1 Samuel 25:9-13: a reflection

9When David’s young men came, they spoke to Nabal all those words in the name of David, and waited. 10Nabal answered David’s servants and said, “Who is David? Who is the son of Jesse? There are many servants who break away from their masters these days. 11Shall I then take my bread, my water, and my meat that I have killed for my shearers, and give it to men who I don’t know where they come from?” 12So David’s young men turned on their way and went back, and came and told him all these words. 13David said to his men, “Every man put on his sword!” Every man put on his sword. David also put on his sword. About four hundred men followed David, and two hundred stayed by the baggage.

When David sends his men to ask Nabal for provision, having protected Nabal's shepherds, Nabal responds with contempt and insult, dismissing David scornfully. And David's response is alarming: Every man put on his sword! he commands, and sets out with four hundred men to destroy Nabal and his household in a rush of angry revenge. Insulted and scorned, David reacts not with restraint but with rash, violent anger, ready to shed blood over an insult. His hasty, angry response to being scorned nearly leads him into a great wrong.

Notice David's rash response to insult: angry, violent, hasty. Nabal had insulted and scorned him; and David, stung, reacted at once with rage, arming his men to take violent revenge. He did not pause, restrain himself, or consider; he rushed to angry retaliation, ready to destroy Nabal's whole household over an insult. His response to being scorned was rash anger and a rush to revenge, which would have led him into bloodshed he would have regretted, had he not been stopped. The insult provoked a rash, disproportionate, angry reaction.

That is worth taking to heart, for we too can react to insult and contempt with rash, angry retaliation. When we are insulted, scorned, treated with contempt, our instinct can be rash anger, a rush to retaliate, a disproportionate response driven by wounded pride, as David rushed to destroy Nabal over an insult. Do not react to insult and contempt with rash, angry retaliation; restrain yourself rather than rushing to revenge, as David's rash anger nearly led him into a great wrong. When you are scorned or insulted, do not let rash anger drive you to retaliation you will regret; restrain yourself, and do not rush to revenge over an insult, as David, stung by Nabal's contempt, nearly shed blood in his anger before he was stopped; for rash anger at insult leads to wrong we will regret, and we are to restrain ourselves rather than rushing to angry retaliation.

Lord, when David sends his men to ask Nabal for provision, having protected Nabal's shepherds, Nabal responds with contempt and insult, dismissing David scornfully. And David's response is alarming: every man put on his sword! he commands, and sets out with four hundred men to destroy Nabal and his household in a rush of angry revenge. Insulted and scorned, David reacts not with restraint but with rash, violent anger. His hasty, angry response nearly leads him into a great wrong. Show me David's rash response to insult: angry, violent, hasty. Nabal had insulted and scorned him; and David, stung, reacted at once with rage, arming his men to take violent revenge. He did not pause, restrain himself, or consider; he rushed to angry retaliation, ready to destroy Nabal's whole household over an insult. His response would have led him into bloodshed he would have regretted, had he not been stopped. Take that to my heart, for I too can react to insult and contempt with rash, angry retaliation. When I am insulted, scorned, treated with contempt, my instinct can be rash anger, a rush to retaliate, driven by wounded pride, as David rushed to destroy Nabal over an insult. Keep me from reacting to insult and contempt with rash, angry retaliation; help me restrain myself rather than rushing to revenge, Lord, as David's rash anger nearly led him into a great wrong. When I am scorned or insulted, keep me from letting rash anger drive me to retaliation I will regret; help me restrain myself.