Hannah, Michal, Abigail, Bathsheba: November 2020
Table of Contents
Theme
Are we weak or are we strong? The Lord uses the lives of the four women in this issue to teach us some lessons about how to be strong when we are weak. We do well to listen and to learn. Hannah was weak and she knew it. She turned to the Lord, and, in His strength, she was greatly blessed. The lives of Michal, Abigail and Bathsheba were intertwined with the life of David. While at times he failed, especially with Bathsheba, yet we can learn from his life as a type of Christ in the time of His rejection. Did they cling to him or did they turn from him to find their strength in others? Consider these scriptures as you think about their lives and yours: “Let the weak say, I am strong” (Joel 3:10). “He said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for My strength is made perfect in weakness” (2 Cor. 12:9). “A Psalm of David, the servant of the Lord, who spake unto the Lord the words of this song in the day that the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul: and he said, I will love thee, O Lord, my strength” (Psa. 18:1). “I will trust, and not be afraid: for the Lord Jehovah is my strength” (Isa. 12:2). And, finally, from the lips of the perfect man: “Be not Thou far from me, O Lord: O my strength, haste Thee to help me” (Psa. 22:19).
Hannah
“Much food is in the tillage of the poor” (Prov. 13:23). Naomi, whose history precedes that of Hannah, has already illustrated this. In her day she had only a very small part of the written Word of God, but that small part had awakened in her soul faith in the goodness and grace of God. In it He had made provision for her need and that of Ruth, and He also had raised up Boaz to accomplish His purposes of mercy for them. Their faith acted on this, and these poor widows reaped a rich harvest. What a testimony against those who now possess the whole Word of God, yet because of unbelief, reap nothing!
The book of Ruth typically shows us a soul brought into new relationships with God by faith through redemption. Hannah’s story follows and shows us how these new relationships become more deeply prized and enjoyed. Both were women of faith, and they were tenderly loved. Yet Hannah was in the depths of sorrow, while Ruth was happy. Why was this, and what instruction is there in it for us?
Purposes in the Incarnation
In Hebrews 2:14-18 we learn a twofold purpose in the incarnation of the Son of God. He came in flesh to make propitiation for the sins of the people and to obtain for them eternal redemption. But also, “in the days of His flesh,” He suffered being tempted (sin apart) and entered thus into all the afflictions of His people, that He might succor them in all their temptations. These two purposes must be kept clearly before the soul: (1) that redemption is perfect and secure and (2) that suited help in every distress is, at the same time, made certain. Both are proofs of the abundant provision made for man, whether an anxious sinner or a tried saint, by God in Christ Jesus. The story of Ruth illustrates the former, while that of Hannah shows the need of the latter. It will not do then to leave off with the history of Ruth; we must go on to that of Hannah. All through Scripture we have these important distinctions as to experience maintained. The songs of joy, the timbrels and the dances when the people of Israel were fully delivered from Egypt fall in perfectly with the close of the book of Ruth. The three days without water and the bitterness of that in Marah (Ex. 15:22-27) are more in character with the books of Samuel.
Ruth and Hannah
Thus we find these things repeated with great variety of detail, yet with perfect unity of design. Ruth and Naomi rejoice before the Lord, but Hannah, before she can sing, must pour out her soul in secret before the King and weep sore. What then is the purpose of God in this? We shall find it expressed in brief but most explicit terms in Psalm 81:7. In verse 6 we have the grand deliverance effected by redemption. Speaking of Israel, the Lord says, “I removed his shoulder from the burden: his hands were delivered from the pots [baskets].” They were free, no longer toiling under the lash for Pharaoh and his people, and the day of their freedom from them was the day of their espousals to Jehovah (Jer. 2:2). But in verse 7 it is another thing: “Thou calledst in trouble, and I delivered thee; I answered thee in the secret place of thunder.” Here is the trouble we have been considering, but why “the secret place of thunder”? The form of the expression is striking and evidently intended to awaken attention. It is not merely the elevated language of poetry. Hannah, we shall find, got her answer in and from “the secret place of thunder.” She had to abandon every hope from natural laws, and this gives meaning and force to this striking expression. Job well describes the power of God as displayed in nature. He sets it forth in magnificent style in his answer to Bildad in Job 26. The last is the crowning verse to it all: “Lo, these are the borders of His ways; but what a whisper of a word do we hear of Him! And the thunder of His power, who can understand?” (Job 26:14 JND).
The Answers to Prayers of Faith
In these two passages of Scripture we have His works in nature and their revelation of Him distinguished from His answer to the cry of His people in trouble and their consequent knowledge of Him. As the sound of a whisper, so is the witness to God in the works of nature, wonderful as they are. As the voice of thunder, so is His answer to believing prayer. It is impossible for the suppliant not to hear it and rejoice: “God ... is, and He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him” (Heb. 11:6). As the naturalist pursues his researches, he ought to discern the borders of the ways of God, to catch some whisper of Him, but this is not the way the Lord responds to the call of His people in trouble. They command the thunder of His power and learn to understand it and to praise Him whose voice it is.
Hannah had a problem which no science could solve; yet the future of the nation, and we may say of the whole world, hung upon its solution. The richest provision of mercy for man in man had failed. The priesthood, utterly corrupt, taught the people to transgress, and a sweeping judgment was impending. God must be trusted to work outside the course of nature, as in the case of Abraham: “God, who quickeneth the dead” (Rom. 4:17). The denial of miracles is an attempt to silence the voice of the Almighty, an attempt as cruel to man as it is audacious to Him. Had Hannah been a mother, like Peninnah, she would have been thankful to the Lord, but she never would have worshiped Him in the magnificent strains of her song. It was no mere whisper of Him that called forth such rapturous notes of praise. In her Samuel (asked of God), she heard His voice, not in the laws of nature, but answering her tears and her cries from “the secret place of thunder.” Would that we all knew more of this! There are few now, it is to be feared, who have Hannah’s singleness of purpose in their desires—few who pray such prayers or who can sing such a song. The Lord multiply such individuals, for never were they more needed.
W. Barker (adapted), Bible Treasury, Vol. 18
Hannah's Tears
Concerning Hannah, we read in 1 Samuel 1:6-7, “Her adversary also provoked her ... when she went up to the house of the Lord.” What a state of affairs this is — this woman of faith, being so tested! She goes up to the house of the Lord where she should have had relief, but instead the darkness of doubts presented by the adversary as to the goodness of God plagued her every thought. No doubt she had great confidence in God, but even the most faithful of God’s children are subject to doubt and questions that, unjudged, would remove us from the security and the enjoyment of His very presence.
Her Husband
The first to hear her weep is her husband, who has the heart and the desire to give her whatever he could. The problem was that he had the ability to hear and enter into her crying, but he did not have the resources to answer her need. The only thing he could offer her was of himself and limited to his own experience. “Am I not better to thee than ten sons?” (1 Sam. 1:8). How often we turn to another well-intentioned person — some other source of comfort, while ignoring the fact that the resources of these comforters are as limited as ours.
Eli’s Misunderstanding
The second person to hear her cry was Eli, and perhaps he did not think it was possible that anybody who was truly pious would come to pray in the temple, as it had turned into a seat of evil. He thought she was just another dislocated, drunken person. He had the resources but the inability to hear. How often have we sought solace in a source that could not enter into the bitterness of our own souls! “The heart knoweth his own bitterness” (Prov. 14:10). Instead of consolation, we get criticism or a discounting of the pain that we are experiencing.
The Lord Heard
Ah, but the third ear that heard her cry was that of the Lord. Hannah says in 1 Samuel 1:26-27, “I am the woman that stood by thee here, praying unto the Lord. For this child I prayed; and the Lord hath given me my petition which I asked of Him.” Yes, Eli stood by, but she bypasses him and gives the Lord all the credit. It was the Lord who heard her, but only He could answer her pain. Only the Lord could fill the void.
My Tears in Thy Bottle
How often we are like Hannah, forgetting that we are “one with Him” and that our tears are his tears. He has purchased us with His own blood. “Put Thou my tears into Thy bottle” (Psa. 56:8). May we be like the Shunamite in 2 Kings 4, who bypassed the first two “altars” and was not content until she had bowed at the feet of the Giver of all good and made her pain His pain. May we remember to present our tears and our sorrows only at our true altar. It is there, and only there, that we will find grace for our time of need and divine provision that will give lasting comfort.
“He that confideth in Jehovah, loving-kindness shall encompass him” (Psa. 32:10 JND).
“Trust in Him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before Him” (Psa. 62:8).
“Blessed be God ... the God of all comfort” (2 Cor. 1:3).
D. Jacobsen
Hannah's Prayer
We often speak of Hannah’s song, but in Scripture we read, “And Hannah prayed” (1 Sam. 2:1). We may wonder why her thanksgiving is called a prayer. It is very significant that it was at Shiloh, at the yearly gathering for worship and sacrifice to the Lord, that Hannah’s grief was inconsolable. When her husband pressed her to partake of the sacrifices of his peace offerings she could only weep; she could not eat. And why? The peace offering had a special significance, for in it the Lord condescended to bring the worshipers into communion with Himself. A selected portion was called “the food of the offering” and this was to be consumed on the burnt offering and with the meat offering, before they or the priests partook of what was reserved for them. All pointed on to Christ, and to the infinite delight that God found in Him — in His life and death — and believers, redeemed by His blood, were to participate in this divine delight. Could there be food for Hannah in this offering if there was none for the Lord?
The State of Things at Shiloh
What then was the state of things at Shiloh? The priests openly set aside the revealed will of God and instituted a custom of their own (1 Sam. 2:13-17). The conscientious worshiper might plead that God should be honored by obedience to His Word, yet he pleaded in vain. More than this, the priests with insolent violence took of the offerings whatever they pleased — “Thou shalt give it me now, and if not I will take it by force” was their threat. Even the high priest Eli, although he remonstrated, suffered these things to go on and became a partaker of the sin. “Thou honourest thy sons before Me,” the Lord said to him, “to make yourselves fat with the chiefest of all the offerings of Israel My people” (1 Sam. 2:29).
How could those who feared God have communion with all this? Men abhorred the offering of the Lord, and those who went on with the outward form did so with heartless indifference to the holiness of God and the authority of His Word. This was the case with Peninnah, who took this public opportunity of provoking her; and the more confidently, as she could point to her many children as a proof of the Lord’s blessing, while Hannah’s barrenness must be a sure indication of His displeasure. This intensified, not only her grief, but her isolation. In the midst of a crowd of outward worshipers and in the presence of Eli she was alone, but alone with God.
The Priesthood
Still, she was under the law, and the Levitical priesthood had a place of great importance in connection with the law. The high priest interceded for them, obtained counsel from the Lord for them, and on the day of atonement represented them. But Hannah had to correct Eli, though with meekness, as became her, and he accepted the rebuke. Personally, Eli was pious and gracious, though his criminal weakness as high priest, judge, and a father brought judgment on himself and his house.
Prayer for a Son
Alone, Hannah pleaded with the Lord, and we may gather from her vow much of what was exercising her soul. There was the absence of self, a most blessed thing in prayer; her whole concern was for the glory of the Lord and the service of His people. She longed for a son, that she might give him to the Lord to be a means of blessing to Israel, at a time when those who had been given for that end were serving themselves. Her husband being of the tribe of Levi, this desire was in full accord with the spirit of the law (Numbers 3), yet there is something exceedingly touching in her prayer. She pleaded for only one son — “O Lord of hosts, if Thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of Thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget Thine handmaid, but wilt give unto Thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the Lord all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head” (1 Sam. 1:11). Was the service of God by the Levites corrupted like His worship? Though still early in Israel’s history, it would appear so. Surely the Spirit of God in Hannah’s prayers and tears was giving expression to the wants of the godly remnant in that people, and also affording encouragement for all in like sorrow in the church of God.
Hope for the Nation
We now enter on a scene of great interest. In the midst of the evils and the forecast of impending judgments of that sad time, she and Samuel appear to be the only hope for the nation. Samson had failed with his great strength, and Eli in his exalted position. What hope can there be in a weak woman and a still weaker child? The answer surely is in prayer, and in this Hannah and Samuel are as one; Samuel is the continuation of Hannah. If we ignore the division of chapters one and two, we may read, “And he worshipped the Lord there. And Hannah prayed” (1 Sam. 1:28; 2:1). Before leaving the young child at Shiloh we see them worshiping together. It was a painful moment for a mother, but her will was broken and her heart was full. She, in effect, begins the prayers and service of her child with her praises, for thanksgiving is inseparable from such prayers.
The Salvation of the Lord
The foundation of all is the known and enjoyed salvation of the Lord. Because of this her heart exulted in Him, like the heavenly hosts, in His holiness. Without His salvation, what avails the natural prosperity of Peninnah, or even the exalted position of the priests? Not these outward things but actions will be weighed, for the Lord is a God of knowledge. Why then are external advantages so coveted by man? The bows of the mighty will be broken, the full become empty, the fruitful languish. Grace, on the other hand, raises the fallen and girds them with strength, the hungry are satisfied, the barren made joyful with children. Thus, the way of the Lord is to humble those He will exalt, to bring low those He will lift up. Where man’s purpose and pride wither, faith can grow, and “the heart of the wise is in the house of mourning” (Eccl. 7:4). Hannah had proved it, and she sees them, however lowly here — made to sit with princes and to inherit the throne of glory. This is salvation as Hannah knew it, from Him who had so tenderly dealt with her.
What then of those who reject or neglect it? How will they escape? If alive when the Lord comes to claim the earth they will be broken to pieces (Psalm 2), while the dead will be judged before the great white throne. Hannah seems to distinguish thus between “the adversaries of the Lord” — those who will be arrayed against Him for battle — and “the wicked” — all those without Christ. We too make this clear distinction, from the definite teaching of Revelation 19:11-21; 20:11,15).
Praise
But judgment is not a fitting close to such exalted utterances as these; accordingly “the Anointed” — the Messiah, is brought in. Before she prayed, the bullock which she had brought with her child had been sacrificed, and the testimony to the sufferings of Christ and His atoning work had been given. She cannot close her prayer without telling of the glories that shall follow — “Jehovah shall give strength unto His King, and exalt the horn of His Anointed” (1 Sam. 2:10). When we consider the times and think of the woman’s weakness, this is a marvelous portion of God’s Word, yet made of God the first of blessings to His beloved people, who were in a low state. At first Hannah was overwhelmed with the difficulties. When she found all her strength in the Lord, so great was her joy in Him, that in all this prayer she never once named or even mentioned her child. With our greater light and privileges, how few are like her in this! How important it is for us to be in the bright assurance of salvation, to have hearts full of praise, and to see right on to glory!
W. Barker (adapted)
Michal, Saul's Daughter
It is only as we enter into the future that we have power to walk firmly in the right path in the present. It is what is beyond the present scene that must take possession of the heart and must form the basis of our spiritual power here in this present world. But it is wonderful what power that gives, if the heart is in it!
There are almost similar words used in Hannah’s song as in Mary’s in Luke 1. There is the greatest possible human weakness in both these cases, but we also have what gives mighty power, and that is faith. We must look on to what is before us, if we are to walk rightly in the present. Those who shone in this way were generally those who had a large grasp of God’s purposes with His people. Hannah’s is a remarkable utterance—such a burst of praise and intelligence. It brings out the full force of that word, “The secret of the Lord is with them that fear Him; and He will show them His covenant” (Psa. 25:14). The glory was about to depart from Israel, but in the midst of it all we have a woman of faith, and it was her own faith, for neither Elkanah nor Eli entered into it. Hannah’s faith went far beyond all the ruin. It was not merely the birth of a little child, but it was that God was about to bring in a deliverance for Israel, and ultimately the whole creation of God. When she says, “My heart rejoiceth in the Lord,” she is outside her immediate circumstances. The last notes of her psalm go on to the extremity of time and God’s purposes regarding creation.
The Confirmation of the Promise
It is important for us not to border our thoughts by the little circumstances by which we are surrounded; God has counsels concerning the church, the world and creation, and we can take up these things in spirit. There is not a single promise that God has made in His Word that is not ours in Jesus Christ. Every promise of God is ours in Him. What enables us to keep the word of His patience is the certainty that all these things are ours already. We are not merely like those who are hoping for an uncertain thing; we have the confirmation of the promise in the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ.
At least six times over Samuel is spoken of as the one who was in the house of the Lord, ministering there and growing there. How few in Israel thought anything about Samuel then or connected him with the overthrow of the Philistines and with the establishment of God’s counsel! And when Simeon took the Lord Jesus up in his arms, who connected the coming day of glory with that little child? Faith only. The secret of the Lord is with them that fear Him, and a wonderful secret it is. We might be disheartened if we look at things around us, but observe Hannah’s and Mary’s faith — hearts bursting forth in praise and looking on to the end of time. Let the circumstances be what they may, we have Christ at the right hand of God — the anchor of the soul — and we have the secret of the Lord, His thoughts and counsels. Let us not get narrowed into our little circumstances, but remember that we are bound up with all the interests of the Lord Jesus Christ.
C. McAdam, Christian Truth, Vol. 11
Abigail
Interwoven into the story of David’s checkered life, there are many fine characters, but there is not one, perhaps, that wears a more beautiful character than Abigail, the Carmelitess. Her name means “cause of delight,” and surely her story proves that she was a source of delight to the heart of David.
At the moment that she comes upon the scene, David, though the anointed of the Lord, is a hunted man, hiding in the caves of the earth, although surrounded by a band of faithful followers (1 Sam. 22:1-2). In the course of his wanderings, he and his followers went about doing good, for the shepherds of Nabal, Abigail’s husband, have to own that David and his men “were very good to us.” They protected his shepherds and their flocks night and day, so that, as long as David and his men were in their neighborhood, they lost nothing.
Nabal
This Nabal was a man of substance and high social position. He was, in the eyes of the world, a “very great” man — one who could entertain in royal style (1 Sam. 25:2-3,36). In God’s sight, however, he was a churlish man and “evil in his doings” — one that would brook no interference from others. He professes to have no knowledge of David, for he asks, “Who is David and who is the son of Jesse?” Doubtless he knew of David’s great victory over Goliath and how the women had sung his praises, but it seems that he looked upon David as one whose head has been turned by his great deeds and the songs of women and, aspiring to the throne, had become a rebellious servant who had broken away from his master, King Saul. If any report of Samuel’s anointing of David had reached his ears, he evidently treated it with complete indifference. To Nabal, David was only a runaway servant.
Good Understanding
When David appeals to Nabal, in a day of plenty, to make some recompense for benefits received, David’s young men are driven away with insults. David, incensed by such treatment, prepares to take vengeance. This brings Abigail to the front. She is described as a woman of a beautiful countenance and “of good understanding.” She had evidently considered the people and events of her day, and the Lord had given her understanding. She hears of her husband’s folly from one of the young men of her household, and she immediately acts in faith, without consulting her husband. Nature could see in David only a runaway servant; faith sees, in the hunted and needy David, the coming king. Thus she takes her place as a subject of the king and acts with becoming deference in his presence. She prepares her present, and, having met David, she fell at his feet, bowed herself to the ground, and owned David as her lord. She takes sides with David against both her husband and King Saul. She owns that Nabal, though her husband and a great man in the world, is acting in an impious and foolish way, and that Saul, though the reigning king, is but “a man” that is opposing God’s anointed. She sees that David, though hunted and in poverty, is “bound up in the bundle of the living” and coming into a glorious inheritance.
The Day of Rejection
Like Jonathan, she had a high position in this world as the wife of a “very great” man, but in contrast to Jonathan she was not hindered, by her social position, from identifying herself with David in the day of his rejection. In view of that glory and in confidence in the king, she can say, “When the Lord shall have dealt well with my lord, then remember thy handmaid.” These words recall that far greater scene, when a dying thief, looking beyond the awful circumstances of the moment to the coming glory, with confidence in the King, could say, “Lord, remember me when Thou comest into Thy kingdom” (Luke 23:42). Thus the high-born Abigail and the low-born thief, with the same faith, look beyond the present and act and speak in the light of the future. The future justifies their faith. David, though in wilderness circumstances, acts with royal dignity, as a king with a subject. He dismisses Abigail with his blessing after having accepted her present, hearkened to her requests, and accepted her person.
Nabal’s End
Returning to her husband, Abigail finds him debasing himself at a drunken feast. When sober, he is informed of what has taken place, and at once “his heart died within him, and he became as a stone.” About ten days after the Lord smote him. Having obtained her freedom by death, Abigail becomes the wife of David. She leaves her high position, with its ease and comfort, to associate herself with David in his sufferings and wanderings. In this new path she will indeed know suffering and privation, even to being taken captive by David’s enemies at Ziklag. But she will also share his throne in the day of his reign at Hebron (1 Sam. 30:5; 2 Sam. 2:2).
David’s Greater Son
In this touching story, we see a foreshadowing of David’s greater Son — the One who was despised and rejected of men. Granted, there is much in David that betrays a man of like passions with ourselves; he may, in a rash moment, gird on his sword to take vengeance upon Nabal. Peter, in like spirit, will draw his sword to defend his Master. But Christ Himself, in the presence of His enemies, will say, “Put up again thy sword into his place.” In every type there are these contrasts, only serving to show that no type can fully set forth the perfection of Jesus. Christ is the substance, and He alone is perfect.
If in David we can see a type of Christ, we see in Nabal a picture of the world’s attitude towards Christ, whether in the days of His flesh or during His present session at the right hand of God. It is a world bent upon present gain, feasting and pleasure. By such a world Christ is a despised and rejected Man — One in whom it sees no beauty and for whom it feels no need. It may indeed put on a Christian profession, yet though it puts on the name of Christ, it puts Christ Himself outside its doors. Yet such is the long-suffering grace of Christ that, as David appealed to Nabal, even so He stands at the door of the professing church and knocks.
Fellowship with Christ’s Sufferings
If, however, in the midst of this Christ-rejecting Christendom, there are any that hear His voice and open the door to Christ, how rich will be their blessing! In the present, such will know sweet communion with Him in the day of His rejection, for the Lord can say to the one that opens the door to Him, “I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me” (Rev. 3:20). In the future, those that have supped with Christ in the day of His rejection will reign with Him in the day of His glory, for the Lord can say, “To him that overcomes will I grant to sit with Me in My throne” (Rev. 3:21).
Of all this Abigail was a bright example. When the world of her day slammed the door in David’s face, she opened her door and put her bounty at his disposal. She had her bright reward, for she enjoyed sweet communion with David as his wife, in the day of his reproach; she sat with him on his throne, in the day of his glory.
Happy Is the Overcomer
Happy for us if we take warning by Nabal and follow the example of Abigail. Happy indeed if we wholeheartedly separate from the corruptions of the Christian profession in order to gather to Christ in the outside place of His reproach. Christendom is putting forth vast efforts to bring about an unholy unity, in which Christ Himself will be outside. They will have united to be eventually spued out of Christ’s mouth. It is well for the true saints to be awakened to the solemnity of the day in which we live and hear the voice of the Lord as He says, “Come out of her, My people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues” (Rev. 18:4).
Those that obey the words of the Lord will find, even as Abigail in her day, that the ties of nature, social position and worldly religious authorities will have to be overcome. If, however, like Abigail we are overcomers, we shall find the outside place with Christ one of deepest, present blessing and highest, future glory.
H. Smith (adapted)
Bathsheba's Character
When the name of Bathsheba is mentioned in the Word of God, we notice that very little, if anything, is explicitly said about her character. Her beauty is mentioned when David first noticed her bathing herself, and it is clear that, as a mature woman, she was capable of interceding for her son Solomon when his half-brother Adonijah attempted to usurp the kingdom at the end of David’s life. But other than these observations, there is nothing said about her personality, temperament or spirituality. Whenever she is spoken of, it is in connection with another, and even in the New Testament, in the genealogy of our Lord, she is referred to simply as “her that had been the wife of Urias” (Matt. 1:6). However, we can certainly glean something from the various references to her, and we can be assured that she was a woman of faith.
When David first noticed her, she was washing (or bathing) herself, probably out of doors, behind her home, and likely the only way anyone could see her was from above. Some have advanced the idea that she was possibly a Gentile, since her husband Urijah was a Hittite, but since Scripture is silent on this point, we may dismiss this thought as being irrelevant. Others have characterized her as a seductress, who bathed purposely in this way to attract the wrong kind of attention to herself. There is no scriptural evidence for this, and I believe we may also dismiss this thought. Indeed, everything that Scripture says about her encounter with David and subsequent adultery would point to her being a victim of David’s lust, where there was a very large power imbalance. When she was summoned to appear before David, she could not refuse, and while she could have resisted his advances, again, the power imbalance would have made this difficult. Not that we excuse her; we merely portray the situation as it happened.
Her Marriage to David
What is most impressive about her relationship with David is that after Urijah was killed, David did not cast her off as something worthless. He married her, and even after their first child died when only a week old, he had several other children by her. David was evidently very much in love with her and treated her well as his wife.
More than this, we find that she bore David another son, Solomon, meaning “peaceful.” It is recorded that “the Lord loved him” (2 Sam. 12:24) and sent Nathan the prophet, who added another name, Jedidiah, meaning “beloved of Jehovah.” Bathsheba had other sons as well, including one who was named Nathan, no doubt in honor of Nathan the prophet. (His name is found in the genealogy of our Lord in Luke’s gospel, which is generally accepted as being Mary’s genealogy.) Because of the Lord’s special love and favor bestowed on Solomon, it became clear to David that he was to succeed him as king. Again, while Scripture does not say so explicitly, all this would surely indicate that there had been, on Bathsheba’s part, a full repentance for her adultery with David and the maintenance of a godly walk before the Lord.
Moral Integrity and Wisdom
However, what really confirms her character, moral integrity and wisdom is found in Proverbs 31. Here are given to us the words of King Lemuel, who is almost surely King Solomon. Lemuel means “created for God” or “devoted to God,” and the name Lemuel may well have been an endearing personal name with which Bathsheba addressed Solomon. The mother is evidently Bathsheba, and what she taught him is characterized as a prophecy. In raising Solomon, I believe that Bathsheba was in the current of God’s thoughts and realized that one day her son would be king over all Israel. Accordingly she was careful to instruct him well, and to do this she must have had wisdom from the Lord.
Her Warnings
First of all, she gives him three solemn warnings. He was to avoid women with loose morals who would lead him into sinful behavior, he was to avoid the excessive use of alcohol, and he was to be careful to carry out righteous judgment in his realm. All of these are most important, for how many rulers in the annals of history have been tripped up by allowing one or more of these things to ruin their lives! It is bad enough when an individual in private life engages in these things, but when a ruler permits himself to fall into such sins, his whole kingdom is affected. It is most significant that the first of these warnings concerns immorality, which we well know had characterized David and Bathsheba in their initial relationship. By the time this chapter was written, both Solomon and Bathsheba had surely witnessed the disasters in David’s family that had resulted from it, and Bathsheba gives a needed warning to her son.
“A Virtuous Woman”
From verse 10 to the end of the chapter, we find the characteristics of “a virtuous woman” — probably the most complete description of the proper spirit and disposition of a godly woman found in the whole Bible. All this comes from the mouth of Bathsheba, and it surely indicates a heart that followed the Lord and a desire to see her son follow Him too. She mentions a number of attributes that are important, and since the moral principles of God do not change with dispensations, these traits are good for all time.
First of all, in verse 10, she had virtue: that is, she was pure; the word “virtuous” implies strength and courage, for it takes moral courage to live contrary to the spirit and style of this world. Then, in verses 11-12, she was trustworthy, and especially toward her husband. This is a characteristic that a husband values greatly and is perhaps second only to purity. Third, in verses 13-15, she is industrious. In ruling her home, nothing important is neglected.
In verse 16 we find that she had business ability. As has often been mentioned, a woman is not inferior to a man, and in certain areas a wife’s ability may well surpass that of her husband. But we notice that her business ability is carried out with the home as her base; it was her husband who was “known in the gates” (vs. 23), not she. In verse 18, she had wisdom and perception; she has the confidence that her merchandise was good. In verse 20 she exhibits her kindness; she realizes that not all are able to look after themselves as well as she looks after her household, and she reaches out to the poor. In verse 21 she has the foresight to get ready for winter and to prepare the necessary things ahead of time. In all of these activities, another has noted that her hands are mentioned seven times and her mouth only once.
A Woman’s Character
Finally, we find perhaps the best comment of all. Here was a woman whom Scripture itself says was “very beautiful,” yet her advice to her son is not to look at the outward appearance, but rather on a woman’s character. “Favor is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised” (vs. 30). No doubt her husband would praise her, but in the next verse we see the praise that comes from her own works. We have noticed that it is her husband who was “known in the gates,” but then in verse 31 we read, “Let her own works praise her in the gates.” Surely this shows us that while God did not intend the woman to undertake public rule, yet her consistent godly rule of the home would result in “her own works” — that is, her male children — being a credit and praise to her, as they took up responsibilities as men. In the record of the kings of Judah and Israel, most of the time the mother’s name is mentioned, for the Lord knows how much influence she has on her children, either for good or for bad.
As we have already remarked, all this advice came from Bathsheba. It confirms to us the work of God that took place in her soul and which gave her the grace, wisdom and moral courage to undertake the instruction of Solomon, who was to be a type of Christ in His millennial reign.
W. J. Prost
Setting Personal Wrongs Right
“When Ahithophel saw that his counsel was not followed, he ... gat him home to his house, to his city, and put his household in order, and hanged himself, and died, and was buried in the sepulchre of his father” (2 Sam. 17:23).
What a sad end for Ahithophel, who was the king’s counsellor (1 Chron. 27:33)! His counsel which he counselled in those days was as if a man had enquired at the oracle of God (2 Sam. 16:23). Evidently he was a man of unusual ability and usefulness to David, occupying a key position in the kingdom and greatly respected for his wisdom. What then had happened to bring him to such a low point? When Absalom had wanted to usurp the throne, we find that he sent for Ahithophel (2 Sam. 15:12), who evidently came readily and with full support for Absalom. More than this, when he was asked to give counsel as to the best means of defeating David, Ahithophel not only counselled against David, but wanted personally to lead an army against him (2 Sam. 17:13). Why did this man, so close to David, turn so completely against him? I believe the answer is found in comparing 2 Samuel 11:3 and 23:34.
Family Relationships and Snares
Ahithophel was the grandfather of Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah the Hittite. He was probably one of the few who knew the whole truth of David’s sin with Bathsheba and his subsequent attempt to cover it up by arranging for the death of her husband Uriah. We can only imagine the disillusionment and anger that so easily must have filled his soul. Doubtless he felt that David’s sin made him unfit to be king any longer. When Absalom, who seemed to be more righteous, came along, Ahithophel readily lent his support to him against David.
How keenly we feel it when a serious wrong is done, perhaps by those whom we have respected and trusted the most! When the wrong affects a member of our own family, we feel it all the more. Righteous anger arises in our hearts and perhaps our first thought is to avenge the wrong. Unhappily such things have happened many times in the history of God’s people, whether in Israel or in the history of the church.
We cannot defend David’s actions, and we find that the Lord dealt with them most solemnly. The first child born to David and Bathsheba died, and David was also told by Nathan the prophet that the sword would never depart from his house. It is clear that God did not pass over what David had done, although He did put away his sin (2 Sam. 12:13).
Setting Things Straight
Yet how often have we, like Ahithophel, taken matters into our own hands instead of counting on God to set things right! Ahithophel seemed to have plenty of reason for his attitude and actions, but he acted without God’s mind and thus rebelled against God’s rightful king. As David would not lift up his hand against Saul, because he was the Lord’s anointed, so Ahithophel was wrong to support rebellion against David.
Sowing and Reaping
As a result, God allowed Ahithophel’s good counsel to be rejected in favor of that given by Hushai. Knowing full well that the result would be certain defeat for Absalom, Ahithophel commits suicide. May this be a lesson to our own hearts, if we are tempted to try righting a wrong! This does not mean that we are to condone evil, either individually or in the assembly. But let us be careful not to use human energy to accomplish what only the Lord can do.
Forgiving and Serving
Contrast the history of Ahithophel with that of his son Eliam. We are not told much about him, although he was the father of Bathsheba, as we learn from 2 Samuel 11:3. We do not hear of him again until the record is given of David’s mighty men in 2 Samuel 23. It is evident that he remained faithful to David, although he had even more reason to be upset than Ahithophel.
He is not mentioned in connection with Absalom’s rebellion, but he is mentioned in the list of David’s mighty men. Though, no doubt, feeling the harm done to his daughter, he evidently submitted to what God had allowed and continued to serve David. As a result, he occupies a place of honor in a very select list of those who distinguished themselves in David’s service. The wrong done to Eliam remained, and surely he could not forget it. The presence of Bathsheba in David’s court would be a continual reminder of what had happened.
Wrongs Righted Here or There?
It is not until the end of David’s life that Eliam is mentioned and his name honored. So wrongs may be done down here, serious wrongs, yet we may have to wait until the judgment seat of Christ for them to be set right. Surely it will be worth it all in that day, when we receive the approval of our blessed Master for our service to Him. It is easy to be tempted to take another path that might seem to be dealing with the wrong, but if done without the mind of the Lord, it will not prosper. We may well find ourselves like Ahithophel, losing further opportunity to serve our David because we have not left matters with the Lord.
Blessing out of Failures
It is encouraging to see how God brings blessing even out of such serious failure. We know that Solomon, David’s heir to the throne, was born of Bathsheba, and it is recorded that the Lord loved him (2 Sam. 12:24). Also, we notice that David had other sons by Bathsheba, among them one named Nathan (1 Chron. 3:5). We may well suppose that he was named after Nathan the prophet who had faithfully spoken to David about his failure. This is likely the same Nathan named in Luke 3:31.
It is generally accepted that the genealogy in Matthew through Solomon is Joseph’s genealogy, being the lineage of the rightful king. That given in Luke is probably Mary’s genealogy, and it is striking that she too is descended from a son of Bathsheba, although not one who sat on the throne.
Well might we say with the Apostle Paul, “How unsearchable are His judgments, and His ways past finding out!” (Rom. 11:33). May God give us the grace to submit to His ways, knowing that they are not our ways and that true blessing is always in submitting to Him. In that day it will be worth it all!
W. J. Prost
"Sing, O Barren"
The barren woman is always presented in Scripture as the type of nature’s ruined and helpless condition. There is no ability to do anything for God — no energy to bring forth any fruit to Him; all is death and barrenness. Such is the real condition of every child of Adam. He can neither do anything for God nor for himself, as regards his eternal destiny. He is emphatically “without strength” — “a dry tree.” Such is the lesson taught us by the barren woman.
However, the Lord caused His grace to abound over all Hannah’s weakness and need, and put a song of praise into her mouth. He enabled her to say, “Mine horn is exalted in the Lord: my mouth is enlarged over mine enemies; because I rejoice in thy salvation” (1 Sam. 2:1). It is the Lord’s special grace to make the barren woman rejoice. He alone can say, “Sing, O barren, thou that didst not bear; break forth into singing, and cry aloud, thou that didst not travail with child: for more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife, saith the Lord” (Isa. 54:1).
Hannah realized this, and before long, widowed Israel will realize it also, “for [her] Maker is [her] husband; the Lord of hosts is His name; and her Redeemer the Holy One of Israel” (Isa. 54:5). The beautiful song of Hannah is the soul’s thankful acknowledgment of God’s actings in reference to Israel. “The Lord killeth, and maketh alive: He bringeth down to the grave, and bringeth up. The Lord maketh poor and maketh rich: He bringeth low and lifteth up. He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill, to set them among princes, and to make them inherit the throne of glory” (1 Sam. 2:6-8). All this will be most fully exemplified in Israel in the latter day, as it is now exemplified in the person of everyone who, through grace, is raised from his ruined condition in nature, to blessedness and peace in Jesus.
C. H. Mackintosh
Power of Faith: Hannah's Song
Abigail takes a much more humble place than Jonathan did, and one which, even at the time, acknowledged David much more fully. It is not a friend like Jonathan, but a submissive soul, taking her own place before him, which in spirit gives David his place according to God. It is exactly that which should distinguish the spirit of the assembly, and of the Christian. In Jonathan we see the remnant under the Jewish aspect. But Abigail enters into the spirit of God’s purposes respecting David, although he was now in distress. David, while thoroughly submissive to these adverse circumstances, can act according to the faith that owns him as the rightful king; he hears her voice and accepts her person.
Let us mark the features of Abigail’s faith. All rests upon her appreciation of David; his title as owned of God; his personal perfection; and that which belonged to him according to the counsels of God. It is this which forms a Christian’s judgment; in everything he appreciates Christ. Abigail thinks of him according to all the good which God has spoken of him. She sees him fighting God’s battles, where others only see a rebel against Saul; and all this from her heart. She judges Nabal, and looks upon him as already judged of God on account of this, for with her everything is judged according to its connection with David. God accomplishes this judgment ten days later, although Nabal was at peace in his own house, and David an exile and outcast. Nevertheless the relation of Abigail to Nabal is recognized until God executes judgment. She judges Saul: he is but “a man,” because her faith regards David as king. All her desire is that David may remember her. Jonathan says, when he goes out to David, “I shall be next unto thee;” and David abides in the wood, while Jonathan returns to his house. God had judged Saul’s family; Jonathan remains with them and shares their ruin.
This is important to a Christian. For example, he respects official Christianity, in so far as it is based on God’s authority (which in the world is the religion of God, while God bears with it), and does not stand up against it. As to faith and personal walk, this is not at all true Christianity, just as Saul was only “a man” to Abigail’s faith.
J. N. Darby (adapted)
Abigail Compared with Jonathan
When we read the history of Michal, Saul’s daughter, she seems to be a rather pitiful figure. Yet, if we read the whole story, it is clear that she was also a woman who was presented with tremendous opportunities — opportunities which she proceeded to squander because she was not a woman of God. In this way she serves as a warning to all of us, for while we are not responsible for the forces which act on us during our formative years, we are ultimately accountable before God for the way we react to the circumstances in our lives.
We first read of Michal in 1 Samuel 14:49, where she is named as the younger daughter of King Saul, his elder daughter being Merab. Later, when Goliath presented himself before Israel, demanding a man to fight with him, Saul promised, among other rewards, to give his daughter as wife to the man who would kill Goliath. When David killed him, he was promised Saul’s daughter Merab (1 Sam. 18:17), but then Saul decided to give her to another man. However, Saul then was told that his daughter Michal really loved David, and Saul proposed giving her to David instead of Merab.
Given to David as Wife
In both of these proposed unions, however, Saul was clearly using his daughters as pawns in his intrigue to try and get David killed by the Philistines. He cared little for their feelings, but said of Michal, “I will give him her, that she may be a snare to him, and that the hand of the Philistines may be against him” (1 Sam. 18:21). While we realize that this demeaning treatment of women was not unusual in the Old Testament, yet both girls must have felt cheapened by their father’s disposing of them solely for his own ends.
However, it is clearly stated that “Michal Saul’s daughter loved David” (1 Sam. 18:20). How deep this love went is questionable. Scripture does not say so explicitly, but in view of her subsequent conduct, Michal’s love would seem to have been rather superficial — the kind of attraction a young woman might have toward a popular hero, who had just distinguished himself by killing an enemy giant single-handedly. However, she became David’s wife, and for a time they evidently lived together.
She Saved His Life
We find Michal mentioned again a short time later, as Saul’s hatred of David escalated to the point where he tried to murder him. During this time, Michal helped David to escape Saul’s hand, first of all by warning him, and then by letting him down out of the house through a window. She then made an image to put in his bed and said that David was sick. She lied again later, telling her father that David had forced her, on pain of death, to help him escape.
What is noteworthy here is that Michal’s love for David was not deep enough for her to follow him into rejection. She helped him escape her father’s hand, but she stayed where she was. In this she was very different from Abigail, who readily left a wealthy home and followed David into rejection. David subsequently became a fugitive for a number of years, and Michal was given to another man as his wife. Here was another wrong move on Saul’s part, for it is explicitly recorded that “Saul had given Michal his daughter, David’s wife, to Phalti the son of Laish” (1 Sam. 25:44). Again, Michal likely had no say in the matter.
Reunited With David
We see Michal again united with David when Abner proposed helping David to become king over all Israel. David agreed to accept Abner’s help, but one of his conditions was that his wife Michal be restored to him. Accordingly she was taken from her second husband and reunited with David (2 Sam. 3:13-16). Whether it was wise for David to insist on this is again questionable, for he had married two other wives during his rejection. It would seem that Michal and her second husband were happy with each other and had probably lived together for 10-15 years at this point.
Michal Despised King David
Finally, we see Michal some time later, when David brings the ark of God up to Jerusalem, to keep it in a tent that he had prepared for it. It had been in the house of Abinadab in Kirjath-Jearim for many years, and David and the elders of Israel wanted to bring it up to Jerusalem. The event was a joyous occasion, and it was accompanied by dancing, shouting, music and sacrifices. David freely took part in all this, and Scripture records that “Michal Saul’s daughter looked through a window, and saw king David leaping and dancing before the Lord; and she despised him in her heart” (2 Sam. 6:16). More than this, she confronted David with her sarcasm and scorn, and she obviously felt that all this was beneath his dignity as king.
What is significant here are two things. First of all, it is evident that Michal took no part in the rejoicing, although thousands had gathered together, at David’s invitation, to share in the joy of bringing the ark up to Jerusalem. Second, she could not enter into her husband’s joy, for her heart was on natural things, not on the Lord. David’s response to her accusations was simple: “It was before the Lord” (2 Sam. 6:21). What was due to the Lord was not dependent on man’s approval; David would express his joy in the Lord in a practical way, even though He was the king. The sad end of Michal’s attitude and hard words concerning David’s joy was that she fell under the government of God, and it is recorded that “Michal Saul’s daughter had no child until the day of her death” (2 Sam. 6:23).
In all this, we see a woman who could have been the wife of David and very possibly have had a place in the royal line of our Lord Jesus. Had she been willing to follow David into rejection and learn from him how to trust the Lord and to love Him, her life might have turned out very differently. But like her father, she preferred the things of this world, and there is no record that the Lord meant anything to her. She was given real opportunities, yet she threw them away. Her life is a lesson to all of us.
W. J. Prost
Abigail and David
Jonathan never separated from the system in which he stood, never united himself to David, although loving him, and never shared his sufferings. But Abigail identifies herself with him; existing relationships do not prevent her acknowledging David, and she is united to him after her husband’s death. Jonathan prefigures the character of the remnant of Israel who acknowledge the future king and adhere to him, but go no further; it is the kingdom. Jonathan does not suffer with David, and does not reign with him. He remains with Saul, and, as to that position, his career ends with Saul. Abigail, and even the malcontents who joined David, share his sufferings. Abigail separates herself completely from the spirit of her husband; and it is on account of her faith and wisdom that David spares Nabal’s life. God judges the latter, and then Abigail becomes the wife of David. Historically, David had nearly failed in his high standing. In fact, it is on account of the faithful remnant, the Abigail of the foolish nation (the Gentiles — see Deuteronomy 32:21), that Israel itself has been spared. The Lord’s connection with the church is in the character of pure grace, not in that of the avenger (as hereafter with Israel). At this time it is David, who, during his rejection, surrounds himself with those who will be the companions and the retinue of his glory in the kingdom; but he also takes a wife.
Present Testimony, Vol. 3
Abigail's Groups of Five
This thought of responsibility in connection with the number five will be found to have reference chiefly to relations between men; it is the aspect of responsibility from one man to another. The number ten carries much the same thought of responsibility, but it is chiefly with reference to God, and in relation to His claims.
In 1 Samuel 25:18, Abigail takes multiples of five to David: 200 (5 x 40) loaves, 5 sheep, 5 measures of parched corn; 100 clusters of raisins, 200 cakes of figs. And (vs. 42) she took five damsels as her personal servants when she became David’s wife.
E. C. Pressland
Little Children - He Blessed Them
Mark 10:13-16
May I approach Thee with my little one?
Is it too mean to lay it at Thy feet?
Lord, Thy disciples with disdainful tone
Bade me to take away my infant sweet;
But, oh! I feel, deep in my mother’s heart,
More pitiful than they, my Lord, Thou art.
For Thou, O Lord, Thyself wast once a child,
Wrapped in Thy swaddling clothes; but even then
Thy name was JESUS, holy, undefiled;
And Thou didst enter, like us sinful men,
A helpless infant on this world of woe;
Was it not, Lord, Thy grace for babes to show?
I ask no worldly portion for my child;
I seek not of Thee gold or rank or fame;
Save it from sin; from human passions wild;
An interest in Thy love is all I claim;
Lord, make it Thine — Thine only — is my plea,
To love and serve and live alone for Thee.
J. G. Deck