The Humble Heart

 DEVOTION

1^ST SAMUEL

THE HUMBLE HEART

1 Samuel 25:23-35

23 When Abigail saw David, she quickly got off her donkey and bowed down before David with her face to the ground. 24 She fell at his feet and said: "My lord, let the blame be on me alone. Please let your servant speak to you; hear what your servant has to say. 25 May my lord pay no attention to that wicked man Nabal. He is just like his name — his name is Fool, and folly goes with him. But as for me, your servant, I did not see the men my master sent. 26 "Now since the LORD has kept you, my master, from bloodshed and from avenging yourself with your own hands, as surely as the LORD lives and as you live, may your enemies and all who intend to harm my master be like Nabal. 27 And let this gift, which your servant has brought to my master, be given to the men who follow you. 28 Please forgive your servant's offense, for the LORD will certainly make a lasting dynasty for my master, because he fights the LORD's battles. Let no wrongdoing be found in you as long as you live. 29 Even though someone is pursuing you to take your life, the life of my master will be bound securely in the bundle of the living by the LORD your God. But the lives of your enemies he will hurl away as from the pocket of a sling. 30 When the LORD has done for my master every good thing he promised concerning him and has appointed him leader over Israel, 31 my master will not have on his conscience the staggering burden of needless bloodshed or of having avenged himself. And when the LORD has brought my master success, remember your servant." 32 David said to Abigail, "Praise be to the LORD, the God of Israel, who has sent you today to meet me. 33 May you be blessed for your good judgment and for keeping me from bloodshed this day and from avenging myself with my own hands. 34 Otherwise, as surely as the LORD, the God of Israel, lives, who has kept me from harming you, if you had not come quickly to meet me, not one male belonging to Nabal would have been left alive by daybreak." 35 Then David accepted from her hand what she had brought him and said, "Go home in peace. I have heard your words and granted your request."

NIV

The humility of Abigail as she presents herself and her gifts to David is almost staggering. She bows low to the ground and gives him praise, honoring the fact that he has the anointing of the LORD upon him, and he is surely the king of Israel. But at the same time, she seeks or beseeches him to withhold his hand from bloodshed. She does not ever speak of herself, but lifts up David and speaks of the offense of her surly husband. David relents and grants her request. This could be seen as an example of a humble heart before our Lord God. We do come to Him with gifts such as the sacrifice of praise, giving him honor, lifting up the name of Jesus. We are also being the sacrifice of self, presenting ourselves before him, bowed down low. Of course, it seems that as we gather together, we are not bowing down physically, as Abigail did before David, but hopefully we bow our hearts or spirits before you, Oh Lord. Although Abigail was able to change the mind of David and he assured her that he would not shed any blood, granting her request, we wonder do we ever change the mind of God. We do know that once we were subject to his wrath, but as we responded to the request, as we call the conviction of the Spirit, and accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we are no longer subject to his wrath, but rather to his grace. But then was God’s mind changed about us, because of our choice to follow Jesus, or was that God’s mind all along? Certainly, He has foreknowledge and always knew who we would be, in fact, forming us into the person He wanted us to be. Still, we should always bow before Him with humility in our hearts, with the gift of praise, honoring His sovereignty in our lives. We know God will never do any harm against us, but He will honor our requests. Let us take to heart the example of Abigail, but more importantly, the example of the gentle and humble heart of our Lord, Jesus, as he asked us to take his yoke upon us and learn from Him, for He is gentle and humble in heart, and we will find rest for our souls. This is a wonderful truth about learning from Jesus. He bowed himself before the Father, seeking the Father’s will, being humble before the Father, as Abigail was before David. Let us reflect the humble heart we have before God in our daily lives, and in our relationships with our fellow believers, as well as those outside the household of faith. We know the opposite of humility is pridefulness, but it is also selfishness, always thinking about self, always about the needs of self, the need to speak about self, rather than as Abigail gave us the example of speaking about David and his successes, and his anointing from God. If we learn anything from Jesus, it should be to have a gentle and humble heart.