“Now there was a man in Ma‘on who had property in Karmel. He was very rich, having three thousand sheep and a thousand goats; and he was shearing his sheep in Karmel.”-1 Samuel 25:2
Chapter 2 kicks off by introducing us to a man living in Ma’on who owned a thriving business in Carmel.
He was a rich dude who possessed about 3,000 sheep and 1,000 goats.
By the way, the Carmel mentioned here isn’t the Mount Carmel that tourists visit in Israel today.
This Carmel was in the land of Judah.
If you recall, it was the place where Saul built his ridiculous monument to commemorate his victory over Amalek.
David probably first came into contact with this rich man when he and his 600 men were camping near Ma’on a few months earlier.
The man had so many sheep and goats that he had to move them all over Judah to find fresh grass and enough water.
But the reason he brought the sheep to Carmel was to get them sheared and then to sell and trade the wool.
This man’s name was Nabal, and his wife’s name was Avigayil.
Now unless you’re fluent in Hebrew, this is gonna completely fly over your head…
But Nabal wasn’t the guy’s real name.
How do we know this?
Because Nabal means “fool” or “disgraceful”, an idiot without godly wisdom.
So, like a ton of other names in the Bible, this was a nickname given to him later because it was an accurate description of his character.
On the other hand, his wife’s name, Avigayil, means “my father is joy” or “my father is delighted”.
Avigayil and Nabal may have been united as one flesh in marriage, but their differences in character were as opposite from each other as the East is from the West.
Nabal represents everything God hates, while Avigayil is everything God loves.
So what takeaway am I getting from all of this?
Notice that Nabal appears to be the sort of man who would be admired in society and the world simply because he was wealthy.
Yet, because of his ungodly character, we’re told God despised him.
Later on in this chapter, we’re told God hated him so much he killed the guy.
So the lesson to be learned here is that God loves those who love Him and demonstrates that love by obeying His commandments.
It doesn’t matter how rich you are.
Don’t get me wrong.
There isn’t anything wrong with riches per se…
But there are many warnings in the Bible about how wealth can impede serving God.
Do you own your money?
Or does it own you?
Ya feel me?
CONNECTING THIS TEACHING TO THE NEW TESTAMENT
“Yeshua answered,
‘If you want to be perfect,
go, sell your possessions
and give to the poor,
and you will have treasure in heaven.
Then come, follow me.’
When the young man heard this,
he went away sad,
because he had great wealth.
Then Yeshua said to his disciples,
‘Truly I tell you, it is hard for someone
who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven.
Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel
to go through the eye of a needle
than for someone who is rich
to enter the kingdom of God.‘”
-Matthew 19:21-32
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