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the right man for the job

1 Samuel 25:1-17 (JDV)

1 Samuel 25:1 Samuel died, and all Israel gathered to mourn for him, and they buried him by his home in Ramah. David then went down to the Wilderness of Paran.
1 Samuel 25:2 A man in Maon had a business in Carmel; he was a very rich man with three thousand sheep and one thousand goats and was shearing his sheep in Carmel.
1 Samuel 25:3 The man’s name was Nabal, and his wife’s name, Abigail. The woman was intelligent and beautiful, but the man, a Calebite, was harsh and evil in his dealings.
1 Samuel 25:4 While David was in the wilderness, he heard that Nabal was shearing sheep,
1 Samuel 25:5 so David sent ten boys instructing them, “Go up to Carmel, and when you come to Nabal, greet him in my name.
1 Samuel 25:6 Then say this: ‘Long life to you, and peace to you, peace to your family, and peace to all that is yours.
1 Samuel 25:7 I hear that you are shearing. When your shepherds were with us, we did not harass them, and nothing of theirs was missing the whole time they were in Carmel.
1 Samuel 25:8 Ask your young men, and they will tell you. So let my young men find favor with you, because we have come on a feast day. Please give whatever you have on hand to your servants and to your son David.'”
1 Samuel 25:9 David’s boys went and said all these things to Nabal on David’s behalf, and they waited.
1 Samuel 25:10 Nabal asked them, “Who is David? Who is Jesse’s son? Many slaves these days are running away from their masters.
1 Samuel 25:11 Am I supposed to take my bread, my water, and my meat that I butchered for my shearers and give them to these men? I don’t know where they are from.”
1 Samuel 25:12 David’s boys retraced their steps. When they returned to him, they reported all these words.
1 Samuel 25:13 He said to his men, “All of you, put on your swords!” So, each man put on his sword, and David also put on his sword. About four hundred men followed David while two hundred stayed with the supplies.
1 Samuel 25:14 One of Nabal’s boys informed Abigail, Nabal’s wife: “Notice, David sent messengers from the wilderness to greet our master, but he screamed at them.
1 Samuel 25:15 The men treated us very well. When we were in the field, we weren’t harassed and nothing of ours was missing the whole time we were living among them.
1 Samuel 25:16 They were a wall around us, both day and night, the entire time we were with them herding the sheep.
1 Samuel 25:17 Now consider carefully what you should do, because there is certain to be trouble for our master and his entire family. He is such a worthless fool nobody can talk to him!”

the right man for the job

Nabal’s boys (male workers) were wise to appeal to Abigail rather than their worthless boss. She would in fact consider carefully what she should do, and she would act to save her husband’s business and his life. When you are looking for a solution to your problems, don’t assume that solution must come from a man. God has gifted each person according to his will, not according to our expectations.