Vengeance is the Lord’s

1 Samuel 25:23-44
    23 Now when Abigail saw David, she dismounted quickly from the donkey, fell on her face before David, and bowed down to the ground. 24 So she fell at his feet and said: “On me, my lord, on me let this iniquity be! And please let your maidservant speak in your ears, and hear the words of your maidservant. 25 Please, let not my lord regard this scoundrel Nabal. For as his name is, so is he: Nabal is his name, and folly is with him! But I, your maidservant, did not see the young men of my lord whom you sent. 26 Now therefore, my lord, as the LORD lives and as your soul lives, since the LORD has held you back from coming to bloodshed and from avenging yourself with your own hand, now then, let your enemies and those who seek harm for my lord be as Nabal. 27 And now this present which your maidservant has brought to my lord, let it be given to the young men who follow my lord. 28 Please forgive the trespass of your maidservant. For the LORD will certainly make for my lord an enduring house, because my lord fights the battles of the LORD, and evil is not found in you throughout your days. 29 Yet a man has risen to pursue you and seek your life, but the life of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of the living with the LORD your God; and the lives of your enemies He shall sling out, as from the pocket of a sling. 30 And it shall come to pass, when the LORD has done for my lord according to all the good that He has spoken concerning you, and has appointed you ruler over Israel, 31 that this will be no grief to you, nor offense of heart to my lord, either that you have shed blood without cause, or that my lord has avenged himself. But when the LORD has dealt well with my lord, then remember your maidservant.”
    32 Then David said to Abigail: “Blessed is the LORD God of Israel, who sent you this day to meet me! 33 And blessed is your advice and blessed are you, because you have kept me this day from coming to bloodshed and from avenging myself with my own hand. 34 For indeed, as the LORD God of Israel lives, who has kept me back from hurting you, unless you had hurried and come to meet me, surely by morning light no males would have been left to Nabal!” 35 So David received from her hand what she had brought him, and said to her, “Go up in peace to your house. See, I have heeded your voice and respected your person.”
    36 Now Abigail went to Nabal, and there he was, holding a feast in his house, like the feast of a king. And Nabal's heart was merry within him, for he was very drunk; therefore she told him nothing, little or much, until morning light. 37 So it was, in the morning, when the wine had gone from Nabal, and his wife had told him these things, that his heart died within him, and he became like a stone. 38 Then it happened, after about ten days, that the LORD struck Nabal, and he died.
    39 So when David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, “Blessed be the LORD, who has pleaded the cause of my reproach from the hand of Nabal, and has kept His servant from evil! For the LORD has returned the wickedness of Nabal on his own head.”  And David sent and proposed to Abigail, to take her as his wife. 40 When the servants of David had come to Abigail at Carmel, they spoke to her saying, “David sent us to you, to ask you to become his wife.”
    41 Then she arose, bowed her face to the earth, and said, “Here is your maidservant, a servant to wash the feet of the servants of my lord.” 42 So Abigail rose in haste and rode on a donkey, attended by five of her maidens; and she followed the messengers of David, and became his wife. 43 David also took Ahinoam of Jezreel, and so both of them were his wives.  44 But Saul had given Michal his daughter, David's wife, to Palti the son of Laish, who was from Gallim.

The conclusion to what began in the first twenty-two verses of the chapter turn here for the good.  David had listened to good advice and relented from the desire to vindicate his honor with vengeance.  The fool by name resisted helping God’s chosen ruler and his wife acted as arbitrator by providing David and his six hundred men food as he initially requested after protecting Nabal’s flocks and people.  Abigail acknowledged the LORD was with David who fought His battles, and reminded him that now he would not have killed without reason to avenge himself and could reflect on that when he ascended to the throne of Israel.  She offered godly wisdom and counsel.  She told her husband of all that she did and David did not do the next morning, and God took the heart out of him, as he died a week and a half later.  David realized that God avenged Himself and David, and sent a messenger to ask Abigail to become his wife.  Meanwhile, Saul had taken his daughter Michal who was David’s wife and given her to another man.  David received a godly woman in place of one opposed to Him and him.  We learn from this conclusion of the events at that God is the avenger, not us (Romans 12:19), and we should remember to temper our desire to return evil by instead returning good as we put ourselves in His mighty hand of providence (Proverbs 20:22, 1 Peter 3:9, 5:6-7).  Vengeance is the Lord’s; faithful reliance and godly obedience is ours.  Therefore trust and obey, leaving eternal justice to the Lord of all.