“Naval answered David’s servants, ‘Who is David? Who is the son of Yishai? There are many servants nowadays running away from their masters. Am I supposed to take my bread, my water and my meat that I slaughtered for my shearers and give it to men coming from who knows where?’”-1 Samuel 25:10
So David’s men delivered their goodwill message to Naval.
Yet, how did Naval respond?
Well, his name in Hebrew doesn’t mean “fool” for nothing.
He was greatly offended by David’s request.
“Who is this son of Jesse that I should listen to him?” was Naval’s response.
Naval was a wealthy man with status.
David’s clan was a rival to his own (the clan of Caleb).
David and his men may have assisted his shepherds in some way.
But as far as Naval was concerned, he never asked for such help.
On top of that, Naval viewed David as an escaped slave from his master.
When David heard how Naval responded, he was understandably enraged.
He started gathering his men for battle.
Out of the 600 men, David chose 400 of them to go with him to show Naval a lesson.
200 men stayed behind to protect the camp from robbers or bandits.
Now, little did he know, Naval had just signed his death warrant.
And his wife Aviyagal knew it.
Even though she wasn’t there when Naval had acted so rudely, someone who was there told her what happened.
They explained that David and his men had treated them well in the wilderness, protecting the sheep from people and wild animals.
As a result, none of the sheep went missing…which was amazing if you think about it.
But instead of being thankful, Naval had insulted David and his men.
Avigayil knew her husband’s response meant big trouble.
Interestingly, the man who delivered the report to Naval’s wife did not hesitate to call her husband a BEN-BELIAL or “son of Belial.”.
That’s one of the worst insults that exist in all of Scripture.
If Avigayil didn’t do something, and do something quick, a lot of folks were gonna end up dead.
Everyone, it seemed, knew how stubborn and harsh Naval was, a man who refused to listen to reason.
Alrighty, let’s transition over to the takeaway.
Today’s lesson can pretty much be summed up in the following proverb:
“A gentle response deflects fury,
but a harsh word makes tempers rise.
The tongue of the wise presents knowledge well,
but the mouth of a fool spews out folly.”
-Proverbs 15:1-2
In other words, when in disagreement with someone over some matter, your response can be the difference between peace and fury.
Or as we’ll see later in Naval’s case, the difference between life and death.
So keep that in mind when you encounter disagreements with friends, work colleagues, or family members.
Use your tongue wisely in such situations.
Remember, we are called to be peacemakers, not instigators of trouble.
See ya all next time.
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