1 Samuel 25:3, The Real Story of Nabal
Now the name of the man was Nabal; and the name of his wife Abigail: and she was a woman of good understanding, and of a beautiful countenance: but the man was churlish and evil in his doings;
//Thus are we introduced to a man named Nabal, whom David quarreled with. The very first thing we learn is that he is “churlish and evil.” But what happens if we read this story from Nabal’s viewpoint?
Here is what seems to happen. A group of bandits running a protection racket appear out of nowhere. They make the point that not one of them has bothered any of Nabal’s shepherds, and in fact, neither has anybody else while the bandits have been around. Don’t they deserve a little reward for protecting the shepherds? “Give, I pray thee, whatsoever cometh to thine hand unto thy servants,” they demand.
Nabal refuses to be threatened, and turns them down. Who is this David fellow, says he? Never heard of him.
So, four hundred bandits set out with swords to kill Nabal and take what he has by force. But Abigail, Nabal’s wife, catches wind of what’s going on.
“Then Abigail made haste, and took two hundred loaves, and two bottles of wine, and five sheep ready dressed, and five measures of parched corn, and an hundred clusters of raisins, and two hundred cakes of figs, and laid them on asses.”
Abigail saves the day by succumbing to the bandits’ protection racket, and Nabal is allowed to live.
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Fantasy Football, Anyone?
Put on the whole uniform of the Team, that ye may be able to stand against the blitz of oncoming linebackers. Don the hip pads of truth, the shoulder pads of righteousness, the cleats of preparation. Don’t forget the facemask of faith and the helmet of salvation. Then clutch the pigskin with much Spirit, for that is what the Play Book of your Coach in Heaven demands.The River of Life
Twice before Lee Harmon has written about Christian topics, once on the gospel of John and once on the book of Revelation. But the question people keep asking him is this: As a liberal Christian, why do you care so much about the Bible? Others wonder whether he is truly a Christian at all.
The Way It Happened
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| Revelation: A love story gone awry. | The Gospel: A love story set aright. |
What really happened 2,000 years ago? How did a persecuted minority of end-time believers known as Christians, with their dreams of Armageddon and a conquering Messiah named Jesus, evolve into the largest religion in the world? Author Lee Harmon explores the period in which the New Testament was written in his books about John's Gospel and Revelation.
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Lee Harmon interviewed on The God Show about the History Channel's miniseries The Bible and Lee's latest book, John's Gospel: The Way It Happened.
About Lee
Hello! I'm an author, historical Jesus scholar, book reviewer, and liberal Christian, which means I appreciate and attempt to exercise the humanitarian teachings of Jesus without getting hung up on any particular supernatural or religious beliefs.
The Bible is a magnificent book that has inspired and spiritually fed generations for thousands of years, and each new century seems to bring a deeper understanding of life’s purpose. This is true of not only Christianity; through the years, our age-old religions are slowly transforming from superstitious rituals into humanitarian philosophies. In short, we are growing up, and I am thrilled to be riding the wave.
I avidly read all thought-provoking religion titles. New authors: I'd love to read and review your book!
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About Leslie
Hi! While Lee writes the articles and reviews the books, I edit, organize, and maintain the blog. The views expressed here are Lee's but I'm his biggest supporter! :-)
One wouldn’t expect a MAN AFTER GOD’S OWN HEART” to act like he did, would one?
David was basically a scumbag his entire life. I don’t know why Christians and Jews idolize him. I know what we are told about Christ’s lineage, etc. BUT… I think there was politics involved in the early church and in the early Bible writers. Those politics have continued in everything to the present day, IMO.