Sermon 90: 1 Samuel 25:14-20

14. But one of the young men told Abigail, the wife of Nabal, saying: Behold, David sent messengers from the wilderness to bless our lord, and he railed at them. 15. These men were quite good to us, and not troublesome, nor did anything ever perish all the time we were conversant with them in the wilderness. 16. They were a wall to us both by night and by day, all the days that we fed the flocks among them. 17. Therefore consider, and think over what you may do, since evil is determined against your husband and against your lord, and he is a son of Belial, so that no one can speak to him. 18. Then Abigail made haste, and took two hundred loaves, and two skins of wine, and five sheep ready dressed, and five measures of parched grain, and a hundred clusters of raisins, and two hundred cakes of figs, and laid them upon asses. 19. And she said to the young men: Go on before me, and behold, I will follow after you; but to her husband Nabal she did not tell. 20. And when

therefore she had mounted the ass and was descending to the foot of the mountain, David and his men were coming down to meet her, and she met them. 21. And David said: Truly in vain have I preserved what was his in the wilderness, and nothing perished of all that pertained to him, and he has repaid me evil for good. 22. So may God do to David's enemies, and so may he add, if I leave of all that belongs to him until the morning any that pisses against the wall. 23. And when Abigail saw David, she made haste, and got off the ass, and fell down before David on her face, and worshipped on the ground. 24. And she fell at his feet and said: Upon me, my lord, be this iniquity; let your handmaid speak in your ears, I beg, and hear the words of your servant. 25. Let not my lord the king, I pray, set his heart upon this wicked man Nabal, for as is his name so is he — a fool, and folly is with him. But I, your handmaid, did not see your young men, my lord, whom you sent. 26. Now therefore, my lord, as the Lord lives and as your soul lives — who has restrained you from coming into blood and from saving yourself with your own hand — now let your enemies, and those who seek evil against my lord, become like Nabal. 27. Therefore receive this blessing which your handmaid has brought to my lord, and let it be given to the young men who follow my lord. 28. Take away the iniquity of your handmaid; for the Lord will surely make my lord a sure house.

The greater the dignity to which someone has been raised, and the higher the rank to which he is exalted, the more prudent he must be in ruling those who are committed to him. For it is contrary and repugnant to nature that the head be unable to rule the rest of the body. But if anyone lacks prudence and reason for ruling those over whom he is set, let him flee in prayer to God, by whom he has been raised to that dignity. For we know that all our sufficiency must be drawn from the Spirit of God alone as from a fountain and spring. I bring this in because in this passage Nabal is set before us as both rich and having a large household; but yet whose wife was both equitable and prudent, while he himself was a depraved and iniquitous man. We see him therefore overwhelmed by God with disgrace and ignominy, and placed on a stage, that his ignominy might be the greater the wealthier he was. Meanwhile he nourishes his folly and malice; and although he has put on, so to speak, the nature of a beast, and is dull and stupid, he could not yield to anyone's counsel. This is indeed an extreme evil, whenever someone despises the admonitions and reprehensions made to him. Indeed he who knows how to govern himself well is worthy to excel others; but if on the contrary he be destitute of prudence, let him think modestly of himself, and not trust his own genius, but believe godly persons who see him better,

and let himself be restrained by their discipline — by all which things he who is equal we may rightly call an appearance of prudence. And on the contrary, as I said, he who neither knows himself nor judges of things sincerely, and yet is hardened in malice, neither suffers himself to be reproved, but rejects sound counsel, will rightly be called a fool, indeed mad, and the highest confusion is to be feared. By the example therefore of Nabal, who is described as such, the Lord teaches us attentively to consider all our actions, that those who have contracted matrimony may know how to rule wife and children; that those who have male and female servants may see, knowing that they have been set as their head and leader, that all things are restrained under discipline; and let those who are not equal to all these matters pray to God to cover their defects and supply strength. And so much for Nabal.

Let us pass on to Abigail, whom — a prudent woman, and illustrious in virtues — God willed to marry to Nabal, a malignant and inhuman husband, that we might be taught that the Lord sometimes tests the virtue of his own when he subjects them to such examinations: for since indeed Abigail excelled in so many and such gifts, why did God not give her a fitting husband? For we know that marriages are made not by some chance fortune, but with God as their author. Why then did he not pity this woman? And this is worthy of observation, so that if it should ever happen that women do not have such husbands as they would wish or as they deserved, they may cast themselves down before God and acknowledge that a burden has been laid by God on their shoulders — that before him first they may learn to be humbled, then that their patience and obedience may be tested. He wills indeed that they be humbled, lest they please themselves and be lifted up with glory; and he tests their patience that by their example they may go before other women. So we see that Abigail lived with her husband in such a way as not in the least to despise him, although she did not dissemble his folly before David. But thus it had to be: for if she had tried to excuse Nabal and to defend his cause before David, she would have provoked him more to anger — whom it was necessary to placate with mild words. When therefore she confesses that her husband is a fool and that his deeds correspond to his name, it does not follow from this that she was accustomed to load her husband with insults and contumelies, but that she professed her husband's folly under the impulse of necessity. For from what we have said, and shall see hereafter at greater length, it appears that she was of a mild disposition and conducted herself with the highest prudence with her husband. From which we receive great profit, if we know how to apply this example to our own use. For it generally happens that those who are adorned with excellent gifts think that, although they live in an abject and lowly condition, they nevertheless ought not to acknowledge a higher power. So it generally happens that a woman of fortunate disposition is so puffed up that she is intolerable. Indeed you may see most women, not so prudent in ruling a household, nevertheless wishing to be held in price and to despise their husbands. So also you may see children having no care for their parents, but rather despising them. So also servants conduct themselves arrogantly toward their masters, and have some opinion of themselves. Therefore by Abigail's example we ought to be wise and to contemplate in her as in a mirror what our duty is — whom we see by the testimony of God's Spirit to have been notable for singular gifts, and yet to have borne the manners of her husband with an even mind, and quietly to have submitted to the yoke laid upon her by the Lord, and to have submitted herself to his will.

The same thing appears in Nabal's servant, of whom mention is made here, who, perceiving that his master had brought upon himself the greatest evil, and that his life was in danger, did not approach him — since the master was of most difficult manners and was restrained by no fear or reverence — and yet did not entirely desert him and recoil from his duty, but sought a useful remedy for that evil, with the mistress having been admonished, and the whole matter, as it had been transacted, brought to her: namely that her husband had brought upon himself and his household the greatest ruin, unless prompt aid be brought. He therefore admonishes that provision must be made, and exhorts the mistress with these reasons: that Nabal was bound to David and his soldiers by many benefits, because they had been a wall to them both by night and by day, and nothing of theirs had perished, all the days that they fed their flocks in the wilderness. Which so great a benefit, he teaches, is worthy of reward and remuneration. Besides he warns that David will not easily bear those injuries with which Nabal had affected him, and accordingly that one must run to meet him in good time. From where it appears that the virtue of this servant is greater than that of his master, and yet we see him to be a servant, and to discharge his duty under the command and dominion of that master who seemed to be reckoned among beasts rather than among men, acknowledging that he had been called by God to this calling and state of life. Hence therefore let us learn that, although those who have been raised to some grade of dignity are not adorned with all those virtues which are required for the doing of their office, we should nevertheless willingly subject ourselves to them and show due honor, lest, lifted up with arrogance and pride, we despise and look down on them, and thereby violate the order constituted by God among men. Necessary therefore are modesty and humility by which all the rest of the virtues, so to speak, are seasoned. For it is certain that pride and arrogance infect and corrupt all virtues. And so if anyone has excelled in the greatest gifts, but yet has despised others before himself, whatever virtue he will have will be reckoned before God as mere corruption and pollution. Although therefore we be held good men before men, yet if there remains in us vanity and arrogance, we shall nevertheless be condemned by God himself. Let us therefore learn, as I said before, that modesty and humility are the salt with which the rest of the virtues are to be seasoned, and accordingly that prudence, liberality, vigilance, magnanimity, fortitude and other such virtues are nothing unless they be seasoned with modesty.

Let us return now to David, whose patience

was overcome by the malice of Nabal — from which, as I admonished before, we ought to be wise and in some way to do violence to ourselves, since it can happen that he who has acquired praise for himself by many notable deeds may yet in a moment grievously fall. For this reason Paul in 1 Corinthians 10:12 exhorts the faithful to sobriety, and bids him who seems to himself to stand to take heed lest he fall, since indeed we are so fragile and weak; and therefore our life is compared to a difficult road, in which many obstacles meet us, and many difficulties press from every side. For one walking through a flat and even way perceives pleasure rather than weariness; but one walking on a muddy road full of stones and thorns, and full of ditches, streams or hills, experiences a most difficult and most wearisome journey, indeed even dangerous, since we hardly advance one or two steps without obstacle and without danger to life. The same is the reason of the present life, in which many difficulties, many stumbling-blocks present themselves, so that now we strike against a stone, now we wander from the way, now we labor with such weariness that we hardly drag our legs; and therefore the easier the fall is, the more diligently must that doctrine of Paul be meditated, that if today we stand, we may pray God not to forsake us, but to lead us by his hand and confirm and fortify us against all hindrances and all temptations, and grant long perseverance, that we who today have begun well may persevere tomorrow, until we have run through the course of this life. And therefore also that example of David is to be observed, whose facility of mind and singular patience although we have seen, and shall hereafter see also, yet he appears so greatly irritated that he flared out against Nabal, provoked by his injuries — to such a degree indeed that he did not keep measure. And he, I confess, had been shamefully provoked by Nabal — not only when Nabal refused to give him bread, but also when he accused him of grave crimes, and hissed at his hope of the dignity of the crown — and accordingly not only rejecting David, but wounding God himself with grave blasphemy. Therefore Nabal is in every way to be reproved; but how does David here come to such anger that he threatens death to him and to his whole household? For he says that he is worthy of capital punishment who could have been punished with a lighter penalty, or reproved before the very man for his audacity by David himself; and not only does he threaten death to the guilty and the offender alone, but to his whole household even to him that pisses against the wall: and this is a Hebrew phrase, by which they denote that punishment is to be inflicted not only on certain ones, but on all the household members of someone, so that thereby both great and small are included — because men are accustomed to piss against the wall. David therefore threatens that he will leave no male surviving. What then? Were even the infants and absent servants guilty? If Nabal sinned against David, will so many innocent men created in the image of God be punished with death? shall innocent blood be poured out so lightly? Therefore a certain barbarous cruelty of David here appears, and indeed rashness in his assuming the name of God. Indeed his cruelty was worthy of condemnation; but in that he swears, he does it in vain, and therefore affects the name of God with notable insult, and as if polluted with blasphemy tramples it under foot. Truly a grave fall of David, even though a just occasion of punishing Nabal seemed to be offered to him: and his mind, departing so far from the right way through passion, could not be absolved before the Lord. For although it had been permitted him to avenge Nabal more severely, yet the rest of the innocent household had to be spared. Therefore let us say that David, stirred by anger, indulged his affections too much and forgot his duty; but that God sets him before us as an example, from which we may learn not to indulge our affections, but to contain ourselves in his fear; and to take heed lest we ever fall, since in a moment those who have run through the whole course of life without a fall can stumble and fall and suffer loss. Let us learn besides so to defend the goodness of our cause as not to forget our duty, as we see David has done here. For our excuse will be vain before God, if we have perpetrated an evil which was not lawful. For David could profess concerning himself and his men — as also Nabal's servant himself bears witness to him — that Nabal had received no damage nor inconvenience from David or from his soldiers; whereas, although they seemed destitute of all things and famished, so that they could not abstain from inflicting injury, yet on the contrary it is clear by the testimony of his servant that the shepherds of Nabal had been preserved and defended by them. Rightly therefore could David censure his ungrateful spirit and complain of him, but yet not take such bloody vengeance on the ingrate. We therefore, if we have discharged every duty toward unworthy persons, may indeed reproach their ingratitude to their confusion, and, calling on God, set forth our innocence; but it will not on that account be lawful to pursue private injuries, and to take penalties from enemies. David therefore sinned not lightly in this part by threatening such dire things to Nabal and his whole innocent household: by whose example we ought to be wise, lest, giving place to our passions, we wander beyond the bounds of reason. Effort therefore must be put forth that we may be contained in our duty: which will happen if we undertake nothing except with God as leader; for if we deflect even a little from the right way, it will come to pass that we are cast headlong into trackless places, from which we can scarcely emerge. Evil therefore must be prevented; and if it should befall us to fall, help must be sought from him who can lift up the fallen; and if we have escaped the danger, let us beware as far as we can lest we fall into another, knowing that the devil perpetually keeps watch in ambush, and has many ways of seducing us and entirely blinding us, that he may turn us away from the fear of the Lord. Indeed, if

David had taken into counsel the patience to which he was accustomed, he would not have proceeded so rashly, but would have approached Nabal and complained to him of his rashness and insults, and demanded satisfaction; but since he allowed himself to be overcome by anger, he thought of the death not only of Nabal but of other innocents. Did so great a prophet, so excellent a servant of God, and indeed elect, that he should be a figure of our Lord Jesus Christ — did he come to such cruelty and fury? But if this happened to so great a man, what do we think will happen to us, who are far from his virtues? Therefore so much greater caution must be employed by us, lest we be seduced by the devil and snatched out of the way, yielding to our passions; but a bridle must be cast upon them, and they must be restrained by the fear of the divine name.

To those two sins of David there was added also a third, namely the vain assumption of the name of God, and a useless oath. For it is known how precious God holds his name, that he does not wish it to be assumed by us except with the highest sobriety and reverence. But David rashly in his anger assumed it; not however that he held it in mockery, as many profane men are wont in anger to swear and to tear God with blasphemous voices, so that they do not remember that they are men. From which it appears how great is the force of our passions in blinding us, that, although we have lived most uprightly, yet by the vehemence of such affections all our past virtues are corrupted and destroyed. Therefore our affections must be so bridled that they do not exceed measure: and above all let us so hold the most sacred name of God that we may never rashly assume it. Moreover the formula of swearing which David uses contains an imprecation of cursing. When the Hebrews devote themselves with some imprecation, they say: So may God do to me, and: This may God add to me; as if they should say: So may God avenge me, if I sin or if I lie. But David's oath has something peculiar: 'Thus may the Lord do to David's enemies.' So we see many use oblique formulas of swearing to cover their malice: which however are vain evasions and excuses of no moment. Whatever it may be, David appears to abuse the name of God: which indeed he ought to have had as much in his mind as in his mouth, but for a far different reason. For when he felt himself moved more vehemently with anger, and to rise into graver passions against Nabal, he ought to have prayed God to restrain those motions of his mind, and to extinguish the rising fire. So is the name of God to be invoked. But David does not invoke it for that reason, who, all burning with anger, seems rather to wish to make God the companion of his cruelty. For if, impelled by depraved affections, we invoke the name of God and call him as helper, is not his most sacred majesty thereby polluted and brought into reproach? What Why so? Because we wrap it up in our depraved affections. Thus we see that David's cruelty was inexcusable; why then does he confirm it by an invocation of the divine name? Therefore, since we see David to have come to such a point that, carried away by anger, he violated the sacrosanct name of God, let us all the more fear for ourselves, and dread the momentary fall which can happen even to men of the greatest integrity and simplicity, unless they are restrained by the power of God who has mercy on them. Let us therefore on the contrary look upon and imitate the example of God's faithful servants, insofar as they conformed themselves to God's will; nor let us think that one or another deed of one or another man is to be drawn into an example or general rule, even if the rest of his life has set itself forth as an exemplar of holiness and integrity. For the word of God ought to keep its weight with us, so that we may regulate all our actions and our whole life by its prescription. From which, if certain men, slipping by human weakness, have fallen away who previously had led an angelic life, it is not therefore lawful for us to imitate their example, but rather to look to the word of God, and to retain it as the perpetual, true, and irrevocable [rule] of our life and all our actions.

Let us pass from Nabal to his wife Abigail and his servants, and first there occurs this to be considered: that one of Nabal's servants narrated the whole matter to Abigail as it had taken place, set forth the danger that was hanging over Nabal and his whole household, and warned her to provide so that no harm should befall, [adding] that he himself would have warned Nabal had he not been of such savage manners that access to him did not lie open to anyone. From this it first appears that difficult and morose men generally bring evil upon themselves; for those who are so savage and inhumane that they leave no place for warnings, are worthy of double condemnation and the highest infamy among all from those who wish them well, and study their conveniences, and counsel them well, not flattering their vices but condemning them as is right, so that they may learn to flee them. Nor indeed do they incur grave punishment only with men, but also with God, because by their ingratitude they have rejected so great a good offered to them, and have shut, as it were, the door against God; on which account he hands them over to be tormented by Satan, and afflicts them with deserved punishments. For how great, I ask, is the pride and arrogance, to reject and disdain warnings made in the name of God! Indeed, God will not allow such great arrogance to go unpunished, nor the contempt of his grace, when he shows us the way to salvation. So therefore Nabal was bringing God's judgment upon himself by his untamed and savage manners. For if he had shown himself easy and kind, his servant would have warned him about the sin committed and would have bid him seek a remedy in time to appease David; but since he was morose and difficult, what else remained but that, abandoned by his own people, he should miserably perish in his madness?

Let us on the contrary learn so to act gently and kindly toward all, that we make free access to ourselves available to anyone, and rejoice to be warned about sins, so that we may receive counsel in time, and learn what is to be done and what is useful. Moreover, the same thing happened to Abigail as to the servant: for, not ignorant of her husband's manners, she is said not to have spoken to him that day. Nor indeed would she have accomplished anything, but would have irritated the madman the more. Therefore she conceals the whole matter from him, and goes hastening to meet David. Indeed she appears from these things to have been a thrifty and industrious woman: whom in a moment her servants, ready for obedience, accompanied, equipped with the necessary things to placate David. For suddenly she put two skins of wine and two hundred loaves on asses, with other gifts, which while her husband indulged his appetite and drank too freely, she prepared with the greatest diligence. How great, I ask, was the woman's vigilance, how great her diligence, which scarcely the bravest man could equal! For how could she in a moment have so many loaves, sheep, five seahs of parched grain, a hundred clusters of raisins, two hundred cakes of figs ready at hand, unless she had had them stored in the pantry? How also could she lead the servants out of the house without the husband's knowledge, unless she had been an industrious and most vigilant woman? Conspicuous therefore and outstanding are the virtues in this woman. Therefore those who wish to be considered prudent and industrious and thrifty women, let them learn to imitate this example, and live peacefully with husbands and the whole household, yet so that they not be idle, but care for the household, and equip it with necessary things, and store them in the pantry; and in turn let them gently admonish husbands who are otherwise morose and difficult, and lead them back to easiness; let them not bear haughty spirits, but pray from God for kindness of manners, humanity, prudence, modesty, that they may continually watch over the household, but in the first place that they may, as far as in them lies, attend to those things that make for God's glory and honor. For many wish to be considered upright, and to win favor for themselves by the flatteries of services, who nevertheless are by no means thrifty, and not only do not increase the household by their labor, but rather destroy it by luxury and idleness, and by their stinging tongues stir up the greatest disturbances in the household. But this upright woman Abigail is the exemplar of those whom the wise man in Proverbs praises among women. For speaking of the thrifty woman, he says she is sober in words and food and drink, that she opens her mouth wisely, and the doctrine of kindness sits on her tongue: vigilant in administering the household's accounts, having mercy on the poor, and doing whatever is just and equitable. With all of which we see Abigail to have been distinguished.

Moreover, no small question arises here: whether it was lawful for the wife to take anything of her husband's goods without his knowledge, of which at least she ought to have warned him; since indeed it was no small thing to load on asses two skins of wine, with two hundred loaves and other things of this kind, and to carry them off without the husband's knowledge. This may seem to have been excessive boldness on the woman's part, and that Abigail had stepped beyond her limits. But necessity excuses Abigail and frees her from all blame, since she could not address her husband, nor inform him of this business, without irritating the man more and wasting her effort, especially since he was indulging his appetite, so much so that not even on her return could she explain to her husband what had been done by her, on account of his drunkenness that day. Therefore, since to natural stupidity drunkenness was added, Abigail would have wasted her effort if she had addressed the man at that time; for which reason also she abstained from conversation with him on that day. From which let us learn that God by a certain particular motion governs his own, so that many things are lawful for them in certain private actions with a definite respect, which otherwise would by right not be permitted. For if anyone, for example, were to draw this special deed of Abigail's into an example, that it would be lawful for any women to take anything they please of their husbands' goods, he would surely err by the whole heaven, and depart from reason. For since the husband is the head of the wife, it is not lawful for the wife to handle and squander her husband's goods according to her caprice. For as to the wife, the deed is special to Abigail, whom necessity compelled to hasten with gifts to meet David, and whom God's Spirit also privately directed in that deed. Therefore in such extraordinary deeds let us learn to obtain from God that he govern us by his Holy Spirit, and teach us what is to be done. For although in general we are not ignorant of God's will, yet certain difficulties arise in such extraordinary deeds in which a special grace in governing us is required, so that he himself may suggest to us what is to be done, and direct us with his hand. And there is no doubt at all that God by his Spirit directed this woman: whom although we have heard above to be praised for singular prudence and kindness, yet we are not unaware that she was a woman, and accordingly could in many things have slipped, had not God by a certain singular motion of his Spirit governed her, and admonished her what at that time was expedient and useful. Since therefore these things are so, and we see that God by a certain particular instinct of his Spirit ruled this woman, let us learn to ask him with ardent vows that, if any difficulties arise, he may teach us the manner of extricating ourselves from them; and not allow us to depart even a finger's breadth from his will, but contain us within the limits prescribed for us, and direct us in his service.

Next follows that Abigail met David, and hastily descended from the ass, and, going before David, bowed her face to the ground, and cast herself at his feet, and first asked that he would put this iniquity upon herself, then accused her husband to the same. Truly to soothe David's mind the fault had to be acknowledged and pardon entreated. Therefore Abigail first takes this sin upon herself; then offers her gifts to him, that David might experience in deed itself that she did not wish to mock the man with empty words, but by deeds; although she adds that she did not know of those sent by David to her husband, and yet professes that she acknowledges David to be in grace with God, and that he would at length come into possession of the kingdom, since God had so decreed; finally she turns to prayers. That Abigail thus humbled herself before David was done for two reasons, of which the former is that she acknowledges David as pious king, although he had not yet attained royal dignity; nor indeed was she ignorant of that anointing and inauguration made through the ministry of Samuel: therefore the wealthy and abounding-in-riches woman was not ashamed to humble herself before David, then indeed wretched and needy and a fugitive, but to whom nevertheless royal dignity was owed by God's mandate, that she might exhibit due honor to the king. The other [reason] is that she judged the offense of her husband, although grave, would be remitted to her and condemned, since she had taken it upon herself, although she knew nothing of the deed. Let us learn from this not to blush if God should sometimes cast us down: and especially those who have been raised to some degree of dignity, as often as it shall please God to test them and reduce them to such a condition that they are forced to humble themselves before more abject people, let them learn placidly to obey God, and not to kick against the goad: but with quiet and tranquil mind to bear whatever God shall impose, since they know such to be his will, that he may compose them to humility.

And thus far concerning Abigail's virtue: there follows its effect. For she had so much power with David that she placated his mind and effaced Nabal's offense, by which he had been provoked to anger. For although David himself had not approached Nabal, on account of fear of Saul, lest namely with David openly conversing among men the heat of Saul's anger should be stirred up, yet he had sent messengers to him, whom he reckoned were to be received by Nabal as his own person, with mandates that they should bless him as they greeted him. Now that blessing was nothing else than to pray to God for Nabal's felicity. But Nabal, rejecting all this, even attacking those messengers with insulting words, and loading David with many revilings, drove them away from him. Therefore Abigail had to compensate this fault by a contrary remedy; and therefore we have heard her addressing David with such modest and humble words, and taking her husband's fault upon herself. Nor indeed does she do this dissimulatingly, as most are wont to lie, in order to free others from blame. Not so Abigail: but when she begs David to cast that iniquity upon herself, she offers herself as surety for her husband and the whole household to David. That she hopes for impunity, she attributes to David's humanity, and therefore takes upon herself the iniquity committed by her husband. [She takes the iniquity upon herself] as if she were guilty. In which thing she won David's favor for herself, and conquered the armed man; for those are the weapons by which even the bravest are overcome. Since therefore for Abigail's praise her virtues are commended to us, let us learn so to take upon ourselves the sins of others that we do not heap evil upon evil, but if anything has been sinned, let us neither dissimulate nor cover it with a lie, but ingenuously confess it: and, sustaining the parts of intercessors, let us condemn the vices of fools. Moreover, Abigail's prudence is to be observed here, who, speaking of her husband's stupidity, was unwilling to bring him into hatred, nor to brand him with ignominy, like a shameless woman: but to cover his deed and thus rather to excuse him. For if she had not confessed her husband's deed and had not herself condemned it, she would have inflamed David's anger more and more and stirred him up against [her husband]. For a brave man does not endure dissimulation; therefore those who use lying flatteries are worthy to be rejected. Let us therefore learn neither to dissimulate the matter, nor to add paint to dazzle the eyes, but to confess the sin committed simply. Therefore we see Abigail ingenuously confessing her husband's offense: therefore she also says he is foolish and that his manners agree with his name. For Nabal signifies stupid and foolish. Nor indeed, as I warned before, did she delight to attack her husband with jests and witticisms, as certain saucy women are usually greatly delighted by such cavils: but acknowledging the sin she strives to placate David's anger and to obtain pardon for her husband.

As for the fact that, addressing him, she says, 'Forgive, I pray, the defection of your handmaid,' it appears that she so received the fault upon herself that she submitted to punishment. Although in turn she did not doubt but that David would have some consideration for her, and not exact penalties: since it would be unjust to derive another's fault upon an innocent woman and to exact penalties; especially since she also satisfied David with the gifts offered. From which it appears that those who desire to obtain pardon for things committed must sincerely confess the fault, and do nothing dissimulatingly and fraudulently, and as far as possible make satisfaction to the offended party: just as the just man is said always to render to each his own, and to seek no evasions. Therefore it is necessary not only to confess and acknowledge sins ingenuously, but also to strive to make satisfaction as far as one can. For many, gaping after others' wealth and possessions, will perpetrate some notorious crime, of which they will then profess to be led to penitence and that they would not have committed it had it not been committed: but meanwhile they refuse to make satisfaction. Many with specious words have one thing in their mouth, another in their heart, and their deeds do not correspond to their words. Therefore the more diligently is what we are taught in this place to be observed, that if we wish offenses to be remitted to us, we should testify that the same displease us not only in words but also in deeds, and as far as in us lies make satisfaction.

There follow next those words of Abigail: 'For Jehovah will plainly prepare for my lord a firm house.' By the name of house the Hebrew tongue embraces whatever pertains to the state of this life. Thus a person's house is said to be built up when he enjoys prosperity, and leads a tranquil life with wife and household, and is not infested by enemies, but enjoys his goods. Thus Abigail says she is persuaded that God will prepare a house for David. But from where that persuasion, except from the divine promises, to which she altogether adhered, and the fulfillment of which she awaited, [and from] which she gave such open signs of her piety, prepared to subject herself to that kingdom which nevertheless in human opinion was nothing? She therefore, eager to serve God, did not refuse, that she might become a perpetual member of the church, and submit herself willingly to that supreme empire which was made manifest in the appearance of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Now then come, etc.

## HOMILIA XCI.

14. But one of the young men told Abigail, Nabal's wife: David sent messengers from the wilderness to bless our master, and he raged at them. 15. These men were very good to us. They never troubled us, and we never lost anything during all the time we were with them in the wilderness. 16. They were a wall around us both night and day all the time we were with them keeping the flocks. 17. Now therefore consider carefully what you should do, for harm is determined against our master and against all his household. He is such a worthless man that no one can speak to him. 18. Then Abigail hurried and took two hundred loaves of bread, two skins of wine, five sheep already prepared, five measures of roasted grain, a hundred clusters of raisins, and two hundred cakes of figs, and loaded them on donkeys. 19. She said to her young men: Go on ahead of me, and I will follow after you. But she said nothing to her husband Nabal. 20. And when

she had mounted the donkey and was riding down by the hidden part of the mountain, David and his men were coming down toward her, and she met them. 21. And David said: For nothing have I guarded all that this fellow has in the wilderness, so that nothing was missing of all that belonged to him, and he has returned me evil for good. 22. May God deal with David and more also, if by morning I leave so much as one male of all who belong to him. 23. When Abigail saw David, she hurried and got down from the donkey, and fell before David on her face and bowed to the ground. 24. She fell at his feet and said: On me alone be the blame, my lord. Please let your servant speak in your ears, and hear the words of your servant. 25. Please, my lord, do not let this worthless man Nabal trouble you. For as his name is, so is he — Nabal means fool, and folly is with him. But I, your servant, did not see the young men of my lord whom you sent. 26. And now, my lord, as the Lord lives and as your soul lives, the Lord has restrained you from bloodshed and from taking vengeance yourself. Now let your enemies and those who seek harm against my lord be as Nabal. 27. And now let this gift, which your servant has brought to my lord, be given to the young men who follow my lord. 28. Please forgive the offense of your servant. For the Lord will certainly make my lord a lasting house.

The greater the dignity to which someone has been raised, and the higher the position they hold, the more wisdom they need to govern those entrusted to them. It is contrary to nature for the head to be unable to govern the rest of the body. If anyone lacks the wisdom and judgment needed to govern those they are placed over, they must flee to God in prayer — the one by whom they were raised to that position. For we know that all our sufficiency must be drawn from God's Spirit alone as from a fountain and spring. I bring this up because in this passage Nabal is presented as both wealthy and the head of a large household — yet his wife was fair-minded and wise, while he himself was corrupt and unjust. We see him overwhelmed by God with disgrace and shame, placed on a public stage — his humiliation all the greater because of his wealth. Meanwhile he feeds his folly and malice. Though he had put on the nature of a beast, dull and stupid as he was, he could yield to no one's counsel. This is an extreme evil — to despise the warnings and correction given to you. The person who knows how to govern himself well is worthy to lead others. But if instead a person lacks wisdom, let him think humbly of himself and not trust his own judgment — but rather trust godly people who see him more clearly,

and let himself be held in check by their guidance — for all of this is what we may rightly call the appearance of wisdom. On the contrary, as I said, the person who neither knows himself nor judges things honestly, who is hardened in malice, refuses correction, and rejects sound counsel — such a person will rightly be called a fool, even a madman, and the worst kind of disorder is to be expected. By Nabal's example then — described exactly as such — the Lord teaches us to examine all our conduct carefully: those who are married should know how to lead their wives and children; those who have servants should understand that they have been set as head and leader, and that everything must be kept under proper order. And those who feel unequal to all these responsibilities should pray to God to cover their weaknesses and supply the strength they lack. Enough about Nabal.

Let us move on to Abigail — a wise woman distinguished by remarkable gifts — whom God willed to marry to Nabal, a cruel and inhumane husband. The lesson is this: the Lord sometimes tests the virtue of His own by placing them in such circumstances. Since Abigail excelled in so many remarkable gifts, why did God not give her a worthy husband? We know that marriages are not made by random chance but with God as their author. Why then did He not show mercy to this woman? This is worth careful attention — so that if women do not have such husbands as they might have wished or as they seem to deserve, they may cast themselves before God and acknowledge that this burden has been placed on their shoulders by God. Before Him they must first learn humility, and then their patience and obedience are tested. He wills that they be humbled so they do not become self-satisfied and proud, and He tests their patience so that by their example they may be a model for other women. We see that Abigail conducted herself with her husband in a way that never showed the slightest contempt toward him — even though she did not hide his folly from David. But this was necessary: had she tried to excuse Nabal and defend his cause before David, she would have provoked David's anger further — when what was needed was to calm him with gentle words. So when she openly acknowledges that her husband is a fool and that his deeds match his name, we should not conclude from this that she was in the habit of heaping insults and abuse on her husband. She was speaking of his folly under the pressure of necessity. From what has been said and what we will see more fully later, it is clear that she was a woman of gentle disposition and conducted herself with the highest wisdom in her marriage. We gain great benefit from this if we know how to apply this example to ourselves. It generally happens that those adorned with excellent gifts think that, even if they live in a humble and lowly position, they should not have to acknowledge a higher authority. So it often happens that a naturally gifted woman becomes so proud that she is impossible to live with. You can see most women — not even particularly skilled at running a household — still insisting on being valued and looking down on their husbands. You see children showing no respect for their parents, openly despising them. And servants conduct themselves with arrogance toward their masters, full of their own self-importance. So Abigail's example should teach us wisdom — she is as a mirror showing us our duty. She was, as God's Spirit testifies, a woman of singular gifts, and yet she bore her husband's manners with an even spirit and quietly submitted to the yoke the Lord had placed on her shoulders.

The same lesson appears in Nabal's servant who is mentioned here. Perceiving that his master had brought the greatest evil on himself and that his life was in danger, he did not go to Nabal directly — since Nabal had the most difficult character and was held back by neither fear nor respect. But neither did he entirely abandon his master or pull back from his duty. He looked for a useful remedy for the situation, going to the mistress, reporting the whole matter as it had occurred: his master had brought upon himself and his household complete ruin, unless help was quickly found. He urged that something had to be done, and pressed the mistress with this reasoning: Nabal was bound to David and his soldiers by many acts of kindness — they had been a wall of protection around them day and night, and nothing belonging to them had been lost during all the time they pastured their flocks in the wilderness. Such a great benefit, he argued, deserved to be repaid. He also warned that David would not easily absorb the insults Nabal had heaped on him, and that they must move quickly to address this. This shows that the virtue of this servant exceeded that of his master — and yet we see him a servant, faithfully discharging his duty under the authority of a master who seemed more beast than man, accepting that God had called him to this place in life. From this let us learn: even when those raised to positions of authority are not adorned with all the virtues their office requires, we should still willingly submit to them and show proper respect. Otherwise, lifted up by arrogance and pride, we will despise and look down on them — and thereby disturb the order God has established among people. Modesty and humility are therefore essential — they are, so to speak, the seasoning of all other virtues. Pride and arrogance corrupt and contaminate every virtue. So if anyone excels in the greatest gifts but despises others as beneath them, whatever virtue they possess will be reckoned before God as nothing but corruption and filth. Even though we may be thought good people before others, if there remains in us vanity and arrogance we will still be condemned by God Himself. So let us learn, as I said before, that modesty and humility are the salt by which all other virtues are seasoned — that wisdom, generosity, diligence, courage, and all such virtues amount to nothing unless they are seasoned with humility.

Let us return now to David, whose patience

David's patience was overcome by Nabal's malice — and as I warned before, we must be wise here and in some sense do violence to ourselves, since it can happen that a person who has earned great praise through many remarkable deeds can fall grievously in a single moment. This is why Paul in 1 Corinthians 10:12 urges the faithful to sobriety and says that those who think they are standing must take care that they do not fall — for we are that fragile and weak. Our life is like a difficult road full of obstacles pressing in on us from every side. A person walking on a flat, even path feels pleasure rather than weariness — but one walking through mud full of stones and thorns, with ditches, streams, and hills on every side, experiences a most difficult and exhausting journey, even a dangerous one, since you can hardly take one or two steps without stumbling and risking your life. The same is true of our present life, in which many difficulties and stumbling blocks present themselves — now we strike a stone, now we wander off the path, now we labor with such weariness that we can barely drag our feet forward. All the more diligently must we meditate on Paul's teaching: if we are standing today, pray that God would not abandon us but lead us by the hand and fortify us against all obstacles and temptations, granting perseverance, so that we who have made a good start today may persevere tomorrow, until we have completed the course of this life. David's example here must be carefully considered. Though we have seen and will continue to see his remarkable ease of spirit and patience, here he appears so badly provoked that he blazed out against Nabal and lost all measure. He was, I acknowledge, provoked in a shameful way — not only did Nabal refuse him bread, but accused him of serious crimes and scoffed at his hope of the royal crown, thereby not merely rejecting David but wounding God Himself with grave blasphemy. So Nabal deserves every rebuke. But how did David come to such rage that he threatened death to Nabal and his entire household? He declared that Nabal deserved capital punishment — a man who could have been punished with something far less, or simply rebuked by David himself for his audacity. And he did not threaten death only to the guilty man — he extended it to the entire household, down to the last male member. This is a Hebrew phrase meaning punishment extended to everyone in a household — great and small alike. David threatened to leave no male alive. But were even the infants and absent servants guilty? If Nabal sinned against David, should so many innocent people created in the image of God be put to death? Should innocent blood be shed so carelessly? A certain barbarous cruelty appears in David here — and also rashness in invoking God's name. His cruelty deserved condemnation. And in taking an oath, he used God's name in vain, dragging it into his passion as though trampling it underfoot. This was a serious fall for David — even though a legitimate occasion for punishing Nabal seemed to be before him. His mind had departed so far from the right path through passion that he could not be absolved before God. Even if it had been permitted him to punish Nabal severely, the innocent members of his household still had to be spared. So let us say this: David, stirred by anger, gave too much room to his passions and forgot his duty. God sets him before us as an example from which we may learn not to indulge our passions — but to contain ourselves in His fear, and to take care lest we fall, since in a moment even those who have run the whole course of life without stumbling can trip, fall, and suffer loss. Let us also learn to defend the rightness of our cause without forgetting our duty, as we see David failed to do here. Our excuse will be worthless before God if we have committed a wrong that was not lawful. David could testify — and Nabal's own servant bears witness — that neither David nor his soldiers had done any harm or caused any inconvenience to Nabal. Though they seemed destitute and desperate enough to help themselves to what they needed, the evidence is clear: they had protected and preserved Nabal's shepherds. David therefore had every right to confront Nabal's ungrateful spirit and voice his complaint — but not to take such bloody revenge on a man who had acted ungratefully. So we too, if we have done every duty toward unworthy people, may certainly expose their ingratitude to their shame and call on God while declaring our innocence — but we are not thereby licensed to pursue private revenge and take penalties from our enemies. David sinned seriously here by threatening such terrible things against Nabal and his entirely innocent household. By his example let us be wise — not giving way to our passions and wandering beyond the limits of reason. We must take care to remain within our duty — which will happen if we undertake nothing without God as our guide. For if we drift even a little from the right path, we will be swept headlong into trackless places from which we can barely find our way back. Evil must be headed off before it starts. But if we do fall, help must be sought from Him who can lift up the fallen. And if we have escaped one danger, let us as much as possible guard against the next, knowing that the devil is perpetually lying in wait with many ways of seducing and blinding us to turn us away from the fear of the Lord. Indeed, if

If David had fallen back on his usual patience, he would not have rushed forward so recklessly — he would have gone to Nabal, confronted him about his rashness and insults, and demanded satisfaction. But since he let himself be overcome by anger, he contemplated the death not only of Nabal but of other innocent people. Did so great a prophet, so excellent a servant of God, one chosen to be a figure of our Lord Jesus Christ — did he really descend into such cruelty and fury? But if this happened to so great a man, what do we think will happen to us, who fall so far short of his virtues? We must therefore take all the greater care not to be seduced by the devil and swept off course by giving way to our passions. A bridle must be cast over them and they must be restrained by the fear of God.

Added to David's two sins was a third: taking God's name in vain through a rash oath. We know how precious God holds His name — He does not wish us to invoke it except with the highest sobriety and reverence. But David invoked it rashly in anger. Not that he was mocking it in the way many godless people do when they swear and tear at God with blasphemous words in anger, having forgotten they are human beings. What this shows is how powerful our passions are in blinding us — so that even those who have lived most uprightly can have all their past virtues corrupted and destroyed in a moment by the vehemence of such emotions. Our passions must therefore be bridled so they do not go beyond measure — and above all, we must so revere God's most holy name that we never invoke it rashly. The oath formula David uses contains a curse formula. When the Hebrews devote themselves with a curse they say: 'Thus may God do to me' and 'Thus may God add to me' — as if to say: thus may God avenge me if I sin or if I lie. But David's oath has something peculiar: 'Thus may the Lord do to David's enemies.' We see many people use indirect oath formulas to cover their malice — but these are hollow evasions of no real weight. Whatever the specific form, David abused God's name — a name he should have had in mind and on his lips, but for a very different reason. When David felt himself burning more and more with anger and rising to more serious passion against Nabal, he should have prayed God to restrain those movements of his mind and quench the rising fire. That is how God's name is to be invoked. But David did not invoke it for that reason — blazing with anger, he seems rather to have wanted to make God the companion of his cruelty. When we are driven by corrupt passions and invoke God's name, calling on Him as helper — is not His most holy majesty thereby polluted and brought into disrepute? Why so? Because we are wrapping His name in our corrupt passions. So we see that David's cruelty was inexcusable — why then did he try to confirm it with an invocation of God's name? Since we see David brought to such a point that, carried away by anger, he treated God's holy name with disrespect, let us fear all the more for ourselves — dreading the sudden fall that can happen even to people of the greatest integrity and simplicity, unless they are restrained by the power of God who shows them mercy. Let us instead look to and imitate the example of God's faithful servants insofar as they conformed themselves to God's will — and let us not take one specific deed of a specific person as an example or general rule to follow, even if the rest of that person's life has stood as a model of holiness and integrity. God's Word must carry its full weight with us, so that we regulate all our actions and our whole life according to its prescription. If certain people, slipping through human weakness, have departed from their previous pattern of almost angelic living — it is not thereby lawful for us to imitate their example. Rather, let us look to God's Word and hold it as the permanent, true, and irrevocable rule for our life and all our actions.

Let us now pass from Nabal to his wife Abigail and his servants. First, notice this: one of Nabal's servants told Abigail the whole story as it had happened, laid out the danger hanging over Nabal and his entire household, and warned her to do something before harm fell — adding that he himself would have warned Nabal, but Nabal's manners were so savage that no one could get through to him. This first shows that men who are difficult and harsh generally bring evil on themselves — those so savage and inhumane that they leave no room for correction deserve double condemnation and the highest shame from those who wish them well, study their best interests, and counsel them honestly, not flattering their vices but rightly condemning them so they may learn to turn from them. Nor do such people incur serious punishment only from others — they incur it from God as well, because by their stubbornness they have rejected a great gift offered to them and have shut the door on God. For that reason God hands them over to be tormented by Satan and afflicts them with deserved punishment. How great a pride and arrogance it is to reject and despise warnings given in God's name! God will not allow such arrogance to go unpunished, nor the contempt of His grace when He shows us the way to salvation. So Nabal was drawing God's judgment on himself by his untamed and savage manners. If he had shown himself approachable and kind, his servant would have warned him of the sin he had committed and urged him to seek a remedy in time to appease David. But since he was harsh and unapproachable, what else remained but that, abandoned by his own people, he would wretchedly perish in his madness?

Let us on the contrary learn to act gently and kindly toward all, making ourselves approachable to everyone and welcoming correction about our sins, so that we may receive counsel in time and learn what needs to be done and what is right. The same situation arose for Abigail as for the servant. Knowing her husband's character well, she is said not to have spoken to him that day. She would have accomplished nothing — only made the madman more inflamed. So she kept the whole matter from him and hurried to meet David. She appears from all this to have been a capable and industrious woman: her servants were ready to obey, and in a moment they accompanied her with everything needed to appease David. She instantly loaded donkeys with two skins of wine, two hundred loaves, and other gifts — all while her husband was indulging himself and drinking freely — and she prepared it all with the greatest efficiency. What remarkable vigilance, what remarkable diligence in this woman — something the bravest men would struggle to match! How could she have had on hand in a moment so many loaves, sheep, five measures of roasted grain, a hundred clusters of raisins, and two hundred cakes of figs — unless she had them carefully stored in the household? And how could she lead the servants out of the house without her husband noticing, unless she was a highly capable and attentive woman? Her virtues are striking and remarkable. So those who wish to be considered wise and capable women should learn to imitate this example — living at peace with their husbands and their whole household, yet not being idle, but caring for the household, equipping it with what is needed, and keeping stores well supplied. Let them gently encourage husbands who are harsh and difficult, and lead them toward a gentler spirit. Let them put away proud attitudes and pray to God for kindness, humanity, wisdom, and humility — so that they may continually watch over the household and above all, as much as it is within their power, attend to whatever makes for God's glory and honor. Many want to be thought of as upright and to earn praise through flattery and the appearance of service — yet they are not in the least capable or industrious. They do not strengthen the household by their work but ruin it through luxury and laziness, and with their sharp tongues stir up the worst disorder in the home. But this upright woman Abigail is the model of the woman the wise man praises in Proverbs. Speaking of the capable woman, he says she is restrained in words, food, and drink — that she opens her mouth with wisdom and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue. She is watchful over the household's affairs, shows mercy to the poor, and does what is just and fair. All of this we see in Abigail.

A question arises here: was it lawful for the wife to take her husband's goods without his knowledge? One might argue she at least owed him a warning — since loading donkeys with two skins of wine, two hundred loaves, and other items and carrying them off without the husband's knowledge was no small thing. This might seem excessive boldness on the woman's part, as though Abigail had stepped beyond her proper limits. But necessity excuses Abigail and frees her from all blame — she could not approach her husband or inform him of the situation without making him more inflamed and wasting her effort, especially since he was busy indulging himself. In fact, even when she returned she could not explain to him what she had done, because of his drunkenness that day. Since drunkenness was added on top of natural stupidity, Abigail would have accomplished nothing by approaching the man at that time — which is also why she chose not to speak with him that day. From this let us learn that God by a certain specific guidance governs His own, so that certain particular actions are lawful for them in certain situations in a way that would not otherwise be permitted as a general rule. If anyone were to take this special act of Abigail's as a general example — concluding that any wife may take whatever she pleases of her husband's goods — they would be badly mistaken and departing entirely from reason. Since the husband is the head of the wife, it is not lawful for the wife to handle and spend her husband's goods according to her own whim. Abigail's deed was specific to her situation — necessity compelled her to hurry with gifts to meet David, and God's Spirit also privately directed her in that action. In such extraordinary situations let us therefore learn to ask God to govern us by His Holy Spirit and show us what needs to be done. For although in general we are not ignorant of God's will, certain unusual situations arise in which a special grace of guidance is needed — so that God Himself may direct us and lead us with His hand. There is no doubt that God by His Spirit directed this woman. Even though we have heard her praised for singular wisdom and kindness, we are also aware she was human — and could have slipped in many ways had not God by a particular movement of His Spirit governed her and shown her what was expedient and right at that moment. Since this is so, and since we see that God by a special impulse of His Spirit ruled this woman, let us learn to ask Him with earnest prayer that whenever difficulties arise, He may show us how to navigate them — not allowing us to depart a single step from His will, but keeping us within the limits He has set and directing us in His service.

What follows is that Abigail met David, quickly dismounted from her donkey, went before David, bowed her face to the ground, threw herself at his feet, first asked that the guilt be placed on her, and then acknowledged her husband's offense to David. To soften David's anger, the fault had to be acknowledged and pardon earnestly sought. So Abigail first takes the sin upon herself. Then she presents her gifts, so that David could see in action that she was not trying to pacify the man with empty words but with real substance. She also states that she had not known about the messengers David had sent to her husband — yet she professes that she recognizes David as one who stands in God's favor and who will at last come into possession of the kingdom, since God has so decreed. Finally she turns to prayer. Abigail humbled herself before David for two reasons. The first is that she acknowledged David as her rightful king, even though he had not yet attained royal dignity — she was well aware of the anointing and designation made through Samuel's ministry. So this wealthy and prosperous woman was not ashamed to humble herself before David, then wretched, poor, and a fugitive — but one to whom royal dignity was owed by God's decree — so that she might give the king the honor that was his due. The second reason is that she judged her husband's offense, though serious, would be pardoned and charged to her since she had taken it upon herself — even though she had known nothing of the deed. Let us learn from this not to be ashamed when God sometimes brings us low. And especially those who have been raised to some degree of dignity — whenever it pleases God to test them and reduce them to a condition where they are forced to humble themselves before those of lower position, let them learn to submit quietly to God and not kick against the goad. With a calm and settled mind let them bear whatever God imposes, knowing that this is His will — to bring them to humility.

So much for Abigail's virtue — now let us see its effect. She had such power with David that she calmed his anger and wiped away the offense by which Nabal had provoked him. Although David had not gone to Nabal himself — out of caution regarding Saul, lest David's public activity among people should stir up Saul's fury — he had sent messengers to him, expecting Nabal to receive them as representing David himself. They were sent with instructions to greet him and bless him. That blessing was simply a prayer to God for Nabal's wellbeing. But Nabal, rejecting all of it and even attacking those messengers with insults, heaping abuse on David, drove them away from his door. Abigail therefore had to provide the opposite remedy to compensate for this offense — which is why we hear her addressing David with such modest and humble words and taking her husband's fault upon herself. She was not doing this with pretense, the way most people lie in order to shield others from blame. Not so Abigail. When she begged David to lay that iniquity on herself, she offered herself as surety for her husband and the whole household. She attributed any hope of being spared to David's humanity, and therefore took upon herself the guilt her husband had incurred. She took it on as though she herself were the guilty party. By this she won David's favor and disarmed an armed man — for these are the weapons by which even the bravest are overcome. So as Abigail's virtues are commended to us for our benefit, let us learn to take the sins of others upon ourselves in such a way that we do not compound evil upon evil. If something has gone wrong, let us neither pretend it away nor cover it with a lie, but acknowledge it honestly — and standing as intercessors, let us also rightly condemn the fault. Abigail's wisdom is also worth noticing here: in speaking of her husband's stupidity, she was not trying to make him hated or brand him with shame as a shameless woman would do — but rather to cover what he had done and make the best case for him she could. If she had not honestly acknowledged her husband's fault and condemned it herself, she would have further inflamed David's anger and stirred him up against Nabal. A courageous man does not endure flattery and pretense — those who resort to lying flatteries deserve to be dismissed. So let us learn neither to cover up what has happened nor to dress it up with appearances that dazzle the eye, but simply and honestly confess the sin committed. We see Abigail honestly confessing her husband's offense — and so she says he is foolish and that his manners match his name. For Nabal means stupid and foolish. But as I said before, she was not delighting in attacking her husband with cutting remarks and witticisms, as certain sharp-tongued women typically enjoy doing. By acknowledging the sin, she was striving to calm David's anger and obtain pardon for her husband.

When she says, 'Please forgive the offense of your servant,' it is clear that she so took the fault upon herself that she submitted to punishment. At the same time she did not doubt that David would show her some consideration and not demand strict penalties — since it would be unjust to transfer another's guilt onto an innocent woman and exact punishment from her, especially since she was also making real satisfaction to David with the gifts she brought. This shows that those who wish to obtain pardon for wrongs committed must honestly confess the fault, do nothing with pretense or deception, and as much as possible make real satisfaction to the offended party — just as the righteous person is said always to render to each what belongs to them, seeking no evasions. It is therefore necessary not only to acknowledge sins honestly but also to strive to make amends as much as one can. Many people will commit some notorious wrong while coveting others' possessions, and then profess to be repentant — saying they wish it had never happened. But meanwhile they refuse to make any restitution. Many use fine-sounding words with one thing in their mouth and another in their heart, and their actions do not match their words. All the more diligently therefore must we observe what is taught here: if we want our offenses to be forgiven, we must show that we are truly displeased by them — not only in words but in actions — and make satisfaction as far as it is within our power to do so.

Next come Abigail's words: 'The Lord will certainly establish a lasting house for my lord.' In Hebrew, 'house' encompasses everything that belongs to a person's wellbeing in this life. A person's house is said to be built up when they enjoy prosperity, live at peace with their wife and household, are not threatened by enemies, and enjoy the goods God has given them. So Abigail says she is persuaded that God will establish a household for David. But from where does that persuasion come, except from God's promises — to which she clung completely and the fulfillment of which she awaited? She showed such open signs of her faith, ready to submit herself to the kingdom that in human eyes amounted to nothing. Eager to serve God, she willingly made herself a permanent member of the people of God, submitting herself to the supreme authority that would be fully revealed in the person of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Now then come, etc.

## HOMILIA XCI.