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The Beginning of the End
desolate wilds, realizing that the prophet was dead and the king was
his enemy, he sang:
He who keeps you will not slumber.
Behold, He who keeps Israel
Shall neither slumber nor sleep. ...
The Lord shall preserve your going out and your coming in
From this time forth, and even forevermore.
Psalm 121:3-8
Nabal, the Hard-Hearted Farmer
David and his men protected the flocks and herds of a wealthy
man named Nabal, who had vast resources in Paran. But Nabal’s
character was ill-tempered and stingy.
It was the time of sheep shearing—a season of hospitality. David
and his men needed supplies, and the son of Jesse sent ten young
men to Nabal, instructing them to greet him in their master’s name:
“Peace be to you, peace to your house, and peace to all that you
have! Now I have heard that you have shearers. Your shepherds
were with us, and we did not hurt them, nor was there anything
missing from them all the while they were in Carmel. [
Not Mount
Carmel, but a place in the territory of Judah.
] Ask your young men,
and they will tell you. Therefore ... . Please give whatever comes to
your hand to your servants and to your son David.”
This rich man was asked to provide from his great wealth some
relief to the needs of those who had given him such valuable service.
The answer Nabal gave showed his character: “Who is David, and
who is the son of Jesse? There are many servants nowadays who
break away each one from his master. Shall I then take my bread
and my water and my meat that I have killed for my shearers, and
give it to men when I do not know where they are from?”
[337]
David was furious. He determined to punish the man who had
denied him what was his right, and had added insult to injury. This
impulsive movement was more like the character of Saul than of
David. The son of Jesse still had to learn patience.