ODJ: ambushed
October 7, 2009
READ: 1 Samuel 25:23-35
She fell at his feet and said, “I accept all blame in this matter, my lord. Please listen to what I have to say” (v.24).
Nell and Jim were hiking in a park when a mountain lion ambushed them, attacking Jim. His wife Nell tried stabbing the animal with a pen. When that didn’t work, she beat the lion with a log until it backed off completely!
Most of us will never have to fight off a wild beast, but we may need to defend our family from different kinds of danger—unfair criticism, gossip, or even a neighborhood bully. When the moment arrives, good judgment will be important as we try to keep our family safe.
Abigail is famous for her good sense as she interceded to save her husband from David’s plan to “carry out vengeance with [his] own hands” (1 Samuel 25:33). When she discovered David’s intentions, “Abigail wasted no time” (v.18). She sent her servants ahead of her to meet David with a load of goodies. Her timely response helped defuse the situation before it exploded.
“When Abigail saw David . . . she fell at his feet and said, ‘I accept all blame in this matter’” (vv.23-24). Her humility became the starting point for the conversation with a man who was in warrior mode. She must have known that “a gentle answer deflects anger” (Proverbs 15:1).
Abigail’s approach worked, and David listened as she admitted, “Nabal is a wicked and ill-tempered man” (v.25). Nabal had screamed insults at David’s men, and, although it’s never easy to do, Abigail wisely owned up to her family’s part in the conflict.
In the end, David said, “Thank God for your good sense!” (v.33), and he let Nabal off the hook. Abigail’s sensible recipe—a quick response, a modest approach, and admitting fault—will work for us too as we intercede for our families and others. Goodness prompted by God is a great way to thwart the ambushes of this world. —Jennifer Benson Schuldt
What’s the danger in letting a conflict drag on without a timely resolution? Think of a situation when you might have to intervene for a family member. How might you respond, based on Abigail’s strategy?
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Loading ...ODB: understand one another
October 7, 2009
READ: Proverbs 16:16-22
Counsel in the heart of man is like deep water, but a man of understanding will draw it out. —Proverbs 20:5
One of the best ways for a man to love his wife is to understand her. Peter explains that it is imperative for a husband to “dwell with [his wife] with understanding” (1 Peter 3:7).
This principle works both ways. Husbands want to be understood as well. Actually, we all do. Everyone, married or not, longs to be understood by others at the deepest possible level. We’re born with that need, and we never seem to outgrow it.
It’s feeble avoidance to say we can’t understand one another. We can and we must. It takes time—time spent in one another’s presence asking questions, listening intently, then asking again. It’s as simple and as difficult as that. No one, of course, can fully plumb the mystery of another person’s heart, but we can learn something new every day. The wise man of Proverbs called understanding “a wellspring of life” (16:22), a deep source of wisdom to all who seek it.
Again, I say, understanding takes time—one of the most precious gifts we can give to others. How we choose to spend our time is the surest indicator of how much we care for those we love.
Ask the Lord today to give you the grace to take the time to understand the important people in your life. — David H. Roper
Listening is an open door to understanding.
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By Eugene Seah, Singapore
Have you ever gotten so drunk and wasted—
High on alcohol?
Have your sibling piggybacked you home—
Wondering if you are dead or alive,
Drunk or drugged?
Have you ever gotten so jaded and reclusive—
Longing after a teenage love lost?
Yearning for an unrequited love?
Reminiscing on the hundreds of days spent with the other,
While disregarding the years of care and providence
By your family who keep watch over you in the stillness of the night?
Have you ever fallen into temptation and fought,
But falter—sinning while wanting to be made clean?
Being the prodigal son—hurting Him who receives you back?
Do we remember and uphold the accountability?
God gave me an accountability to my parents who bore me;
An accountability to my siblings who I share a mutual responsibility for;
An accountability to my friends who care for me;
An accountability to believers who I pursue His Word with;
An accountability to the children who I share His joy;
An accountability to myself in whom Jesus Christ dwells;
And an accountability to God who loves me beyond all measure.
May this accountability keep us in check always.
May we live up to this accountability in our daily lives—in Spirit and in deeds.
Jesus Christ upheld His accountability for us, when we did not love God.
He loved us and died on the cross for us that we can be rescued.
What is hindering you? Pour out your heart in prayer to Him today.
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