What did she do? The prophetess Deborah courageously supported God’s worshippers. God also used her to help settle problems among the Israelites.- Judges 4:4, 5. Who was Deborah? She was a prophetess whom Israel’s God, Jehovah, used to reveal his will on matters affecting his people. ▸ For a further discussion about Abigail, see the article “ She Acted With Discretion.” She handled a tense situation calmly and did so with tact, courage, and resourcefulness. To keep peace, she was willing to apologize for something that was not her fault. What can we learn from Abigail? Although beautiful and wealthy, Abigail had a balanced view of herself. ( 1 Samuel 25:32, 33) Soon thereafter, Nabal died and Abigail became David’s wife.- 1 Samuel 25:37-41. ( 1 Samuel 25:14-19, 24-31) When David saw her gift, observed her humility, and heard her wise advice, he recognized that God had used her to prevent a tragedy. She gave her servants a supply of food to take to David and his men, and she followed to beg David for mercy. David was incensed! So he and his men went out to kill Nabal and all the men of his household.- 1 Samuel 25:10-12, 22.Ībigail acted quickly when she heard what her husband had done.
But when messengers from David asked Nabal for some food, Nabal insolently refused to provide it. While David and his men were there, they protected Nabal’s flocks of sheep from robbers. She and Nabal lived in the region where David, Israel’s future king, was hiding as a fugitive. What did she do? Abigail acted with wisdom and discernment in order to avoid calamity. Abigail, however, was discerning and humble, as well as beautiful both physically and spiritually.- 1 Samuel 25:3. Men and women of character will set a good example for others to follow, and their godly reputation will be evident to all (Titus 2:7-8).Who was Abigail? She was the wife of a wealthy but harsh man named Nabal. We can develop character by controlling our thoughts (Philippians 4:8), practicing Christian virtues (2 Peter 1:5-6), guarding our hearts (Proverbs 4:23 Matthew 15:18-20), and keeping good company (1 Corinthians 15:33). “You test the heart and are pleased with integrity” (1 Chronicles 29:17 see also Psalm 15:1-2). The Lord is pleased when His children grow in character. God sometimes uses trials to strengthen character: “we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance perseverance, character and character, hope” (Romans 5:3-4). It is the purity of heart that God gives becoming purity in action. Character in the believer is a consistent manifestation of Jesus in his life.
Godly character is the result of the Holy Spirit’s work of sanctification. “The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold, but the LORD tests the heart” (Proverbs 17:3). It is the Lord’s purpose to develop character within us. Character will help us weather the storms of life and keep us from sin (Proverbs 10:9a). “The integrity of the upright guides them” (Proverbs 11:3a). Character, in turn, influences our choices. Daniel “resolved not to defile himself” in Babylon (Daniel 1:8), and that godly choice was an important step in formulating an unassailable integrity in the young man’s life. These individuals’ lives were distinguished by persistent moral virtue.Ĭharacter is influenced and developed by our choices. Several people in the Bible are described as having noble character: Ruth (Ruth 3:11), Hanani (Nehemiah 7:2), David (Psalm 78:72), and Job (Job 2:3). And although King Ahab may have acted nobly once (1 Kings 22:35), he was still a man of overall bad character (1 Kings 16:33). For example, King David was a man of good character (1 Samuel 13:14) although he sinned on occasion (2 Samuel 11). It is good to remember that character is gauged by general tendencies, not on the basis of a few isolated actions. A lack of character is moral deficiency, and persons lacking character tend to behave dishonestly, unethically, and uncharitably.Ī person’s character is the sum of his or her disposition, thoughts, intentions, desires, and actions. Descriptions such as “man of principle” and “woman of integrity” are assertions of character. Persons of character are noted for their honesty, ethics, and charity. Tozer described character as “the excellence of moral beings.” As the excellence of gold is its purity and the excellence of art is its beauty, so the excellence of man is his character. Character is defined as strength of moral fiber.
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