Friends are Sheltering Trees
A sheltering tree is a great description of a friend. We all need friends who will stand by us, in good times and bad. Going it alone is not how we’re wired.
A sheltering tree is a great description of a friend. We all need friends who will stand by us, in good times and bad. Going it alone is not how we’re wired.
At the bottom of his life, all crutches removed, David crawled into a cave in the Judean wilderness. He was disillusioned, hurt, lonely, and afraid. It was, up to that time, the lowest moment of his entire life. But God had a whole new direction for him to take.
Grace can mean unmerited favour—extending special favour to someone who doesn’t deserve it, who hasn’t earned it, and who can never repay it. Every once in a while, we come across a scene in Scripture and we stand amazed at such amazing grace.
After being pursued by Saul all over southern Israel and with the opportunity to take his vengeance, David resisted and offered us a glimpse of what it looks like to turn the other cheek.
Pastor Chuck will continue his series on integrity with a look at the story of Abigail, a woman of remarkable wisdom and courage.
As a result of Abigail's godly character, a murder was avoided and God was given room to work His will in a most surprising way.
The story we discover recorded in 1 Samuel 25 is amazing—change a few particulars, the geography, and the date, and we find ourselves reenacting a series of events as modern as today’s news. It is the story of an unfair boss, a strained marriage, and a great-hearted woman whose act of unselfish bravery saved her husband’s neck! Its fairy tale ending makes the story one of the most memorable in all the Old Testament.
This is the story of David and Abigail—of a strong man who admired a strong woman; a wise man who listened to an even wiser woman. This can be our story too, if we’re wise enough to follow her example and adopt her motto.
The story contained in 1 Samuel 25 is extremely practical, showing us the humanity of this great man of God and illustrating the power of a woman who knew how to use her culinary art with wisdom.
Nowhere in 1 Samuel 25 does it mention her physical appearance or age. In a world obsessed with youth and beauty, examples like Abigail remind me how living for God creates character with remarkable, unmatched beauty.