2 May 2025

The hidden message in the story of Abigail

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Have you ever wondered if there is more to the story of Abigail, Nabal, and David? Me too. That is why this time, we will explore the Books of Samuel to find the prophetic hidden message in the story of Abigail. Some of you wrote that you were blown away by The Hidden Message in the Book of Esther. Prepare to be mind-blown again, as what the Holy Spirit showed me about Abigail’s story is equally compelling!

You can watch this as a video podcast or read the article with all the Scripture references below.




Before we dive in, let me give a summary of what happened in the story of Abigail. Abigail is introduced in 1 Samuel 25 as the wife of a very rich man, called Nabal, who was harsh and badly behaved. Abigail, on the other hand, was discerning and beautiful.

Soon-to-be-king David was in the wilderness with his men near Nabal and his sheep shearers. David’s men were good to Nabal and protected him and his possessions.

One day, David sent men to ask Nabal if he could return the favor and give some food to his men. Nabal foolishly and greedily mocked them. This made David respond in anger, ready to annihilate every man who belonged to Nabal’s household. But, thankfully, one of Nabal’s men went to Nabal’s wife, Abigail, and told her what had happened. He included that David and his men had been good to them, protecting them day and night.

Abigail acted fast. She took all kinds of food and sent it to David, without telling her husband. Then she rode to David on a donkey, and when she saw him, she fell at his feet and humbled herself while interceding for her husband. She managed to talk David out of his retaliation. David thanked her, blessed her, and received her offering.

After this, she went home and found Nabal feasting, getting drunk, and everything. When the next day she told him what had happened, his heart died within him, and about ten days later, God took Nabal’s life.
When David heard this, he took Abigail as his wife.

Now, let’s analyze the characters and locations in this story and compare Scripture with Scripture to find the prophetic meaning of this text.


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Photo of a woman in nature, on her knees, pointing to the sun in the sky. The text says, "The Hidden Message in Abigail's Story," DanielleBernice.com



David

Many of you will know that David is often called a type of Jesus. David foreshadowed and foretold much of what Jesus would later fulfill. Just think of Psalm 22 in which David prophesied what would happen to Jesus on the cross in great detail, as if he himself were going through the same suffering.

Jesus was called both the Offspring and the Root of David (Matthew 1:1, Revelation 22:16). Even David’s name carries a prophecy: it means “Beloved” in Hebrew, and Jesus was called “Beloved” by God (Matthew 3:17, 12:18, 17:5).

In the story of Abigail, David foreshadows Jesus again in a variety of ways.
The clearest example is found in what he said in verses 5 and 6:

“David sent ten young men; and David said to the young men, ‘Go up to Carmel, and go to Nabal, and greet him in my name. Tell him, ‘Long life to you! Peace be to you! Peace be to your house! Peace be to all that you have!’” (1 Samuel 25:5-6, WEB)

David then told the men they should ask Nabal for whatever food they had.
What David told his men to do closely resembles Jesus’s actions when He sent out His disciples. Jesus gave them a very similar command: “Into whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace be to this house.’” (Luke 10:5). And He also went on to say that they should consume their food and drinks, whatever the people of that house were prepared to give. In both cases, the house would either accept the peace offered and enjoy that peace, or they would have to face God’s wrath. (I wrote an article that discusses this topic more in-depth, if you would like to know more about Jesus’s offer of Peace.)

Nabal’s response is interesting. He likely knew about David, for his reputation stretched far and wide. But even if he didn’t, he had gathered plenty of evidence about what kind of man David was, as David’s men had treated him very well. That’s why, to me, Nabal sounds cynical when he mocks David with, “Who is David? Who is the son of Jesse? There are many servants who break away from their masters these days.” (1 Samuel 25:10).

The fact that he responded this way is quite symbolic because Jesus is also referred to as the Son of Jesse (Romans 15:12). He, too, wasn’t recognized as King and Savior, but mocked by many.

In his rebellion and mockery, Nabal refused to give David any food or drinks. But isn’t that precisely what unbelievers do? In their rebellion, they mock the Name of Jesus and refuse to give Him anything.

Nabal

That brings us to Nabal. Who does he represent?

Nabal means “fool,” and as we can read, he really lived up to that name. Nabal came from the house of Caleb, and Caleb means dog. Uncoincidentally, throughout the Bible, that term was often used for foolish, adulterous, evil, greedy, or aggressive people.

According to one of his own men, Nabal was such a worthless (wicked) man that nobody could talk sense into his head. This is in accordance with what the Bible teaches us about what happens to wicked people: The Good News is veiled to those who are perishing, for the devil has blinded the minds of unbelievers from seeing and recognizing the Light (2 Corinthians 4:3-4)…

On a sidenote: Perhaps you remember the deceptive man named Laban, from the story of Leah, Rachel, and Jacob. Have you noticed that Laban and Nabal are the same name spelled backwards? Isn’t that interesting?

Anyway, Nabal was rich and owned large flocks of sheep and goats. He lived in Maon. Maon means “habitation” or “dwelling place,” and it can refer to both earthly dwellings and the dwelling places of God (in heaven, the tabernacle, and the temple). His business was in Carmel, a short distance away from his home. Interestingly, Carmel means vineyard, orchard, or garden. This means that there are two symbolic connections between God’s people and Nabal’s possessions: workers in the vineyard and flocks both refer to God’s people. God’s people, before they come to Christ, are owned by a very harsh, evil, and rich devil. Do you see the connections?

God’s people, before they are saved, belong to the prince of this world, who is rich, harsh, and evil but also foolish in his rebellion against God. All people are bound to be destroyed along with their master, the devil, unless intercession takes place and God mercifully extends His grace.

Extending his grace is precisely what David did in response to Abigail’s petition. Nabal’s house deserved destruction, but because Nabal’s men had tasted and seen that David was good, one of Nabal’s men boldly stepped out and went to Abigail, trusting that she would know what to do.

Notice that it took only one brave man to step out in faith to save many!


Abigail

The text says that Abigail was beautiful and had sense, which reminds me of Rachel (Genesis 29:18), another woman carrying a hidden prophecy. You can read about her in my dedicated article series.

When the man came to inform Abigail, she hurriedly took a lot of food and some wine to offer David to fulfill his wishes. Her young men went first to bring the offering, then she secretly went to meet David. She even travelled under the cover of a hill, so that she wouldn’t be spotted.

This means that she went against her husband’s will and disobeyed her first line of authority. Of course, she indirectly did this to please God in order to save the lives of many, but when you think about it, all of us disobey our first line of authority at least once, to come under the authority of God. Because to be saved, we make Jesus Lord of our lives, which automatically implies that we disobey the one who has had authority over our lives up to that moment: the devil.

Accepting Jesus as Lord may mean we have to go against the will of other people who are still children of the devil; maybe our husband, parents, or our boss at work, if they are not Christians. This can be scary, but in doing so, you are saving your life, as obeying Jesus results in eternal life. That is what He promises us in Mark 10:29-30:

“Jesus said, ‘Most certainly I tell you, there is no one who has left house, or brothers, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or land, for my sake, and for the sake of the Good News, but he will receive one hundred times more now in this time: houses, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and land, with persecutions; and in the age to come eternal life.’” (WEB)


Peace or the Sword

David came offering peace, but Nabal foolishly didn’t accept it, which meant that he had made himself an enemy of David, the future king, and of his own wife, Abigail. This is fully in line with what Jesus said in Matthew 10:34-36:

“Don’t think that I came to send peace on the earth. I didn’t come to send peace, but a sword. For I came to set a man at odds against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. A man’s foes will be those of his own household.” (WEB)

David had said that by morning light, no man would be left alive. This symbolizes the rising and coming of Christ (the bright morning star) and the judgment that follows when darkness comes to light (Luke 1:78, Matthew 4:16, 2 Samuel 23:3-4, 2 Peter 1:19, Isaiah 65:11-12, Revelation 2:25-28). So, David’s words were prophetic. Thankfully, Abigail interceded and prevented a catastrophe.

We see this kind of intercession in many places in the Bible. It reminds me of Queen Esther, who interceded for her people at the risk of losing her own life. Intercession is seen as a righteous deed, and it is something Jesus modelled perfectly as He intercedes for us (Isaiah 53:12, Romans 8:34, Hebrews 7:25).

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Photo of a bride praying on her knees. The text says, "Unveiling the Bible: Abigail" DanielleBernice.com



Abigail’s wise words

The speech Abigail gave in verses 23 through 31 holds much wisdom. It begins with her humbling herself physically before David and then taking the blame! The first few times I read this text, I thought she took Nabal’s blame on herself, but when you read carefully, she doesn’t: she blames Nabal for his own folly, and blames herself for not seeing David’s messengers. If she had seen them, she would have been able to respond with wisdom and generosity and protect everyone there.

How often do we miss opportunities to intercede for people who are under the power and influence of this world? How often do busyness and distraction stand in the way of hearing words that could save you and others from God’s wrath? Like Abigail, we should repent of this and humble ourselves before Jesus, falling to our faces before His feet, begging for forgiveness.

Abigail knew and respected David. She knew that God had His hand on David. So, in her wisdom, she understood that serving David implied serving God. She said that David was “bound in the bundle of the living with Yahweh” and that no one going up against David would prevail (1 Samuel 25:29). She knew that anyone who would make himself an enemy of David would be God’s enemy. Unfortunately for Nabal and other people who chose to rebel against God, that is precisely what happened.

This continues to be true today: any enemy of Jesus makes himself an enemy of God and will eventually face judgment, unless they repent and accept Jesus as Lord before they die. If they rebel against Jesus, mock Him, and refuse to accept Him as Lord, they will have to face God’s wrath, just like Nabal.

Enduring abuse

Consider the type of person Nabal was, how he treated his servants, and how he even reviled a warrior appointed to be king by God – he disrespected everyone except himself. And now think how hard it must have been for Abigail to live under his roof as his wife. With the type of person Nabal was, it’s easy to imagine that she had to patiently endure verbal abuse and many other forms of mistreatment. But eventually, God set her free to become the bride of David. So, no surprise, then, that I believe that Abigail is a type of the Bride of Christ.

Let’s also not forget that all born-again Christians are grafted into the same root as David (Romans 11:17), and that we are children of the Almighty God. When we are mocked or abused, God is far from amused; good fathers are protective of their children.

Jesus teaches us that we should pray for our enemies and those who persecute us (Matthew 5:44). Our intercession will give them another chance to turn to Jesus and be saved from the wrath they deserve. Which is only fair, because before we turned to Jesus, we were also deserving of God’s wrath.

Abigail ended her speech with “When Yahweh has dealt well with my lord, then remember your servant.” (1 Samuel 25:31b). This reminds me of the criminal on the cross next to Jesus (Luke 23:40-43). He, too, saw that Jesus was good and defended Him, acknowledging his own guilt in the process, just like Abigail. Jesus responded by giving him grace and taking the man with Him to an eternal, peaceful life in paradise. Abigail received a similar response. David extended his grace, offered her peace, and would later take her with him to his kingdom as his wife.

Abigail means “My Father Is Joy” from abba (father) and the noun gil (rejoicing). The lesson for our lives is hidden in her name: we must endure suffering in this life, but we can rejoice in the fact that one day all of this suffering will be over, and we will be with our Father in Heaven (Hebrews 12:2, Romans 5:2-3).

Abigail’s life as a wife

After Abigail was widowed, David sent messengers to take her as his wife. This meant that David extended his grace again, as in those days, a woman alone had no “head covering” as her husband was the head of the household and her protector.

Abigail bowed and responded with these words: “Behold, your servant is a servant to wash the feet of the servants of my lord.” (1 Samuel 25:41). Let this sink in for a moment: She was prepared to wash the feet of the servants of David as if she was their servant, while a moment ago she was asked to marry the future king!

Isn’t this what Jesus modelled when He washed the feet of His disciples? “If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet,” Jesus said in John 13:14.

Abigail, in her wisdom, immediately took action. She didn’t linger, she didn’t gather her stuff before she left, no: she rose hurriedly, took her five maids and a donkey, and left all her incredible riches behind. This is precisely what Jesus expects us to do when He calls us.

Abigail’s story in the Bible doesn’t end here. A few chapters later, in 1 Samuel 30:5, we can read how Abigail was abducted. A humble reminder that when we belong to the King of kings, persecution will be part of our reality, since the King has many enemies.

We can also read how she was present when David was crowned king of Judah in Hebron (which means Place of Joining) (2 Samuel 2:2). The Bride of Christ will witness Jesus coming back as King of this earth and will reign with Him for a thousand years (Revelation 20:4-6).

In 2 Samuel 3:3 we can read that Abigail gave birth to a son called Chileab, who was also called Daniel later on (see 1 Chronicles 3:1). The name Daniel means God is my Judge, but when we analyze the possible meaning of the name Chileab, we see that it consists of 2 parts: ab (meaning “Father”) and either the verb kalah, meaning “to complete,” or a noun kallah, meaning “Bride.” Both make sense: seeing how the prophecy of the Bride of Christ is hidden everywhere in the story of Abigail, I’m inclined to think that “to complete the Father” and “Bride of the Father” both equally underline this prophetic meaning.


The messengers

The ten young men David sent deserve to be mentioned, too. The men spoke in the name of David (1 Samuel 25:9), just like we speak in the name of Jesus when Jesus sends us to share the Truth of God’s Word. It was no surprise that David sent ten men. At first, I was confused because David’s sending out of men to offer peace closely resembles Jesus’s sending out of 72 disciples in Luke 10. But those are 72, not 10. Why is that?

Well, both numbers have a specific meaning in the Bible. I believe that the number 72 has always pointed to the three days and three nights (72 hours) leading up to Jesus’s resurrection. Jesus was hidden in darkness in those three days, literally, as He was laid in a tomb. We see references to this in various places in the Bible (for example, the 3 days of darkness in Egypt in Exodus 10, or the 3 days that Saul was blind in Acts 9), but the sign of Jonah is the most obvious. In Matthew 12:40, Jesus said, “For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the huge fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” (WEB).

The number 10 often goes hand in hand with a confrontation between good and evil, which eventually leads to deliverance. A few examples:

  • The 10 plagues in Egypt confronted Pharaoh with his stubborn sin and led to the deliverance of the Israelites (Exodus 1-12).
  • Jacob’s wages had changed 10 times before he was set free from Laban (Genesis 31:7).
  • The 10 commandments were given to show people how sinful they are, which leads to deliverance through Jesus (Romans 7).
  • The church of Smyrna would suffer persecution for 10 days, but the one who persevered would be given life as the victor’s crown (Revelation 2:10).
  • Abigail had to wait for 10 days before Nabal died, and then she was set free from this evil man (1 Samuel 25:38).


This means that it is prophetic that David, as a type of Jesus, sent out 10 men. Following the pattern, his men ended up in a confrontation with the evil Nabal, which ultimately led to the deliverance of Abigail and her household.

I wonder how many messengers God had to send to us before we accepted Jesus into our hearts and were delivered from the grip of the devil?


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