Re:Verse reading–1 Samuel 25:1-34 (day seven)
Nabal claims he does not know who David is:
v.10 But Nabal answered David’s servants and said, “Who is David? And who is the son of Jesse? There are many servants today who are each breaking away from his master.
But surely Nabal knewDavid. The only way Nabal wouldn’t have known David is if he completely ignored everyone around him:
v.15-16 Yet the men were very good to us, and we were not insulted, nor did we miss anything as long as we went about with them, while we were in the fields. They were a wall to us both by night and by day, all the time we were with them tending the sheep.
Abigail knew who David was:
v.30 And when the Lord does for my lord according to all the good that He has spoken concerning you, and appoints you ruler over Israel.
Now there is a chance that Nabal was as foolish as his name sounds, and he did not know who David was, but I imagine this was just one more excuse in a life of excuses. Nabal was not going to help anyone because helping another would lower his take. So, he did what we do when we don’t want to do something: come up with an excuse. There is always a reason not to do good when you don’t really want to do it, but beware, even the greatest excuses do not work on God.
I could not agree more, “beaware, even the greatest excuses do not work on God.” When we make excuses, we ignore the source of the problem and tend to repeat the same mistakes again.
There is a danger in making excuses for sins when it comes to rebellion because God does not excuse it no matter what the reason for sin was.
I am sure Nabal knew or heard about David but his self-centered and egotistical personality prevented him from acknowledging David’s future position of power and authority. He was a fool for sure!!