep. Unbeknownst to Nabal, David and his men were standing guard around his shepherds to make sure they and their sheep remained unharmed. When David's men ran low on supplies, some of them approached Nabal respectfully, asking for his help. 

Nabal responded to David’s men with great disdain and spitefully sent them away with no help. When David received word of Nabal's cruel response, he began his plan of retaliation. David was irate and gathered 400 men to destroy Nabal and his household. 

A report was sent to Abigail regarding the treatment of David’s men by her husband, Nabal. Recognizing the disaster that was coming, she responded quickly with a plan to stop the attack. She gathered two hundred loaves of bread, two skins of wine, five dressed sheep, five seahs of roasted grain, a hundred cakes of raisins and two hundred cakes of pressed figs, and loaded them on donkeys. 

Abigail left home with her servants without her husband knowing and went to meet David and his men in a ravine, where they were approaching to attack. She fell at David's feet, apologizing for her husband's wickedness. Abigail then spoke a prophecy over David, proclaiming God’s blessings for not taking vengeance and causing needless bloodshed. She spoke a blessing over him, describing all the ways God would bless and protect David. 

David gave thanks to God for sending Abigail, and he blessed her for keeping him from avenging himself. He told her that, because of her bravery, the lives of many were saved. He accepted her peace offering. Abigail went home and confessed to her husband what she had done. A few days later the Lord struck Nabal, and he was dead. David asked Abigail to become his wife, and they married. (1 Samuel 25).