READING: 1 Samuel 25-27; Psalms 17, 73
“Nobody can talk to him.”
1 Samuel 25:17
Nabal must have been quite a problem. A “very rich man with three thousand sheep and one thousand goats” (1 Sam. 25:2), he denied David’s request for provisions for his men in response to their protecting Nabal’s shepherds in the field. The narrator of this story tells us that Nabal was “harsh and evil in his dealings” (1 Sam. 25:5). Even Nabal’s wife, Abigail, said of him, “His name means ‘stupid,’ and stupidity is all he knows” (1 Sam. 25:25). It’s one of his servants, though, who best tells us about Nabal: “He is such a worthless fool nobody can talk to him!”(1 Sam. 25:17).
He was so evil and arrogant that no one could have a reasonable conversation with him. My hunch is that he would not listen to anyone anyway.
I hope I’m not like Nabal. I don’t want to be stupid or harsh in my dealings with others. I trust my heart is nowhere near as wicked as Nabal’s heart. On the other hand, I know there are times when I’ve been stubborn—perhaps even rude—when I’ve set my mind on one idea or thought and refused to listen to others. Sometimes I’ve been foolishly wrong but still wouldn’t listen. I know I can be obstinate enough that someone might say of me, “Nobody can talk to him!”
Please pray for me that I will recognize when my heart is leaning in that wrong direction. The one with whom no one else can have a conversation is foolish indeed.
ACTION STEPS:
- Check your own teachability, especially when you’re convinced you are right.
- Ask someone who knows you well just how teachable you really are.
PRAYER: “Lord, help me not to be so foolish that others cannot even have a conversation with me.”
TOMORROW’S READING: Psalms 35, 54, 63, 18